Speaking of trans issues let's talk about racism and the general disregard of brands when we call them out for it.

[Deleted member 64002]

Hiya gaming era it is I the spookiest motherfucker you ever met who also made a thread just two days ago about trans issues in eras community. (I'm not exactly great at making threads )
this thread
Hey it's minority mental health awareness month
Hey era I figured it would be apt if I placed a link to this thread on the current one. It is Minority mental health awareness month and it's important that all of you deserve to get the love and support you deserve.
Link to thread

Pride Month may be over but these problems still exist and the scope goes beyond just the LGBTQIA+ community.

I'm coming here to talk about some unpleasant things I've noticed in general on this forum regarding racism and general bigotry (including transphobia) in regards to games like the last of us 2(naughty dog), cyberpunk(cd project red), Harry Potter (JKRollings), Gta5(rockstar), and steam. I want to discuss this and say that I am appalled and upset at the lack of regard for the minority communities on Era and that we need to do better as a community. When threads like the tf2 racist bot thread happened or the other thread regarding valves inaction on racist community's. I saw so many jump in defending the brands and companies for inexcusable behavior. So many posts obscuring or downright down downplaying insensitive posts. While staff has been banning as many bad actors as they can it is up to us as a community to realize the major wrong that has occurred here as a result. I'd like to point out that while reports help it isn't enough and these people usually don't learn their lesson and continue to act like bigots. I suggest we call these people out for what they're doing and to be more mindful of the minority communities on era who have been completely marginalized as a result. When trans people speak up about problems with games we should listen. When someone in the community highlights racism in the industry we should accept that brands we like have faults and that they deserve criticism.

It's frustrating that I have to make these threads when I know as a community we should be doing better. That said I just hope some of you agree with me regarding this issue. If you want some examples I suggest looking at the Harry Potter thread with the poll.
The recent gta5 thread about transphobia.
The racism in tf2 thread and the other thread about racism in the Steam community.
And let's not forget ableism that is running rampant in the forums (example in the op and in the thread) Dunking on mentally ill people is not ok.
Edit: I will be adding links for the sake of sanity. And also just to help this discussion better apologies.

how you can help the trans community
I am super open to helpful resources to help the community.
glaad trans resource on how to be an ally


Links to examples were removed at the request of staff.

 

[Mossiah]

I am appalled and upset at the lack of disregard for the minority communities on era

Click to shrink...

What? You're upset that we aren't disregarding these minorities?

Passing along the initial (hopeful) oversight on this post, I have to say that this is an issue on the internet yes - but era has moderated this forum extremely well. Any transphobia, racism, homophobia, whataboutism or anything of the like is dealt with on the spot. If it wasn't dealt with, the report option is always there. I am just unsure about the nature of this post, it is far too general and speaks nonsensically regarding the nature of the forum and those who moderate it. There is no place for transphobia, racism, bigotry or anything of the like on this forum.

 

[julia crawford]

Hey, thanks for making this thread here.

I'll just repeat myself, it's important that people at some point realize that this forum does not need posters who actively do not care for trans people and their concerns. The forum has to be ok with losing those people. You cannot expect there to be a community that is inviting to members of disenfranchised people which has so, so many posters who just will not give their worries a second thought and dismiss them outright and continue to be part of the systems that keep them disenfranchised.

There is no place for transphobia, racism, bigotry or anything of the like on this forum.

Click to shrink...

This is the kind of myopic, idealistic position that is simply not true. Please believe trans people when they say there is transphobia. The OP mentions threads where transphobia happens, or where there otherwise is a complete disregard for transphobic actions by other people.

 

[Seductivpancakes]

but era has moderated this forum extremely well. Any transphobia, racism, homophobia, whataboutism

Click to shrink...

I don't think the problem is the moderation, or that they aren't the sole reason this forum is toxic, it's the amount of posters who are transphobic, homophobic, racist, sexist. etc.

It's becoming a common sight in this community.

 

[Kyuuji]

What? You're upset that we aren't disregarding these minorities? What even is this post?

Passing along the initial (hopeful) oversight on this post, I have to say that this is an issue on the internet yes - but era has moderated this forum extremely well. Any transphobia, racism, homophobia, whataboutism or anything of the like is dealt with on the spot. If it wasn't dealt with, the report option is always there. I am just unsure about the nature of this post, it is far too general and speaks nonsensically regarding the nature of the forum and those who moderate it. There is no place for transphobia, racism, bigotry or anything of the like on this forum.

Click to shrink...

Had you read the OP you'd realise it was speaking more to the community here than the moderation of it.

 

[Mossiah]

This is the kind of myopic, idealistic position that is simply not true. Please believe trans people when they say there is transphobia. The OP mentions threads where transphobia happens, or where there otherwise is a complete disregard for transphobic actions by other people.

Click to shrink...

I don't think the problem is the moderation, or that they aren't the sole reason this forum is toxic, it's the amount of posters who are transphobic, homophobic, racist, sexist. etc.

It's becoming a common sight in this community.

Click to shrink...

Had you read the OP you'd realise it was speaking more to the community here than the moderation of it.

Click to shrink...

All 3 actually brought great points. I am part of the minority base on the site, and misinterpreted. I thought this was regarding the era moderation, not those that inhabit the forum. You hit the nail on the head, sorry if I seemed to be derailing. It is an important conversation to be had. Personal apologies to OP for missing what you were trying to say.

 

[Kyuuji]

All 3 actually brought great points. I am part of the minority base on the site, and misinterpreted. I thought this was regarding the era moderation, not those that inhabit the forum. You hit the nail on the head, sorry if I seemed to be derailing. It is an important conversation to be had.

Click to shrink...

I can respect this level of honesty over a misread, no problem my end. There's valid concerns there too but it's not going to resolve issue in the community itself around accepting, and supporting, criticism of bigoted things that occur within or from that which they love or are eagerly awaiting.

 

[NunezL]

Good on you for making these threads. It is so important to have these discussions.
It seems to me like a lot of people's stance can be sumed up by "let me enjoy my games please, I really don't care about the political stuff". But ultimately we have to face the fact that some people are unable to enjoy those games just like we do, and that stance becomes uncacceptable.

Gaming community is such at a weird place now, for some reason the people spewing have managed to act like they're the ones being attacked. ANd it's even worse outside of Era.

 

[ciddative]

This is the kind of myopic, idealistic position that is simply not true. Please believe trans people when they say there is transphobia. The OP mentions threads where transphobia happens, or where there otherwise is a complete disregard for transphobic actions by other people.

Click to shrink...

"No place for" means these things shouldn't be tolerated, not that they don't exist

Had you read the OP you'd realise it was speaking more to the community here than the moderation of it.

Click to shrink...

Being upset at a lack of disregard means you want there to be more disregard, which is an odd thing to say.

Glad you edited and provided 1 (one) example after you encouraged us to name and shame people OP

 

[Kyuuji]

Being upset at a lack of disregard means you want there to be more disregard, which is an odd thing to say.
Glad you edited and provided 1 (one) example after you encouraged us to name and shame people OP

Click to shrink...

Seems as obvious that Im speaking to the paragraph after the initial sentence as it was that the OP didn't want there to be more disregard for minorities.

 

[Deleted member 5028]

"No place for" means these things shouldn't be tolerated, not that they don't exist
Being upset at a lack of disregard means you want there to be more disregard, which is an odd thing to say.

Glad you edited and provided 1 (one) example after you encouraged us to name and shame people OP

Click to shrink...

Is this really how you're looking to derail the thread already. The OP of the Etcetera cousin of this thread had misgivings about posting here on Gaming and here you are proving them right. Now that the OP has made corrections lets actually chat about the problem.
Quoting myself from the other thread:

I think there is a sizable number of people who enjoy deflecting any criticism of games with the same cut and paste responses:

1. Why should devs suffer because of one person
2. They're just haters who hate this games success
3. Era just assume intentions, stop being negative
4. This game/platform is worse

It happens more often than not, and my ignore list continues to grow after I report them. I've eaten a number of bans for "platform wars" or something over the last 3 years - whatever, but when people like the one linked in the OP are "duration pending" it makes me upset as thats outright Shitposting.

you know my history, and the work i put into removing this kind of hate and bullshit from a very well known gaming community for 3.5 years a while ago so it's especially disappointing to me when i see transphobic comments or inferred feelings get a general pass by nature of how some conversations go (the Harry Potter poll for one) from the community at large.

Click to shrink...

 

[Wing Scarab]

Hiya gaming era it is i the spookiest motherfucker you ever met who also made a thread just today about trans issues in eras community. (Im not exactly great at making threads )

I'm coming here to talk about some unpleasant things I've noticed in general on this forum regarding racism and general bigotry (including transphobia) in regards to games like the last of us 2(naughty dog), cyberpunk(cd project red), Harry Potter (JKRollings), Gta5(rockstar), and steam. I want to discuss this and say that I am appalled and upset at the lack of disregard for the minority communities on era and that we need to do better as a community. When threads like the tf2 racist bot thread happened or the other thread regarding valves inaction on racist community's. I saw so many jump in defending the brands and companies for inexcusable behavior. So many posts obscuring or downright down downplaying incensitive posts. While staff has been banning as many bad actors as they can it is up to us as a community to realize the major wrong that has occured here as a result. I'd like to point out that while reports help it isn't enough and these people usually don't learn their lesson and continue to act like bigots. I suggest we call these people out for what their doing and to be more mindful of the minority communities on era who have been completely marginalized as a result. When trans people speak up about problems with games we should listen. When someone in the community highlights racism in the industry we should accept that brands we like have faults and that they deserve criticism.

It's frustrating that I have to make these threads when I know as a community we should be doing better. That said I just hope some of you agree with me regarding this issue. If you want some examples I suggest looking at the Harry Potter thread with the poll.
The recent gta5 thread about transphobia.
The racism in tf2 thread and the other thread about racism in the steam community's.
Edit:I will be adding links for the sake of sanity.

Link
GTA5 example.
The bot thread about tf2

Click to shrink...

As much as this place tries to pretend they aren't racist. A lot of people on here are racist or closet racist.

 

[Kyuuji]

Only took nine replies in the thread for someone to find something needlessly pedantic to 'well actually' over. As though it's not obvious the OP isn't asking for minorities to be further disregarded here.

 

[Deleted member 64002]

I'm working to add more sources apologies but still my point still stands we need to do better as a community.

 

[ciddative]

Is this really how you're looking to derail the thread already.

Click to shrink...

I was actually trying to clear up a possible misunderstanding to prevent it from derailing the thread, so if you could take a breath and find some other outlet for your hostility I would appreciate it.

As much as this place tries to pretend they aren't racist. A lot of people on here are racist or closet racist.

Click to shrink...

The last few weeks have certainly surfaced some ugliness in this forum, both old and new kinds.

Again, appreciate OP providing examples for context i may have missed personally

 

[Betty]

I don't think the problem is the moderation, or that they aren't the sole reason this forum is toxic, it's the amount of posters who are transphobic, homophobic, racist, sexist. etc.

It's becoming a common sight in this community.

Click to shrink...

If those types of posters keep getting reported/banned hopefully it'll improve.

 

[Mossiah]

I can respect this level of honesty over a misread, no problem my end. There's valid concerns there too but it's not going to resolve the issue of the community issue with accepting, and supporting, criticism of bigoted things that occur within that which they love or are eagerly awaiting.

Click to shrink...

I feel so silly for such a simple misinterpretation possibly derailing things, wasn't at all my hope.

Yes, this is something that I do want to see addressed. There is a large percentage of those that frequent the forum that do house these beliefs and even worse have a tendency to share them. The GTA thread mentioned by OP was a great example of the fact, filled with tons of dismissive comments regarding transphobia, and playing semantics to attempt to guise their own beliefs. Other threads regarding these issues have many hiding behind thin veils to try and hide their closeted bigotry and many on here see right through it.

 

[Deleted member 64002]

If those types of posters keep getting reported/banned hopefully it'll improve.

Click to shrink...

That's the thing banning them isn't enough we need to actually call it out when it happens and be more mind ful of others.

 

[Seductivpancakes]

If those types of posters keep getting reported/banned hopefully it'll improve.

Click to shrink...

Someone actually complained that this place bans people too much yesterday. All the bans I see are for racism, sexism, etc, but that's too much for some posters.

 

[ProfessorLv10]

Thank you for posting a topic on the gaming side as well.

Trans rights are human rights and everyone here should start acting like it!

 

[Deleted member 64002]

Someone actually complained that this place bans people too much yesterday. All the bans I see are for racism, sexism, etc, but that's too much for some posters.

Click to shrink...

When you realize that low post counts are alt accounts which is another part of the problem.

 

[Shudouken]

If you want some examples I suggest looking at the Harry Potter thread with the poll.

Click to shrink...

Reposting this from the other thread so people don't have to look for it.

 

[cabelhigh]

Thanks for this thread! I try to report shit when I see it, but I should also probably dive into the discussion more as well. The GTA V thread recently was embarrassing to scroll through. So many people defending extremely obvious transphobia.

 

[rras1994]

When you realize that low post counts are alt accounts which is another part of the problem.

Click to shrink...

That's actually something I've always wondered- do the mods know who they are the alt accounts of? The thing is if they are doing the shitty posts on the alt account, they absolutely are gas lighting and downplaying minority posters concerns on their main one.

 

[Deleted member 64002]

Reposting this from the other thread so people don't have to look for it.

Click to shrink...

I was about to link the entire thread lol that one's so fucking gross .

 

[Kyuuji]

People picking up decade old trolling textbooks from the local charity shop need to do better if they want to be believed.

I feel so silly for such a simple misinterpretation possibly derailing things, wasn't at all my hope.

Yes, this is something that I do want to see addressed. There is a large percentage of those that frequent the forum that do house these beliefs and even worse have a tendency to share them. The GTA thread mentioned by OP was a great example of the fact, filled with tons of dismissive comments regarding transphobia, and playing semantics to attempt to guise their own beliefs. Other threads regarding these issues have many hiding behind thin veils to try and hide their closeted bigotry and many on here see right through it.

Click to shrink...

I wouldn't, and that person is banned so there's nothing to sweat further regardless. I'm with you on that paragraph too. When an issue is pointed out some people, especially fans, feel some compulsion to defend against it or downplay it, or rationalise why it isn't actually as bad. When all they need to do is take some time to understand the issue and how it might affect others that aren't white/cis/straight/etc. To join in with that criticism so that we might see change, even if they intend to continue enjoying that product.

Fundamentally it requires a lot of people to stop believing they have the right to an opinion over what is and isn't bigoted around topics unrelated to them, and to dismantle whatever impulse they have that drives their desire to defend, downplay and dismiss over listening and being supportive.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I wouldn't, and that person is banned so there's nothing to sweat further regardless. I'm with you on that paragraph too. When an issue is pointed out some people, especially fans, feel some compulsion to defend against it or downplay it, or rationalise why it isn't actually as bad. When all they need to do is take some time to understand that issue and how it might affect others that aren't white/cis/straight/etc. To join in with that criticism so that we might see change, even if they intend to continue enjoying that product.

Click to shrink...

The part that always gets me is when people double down after someone makes a plea for understanding. Like you all know me, I am stubborn as fuck about video games. But that only extends to the games themselves. I am never going to tell someone their feelings are invalid, or that the pain that's being inflicted on them isn't real.

The fact that so many people in those kinds of threads feel the need to be like BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DEVELOPERS or IS IT REALLY SUCH A BIG DEAL just makes it feel like they aren't actually listening or paying attention, they're just plugging their ears so their perfect little cognitive dissonance protection shell can't be scratched or punctured.

 

[Deleted member 5086]

Thanks for making these threads, OP. I mulled over whether or not I should post, as I don't want to derail or shift focus as a staff member. But as it's something I care about, and I also see myself as an active member of this community who is affected by these issues, I wanted to say something.

This might sound surprising, but even as an admin, I feel very dejected and even depressed by the attitudes displayed at times. As someone who's been on the team since very early on, I *have* noticed somewhat of a culture shift for the better when it comes to discussing minority issues over the years, but... that kind of just speaks to how bad it was before, more than anything else. I hope that in time that the culture will shift enough that it truly becomes a space where women and minorities can feel comfortable. That means staff have to continue to improve, but yeah, it'll take a conscious effort and empathy from the community as well. More than anything, I just want to say that I feel where you're coming from, that it sucks a lot, and I'm sorry.

 

[Deleted member 64002]

Thanks for making these threads, OP. I mulled over whether or not I should post, as I don't want to derail or shift focus as a staff member. But as it's something I care about, and I also see myself as an active member of this community who is affected by these issues, I wanted to say something.

This might sound surprising, but even as an admin, I feel very dejected and even depressed by the attitudes displayed at times. As someone who's been on the team since very early on, I *have* noticed somewhat of a culture shift for the better when it comes to discussing minority issues over the years, but... that kind of just speaks to how bad it was before, more than anything else. I hope that in time that the culture will shift enough that it truly becomes a space where women and minorities can feel comfortable. That means staff have to continue to improve, but yeah, it'll take a conscious effort and empathy from the community as well. More than anything, I just want to say that I feel where you're coming from, that it sucks a lot, and I'm sorry.

Click to shrink...

It really hasn't been about staff ever since we had those meetings it's just the community in general that's the actual issue at this point which is why I'm so frustrated to begin with. Staff can only ban and be active with the community and make improvements but it's the rest of us who has any real say as to how to fix these problems. Im sick of seeing the transphobia I'm sick of seeing the racism. I'm sick of seeing the anti lgbtq rhetoric, and the low key mysogony that permiates the forums. I'm just sick of seeing those posts and I just want change.

 

[Mafro]

Reposting this from the other thread so people don't have to look for it.

Click to shrink...

And the poll from the Naughty Dog thread that was removed. I'm sure someone will have screenshotted that.

 

[Kyuuji]

Thanks for making these threads, OP. I mulled over whether or not I should post, as I don't want to derail or shift focus as a staff member. But as it's something I care about, and I also see myself as an active member of this community who is affected by these issues, I wanted to say something.

This might sound surprising, but even as an admin, I feel very dejected and even depressed by the attitudes displayed at times. As someone who's been on the team since very early on, I *have* noticed somewhat of a culture shift for the better when it comes to discussing minority issues over the years, but... that kind of just speaks to how bad it was before, more than anything else. I hope that in time that the culture will shift enough that it truly becomes a space where women and minorities can feel comfortable. That means staff have to continue to improve, but yeah, it'll take a conscious effort and empathy from the community as well. More than anything, I just want to say that I feel where you're coming from, that it sucks a lot, and I'm sorry.

Click to shrink...

Staff get a direct pipeline of the worst content on the forum that few sole members get a similar perspective of. I don't envy having to see more bigoted content so regardless of any concerns around broader moderation strokes I might have or have had I still appreciate the staff for what they have to filter through in order to action. There's little joy in that side of the position and I empathise with it, so thank you for the endurance.

 

[ArkkAngel007]

What I don't get is the lack of basic skills like reading the room.

Thread: "Here's a studio concerned working on a property that directly benefits a bigot, and here are thoughts of fellow community members that the actions of this bigot affect."

Response: "I love property and game"

At best, that's indifference, but it's closer to deflection and tone adjustment. There are Wizarding World RPG speculation and leak threads you can bump to hype and talk about your excitement of the game. There's likely to be announcement threads and hands on threads and tech threads to continue doing so in. There's likely even a Harry Potter community thread somewhere, or may even be easy to kick off if there isn't given how popular the property still is, to discuss your uncontained joy in.

But the one thread where people, your fellow community members, are voicing along with these devs on how they are being hurt and how this all goes to the benefit of this individual, has instead to be berated for being "negative" both within and outside it and how much your excitement of a fantasy product matters over real problems and harm.

That's a problem.

Same with the Laura Bailey portraying Nadine threads. Yes, Naughty Dog has improved in going out of their way to hire actors that match the background of the character as close as possible. Laura has apologized for continuing the portrayal despite having her own discomforts at the time when finding out about the change when in the booth/table read. Yes, the OP didn't help framing Laura as a "girl" portraying a "woman". Yes, the casting was done before they finalized the race of the character.

But Neil Drukmann's apology was very lacking. Naughty Dog should have informed Laura of the changes to the character ahead of time and hired someone else. Laura Bailey still returned to the role of Nadine for Uncharted: Lost Legacy. Uncharted being a very popular property among Era's community, along with the topical nature of the BLM protests and the release of an anticipated Naughty Dog game also starring Laura Bailey, made it a good example to reflect on the issues of "virtual blackface" and the hiring practices of the VO industry and their clients.

It was a real issue that hurt and still hurts people, and talking about how good the game was or how talented or not Laura was, or crunch issues just wasn't the point. And there's something wrong where over 40% of the forum had no issue at all with the situation (I'm sure the screenshot exists somewhere). The situation of a white woman portraying a black woman from one of the most racially charged regions of the world, all in the backdrop of the current moment where black citizens of a country that makes up the majority of this forum are protesting and being brutalized publicly. Disgusting.

It takes no effort to just not hit Post Reply. Don't show your ass in the poll result if you don't want to be called out. Actually read the damn OP and articles instead of jumping in from the thread title. Find some damn empathy and save your "I want to talk video games, not politics" for your family dinners where I'm sure certain politics are just fine to discuss.

 

[Mossiah]

Click to shrink...

This is one of those examples that I feel is especially poignant of OP's point. Like the UC4 Laura Bailey poll just a couple of days ago (which shared similar daunting results) it sends a message to that disenfranchised group of people that they are not welcome. At best that thread was created to gauge how Era members felt about the subject but when a whopping majority of the forum agrees (with a large number of them lurking and/or jumping around their own transphobia in the replies) it only harms that marginalized group.

When an issue is pointed out some people, especially fans, feel some compulsion to defend against it or downplay it, or rationalise why it isn't actually as bad. When all they need to do is take some time to understand that issue and how it might affect others that aren't white/cis/straight/etc. To join in with that criticism so that we might see change, even if you intend to continue enjoying that product.

Click to shrink...

Absolutely. To add, thank you for checking me at the door along along with Seductivpancakes, and John Kowalski. This is the first step to make this place better for everyone, and especially those who may feel their voices aren't being heard on the sub. I believe that that's the first step to letting these people really know how unwelcome they are here.

 

[Deleted member 6582]

Reposting this from the other thread so people don't have to look for it.

Click to shrink...

This poll in many ways asks can a work be separate from the author. Some will say yes, some will say no. But I assume that others mean to use this to ask "will I cut off all known links to someone who supports a harmful platform." There's several ways in which people will answer. But to stand this up as evidence of something shows a lack of understanding for the imperfectness of ad-hoc polling and assumes alignment on what is being asked. Your disagreement might be along a different ideological grounds.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

What I don't get is the lack of basic skills like reading the room.

Thread: "Here's a studio concerned working on a property that directly benefits a bigot, and here are thoughts of fellow community members that the actions of this bigot affect."

Response: "I love property and game"

At best, that's indifference, but it's closer to deflection and tone adjustment. There are Wizarding World RPG speculation and leak threads you can bump to hype and talk about your excitement of the game. There's likely to be announcement threads and hands on threads and tech threads to continue doing so in. There's likely even a Harry Potter community thread somewhere, or may even be easy to kick off if there isn't given how popular the property still is, to discuss your uncontained joy in.

But the one thread where people, your fellow community members, are voicing along with these devs on how they are being hurt and how this all goes to the benefit of this individual, has instead to be berated for being "negative" both within and outside it and how much your excitement of a fantasy product matters over real problems and harm.

That's a problem.

Same with the Laura Bailey portraying Nadine threads. Yes, Naughty Dog has improved in going out of their way to hire actors that match the background of the character as close as possible. Laura has apologized for continuing the portrayal despite having her own discomforts at the time when finding out about the change when in the booth/table read. Yes, the OP didn't help framing Laura as a "girl" portraying a "woman". Yes, the casting was done before they finalized the race of the character.

But Neil Drukmann's apology was very lacking. Naughty Dog should have informed Laura of the changes to the character ahead of time and hired someone else. Laura Bailey still returned to the role of Nadine for Uncharted: Lost Legacy. Uncharted being a very popular property among Era's community, along with the topical nature of the BLM protests and the release of an anticipated Naughty Dog game also starring Laura Bailey, made it a good example to reflect on the issues of "virtual blackface" and the hiring practices of the VO industry and their clients.

It was a real issue that hurt and still hurts people, and talking about how good the game was or how talented or not Laura was, or crunch issues just wasn't the point. And there's something wrong where over 40% of the forum had no issue at all with the situation (I'm sure the screenshot exists somewhere). The situation of a white woman portraying a black woman from one of the most racially charged regions of the world, all in the backdrop of the current moment where black citizens of a country that makes up the majority of this forum are protesting and being brutalized publicly. Disgusting.

It takes no effort to just not hit Post Reply. Don't show your ass in the poll result if you don't want to be called out. Actually read the damn OP and articles instead of jumping in from the thread title. Find some damn empathy and save your "I want to talk video games, not politics" for your family dinners where I'm sure certain politics are just fine to discuss.

Click to shrink...

Excellent post.

 

[Mossiah]

This might sound surprising, but even as an admin, I feel very dejected and even depressed by the attitudes displayed at times. As someone who's been on the team since very early on, I *have* noticed somewhat of a culture shift for the better when it comes to discussing minority issues over the years, but... that kind of just speaks to how bad it was before, more than anything else. I hope that in time that the culture will shift enough that it truly becomes a space where women and minorities can feel comfortable. That means staff have to continue to improve, but yeah, it'll take a conscious effort and empathy from the community as well. More than anything, I just want to say that I feel where you're coming from, that it sucks a lot, and I'm sorry.

Click to shrink...

I've seen your posts and how you've moderated personally with the staff on a number of really harmful and often revolting responses and retorts on here. I absolutely think that your perspective is valuable, in fact one that I was really interested to hear from. Honing in on your particular point about the culture of discourse changing over the years, and how that would prompt the staff to adapt hit the nail on the head in particular.

To include some of my own experience, I actually sought to join Era due to its heavy moderation. Many of the conversations online have turned into lava-pools for minorities, and it can feel like yelling into an echo chamber when advocating and/or demanding certain rights to be upheld. Hell, at the bare minimum that your voice be heard. I appreciate your work along with your colleagues, and look forward to shifting the culture of discourse that has been filling Era.

 

[Deleted member 64002]

This poll in many ways asks can a work be separate from the author. Some will say yes, some will say no. But I assume that others mean to use this to ask "will I cut off all known links to someone who supports a harmful platform." There's several ways in which people will answer. But to stand this up as evidence of something shows a lack of understanding for the imperfectness of ad-hoc polling and assumes alignment on what is being asked. Your disagreement might be along a different ideological grounds.

Click to shrink...

And yet there are so many more examples that I have linked. Even if it we're just that one poll I wouldn't have made both threads in the first place.

 

[Deleted member 5028]

This poll in many ways asks can a work be separate from the author. Some will say yes, some will say no. But I assume that others mean to use this to ask "will I cut off all known links to someone who supports a harmful platform." There's several ways in which people will answer. But to stand this up as evidence of something shows a lack of understanding for the imperfectness of ad-hoc polling and assumes alignment on what is being asked. Your disagreement might be along a different ideological grounds.

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The screenshotted poll was.accompanied by this post

So, as you may have heard - Harry Potter author JK Rowling has been under fire recently for making an openly anti-transgender joke on Twitter, following a long history of similarly bigoted opinions against trans folk. Her position has been well known for years at this point, but the recent tweets have brought the controversy back into mainstream attention. From my perspective, the fanbase seems split between those who are currently denouncing the series as a whole - and those who are preferring to separate art from artist.

This is probably not the situation that Warner Bros had hoped for when they greenlit a very expensive Harry Potter RPG that has been in development for several years. While WB has never confirmed the game, it seems highly likely that it was set to be announced around this time of year. WB cancelled their E3 presentation, but it is extremely likely that the game resurfaces at any one of the digital events happening over the next few months.

Do her comments impact your personal interest in a new game set in her universe?

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There could be no misunderstanding about the nature of that poll because if people didn't read that then they did not honestly engage or care enough to think before voting so please don't make excuses for them

 

[MatrixMan.exe]

That colonialism thread was infuriating. I've said it before here and people called me out on it, white European societies are in a special kind of denial about how racist they are and how modern day racism in western society is their doing.

 

[Yearsoflurking]

I don't think the problem is the moderation, or that they aren't the sole reason this forum is toxic, it's the amount of posters who are transphobic, homophobic, racist, sexist. etc.

It's becoming a common sight in this community.

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Yeah lots of flat out racist or sexist posters on here who play devils advocate or purposely act obtuse when it comes to this issues. Kingdom come deliverance has a large support group on here for example.

 

[ItIsOkBro]

there are actually people that thought lauren bailey was the best voice for a south african character than actual south africans.

c'mon people.

 

[Deleted member 64002]

I'll bet the people that need to see this thread will try to ignore it.

 

[Exit Music]

That colonialism thread was infuriating. I've said it before here and people called me out on it, white European societies are in a special kind of denial about how racist they are and how modern day racism in western society is their doing.

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We also see it in the Northern/Western US. People think the deep south is the only place where racism still exists and it's really disappointing that people aren't more able/willing to recognize their own piece of the problem.

 

[Kasey]

As someone who recently got a well deserved ban for derailing a Christopher Columbus thread with stupid, insensitive shit, all I can say is sorry for making Era a worse place.

 

[Mekanos]

We also see it in the Northern/Western US. People think the deep south is the only place where racism still exists and it's really disappointing that people aren't more able/willing to recognize their own piece of the problem.

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I have straight up seen people act like California is a leftist paradise because "the Democrats control everything." It's infuriating.

 

[Deleted member 511]

Yeah, I feel like things have gotten....better I guess but there are still a lot of issues in the community here and it's kind of why I mostly lurk / hangout with Final Fantasy Era only for the most part. I also feel like there are also a lot of layers to discrimination that people on here don't want to address because white feminism has shown itself on this forum via members' attitudes and it's bothersome tbh. I'm talking about stuff like people acting like white female characters in gaming is somehow this win for all women when it's really not (threads pointing this out or the lack of brown/black women in gaming barely get replies - and that's if they're even acknowledged at all) or how the Life is Strange 2 reveal thread turning to shit because how dare the devs decide that men of color have stories worth telling too. I'm sure there's more examples but as a black woman, stuff like that is disappointing to see.

 

[Richietto]

I've accepted that there is will always be some form of racism anywhere you go. The mods do good work most of the time and I do hope we can be better at calling out shitty things people say and keeping them off the site but man if it doesn't seem futile. People just don't know what it's like to be born brown. Not a fucking clue. They always gotta play devils advocate and skirt the issue. Imma tell you right now. Being a minority fucking sucks! And when you downplay simple shit like white people voicing minority characters and shit it sucks even more. To defend some simple shit like that bothers the fuck outta me. The least you could do is be with us on simple fucking issues like that.

 

[Deleted member 5028]

I'll bet the people that need to see this thread will try to ignore it.

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Maybe an admin can pin this for a week?

 

[Deleted member 64002]

Maybe an admin can pin this for a week?

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It might help for sure but I dunno.

 

[Yearsoflurking]

That colonialism thread was infuriating. I've said it before here and people called me out on it, white European societies are in a special kind of denial about how racist they are and how modern day racism in western society is their doing.

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I'm sure you've heard the " we don't behave racism in Europe/random south american country" response.