Repairing the broken staircase: A few words about the “#KickVic” movement
A subjective inside look of a MeToo movement with the potential to change an entire industry and community at large with a message for all
Editor’s note: This op-ed needs to be read in its entirety. I am personally not encouraging harassment, verbal assault, or any sort of danger/violence towards anyone in this passage. The purpose of this is for change in the community and a call for action and unity.
Back in January on a cool Friday night in Texas, I along with a few friends went to go see Dragon Ball Super: Broly. As a huge anime fan (especially Dragon Ball and One Piece) this was the first anime movie I had ever seen in theaters, and to be honest, I don’t regret going to see that movie. I rarely go to the movies, but when I do, I go big. I make sure that I always have a good time. From getting the popcorn and drinks, to having the best seats in the house, I always ensure that I get it good. For DBZ super, I went hard. As a result, I enjoyed (in my opinion) one of the best anime movies in my life. Little did I know on that quiet Friday night in January, the curtain was about to rise to a new major drama, and this time, I would have a front-row seat to a major battle that would decide the fate of an industry and a community.
Before I begin this op-ed, I want to make something clear and concise. I am apart of this movement, the movement known as KickVic. I joined the movement for one reason alone: I wanted the anime industry to reform current practices behind closed doors. I wanted to ensure that everyone can be safe, have fun, and to work together. For the better. I am just a fan at the end of the day. This has nothing to do with SJWs (Social-Justice Warriors), implementing political agendas, conspiracies, nothing of the sort. This whole situation has been a nightmare for me and my friends since January. I hoped the fighting would stop. The constant harassment, the doxing, the verbal (and somewhat dangerous) assaults on not just these voice actors, but to the fans, and other professionals at work. I really hoped that things would come to an end. Instead, things have gotten worse.
I didn’t want to do this and I don’t have to express anything, however, I was compelled after seeing a few things on social media within the past few weeks. For those of you who don’t know, or have been busy with your life to even care, Victor (or “Vic”) Mignogna, a voice actor who has voiced anime characters for the past two decades, was promptly fired and dismissed from Funimation and Rooster Teeth in January 2019 for Sexual Assualt & Harassment on Monica Rial, Jamie Marchi, and other women over the course of the past decade or so. This not only caused a shockwave through the anime community but also has sent a clear message that harassment or assault of any kind will not be tolerated. Since his dismissal, Vic has filed a defamation lawsuit against Rial, Marchi, Rial’s fiancee Ron Toye III, and Funimation Productions LLC. Nicholas Rekieta, a lawyer who practices in Minnesota, created a Go Fund Me to support Mignonga for current and future litigation. At the current state of the case, the defendants (Marchi, Rial, Toye, etc.) have filed a TCPA motion to dismiss this case and a hearing has been set for September 6th, 2019. (For those of you who don’t know, the TCPA, or the Texas Citizens Participation Act, is a statute that protects and safeguards the constitutional rights of a Texas citizen to speak and associate freely, without fear of litigation intended to restrict the ability to speak freely. reference: TCPA)
As the community embraces for another potential shockwave, recent actions on the movement known as KickVic, has me second-guessing the motivations of Kick Vic. Sure Mignonga’s gone from the industry, but what about other “Vic’s” in the industry?. What’s the immediate aftermath of this court case? How is the community going to work together to get better? What about Funimation? Are companies ethically responsible for knowing about atrocities and not taking dedicated measures to prevent this from happening? To understand and answer these questions, it's important to look at how the movement got here. Kick Vic, or #KickVic on the social media platform Twitter is a movement that was created when Kaylyn Saucedo, a former employee of Channel Awesome and goes by the name ‘Marzgurl’, unintentionally started the #kickvic trend on twitter after another Twitter user, “Hanleia”, asked why Funimation employed a known pedophile.
As the year has gone on, Saucedo has been an advocate of not only removing Vic but also any other potential dangers towards the community. I for one agree with her cause. Her current actions I can also agree with. However, her past actions bring into the spotlight if she is best suited for a situation such as this. After doing some research on Saucedo, I found some disturbing audio (which can be listened to via YouTube, or right here) in which she states that when a person screams rape, she says “ha, ha, ha” and “… Yes, that’s right you are indeed 3/5th’s of a person” Referring to the 3/5th’s compromise, a resolution during the formation of the United States in which 3/5ths or 60% of the slave population was counted for taxation and representation purposes. While she has since apologized for these actions, as an African-American male who’s family originated from Eastern Africa, I highly take offense to these comments and imagine the reaction and outrage you would have gotten if this was said in today’s climate. In fact, let me go a step further. Imagine if I had said on the same podcast/video/episode, “Just a sec Marzgurl, what's even funnier is that at the time, a woman like yourself was considered property, so why the hell are you talking?” Do you know how much backlash I would have faced then and now? Consider the words you use as well. (And for the record, I don’t consider Marzgurl or anybody property or to be owned, worked, or treated as a slave or property. That is inhumane and I do not stand for actions like this ) Also, that podcast or episode should have never been recorded if this was going to be the end result. Marzgurl has even brought up an event in which she witnessed someone being assaulted by Vic. I really hope you didn’t laugh at the victim or any victims involved with this situation because if you did, you really should find another industry to work in.
Another face of this movement is Shane Holmberg. Holmberg, a native of Dallas, Texas, who has operated anime conventions I have never even heard of until 2019 had some interesting words for the opposition. Racist remarks to be exact. Let me elaborate. Shane Holmberg, a man who “has been running conventions on the side for the past 28 years” and a “senior system engineer for a large corporate real estate company doing ‘random’ stuff” (reference here, starting at approximately 0:02:00 mark) came under fire within the last week for posting a tweet that was liked by Monica Rial* (who later unliked the tweet)
Immediately, he was called out not only by me but others as well. The tweet was deleted, and the next day, Shane made a public apology. However, instead of just saying “I apologize for my actions and I should watch what I should say on the Internet.”, he essentially doubled down on his words.
In addition to this, Shane Holmberg has started to promote a new convention: Shoudaku Con. This convention, or in their own words a “conference”, will occur on May 23rd-25th, 2020. The primary purpose of this convention or “conference” is to promote and usher a new era of “Enthusiastic Consent” (link to tweet here)
This convention is toying with a dangerous concept which could impact future conventions of any kind. A conference that promotes the idea of consenting to almost every action you perform. The whole point of a convention is to have fun, not ask permission to just get a photo or an autograph. The point of a convention is to have a good time, not consent to inconveniences that will limit the experience of a convention. While I agree that all conventions should improve safety measures, have better training and awareness of different situations, and the implementation of a new reporting system in which reporting any issues without being pressured to do so, being watched constantly for just trying to have fun not only kills the mood of the convention but makes interactions less cool and unique as well. There will always be a few people who will cause trouble or do something inappropriate. It’s human nature. You cannot prevent every single action or reaction. However, those few shouldn’t affect an entire convention or community. Seriously, I would never go to an anime convention that has security as a premium more than there fans. Also, considering Homberg just made a racist remark about indigenous people, why is Shoudaku Con letting this man promote the convention? In addition, is Holmberg on the committee? Is Holmberg the chairman?, Does Holmberg have a contract with the convention? These are some of the questions I have asked myself and if I were on the committee for the convention, I would not be allowing this man to promote the convention until further notice.
*[I can confirm (no matter how many times she tries to deny that she didn’t like the tweet) that Monica Rial liked a racist tweet. Has she apologized? No. Will she? Probably not. I understand that she is going through a tough situation with litigation, however, her actions will not be excused. Period. An explanation is at the bottom of the op-ed]
“…and at the end of the day, you cannot force people to join a side or instigating propaganda to win the court of public opinion”
Finally, I want to introduce two women who have vocally denounced Vic and other predatory behavior but have some shady words for individuals on the fence or trying to go off the radar. Amanda Winn-Lee and Dominique Skye. The latter, a ‘professional’ cosplayer, the former a veteran voice actress who just loves herself (and her cannabis, and her son, and her corny jokes, and etc.).
I’ll start with Dominique Skye. The “professional” cosplayer, who was recently suspended off Twitter (despite having an alternative account), has been vocal in her displeasure of Vic, standing with the victims, and over the course of this situation becoming one of the faces of this movement. As a result of her being vocal about this situation, she has been harassed, doxed, and constantly being blasted on social media. I don’t blame her for standing up for what she believes in. Her reactions throughout this ordeal, however, have caused me to question her behavior and shows a little insight about her personality and “professionalism”. From changing her name on Twitter (Death by a thousand cuts, Vic’s stilled fired, etc.), to her avatar, to even trolling fans, she has displayed not only immature behavior but also shows that she is affected by the way others treat her as well. In light of this, her behavior is unacceptable for someone who has close to 200,000 followers across various social media platforms. To make matters worse, in response to a fan trying to stay neutral and avoid any issues, she had stated “For the victims involved, your comment is insulting especially in the face of the relentless harassment and threats [Monica Rial, Jamie Marchi, etc.] and supporters have had to endure. So, maybe keep that dismissive ** to yourself… And tbh? ** neutrals”
Now I will agree, the fans who have harassed her have crossed the line too many times. However, she could have handled the situation better instead of succumbing towards the fans obnoxious and distasteful tactics Also, as you will see with Amanda Winn-Lee, you can’t force people to choose a side in an issue they don’t want to partake in. Let your actions do the talking. [And before you start calling me insignificant names, just know that at the end of the day, you have more issues to worry about than me. Especially when you have mental health issues. Take care of yourself before attacking me. Thanks, Love.]
For Amanda Winn-Lee, a respected veteran in the voice acting industry, her opinion matters. Anyone else, and their opinion is thrown out the window. However, her actions at present bring into question what she stands for. Her pinned tweet on Twitter is the following: “Hello new followers. For the record, I am a LGBTQ+ supporting, pro-choice, Cheeto ****head hating, animal loving, ex voice actress mom who will flay the skin off your bones if you try to police my tone. If you have a problem with any of this, do us both a favor and **** off now.” But her profile picture is an illustrated female girl (assuming it's her of course) drinking what I presume to be coffee that says **** A MONKEY. I don’t know why she chose this as her avatar, but as an African-American male (as mentioned earlier) along with a person who believes in animal rights, this doesn’t look good on either end. (And you definitely don’t have an excuse to say it's funny or witty, because if it was, a unicorn would be standing behind you, I would be richer than Jay-Z, and Vic would have his job back much to the dismay of many individuals.)
On August 5th, Amanda stated that “… And BTW if you’re still ‘undecided’ then **** YOU #believevictims” (reference: Amanda) Since when can an individual force people into a situation? Since when did neutrality suddenly mean a person stands for something? According to the Oxford English dictionary, the literal definition of neutrality is “an impartial or unbiased state or person” and/or “not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.” (reference here)
I don’t want to be more of a donkey, but I was undecided for a while (despite the fact I was asking questions from the Plaintiff's point of view and even arguing with Shane Holmberg and others, I have never stood with Vic nor promoted Nick Rekeita or other I Stand With Vic propaganda during that time). I finally was convinced to join the movement after seeing the incredible work done by T Greg Doucette and the 50 other lawyers involved with this litigation. Transcribing each motion and filing to make it easier to understand for many people. Also, standing with Vic means I am standing with and an individual who has committed (in my opinion)crimes and to promote criminal activity which I do not align myself with. No matter how many times you want to attack and criticize me, that is who I am. For some individuals, it takes time to choose, and at the end of the day, you cannot force people to join a side or instigating propaganda to win the court of public opinion. That’s not how it works. (I.E. America’s entry into WWII)
I thought the purpose of this movement was to constitute a change for the better. Instead, I’m just seeing a live-action replay of the end of the Paramount War from the hit anime One Piece. Constant fighting, constant bickering, and constant turbulence. The want for bloodshed. A perfect example is when the TCPA is decided. The fans are going to riot if the results are not favorable. Funimation, the voice actors involved, alongside many other developing characters are going to be brought into a bigger and brighter spotlight soon. Many questions will be asked and answered before the community. Especially for Funimation and the defendants. It’s one thing to stand for yourself and defend those in your inner circle, but what if the company you have worked for and trusted knew about the exact thing you are fighting against. That is where the real test will begin.
The question is what will we do about it? The KickVic movement I believe can change for the better. Instead of focusing on the negative people, personas, propaganda, and other things, we need to start focusing our energy on the positive. What can I do to make a change? What can I do to help? That is why I joined the movement. We should be discussing ways to improve relations within the community, not destroy it.
Am I perfect? Hell no. Am I willing to change? Yes, I am. We all are human at the end of the day. We all are not perfect (this week, for instance, is a perfect example with the community misrepresenting a photo taken at the 2008 Oni-Con charity event). We all come from different walks of life. We all can agree (for the most part) anime is one of the many things that bring people together to celebrate what we can do. I believe we can do that. I believe we can be a cause of change for the better. But it has to start with us. We have to lead by example. Hate doesn’t combat hate. This whole saga is a perfect example. If we can work together, we can accomplish anything we put our minds too. Words mean nothing without taking action. We all have to take the initiative to do better. No matter what. It starts with taking responsibility and righting our wrongs. Then as a whole, we can take the next steps and show others that we truly are a community.
