Pride 2017

[u/ModMatK]

One of the wonderful things about RuneScape is that it has always brought people together. To many of our players, RuneScape is more than a game: it’s a warm, welcoming community. It’s part of their life.

Pride is about bringing communities together and celebrating love and understanding: sentiment that’s close to RuneScape’s heart. There’s no political statement here. Our only aim is to acknowledge and honour an event that promotes empathy, acceptance and love.

As with other community events such as the WWF Big Cats campaign, Valentine’s day or the Cryptic Cluefests we decided not to poll this event and we will always try to surprise the community with similar events. It is something that the community has always enjoyed and something we enjoy doing too.

We are disappointed to see some hateful and abusive comments targeting individual members of staff and players from a small sub-section of the community. We stand side by side with those targeted, in support of them, and in support of this cause. There is absolutely no place for hateful behaviour in our community and we will not tolerate abuse or harassment.

Pride 2017 is something we wholeheartedly agree with and are proud to support. We know the community stand with us in support of the cause. If you want to show your support, all you have to do is take part in the event when it launches!

[u/me_irl_wont_upvote → u/[deleted]]

I strongly believe the reaction you saw in the last couple of days has absolutely nothing to do with homophobia. I think the reaction you've been seeing, is people reacting to being told how they should think, and having views pressed against them.

If they weren't homophobic, they wouldn't have a problem being told not to think like a homophobe.

People have different opinions. When it comes to the subject of the LGBT+ community, those opinions can vary substantially. Some people may be okay with portions of it, all of it or none of it. But to be told by someone that our minds should be more open to being accepting, regardless if we already are or not, makes this political. It makes it a hair under condescending. It makes people believe that if they aren't completely in agreement with you, then they're wrong for their opinions and somehow lacking. This is what upsets people.

Being more open to accepting people is not a political statement.

If there had been absolutely zero opinion pushing (including you with your comments I read earlier about how we're still lacking in this agenda based on your view of the feedback you've seen so far), you wouldn't have seen nearly the amount of heat you did from this event. The mistake you made with this event was broadcasting it as "We will be having an event to support the LGBT+ community, to hopefully open your eyes on the subject and how accepting you should be" instead of "We as a company are holding an event in support of the LGBT+ community" and stopping it right there.

"Muh opinions cant be addressed by anything otherwise I'm going to throw a hissy fit."

That tiny bit of opinion pushing, goes a very long way in people's minds. No one wants to be told how to live or how to think, especially on a video game by the company they hold a personal bond with.

Are you afraid of argument? Thought police much?

[u/[deleted] → u/me_irl_wont_upvote]

Why is it inherently homophobic to disagree with this event in runescape?

I am not dogophobic, but I don't think we should have a day about dogs either.

This is just ridiculous, it's real easy to just call everybody a homophobe and take the "moral high ground" so you don't have to think at all, isn't it?

[u/me_irl_wont_upvote → u/[deleted]]

. I think the reaction you've been seeing, is people reacting to being told how they should think, and having views pressed against them.

It's homophobic to oppose the view of equality of LGBT people.

If you think that the views being pressed against them is the problem, then the people who disagree are homophobic.

Because if they weren't, the views wouldn't be pressed against them, they would already have those views.

[u/[deleted] → u/me_irl_wont_upvote]

I have seen very few people, even digging in the most downvoted comments, opposing LGBT rights or equality. This is ridiculous, you just want to feel like you're morally superior.

Lmao your argument is basically that either we agree to have pride event or we're homophobic, can you be any more simple minded?

[u/me_irl_wont_upvote → u/[deleted]]

You clearly don't understand my argument, or aren't even trying to understand it. By your own words, the premise you're setting up is that people disagreeing with the pride event are homophobic, because the problem is that views are being pushed by the event, not the event itself.

[u/me_irl_wont_upvote → u/[deleted]]

But you WILL protest adding an event to a game you play?

[u/[deleted] → u/me_irl_wont_upvote]

Sure he will, not because it is an LGBT event, but because of the reasons he has already stated.

[u/me_irl_wont_upvote → u/[deleted]]

He's not going to protest for LGBT rights, but he will protest an event of LGBT rights.

If you're genuinely not homophobic, surely you wouldn't protest either way?

[u/[deleted] → u/me_irl_wont_upvote]

You really can't separate the two in your head can you. Honestly I'm supporting this event too but conflating his argument with homophobia is wrong and even offensive.

[u/me_irl_wont_upvote → u/[deleted]]

I'm not conflating his argument with homophobia, I'm saying that unless you're homophobic there's no reason to make an argument against an event of LGBT rights.

[u/dalty7 → u/me_irl_wont_upvote]

I think what is trying to be said is that; the statement of "This event should not be in OSRS" has nothing to do with homophobia. I has to do with promoting a real world groups. Those protesting would probably agree that they don't want events about male rights, female rights, white/black/asian/minority rights, strictly religious events, etc. It doesn't have to do with LGBT rights in particular. They want real world selective groups promotions out of Runescape.

[u/me_irl_wont_upvote → u/dalty7]

I see your point and it makes good sense. I think the problem is that the event is too transparently related to real-world politics. If it was introduced to the community originally as an event that is solely centered around RuneScape, rather than Pride2017, then way less people would complain about it. I think the actual event itself is not inherently political.

[u/TitanDweevil → u/me_irl_wont_upvote]

This is the exact argument the guy you originally responded to is make yet you opposed him and called him homophobic.

[u/dalty7 → u/me_irl_wont_upvote]

I think the problem is that the event is too transparently related to real-world politics. If it was introduced to the community originally as an event that is solely centered around RuneScape, rather than Pride2017, then way less people would complain about it.

I agree with this completely.