"Gaymers" Speak Out On Homophobia

[nobodysoldier25]

I too had to create an account to add my bit in about this thread. First of all, people missed the point of this thread all together. Shouting profanity over the internet is wrong to begin with, no matter how much people do it. It's especially wrong to shout out profanity that is extremely offensive to a group of people anyway (the n word, fag, homo, etc). You have a right to get mad at it even if they were just being immature. That kind of thing can't just be ignored.

As for the point of keeping being gay in private, everyone has the right to be who they are, and that doesn't necessarily mean we want to go shouting out that we're gay in the middle of a mall, it means we want to be able to do the little things straight couples get to do in public without getting harassed like holding hands or a peck on the cheek. No one is saying that we just want get in everyone's face about our business. We just want to act freely without a fear of being prosecuted, and yes, I know some people will prosecute us for what we do, but that doesn't mean we should stay hidden forever because they decide to be ignorant, it isn't our fault they act that way.

 

[Texian]

By the way Texian, why don't you have your boyfriend tone down the affection a bit, if only to blend in? Come on, in the middle of a ferocious online battle, is that really the place for sweetness?
Well, sorry if us breeders got your goat enough for you to register a bloody account.
Good day.

Um.....we're not overly affectionate while playing games as I don't play games when he's around. And no, I don't gush about him or anything to unwilling participants either; in fact, I'd say I mention him less than some folks mention their girlfriends, who can do so without repercussion, I might add.

And what's with the "us breeders" and "horrible heteros" comments, like this whole conversation is a straight vs. gay thing? Maybe I missed something, but I thought it was a respect vs. unmitigated dumbassery thing.

 

[Imperator_2]

There is a secret weapon I must tell you about: apathy and it's amplifying effect, disdain. Use that on your foes in the public domain, and they'll feel completely impotent. Where's a healthy retaliating sneer or witty remark? Those are nice, cheap, and effective. Hate on the internet is merely pixels. They can be ignored. In games, you shoot back, prove your worth as a gamer.
No more complaints. those are not effective counters.

Sorry, Tex, lost my temper briefly.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

A few points I'd like to raise. They will be broken down and highlighted so you can tear apart those ideas which irk you easier.

1.) Aren't a few of us doing the quasi-same thing now: In all honesty, I fail to see the reason why a few posters have to point out the fact that some of these people who spew hateful language are, indeed, American. To me, that has all the significance of pointing and saying "IT'S THEM, NOT US!!!". Also, it carries a weight of brushing it off, saying Americans are like that so what can you expect? That's like me countering back saying "Well, the majority of the hate speech I hear on XBL comes from white people, so you white people of other countries are a little more carry some guilt by association. More so in fact!"

I find when you address something on the broadest stroke, people get the idea more readily. If you add quantifiers, as limited of an attention span that most people have nowadays, they'll just pay attention to the quantifiers and look out for those instead of realizing ignorance, stupidity, malice, and any other abhorrent behavior can crop up if you're black, yellow, white, male, female, transgendered, like the pole, or dig the hole.

2.) It's more about people are subjected to hate speech without prompting: While these gay gamers are speaking out about it, I think they are speaking out more to the fact that it's happening. More to the point, it's reactionary. Sadly, my first exposure to the XBL medium was Halo 3.

If only I were warned.

I could have taken a pen and paper to find list all the new racial terms and gay bashing I heard in that one night. And not once did I or anyone else say that they were another race but white, or straight or whatever. Hell, one person actually asked the room if there was anyone of a different race other than white in the room. Asked again. Last time, he said "Filthy, Filthy Niggers" and logged out.

Now, if I react to something that offends me, I'm over sensitive and need to relax and STFU, right? Ok. Then how about all those people who feel that way stop being over sensitive, try to relax, and STFU while a few of us who don't like it speak about it?

Oh. Because it offends those people? Because it hinders their ability to enjoy their time? What about their hindering my ability to enjoy my time? Or the gays? or the women? Why is it only a select few can say whatever they want and have it labeled to be fine (even though they are whining about things they don't like... but viciously, so that's ok!), but then be the first people to say "Respect my rights and my ability to say things?! How dare you invokes those same rights by questioning me?!"

Oh, one final thought to not 'promoting your differences'. I play R6V. As a non white person, I chose a non white avatar. Can you guess how many "Holy shit, it's a [insert racist term here]" I received? Or "That's not a [insert racist term here], he speaks english proper and shit. Why aren't you proud of yourself?"

In that case, if I don't want grief, should I just pick male white characters from now on so my online experience can be an enjoyable one?

3.) Laziness: One of the real reason I dislike all the hate talk is because... well, other than not being white... it's lazy. I'll be honest with you, I love trashtalking as much as the next guy (or girl, or transgendered, the list goes on). Hell, the reason I found this site was because of "Zero Punctuation". We all like it when someone tears something apart or serves someone verbally. It's a damn good feeling. That's why John Q. Oh invented the "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!" whenever someone verbal bitchslaps another*.

Just yelling the same stupid "God you're gay", "Are you a ******", and/or "You're a girl, shouldn't you be making me my dinner instead of playing a man's game" is not only infuriating as a human being with enough education to know where's basically cousins rather than different species, but also enraging to the point that it's just not witty. It's stale. it's boring. If the best you can get to expressing yourself is doing the same thing that literally millions of other people are doing to show how elite and special you are... well, to quote the meme: You're doing it wrong (Irony meant)


*There is no such person. Don't bother Wiki-ing him.

 

[itsonlycapital]

Enough already. I find myself agreeing with GnomeKing; You don't errantly proclaim in conversation about who you want to screw.

Again, this is just trying to blame the victim and use it an excuse to say hateful things. No, that is not an excuse to use anti-gay insults, even if someone's screenname is "GAYANDPROUD!". Also, saying that "well, people will be people" is not an excuse for this kind of hate speech. I know people who use racial slurs all the time, but I don't walk into a group of people of different races shouting those slurs saying, "Oh, it's okay, other people say it," or, "Well, maybe you shouldn't make your race known." Unacceptable.

I think, to reply to a point a few of you have mentioned, there's an obvious difference between 'pantywaists' (what a charming, enlightening, mature comment) being mortally offended and people taking notice of a persistent, pervasive problem in the community. This is another argument that people use to try and blame the victim: they complain about about people being victims or trying to even talk about the problem.

Frankly, it's just sad.

 

[Jumplion]

Why should I have to hide it?

Because we do not care.

It's the same problem with girl gamers, they feel the need to say that they are specifically a gamer that is a girl. You want some examples, go look at any of the "Girl Gamer's Opinion" or "Girl Gamers" thread that the Escapist gets every now and again.

This is the internet. We do not care if you're white, black, girl, boy, gay, lesbian, bi, asian, hispanic, martian, or any of the other combinations of those and more. However, the second you reveal one of those attributes about you, you will meet some resistance or acceptance depending on the situation.

When you go on the internet, you are annonemous and people take advantage of that annonenimity (sp?) to act like douchbags and -phobes. The internet can be compared to a jungle, some Natives are friendly, some are hostile, some don't care about you, but you never know what or where you'll bump into anyone of these things.

Let us say, you are a rivaling Native Tribe fighting another one and you wander away from the village. You stumble accross another village but do not know if it's one of your own or an enemies. You are all alone, no weapons or noureshments, and for all you know the enemies could be cannibals. Are you going to risk being killed just to see if these people are your own/if these people are friendly? I'd rather not and turn back and try to find my village again.

Steping into the online world of the internet is a risk of its own as anything and everythig will be used against you. Don't be stupid and announce to the whole rolling plains Natives that "I'M FROM THE GAYMORGO TRIBE!@@!!" when any one of those villages can be a hostile tribe that absolutely hates the Gaymorgo tribe.

For some reason (this applies more to girl gamers than gay gamers) these people feel that we should treat them as some sort of higher up from them and that we should treat them like Gods or breakers of the stereotype and should be rewarded. When you announce that you are a Girl/Gay gamer 7/10 times they announce it because

I could not care if you're white, black, girl, boy, gay, lesbian, bi, asian, hispanic, martian, or any of the other combinations of those and more, just as long as you don't annoy me or get in my face about how I should for some reason treat you differently because you break away from the norm.

The internet is no place to discuss about your sexuality except in certain places, and Xbox LIVE is definately not one of those places.

 

[Orekoya]

Why should I have to hide it?

Because we do not care.

It's the same problem with girl gamers, they feel the need to say that they are specifically a gamer that is a girl. You want some examples, go look at any of the "Girl Gamer's Opinion" or "Girl Gamers" thread that the Escapist gets every now and again.

This is the internet. We do not care if you're white, black, girl, boy, gay, lesbian, bi, asian, hispanic, martian, or any of the other combinations of those and more. However, the second you reveal one of those attributes about you, you will meet some resistance or acceptance depending on the situation.

When you go on the internet, you are annonemous and people take advantage of that annonenimity (sp?) to act like douchbags and -phobes. The internet can be compared to a jungle, some Natives are friendly, some are hostile, some don't care about you, but you never know what or where you'll bump into anyone of these things.

Let us say, you are a rivaling Native Tribe fighting another one and you wander away from the village. You stumble accross another village but do not know if it's one of your own or an enemies. You are all alone, no weapons or noureshments, and for all you know the enemies could be cannibals. Are you going to risk being killed just to see if these people are your own/if these people are friendly? I'd rather not and turn back and try to find my village again.

Steping into the online world of the internet is a risk of its own as anything and everythig will be used against you. Don't be stupid and announce to the whole rolling plains Natives that "I'M FROM THE GAYMORGO TRIBE!@@!!" when any one of those villages can be a hostile tribe that absolutely hates the Gaymorgo tribe.

For some reason (this applies more to girl gamers than gay gamers) these people feel that we should treat them as some sort of higher up from them and that we should treat them like Gods or breakers of the stereotype and should be rewarded. When you announce that you are a Girl/Gay gamer 7/10 times they announce it because

I could not care if you're white, black, girl, boy, gay, lesbian, bi, asian, hispanic, martian, or any of the other combinations of those and more, just as long as you don't annoy me or get in my face about how I should for some reason treat you differently because you break away from the norm.

The internet is no place to discuss about your sexuality except in certain places, and Xbox LIVE is definately not one of those places.

Rampant curiosity begs the question: if you care so little on the subject, why did you go to a thread that has the issue you don't care about in its title and then write such a long-winded respond on how you don't care?

 

[Corven]

I wonder if theres any discrimination against Asexual people on Xbox live.

most people would reply "whats that?"
(I do know what it is btw)

 

[Typecast]

(I use this term rather that homophobic because I believe that has more to do with a fear of homosexuals, not a hatred for them)

Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in homophobes.

yes it defines who you are

You tiny insignificance.

Well I guess there's no point arguing with you Texian (EDIT: This applies to Orekoya too), you are dead set on the opinion that being asked to keep sexual matters private is a form of persecution. I am no more thrilled hearing a guy detail his encounter with a chick than I am hearing a guy detail his drilling of another guy. You are using bad behavior by one party to justify equally bad behavior being alright for another.

And just for the record... Homosexuality is not the cultural definition of "normal". It is by its very definition abnormal...

To quote dictionary.com

ab·nor·mal
?adjective
1. not normal, average, typical, or usual; deviating from a standard: abnormal powers of concentration; an abnormal amount of snow; abnormal behavior.

Homosexuality is not normal, by society's viewpoint. Not saying it's not natural or that it is bad, but normal is heterosexuality. One will always assume everyone else to be normal until proven otherwise, thus one will always assume someone to be heterosexual until something conflicts with that assumption. So a guy making comments that affirm his heterosexuality is not advertising his gender preference, it is simply confirming it.

Ah society, when no one wants to take the blame. Such an elegant excuse. Also your prudery is disturbingly repressive, I would prefer more open and honest discussions about sexuality rather than all this 'half-way' media/billboard sex we have to put up with.

I also don't believe in 'polite-conversation' that's conceited, there's just communication. And I don't shut up about it and keep quiet (just so everyone can live in their safe homogenized little world that doesn't really exist because the walls that you think are falling down around your ears never existed in the first place so wake up). I'm not gay, I have gay & bi friends, and I have long hair and am a vegetarian, for which I cop a lot of shit for too. I don't put up with it. I'm not a tolerant person in those situations, in fact I'm not particularly tolerant in most situations. My view is one of ignorance and intolerance; if someone pushes me, I make sure s/he can't get up and try again.

I remember in school, I was probably about seven or eight and people started using the word gay as an insult. I didn't understand, I thought it meant happy, of course I knew what it was implying and I already had recieved the education to know what the hell sex was also. I tried to stop them, but I gave up, it was just too prevalent. I have learned from that mistake. Intolerance will not be tolerated.

Now FINGERPAINT!!!!!! Make those rainbows happier!!!!!

 

[Imperator_2]

If anything, homosexuals should be praised: My theory is that you lot are a biological safety valve for overpopulation. But that's just me.

 

[ThnksFrThEmo]

I hardly ever have the damn headset on anymore, all I can bloody hear the whole time are racial slurs and homophobic epithets. It's fucking annoying as hell to try to concentrate on sniping when you've got 9 insults being said at once. Whatever. I've always known X-box live users are mostly dicks anyway, excluding the few that aren't.

 

[Aries_Split]

Why should I have to hide it?

LALADADA

This post made me disgusted, then I realized your 14. Listen Jump, and all the others saying we provoke it. This video gave some audio clips. I'm willing to bet that all of those remarks were unprovoked, given the tone in which they were spoken into the room. Nothing else much to say on your points.

2.) It's more about people are subjected to hate speech without prompting: While these gay gamers are speaking out about it, I think they are speaking out more to the fact that it's happening. More to the point, it's reactionary. Sadly, my first exposure to the XBL medium was Halo 3.

If only I were warned.

Now, if I react to something that offends me, I'm over sensitive and need to relax and STFU, right? Ok. Then how about all those people who feel that way stop being over sensitive, try to relax, and STFU while a few of us who don't like it speak about it?

Oh. Because it offends those people? Because it hinders their ability to enjoy their time? What about their hindering my ability to enjoy my time? Or the gays? or the women? Why is it only a select few can say whatever they want and have it labeled to be fine (even though they are whining about things they don't like... but viciously, so that's ok!), but then be the first people to say "Respect my rights and my ability to say things?! How dare you invokes those same rights by questioning me?!"

Best points I've heard so far, lets see who responds to them.

 

[Squeaksx]

Heh, well honestly I don't really see what the big deal is. I'm straight, but I've been accused of being gay in a serious fashion around half a dozen times and usually I just use it as an excuse to make the antagonist really really uncomfortable. Instead of using it as a victimization tool I say realize the power that it has and use it to your humor against the dull-witted moron who can't think of anything better to say! Hoozah!

This goes for various other diversities that have been dealt a hand of cruelty due to single-witted dumb-asses. You have a power about you in your uniqueness that you should use to your advantage!

 

[ThnksFrThEmo]

1. The word gay has become an insult for anything now days not just in video games its just the way it is for now so just accept it like you accepted being homosexual and don't take the insult to personally. Many people consider homosexuality to be an abomination, myself included. As a result they use it as an insult, kind of like the old "you throw like a girl." thing

2. With a title like "gaymers" for a topic or website you are just asking for it.

3. Its just like scientologists not wanting anybody to say anything about them. Let people say what they want, its kinda what makes living in America so great.

/troll

1. By that shitty logic since n*****r is an insult for black people, and we used to say it a lot, they should just accept it and blah blah bullshit shitty fucktard speak.

2. Blaming the victim. Smooth.

3. Scientologists are crazy. Most homosexuals are not.

 

[Aries_Split]

1. The word gay has become an insult for anything now days not just in video games its just the way it is for now so just accept it like you accepted being homosexual and don't take the insult to personally. Many people consider homosexuality to be an abomination, myself included. As a result they use it as an insult, kind of like the old "you throw like a girl." thing

2. With a title like "gaymers" for a topic or website you are just asking for it.

3. Its just like scientologists not wanting anybody to say anything about them. Let people say what they want, its kinda what makes living in America so great.

/troll

1. By that shitty logic since n****r is an insult for black people, and we used to say it a lot, they should just accept it and blah blah bullshit shitty fucktard speak.

2. Blaming the victim. Smooth.

3. Scientologists are crazy. Most homosexuals are not.

<3

 

[Squeaksx]

1. The word gay has become an insult for anything now days not just in video games its just the way it is for now so just accept it like you accepted being homosexual and don't take the insult to personally. Many people consider homosexuality to be an abomination, myself included. As a result they use it as an insult, kind of like the old "you throw like a girl." thing

2. With a title like "gaymers" for a topic or website you are just asking for it.

3. Its just like scientologists not wanting anybody to say anything about them. Let people say what they want, its kinda what makes living in America so great.

/troll

1. By that shitty logic since n****r is an insult for black people, and we used to say it a lot, they should just accept it and blah blah bullshit shitty fucktard speak.

2. Blaming the victim. Smooth.

3. Scientologists are crazy. Most homosexuals are not.

Two things I hate:
Blaming the victim.
Overplaying victimization.

Just thought I'd throw that in there.

 

[[Gavo]]

As a white person who happens to not be gay, I treat the usage of "fag" the same way I treat the usage of the N-word. It holds similar power in that it is a term originated by a dominant group who wants to ridicule a minority.

Well said. I don't mind gay people, they don't hit on you, its fine. They're normal. The only time I had to use the word "gay" and mean it in a conversation over the last year was when I was discussing the Wii Music video with my friends. You think of a better term. They both have the same views and me and didn't mind me using it then.

 

[Typecast]

I'm straight, but I've been accused of being gay in a serious fashion around half a dozen times and usually I just use it as an excuse to make the antagonist really really uncomfortable.

Yes I do that too, and though I'm fairly sure it's not PC, I like watching them squirm.