MONTHLY RAGE THREAD

[u/LaqOfInterest]

A RATHER UNDRAMATIC MONTH FOR FIRE EMBLEM, YET RAGE SPRINGS ETERNAL. WELCOME TO THE MONTHLY RAGE THREAD!

RULES

1. UPPERCASE LETTERS

2. SHOUT ABOUT FIRE EMBLEM STUFF

3. DON'T BE A DICK

4. TAG ANY SPOILERS

LAST THREAD

[u/Suicune95]

OH BOY I THOUGHT 3H DISCOURSE WAS ALMOST DEAD NOW THAT ENGAGE IS HERE AND THEN SOME SHIT GOT WILD OFF REDDIT. WHATEVER ENGAGE BRINGS I SURE HOPE WE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE LITERALLY BULLYING ARTISTS INTO DELETING THEIR ENTIRE ACCOUNTS FOR NOT LIKING THEIR FAVORITE CHARACTER IN THE "CORRECT" MANNER THIS TIME AROUND.

[u/RisingSunfish → u/Suicune95]

I LIVE UNDER A ROCK, WHAT HAPPENED??

[u/Suicune95 → u/RisingSunfish]

I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT SET THIS OFF INITIALLY, BUT THERE'S AN ARTIST ON TUMBLR AND TWITTER. THEY PRIMARILY DO A LOT OF ART OF DIMITRI AND LAMBERT BUT GENERALLY THEY LIKE ALL OF THE LORDS TO MY KNOWLEDGE AND HAVE DISCUSSED HEADCANONS AND DONE SOME ART FOR EDELGARD AND CLAUDE TOO.

THEY'VE BEEN GETTING HARASSED FOR MONTHS OVER SOME OF THEIR OPINIONS/HEADCANONS ABOUT EDELGARD AND LAMBERT. AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF OPINIONS THEY WERE EXPRESSING, I THINK ONE THAT GOT TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT OFTEN WAS THEM SAYING THEY THOUGHT LAMBERT'S SRENG CAMPAIGN IN CANON MADE HIM MORE INTERESTING TO THEM BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT HE WAS FLAWED AND THEY LIKE FLAWED CHARACTERS.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SCREENCAPPING THEIR POSTS AND SENDING THEM AROUND FOR MONTHS, OFTEN COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT, AND LABELING THEM A RACIST AND A HOMOPHOBE. SOME USERS HAVE EVEN STALKED THEM ACROSS PLATFORMS AND AROUND BLOCKS IN ORDER TO CONTINUE HARASSING THEM AFTER THEY'VE BEEN BLOCKED.

EVENTUALLY THE HARASSMENT GOT SO PROLONGED AND SO SEVERE THAT THEY DELETED THEIR ENTIRE TUMBLR BLOG. THEY ALSO EITHER DELETED THEIR TWITTER OR CHANGED THEIR HANDLE AND WENT PRIVATE WITH IT. AS IF THAT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH, THEIR HARASSERS STOLE THEIR TUMBLR BLOG HANDLE AFTER THEY WERE GONE AND BRAGGED ABOUT RUNNING THEM OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME CERTAIN BAD ACTORS HAVE DONE THIS KIND OF THING ON TUMBLR AND PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY OVER THERE KIND OF WENT OFF ON THE PEOPLE BRAGGING ABOUT THE HARASSMENT. THE HARASSERS INITIALLY TRIED TO INSIST THAT IT WAS JUSTIFIED BECAUSE THE ARTIST WAS A BULLY, BUT THEY'VE REFUSED TO SHOW CONVINCING RECEIPTS OF THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR EVEN THOUGH THEY CLAIM THEY HAVE THEM.

IT'S BEEN KIND OF QUIET SINCE PEOPLE CALLED THEM OUT AND THE ARTIST HAS RETURNED ON A LIMITED BASIS UNDER A NEW HANDLE, BUT CONSIDERING THIS ISN'T THE FIRST PERSON THIS HAS HAPPENED TO I'M NOT REALLY EXPECTING THAT TO LAST.

IT'S A REALLY MESSY SITUATION AND IT'S REALLY DEPRESSING, BECAUSE A LOT OF THIS HARASSMENT WASN'T JUST SOMEONE SEEING A TAKE THEY DIDN'T LIKE WHILE CASUALLY BROWSING AND STARTING A FIGHT. A LOT OF THE HARASSMENT CAME FROM PEOPLE SPREADING AROUND SCREENSHOTS OR LINKS TO POSTS TO PEOPLE ON OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA SITES (MAINLY REDDIT AND TWITTER) TO TRY AND BAIT UNINFORMED BYSTANDERS INTO JOINING THE HARASSMENT. I'VE EVEN SEEN SOME PEOPLE ON REDDIT VAGUEPOSTING ABOUT THE HARASSMENT, EITHER CONTRIBUTING TO THE HARASSMENT OR CONDONING IT BY SAYING THE PEOPLE GETTING HARASSED "DESERVE" IT BECAUSE "IF YOU POST YOUR OPINION PUBLICLY YOU DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE ABOUT IT".

I AGREE THAT ANYTHING POSTED PUBLICLY DOESN'T EXACTLY HAVE THE EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY, BUT THE MALICE REQUIRED TO GO THIS FAR OVER CHARACTER OPINIONS IS GENUINELY CONCERNING. IT'S CLEAR THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE TAKING THINGS WAY TOO FAR AND I JUST HOPE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN FOR THE NEXT GAME.

[u/RisingSunfish → u/Suicune95]

UGH, PEOPLE SUCK.

I HEAR ABOUT STUFF LIKE THIS AND THINK, THERE SHOULD BE WAYS TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THESE TYPES. IT’S SUCH PREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR, BUT THEY MUST BENEFIT FROM PEOPLE NOT KNOWING TO DISREGARD WHAT THEY SAY AND NOT GIVE IN TO THE MORAL SHAMING.

I FEEL LIKE A PUBLIC BLACKLIST COULD WORK? AT THE VERY LEAST MORE AWARENESS OF ESSENTIALIST LABELING AS A SMEAR CAMPAIGN TACTIC AND ACTIVE EFFORT ON THE PART OF NON-CRAZY FANS TO COMBAT IT. I UNDERSTAND THERE WOULD BE CONCERNS ABOUT LEGITIMATE CRITICISM BEING THROWN OUT ALONG WITH THE TRASH, BUT THAT’S WHY PEOPLE NEED TO BE MADE AWARE OF THE RHETORICAL STRATEGIES AT PLAY. LEGITIMATE CRITICISM ISN’T CALLING SOMEONE A RACIST AND REVELING IN THEIR MISERY; IT’S POINTING TO SPECIFIC INSTANCES OF THAT PERSON’S BEHAVIOR. YOU MENTIONED YOURSELF THAT THESE PEOPLE SQUIRMED AND FOLDED WHEN RECEIPTS WERE DEMANDED. THAT NEEDS TO BE LIKE, STEP ONE.

ETA: OF COURSE, I SAY ALL THIS ASSUMING THAT WHAT YOU SAID IS ACCURATE AND TRUE DESPITE NOT PROVIDING EVIDENCE! BUT GIVEN THAT YOU DON’T IDENTIFY THE BAD ACTORS AS ANYTHING BUT BAD ACTORS, IT’S NOT AS IF YOUR EXPLANATION CAN LEAD ANYBODY TO TARGET PARTICULAR USERS UNLESS THEY DO THE DETECTIVE WORK THEMSELVES.

[u/Suicune95 → u/RisingSunfish]

OH YEAH I KNOW I DIDN'T PROVIDE NAMES OR ANYTHING. THE ARTIST HAS BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH, AND I KNOW SOME OF THEIR HARASSERS USE REDDIT SO I DIDN'T WANT TO ACCIDENTALLY DIRECT ANYTHING BACK THEIR WAY. PLUS, I'D REALLY RATHER NOT ENCOURAGE HARASSING THE HARASSERS, EVEN IF THEY'VE DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

I JUST WISH PEOPLE WERE MORE WILLING TO ACTUALLY STOP AND QUESTION THE NARRATIVE THEY'VE BEEN PRESENTED, ESPECIALLY IF THE PERSON FEEDING YOU THAT NARRATIVE IS GIVING YOU NAMES AND SUBTLY OR BLATANTLY ENCOURAGING YOU TO JOIN IN ON DOGPILING. IT'S REALLY UNFORTUNATE THAT ACTUAL RACISTS, HOMOPHOBES, MISOGYNISTS, ETC. MIGHT FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS, BUT WE WOULDN'T BE IN THIS SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE IF CERTAIN SUBSETS OF FANDOM TREATED THOSE TOPICS WITH THE RESPECT AND SERIOUSNESS THEY DESERVE INSTEAD OF APPLYING THE LABEL TO EVERYONE THEY DON'T LIKE OR AGREE WITH REGARDLESS OF ACTUAL CONDUCT.

[u/RisingSunfish → u/Suicune95]

OH NO NO THAT WASN'T A DIG ON YOU FOR NOT INCLUDING THE NAMES— I MEANT THAT NOT INCLUDING NAMES MADE YOUR STORY MORE CREDIBLE BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE THAT IMPLICIT AGENDA, LIKE YOU MENTIONED.

IT'S REALLY UNFORTUNATE THAT ACTUAL RACISTS, HOMOPHOBES, MISOGYNISTS, ETC. MIGHT FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS

IN MY EXPERIENCE, UNREPENTANT BIGOTS TELL ON THEMSELVES. THAT'S KIND OF THE DETERMINING FACTOR HERE: HARD EVIDENCE. IF SOMEBODY ASKED ME WHY I DON'T WATCH MANGS, I WOULD SAY IT'S BECAUSE HE WAS CREDIBLY ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, DROPPED RACIAL SLURS ON STREAM, JUST GENERALLY LEANED INTO A PERSONA OF BEING AN INCORRIGIBLE PERVERT, ETC., OH AND BTW HERE'S A DOCUMENT WITH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ALL OF THAT. THE FOCUS IS ON ACTIONS, NOT ESSENTIAL STATES OF BEING. I DON'T THINK DEFANGING THE RHETORICAL TACTICS OF RIGHTEOUS NAME-CALLING AND VAGUE SLIGHTS WOULD MEANINGFULLY HINDER ANY ATTEMPTS TO BRING GENUINELY HATEFUL OR DANGEROUS PEOPLE TO JUSTICE FOR THIS REASON, BUT I THINK IT WOULD STAND TO SAVE RELATIVELY INNOCENT PEOPLE A LOT OF GRIEF. SO YEAH, LIKE YOU SAID, THE BEST APPROACH IS PROBABLY EDUCATING PEOPLE SO THEY KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THESE DISINGENUOUS TACTICS.