Every Story has Two Sides
GamerGate. Ethics. Free Speech.
Something everyone agrees is beneficial are ethics, and something we must strive towards as the human race not only for our personal benefit but for current and future benefit. While ethics is very a broad statement, just like privilege, or free speech. I feel thats what makes it very hard to encompass what it truly covers and makes it hard to determine what is right, or wrong.
Much of the media coverage has been blaming the moment for drawing out harassment, but has done very little to address the reasons for it. Everywhere we turn there are articles stating the movement “is this” or “is that” without validated truths or citations to even backup the arguments, and should anything be brought up its tangible at best. Arthur Chu states this is due to the movements uncanny ability to twist and modify the evidence into nothingness, something both parties involved are well at doing, even during the interview it feels that Arthur Chu doesn’t wish to discuss the movement only discredit and ignore anything but his own assertions going at various lengths to even smear the hosts character.
I’ve never in my life seen as much vitriol and hatred spewed, except maybe back when pikachu was literally satan. Recently the vitriol has been aimed towards a website, 8Chan, where any user is allowed to create their own board. They can then fashion a set of rules within the global ruleset to talk, and engage with anyone who comes across the board on a mutual topic. The vitriol towards the website stems from its lax ruleset for allowing freedom of speech. Regardless of your opinion of what freedom of speech is, the site itself is governs well within the limits of law where the servers reside and functions accordingly.
The ruleset while allowing freedom of speech happens to open itself up to a can of worms esque issue, users can post anything they desire, create a board on anything they desire. You can see where the dynamics of this go. Where there is good, there also lurks evil. While, it is certainly not a “pedophile network” it may contain works within a pedophiliac nature at any given moment, all it takes is a single user to upload something wrong.
The site itself, does not condone images of this nature, and has clear statements outlined in a multitude of locations describing how to report content of the nature.
Recently another article came out, which I refuse to link due to the incriminating evidence that lays within (graphic imagery, and tips on how to do things to children nobody should ever have to read) that attempts to incriminate the website for harboring this information. Upon reaching out it appears no reports were made on the content prior to releasing the article, nor after the articles creation did anyone report it until the movement gained wind of it’s existence, where it was promptly deleted within minutes.
Upon the articles creation, many users on twitter began sharing the link which is riddled with incriminating evidence of a deeply graphic nature. Something nobody should ever have to bear witness to or read, it happens I understand, but nonetheless. The movement was outraged that rather than someone reporting the content, they chose to retrieve the contents, alter it, and then spread it around to incriminate something. Using child exploitation for a smear campaign. Understandable.
Many stated that the article wasn’t about the movement at all, yet it appears the tweets above give a different tone. All it would have taken is a single report to have the offending content removed from the website and the users reported to the authorities / blacklisted, there is no excuse to be made for not reporting content, it is willful negligence, and enabling to do otherwise.
Instead of doing the actions above, users within the movement are weaponizing the article to push a certain message, to disrupt or alter the narrative being told. It doesn’t help a multitude of these users utilize lists called “blocklists” effectively culling any form of discussion outside of their own opinion.
These issues caused a secondary backlash within the movement, which furthered the deep seated hatred between the two sides. The “Anti” side is now defending the stance on sharing the link containing graphic imagery and the authors right to have downloaded the contents.
While the “Pro” side is now reporting users who share the link, and the author for the perceived vile actions.
Some users have begun to take harassment claims into their own hands, telling their followers to report to them any issues they see, rather than the appropriate authorities. Possibly showing either an issue in reporting methods on the platforms / channels being used, or slight of the hand tactics.
I fear the situation may get worse as we go forward, both parties involved it seems need to clean up their act to avoid ongoing harassment, much of it appears to be an engagement issue, leading to a multitude of PR scandals, firings, and extreme mishandling of conversation / topics.
One thing is certain through all of this, it appears that better education on the topic of reporting offensive content and material is required. Many people appear to think that reporting to the authorities is simply the only appropriate method and forget about origin of country, the hoops those authorities need to jump through simply to obtain information for takedown or action, when reporting directly to the site allows the content to be taken care of immediately, and the appropriate authority to be contacted.
However, through much of the unwanted attention it appears many users from the ever settling dust of this movement are now thrusted forward into popularity and were able to make a name for themselves. Some even garnering much support on sites such as Patreon to fund future projects.
Who knows, maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but how much more harassment, hatred, bullying, division will it take before we realize it’s too late to have a proper discussion? It appears many have tried, but many are simply unwilling, especially when the personal gains are so great. Only time will tell.
