To attempt to label her unprofessional for writing an opinion column on a site dedicated to providing opinion for consideration is the mark of an agenda, be it personal or corporate. As a matter of fact this is her “personal” column for subjects of her choice. So, she was irritated by a horny net stalker and people’s misogynistic comments then made a sarcastic article of it to vent some frustration? If you don’t like it then don’t waste your own time just to be miserable. We are posting on a game site for fun and not engaged in activity for the betterment of humanity. This is a good thing since some people are obviously beyond reasonable hope.
It seems the best comment some of you have is that she has an unfair advantage in that she looks cute on camera and has cool bewbz to “control you” with. I guess it’s not fair for a rookie NFL quarterback to make millions because he has a stronger arm than you to throw a football with either. Nothing in life is fair, you make the best of what you have. Crying over your cards in Vegas won’t spare you losing the pot either.
The appearance of several “new” posters to this site that have created accounts for no other reason than to attack Pokket for this article is the symptom of either a single nut case with multiple alts in need of banning or of a sickness in society. Take your pick. Perhaps The Eye was right. You can learn all you need to know about humanity from reading the comments section on YouTube... (TSW)
To be fair I've never referred to Pokket as being unprofessional, just untalented. Also to be fair I also believe mmorpg.com is just using her for her popularity. Whether it has anything to do with being a non unattractive female makes no difference.
Despite my earlier criticisms of her, i actually think pocket is one of the better options in terms of what she does here. We have seperate tastes and standards in what we find apealing in games (she was trying to pimp SWTOR to people after all), but i think if we actually met, we would probably get along rather well. She clearly does feel genuine excitment when she enjoys a game and i dont find her to be the least bit fake in terms of her interest in gaming.
Consider comparing her to say morgan webb of g4tv(or almost any of thier female staff for that matter). The differences are painfully obvious between them. Fortunately i see pokket as being on the clear opposite side of the scale from morgan webb in just about every way and thats a compliment. (I find morgan webb to be the worst example of a woman who is trying to appear as a legitimate gamer while trading on her supposed looks, and a dubious trade at that.)
I just think this article was a step backwards for her. Maybe if the quotes she used genuinely reflected the flavor of the article it would have been better. Complaining of stalkers might have made more sense if that was somehow reflected in the quoted posts that she chose to bring up. Instead she conflated negative opinions about her based on her apearance and lacking credibility in thier eyes, to spurned romantic interest.
I hereby declare Shava's Law, which is that any discussion of women and gaming eventually runs into the dead end correllary of Godwin's Law that is the rough equivalent of a dickwolves trainwreck.
As folks earlier in the thread have said, no woman online should have to deal with abuse. Period. I've been online thirty years now, and it doesn't stop. You grow a very thick skin, and you know -- that's not the solution. It is not the solution for all minorities and women to grow used to being smacked on. It's an interim therapy, like medicating a disease until you find a cure through research.
Telling MLK that the blacks in the American south in the 60s should be at peace with their lot wasn't a great piece of advice then, and he and the SCLC didn't take it, and people didn't think he was wise or helping society then either, because he was asking the majority to change their behavior and way of thinking. And there are still a great number of people who disagree with the results, but most younger Americans can't actually even model in their heads what the social reality was like in this country around race before 1964, so they feel like things haven't changed much.
It's the same with women. Things have changed a lot, but not enough, and the time of change and chaos are hard on society. You are part of those generations of social chaos. Congratulations -- you are wedged, no matter what your opinions, in a culture war over these issues, and that's why even on a gaming forum, these things blow up.
As folks earlier in the thread have said, it's a joke son. If you are taking it too seriously, you might want to reflect on why you have so much emotional charge on this issue. Counseling, meditation, or medication might be called for if self-reflection doesn't work for ya.
We can also act as individuals -- and effectively as blocs, if not groups -- to make the games and our online communities better, and that's women, men, gays and allies -- anyone who wants these places to be better.
The problem is both very much bigger than you -- but how you deal with it is a personal responsibility. You have the choice to be a decent human being when you are online. You have the choice to seize teachable moments, or let others be bullies and jerks. You have the choice to use mechanisms (as in SWTOR) to remediate jerks by excluding them using game mechanics (see http://bit.ly/SWTORpiggies) in some cases.
Even though i didn't read the article, I would like to share some thoughts...
From what ive read and seen you seem to uphold a good level of ethics and professionalism when you conduct interviews and reviews(ie don't use the boob tactic to get more views) and i think this is integral especially for females to support there works integrity.
But to completely discredit your 'appeal' as a female in a mostly male driven market is just ridiculous. im sure the ppl at mmorpg.com saw the $$$ potential of having an attractive female do columns, But the best thing you can do to help your cause is always conduct yourself with professionalism and ethics.
I am conflicted about this article because im yet to see an article by mikeB (or other male mmorpg representatives) saying how many women he has to beat off with a pole.
Unless mike is going to do one to "restore the balance"?
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
I am always sorry when 'anonymity' allows idiots to....well, be idiots.
That said, the quality of the article is rather poor as satirical writing goes. Thus while the subject matter may be near and dear to the author (and even accurate in general), it is not particularly good. Good writing = good read. Bad writing = detraction from the statement trying to made.
MMOs have a heavy (at times) personal/social aspect but this article is far less about gaming (pros OR cons) and more about social networking and general net social 'rules'.
I could sort of understand when this site dropped from MMOs 100% of the time and added the section on FPS/RTS games but this article is stretching the 'connection to games' a bit too far.
If this article was published on a different site, by an anonymous author, it would probably loved it, and supported the message. But not this time, for at least these reasons:
- This is not directly related to gaming, so I don't think it has anything to do on this site.
- MMORPG.COM never was a feminist site, and I hope it never ever will. Nothing against their "war", but this isn't the proper channel.
- The author has used her good looks to get where she is now, there's zero doubt about that. And by promoting herself like that, she should understand the position it puts her in, or else she isn't very bright.
Just a few things, but I could easily list more. Bottom line is, a /fail considering who posted it, and which site it's on.
Originally posted by HrimnirYeah, althought the article was mildly amusing, i just have no pity whatsoever for attractive women in modern western society. They can continue to tell themselves that it was their hard work and determination that got them where they are, but they are fooling themselves. I'm not saying pokket or any other attractive women don't or didnt work hard, but they severely downplay the role their looks had in getting them where they are.
You don't have to feel sorry for anyone. Most women neither want, nor do they need your pity. Just don't be a misogynistic @ss on internet forums.
I love how much women throw that term around (and it is spelled with a Y btw), and most don't have even the slightest clue what it means.
To be fair, you did just bunch up all women in a would-be-offensive statement. Demisogynise that and get back to us.
Also, I spelled it correctly. Spell checkers and Google exist for a reason. Learn to use them.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Nice! If I weren't happily married, I'd try all of those things! Where were you when I was dating? I needed all the help I could get!
Happy Monday, Pokket.
Oh don't let that stop you just use them all on yoru wife, bet it would make her love you even more then she already does. -runs to a dark corner to hide,a nd watch the fallout.-
Originally posted by Netspook If this article was published on a different site, by an anonymous author, it would probably loved it, and supported the message. But not this time, for at least these reasons:
- This is not directly related to gaming, so I don't think it has anything to do on this site.
- MMORPG.COM never was a feminist site, and I hope it never ever will. Nothing against their "war", but this isn't the proper channel.
- The author has used her good looks to get where she is now, there's zero doubt about that. And by promoting herself like that, she should understand the position it puts her in, or else she isn't very bright.
Just a few things, but I could easily list more. Bottom line is, a /fail considering who posted it, and which site it's on.
Anyone with a video blog uses their appearance to 'get where they are'. Whether it's that they are amusing looking or attractive is irrelevant.
Let's take that idea to a ridiculous extreme. Let's say Pokket has gotten whatever success she has with nothing but her looks. The Blue Hair video was nothing but Pokket sitting there with blue hair. That doesn't make statements based around her being female any less derogatory*. It doesn't excuse being a misogynistic @ss** on the forums.
* I spelled this right too. Feel free to check it.
** edit ** ** I want to clarify, I'm not calling Netspook a Misogynistic @ss. I'm saying there's no excuse for acting like one in a public forum. However, since I first used that term, I've grown fond of it. I'll never get another chance to use it, so I'm going to throw it in there as much as I can.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Ah.. I've seriously considered rolling male characters because of all the BS. I really hate cross dressing in games though. I eventually stopped calling people out on the "oh, you're a girl playing a game - you must be fat and ugly" crap, it's just not worth it. I shouldn't have to provide a photo (which they'll claim isn't you anyway) to prove I'm worthy of respect. I'm a rogue with more dps ourput and HP than your sorry ass, that's enough.
As far as inane way of trying to get a girl.. as someone said, don't forget to shower her with in game items - extra points for giving her starter gear without bothering to check and see she has dungeon items already. And make sure to group with her and treat her like a frail little thing that can't play for crap - especially if in doing so you end up nearly wiping the group repeatedly and having her need to pick up your slack for being a terrible player.
All that said, I met my fiance playing WoW.. he applied to my guild and whispered me because he assumed I was the rogue class leader. I wasn't, I was 2nd in command.. but that's really the way to do it, boys.. show some respect, don't be jackasses, judge a gamer girl on the same scale you judge the guys. If we suck then tell us, if you want to be nice about it then tell us we suck and offer suggestions on how to improve. If we rock then tell us we rock or say nothing at all beyond that hard mode raid invite. Don't assume because we're female we're automatically bad at playing video games - we're not. I am slightly better at mmo style games than my fiance, he is much better at real time stategy than I am. We're abotu even on turn based stategy. He's slightly better at 1st person shooters and I am slightly better at 3rd person shooters.
Originally posted by Hrimnir Yeah, althought the article was mildly amusing, i just have no pity whatsoever for attractive women in modern western society. They can continue to tell themselves that it was their hard work and determination that got them where they are, but they are fooling themselves. I'm not saying pokket or any other attractive women don't or didnt work hard, but they severely downplay the role their looks had in getting them where they are.
You don't have to feel sorry for anyone. Most women neither want, nor do they need your pity. Just don't be a misogynistic @ss on internet forums.
I love how much women throw that term around (and it is spelled with a Y btw), and most don't have even the slightest clue what it means.
To be fair, you did just bunch up all women in a would-be-offensive statement. Demisogynise that and get back to us.
So all women are attractive? And all women live in western society? I must need to google the meaning of all. And as for the Y comment, i will admit i made a mistake on that. Because i am one of those guys who is willing to admit when i'm wrong.
And please, explain to me what a "would-be-offensive" statement is. Is that a statement that you can interpret however you want so that you can be offended by it?
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
As always there are two sides to every story. I think Pokket does a good job of bringing up a controversial subject that will get a lot of views, which is exactly what any entertainment site needs. So not only is she attractive but she knows what buttons to press. Nice going girl!
I think the point a lot of men are missing here is that this is ENTERTAINMENT. And as a non mega star rock artist can attest too: in entertainment packaging is everything. As a man I feel just as much pressure to be good looking and attractive as women do in music. In the music industry it is even less about content and skill, and more about looks and “gloss”. This is also true of sales proffesions, news anchors, politicians, and movie stars. Good looks sell, that’s just the facts.
This is not really Ppokkets fault, but she and others need to realize that some of her success (not all) is attributable to her attractiveness, and in particular in a industry that is traditionally male dominated this difference is going to be more poignant. So I think everyone just needs to cut her some slack, since this is just the way life is. In music I would like to think my craft is what matters, but in reality experience has taught me that it is not necessary talent that makes it, its a combination of talent with attractiveness, knowing the right people, resources, and good ole blind luck.
As far as the internet stalker goes, this is part of being a celebrity, albeit a minor one. Talk to any attractive actor or musician and they all have stalkers, men and women. The internet just makes it a whole lot easier for said stalker to do their thing in anonymity.
It was an amusing read, yet sad but not surprising at the same time. No path worth taking is ever going to be easy. I think many of these negative commentors attacking your gender do not seem to realize there are different forms of adversity for someone in your position. This very thread is indicitive of that, yet they do not want to acknolwedge it.
To the haters, an attractive woman isn't some rare mythical creature on this world. You strip that away since it is common, then you have the reality of the situation. Just like in anything in life, Pokket had to compete for where she is. She's here because she was capable of siezing the opportunity, and stood out from the rest of the competition. It's naive to think that landing a job for a gaming site (or anywhere for that matter in this economy) did not have some level of competition.
Moving on from that, I just wanted to show my support, and wish you the best of luck on forging ahead! Keep up the good work!
edit: I had to double space the paragraphs because it came out as a wall of text for some reason
So many comments.....that I didn't bother to read as I have a life Just wanted to say that I found the advice by Pokket so damn funny that I'm still laughing. Nice one girl
Originally posted by Hrimnir Originally posted by jocieBOriginally posted by HrimnirOriginally posted by lizardbonesOriginally posted by HrimnirYeah, althought the article was mildly amusing, i just have no pity whatsoever for attractive women in modern western society. They can continue to tell themselves that it was their hard work and determination that got them where they are, but they are fooling themselves. I'm not saying pokket or any other attractive women don't or didnt work hard, but they severely downplay the role their looks had in getting them where they are.
You don't have to feel sorry for anyone. Most women neither want, nor do they need your pity. Just don't be a misogynistic @ss on internet forums.I love how much women throw that term around (and it is spelled with a Y btw), and most don't have even the slightest clue what it means.To be fair, you did just bunch up all women in a would-be-offensive statement. Demisogynise that and get back to us.So all women are attractive? And all women live in western society? I must need to google the meaning of all. And as for the Y comment, i will admit i made a mistake on that. Because i am one of those guys who is willing to admit when i'm wrong.
And please, explain to me what a "would-be-offensive" statement is. Is that a statement that you can interpret however you want so that you can be offended by it?
What you're doing is attributing Pokket's success to her looks and by extension the fact that she's a woman. The problem with your statements is that this works the same way for men. Taller, more attractive people are more successful, get promoted more often, are more often elected to public office and in entertainment they are more successful. That is a fact of life, and it applies equally to men and women. It's debatable whether or not your statements are misogynistic (I spelled that right btw), but they are definitely sexist.
Finally, the point of her article isn't "ooh, feel sorry for me, I need your pity". It's that people can be misogynistic @sses (it's assumed they are men, but this is the internet after all) and there's no excuse for it.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Originally posted by HrimnirYeah, althought the article was mildly amusing, i just have no pity whatsoever for attractive women in modern western society. They can continue to tell themselves that it was their hard work and determination that got them where they are, but they are fooling themselves. I'm not saying pokket or any other attractive women don't or didnt work hard, but they severely downplay the role their looks had in getting them where they are.
You don't have to feel sorry for anyone. Most women neither want, nor do they need your pity. Just don't be a misogynistic @ss on internet forums.
I love how much women throw that term around (and it is spelled with a Y btw), and most don't have even the slightest clue what it means.
To be fair, you did just bunch up all women in a would-be-offensive statement. Demisogynise that and get back to us.
So all women are attractive? And all women live in western society? I must need to google the meaning of all. And as for the Y comment, i will admit i made a mistake on that. Because i am one of those guys who is willing to admit when i'm wrong.
And please, explain to me what a "would-be-offensive" statement is. Is that a statement that you can interpret however you want so that you can be offended by it?
What you're doing is attributing Pokket's success to her looks and by extension the fact that she's a woman. The problem with your statements is that this works the same way for men. Ok, you are attempting to make a point.
Taller, more attractive people are more successful, get promoted more often, are more often elected to public office and in entertainment they are more successful. That is a fact of life, and it applies equally to men and women. You just failed at your point. This doesnt reflect a male advantage at all, just a height one.
It's debatable whether or not your statements are misogynistic (I spelled that right btw), but they are definitely sexist. I hate to be the one to break it to you but reality is sexist.
Finally, the point of her article isn't "ooh, feel sorry for me, I need your pity". It's that people can be misogynistic @sses (it's assumed they are men, but this is the internet after all) and there's no excuse for it. And im sure that is a fact that all of us here on the internet were entirely unaware of.
Originally posted by Nailzzz Originally posted by lizardbonesOriginally posted by HrimnirOriginally posted by jocieBOriginally posted by HrimnirOriginally posted by lizardbonesOriginally posted by HrimnirYeah, althought the article was mildly amusing, i just have no pity whatsoever for attractive women in modern western society. They can continue to tell themselves that it was their hard work and determination that got them where they are, but they are fooling themselves. I'm not saying pokket or any other attractive women don't or didnt work hard, but they severely downplay the role their looks had in getting them where they are.You don't have to feel sorry for anyone. Most women neither want, nor do they need your pity. Just don't be a misogynistic @ss on internet forums.I love how much women throw that term around (and it is spelled with a Y btw), and most don't have even the slightest clue what it means.
To be fair, you did just bunch up all women in a would-be-offensive statement. Demisogynise that and get back to us.So all women are attractive? And all women live in western society? I must need to google the meaning of all. And as for the Y comment, i will admit i made a mistake on that. Because i am one of those guys who is willing to admit when i'm wrong.And please, explain to me what a "would-be-offensive" statement is. Is that a statement that you can interpret however you want so that you can be offended by it? What you're doing is attributing Pokket's success to her looks and by extension the fact that she's a woman. The problem with your statements is that this works the same way for men. Ok, you are attempting to make a point. Taller, more attractive people are more successful, get promoted more often, are more often elected to public office and in entertainment they are more successful. That is a fact of life, and it applies equally to men and women. You just failed at your point. This doesnt reflect a male advantage at all, just a height one. It's debatable whether or not your statements are misogynistic (I spelled that right btw), but they are definitely sexist. I hate to be the one to break it to you but reality is sexist. Finally, the point of her article isn't "ooh, feel sorry for me, I need your pity". It's that people can be misogynistic @sses (it's assumed they are men, but this is the internet after all) and there's no excuse for it. And im sure that is a fact that all of us here on the internet were entirely unaware of.
You've misunderstood my point, or I've misrepresented it.
Taller and better looking works the same way for men as it does for women. Everything else being the same, taller, better looking people are more likely to succeed. This is a human thing, not a female thing. Saying that it's exclusive to women while ignoring that it applies equally to men is sexist.
Apparently, there are people on the internet that were/are unaware that being a misogynistic @ss is generally unacceptable. I don't expect Pokket's article or anything I say to change that. I have, however, managed to use the term 'misogynistic @ss' five or six times now. :-)
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Originally posted by HrimnirYeah, althought the article was mildly amusing, i just have no pity whatsoever for attractive women in modern western society. They can continue to tell themselves that it was their hard work and determination that got them where they are, but they are fooling themselves. I'm not saying pokket or any other attractive women don't or didnt work hard, but they severely downplay the role their looks had in getting them where they are.
You don't have to feel sorry for anyone. Most women neither want, nor do they need your pity. Just don't be a misogynistic @ss on internet forums.
I love how much women throw that term around (and it is spelled with a Y btw), and most don't have even the slightest clue what it means.
To be fair, you did just bunch up all women in a would-be-offensive statement. Demisogynise that and get back to us.
So all women are attractive? And all women live in western society? I must need to google the meaning of all. And as for the Y comment, i will admit i made a mistake on that. Because i am one of those guys who is willing to admit when i'm wrong.
And please, explain to me what a "would-be-offensive" statement is. Is that a statement that you can interpret however you want so that you can be offended by it?
What you're doing is attributing Pokket's success to her looks and by extension the fact that she's a woman. The problem with your statements is that this works the same way for men. Taller, more attractive people are more successful, get promoted more often, are more often elected to public office and in entertainment they are more successful. That is a fact of life, and it applies equally to men and women. It's debatable whether or not your statements are misogynistic (I spelled that right btw), but they are definitely sexist.
Finally, the point of her article isn't "ooh, feel sorry for me, I need your pity". It's that people can be misogynistic @sses (it's assumed they are men, but this is the internet after all) and there's no excuse for it.
./sigh...
I'm getting tired of having to outline this. Where in my post did i specifically refer to Pockett? As a matter of fact, as i recall, i specifically stated that im sure she DID in fact work hard, and i'm sure PLENTY of attractive women worked VERY hard. The >>>>>>ONLY<<<<<< thing i said was that "they" and by "they" i mean attractive women in western society, do not give their looks enough credit in regards to how much it assisted them with their successes.
Of course, as usual, because you wanted to be offended by my statements, you read into and put meaning into that didnt exist.
Nobody ever questioned whether better looking men are more successful, once again, you are putting your own meaning into my statements, nobody every said that it was exclusive to women.
The simple fact that you like to use "msogynistic ass" at every opportunity shows me that you really don't have a damn clue what you're talking about, and that very likely you're just pissed off at men in general and are taking any opportunity possible to direct that anger.
So, i'm going to say it one more time and then i'm done.
All i am saying, with no underlying meaning, is that i feel that attractive women in western society do not give enough credit to their looks when it comes to how successful they are.
Thats it, don't read into. I know its hard, but try.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
Less attractive men don't need to be reminded of their failures of getting 'hot chicks' by a hot chick. They have been discarded all their life so of course an article like this is going to provoke some anger.
I say hot chicks should be banned from making commentary videos on youtube. They are clearly at an advantage.. that is enough to dislike/hate them right? We'd rather look at a girl who looks like a Boomer from L4D2 in order for us to take her serious as a journalist
And to Pokket. No matter what you do and how you do it. There will be people out there either disliking or outright hating you. There is absolutely nothing you can do to change it, because it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. Make peace with that, then be indifferent towards it.
Comments
To be fair I've never referred to Pokket as being unprofessional, just untalented. Also to be fair I also believe mmorpg.com is just using her for her popularity. Whether it has anything to do with being a non unattractive female makes no difference.
Despite my earlier criticisms of her, i actually think pocket is one of the better options in terms of what she does here. We have seperate tastes and standards in what we find apealing in games (she was trying to pimp SWTOR to people after all), but i think if we actually met, we would probably get along rather well. She clearly does feel genuine excitment when she enjoys a game and i dont find her to be the least bit fake in terms of her interest in gaming.
Consider comparing her to say morgan webb of g4tv(or almost any of thier female staff for that matter). The differences are painfully obvious between them. Fortunately i see pokket as being on the clear opposite side of the scale from morgan webb in just about every way and thats a compliment. (I find morgan webb to be the worst example of a woman who is trying to appear as a legitimate gamer while trading on her supposed looks, and a dubious trade at that.)
I just think this article was a step backwards for her. Maybe if the quotes she used genuinely reflected the flavor of the article it would have been better. Complaining of stalkers might have made more sense if that was somehow reflected in the quoted posts that she chose to bring up. Instead she conflated negative opinions about her based on her apearance and lacking credibility in thier eyes, to spurned romantic interest.
Why take it all so serious people? loosen up a bit..
I think the article was pretty funny myself. lol
I hereby declare Shava's Law, which is that any discussion of women and gaming eventually runs into the dead end correllary of Godwin's Law that is the rough equivalent of a dickwolves trainwreck.
As folks earlier in the thread have said, no woman online should have to deal with abuse. Period. I've been online thirty years now, and it doesn't stop. You grow a very thick skin, and you know -- that's not the solution. It is not the solution for all minorities and women to grow used to being smacked on. It's an interim therapy, like medicating a disease until you find a cure through research.
Telling MLK that the blacks in the American south in the 60s should be at peace with their lot wasn't a great piece of advice then, and he and the SCLC didn't take it, and people didn't think he was wise or helping society then either, because he was asking the majority to change their behavior and way of thinking. And there are still a great number of people who disagree with the results, but most younger Americans can't actually even model in their heads what the social reality was like in this country around race before 1964, so they feel like things haven't changed much.
It's the same with women. Things have changed a lot, but not enough, and the time of change and chaos are hard on society. You are part of those generations of social chaos. Congratulations -- you are wedged, no matter what your opinions, in a culture war over these issues, and that's why even on a gaming forum, these things blow up.
As folks earlier in the thread have said, it's a joke son. If you are taking it too seriously, you might want to reflect on why you have so much emotional charge on this issue. Counseling, meditation, or medication might be called for if self-reflection doesn't work for ya.
We can also act as individuals -- and effectively as blocs, if not groups -- to make the games and our online communities better, and that's women, men, gays and allies -- anyone who wants these places to be better.
The problem is both very much bigger than you -- but how you deal with it is a personal responsibility. You have the choice to be a decent human being when you are online. You have the choice to seize teachable moments, or let others be bullies and jerks. You have the choice to use mechanisms (as in SWTOR) to remediate jerks by excluding them using game mechanics (see http://bit.ly/SWTORpiggies) in some cases.
Even though i didn't read the article, I would like to share some thoughts...
From what ive read and seen you seem to uphold a good level of ethics and professionalism when you conduct interviews and reviews(ie don't use the boob tactic to get more views) and i think this is integral especially for females to support there works integrity.
But to completely discredit your 'appeal' as a female in a mostly male driven market is just ridiculous. im sure the ppl at mmorpg.com saw the $$$ potential of having an attractive female do columns, But the best thing you can do to help your cause is always conduct yourself with professionalism and ethics.
I am conflicted about this article because im yet to see an article by mikeB (or other male mmorpg representatives) saying how many women he has to beat off with a pole.
Unless mike is going to do one to "restore the balance"?
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
I am always sorry when 'anonymity' allows idiots to....well, be idiots.
That said, the quality of the article is rather poor as satirical writing goes. Thus while the subject matter may be near and dear to the author (and even accurate in general), it is not particularly good. Good writing = good read. Bad writing = detraction from the statement trying to made.
MMOs have a heavy (at times) personal/social aspect but this article is far less about gaming (pros OR cons) and more about social networking and general net social 'rules'.
I could sort of understand when this site dropped from MMOs 100% of the time and added the section on FPS/RTS games but this article is stretching the 'connection to games' a bit too far.
If this article was published on a different site, by an anonymous author, it would probably loved it, and supported the message. But not this time, for at least these reasons:
- This is not directly related to gaming, so I don't think it has anything to do on this site.
- MMORPG.COM never was a feminist site, and I hope it never ever will. Nothing against their "war", but this isn't the proper channel.
- The author has used her good looks to get where she is now, there's zero doubt about that. And by promoting herself like that, she should understand the position it puts her in, or else she isn't very bright.
Just a few things, but I could easily list more. Bottom line is, a /fail considering who posted it, and which site it's on.
Also, I spelled it correctly. Spell checkers and Google exist for a reason. Learn to use them.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Oh don't let that stop you just use them all on yoru wife, bet it would make her love you even more then she already does. -runs to a dark corner to hide,a nd watch the fallout.-
Anyone with a video blog uses their appearance to 'get where they are'. Whether it's that they are amusing looking or attractive is irrelevant.
Let's take that idea to a ridiculous extreme. Let's say Pokket has gotten whatever success she has with nothing but her looks. The Blue Hair video was nothing but Pokket sitting there with blue hair. That doesn't make statements based around her being female any less derogatory*. It doesn't excuse being a misogynistic @ss** on the forums.
* I spelled this right too. Feel free to check it.
** edit **
** I want to clarify, I'm not calling Netspook a Misogynistic @ss. I'm saying there's no excuse for acting like one in a public forum. However, since I first used that term, I've grown fond of it. I'll never get another chance to use it, so I'm going to throw it in there as much as I can.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
So it means in the end, i should stalk that person? Oo
Haha, I guess there are different peoples.
Ah.. I've seriously considered rolling male characters because of all the BS. I really hate cross dressing in games though. I eventually stopped calling people out on the "oh, you're a girl playing a game - you must be fat and ugly" crap, it's just not worth it. I shouldn't have to provide a photo (which they'll claim isn't you anyway) to prove I'm worthy of respect. I'm a rogue with more dps ourput and HP than your sorry ass, that's enough.
As far as inane way of trying to get a girl.. as someone said, don't forget to shower her with in game items - extra points for giving her starter gear without bothering to check and see she has dungeon items already. And make sure to group with her and treat her like a frail little thing that can't play for crap - especially if in doing so you end up nearly wiping the group repeatedly and having her need to pick up your slack for being a terrible player.
All that said, I met my fiance playing WoW.. he applied to my guild and whispered me because he assumed I was the rogue class leader. I wasn't, I was 2nd in command.. but that's really the way to do it, boys.. show some respect, don't be jackasses, judge a gamer girl on the same scale you judge the guys. If we suck then tell us, if you want to be nice about it then tell us we suck and offer suggestions on how to improve. If we rock then tell us we rock or say nothing at all beyond that hard mode raid invite. Don't assume because we're female we're automatically bad at playing video games - we're not. I am slightly better at mmo style games than my fiance, he is much better at real time stategy than I am. We're abotu even on turn based stategy. He's slightly better at 1st person shooters and I am slightly better at 3rd person shooters.
So all women are attractive? And all women live in western society? I must need to google the meaning of all. And as for the Y comment, i will admit i made a mistake on that. Because i am one of those guys who is willing to admit when i'm wrong.
And please, explain to me what a "would-be-offensive" statement is. Is that a statement that you can interpret however you want so that you can be offended by it?
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
As always there are two sides to every story. I think Pokket does a good job of bringing up a controversial subject that will get a lot of views, which is exactly what any entertainment site needs. So not only is she attractive but she knows what buttons to press. Nice going girl!
I think the point a lot of men are missing here is that this is ENTERTAINMENT. And as a non mega star rock artist can attest too: in entertainment packaging is everything. As a man I feel just as much pressure to be good looking and attractive as women do in music. In the music industry it is even less about content and skill, and more about looks and “gloss”. This is also true of sales proffesions, news anchors, politicians, and movie stars. Good looks sell, that’s just the facts.
This is not really Ppokkets fault, but she and others need to realize that some of her success (not all) is attributable to her attractiveness, and in particular in a industry that is traditionally male dominated this difference is going to be more poignant. So I think everyone just needs to cut her some slack, since this is just the way life is. In music I would like to think my craft is what matters, but in reality experience has taught me that it is not necessary talent that makes it, its a combination of talent with attractiveness, knowing the right people, resources, and good ole blind luck.
As far as the internet stalker goes, this is part of being a celebrity, albeit a minor one. Talk to any attractive actor or musician and they all have stalkers, men and women. The internet just makes it a whole lot easier for said stalker to do their thing in anonymity.
It was an amusing read, yet sad but not surprising at the same time. No path worth taking is ever going to be easy. I think many of these negative commentors attacking your gender do not seem to realize there are different forms of adversity for someone in your position. This very thread is indicitive of that, yet they do not want to acknolwedge it.
To the haters, an attractive woman isn't some rare mythical creature on this world. You strip that away since it is common, then you have the reality of the situation. Just like in anything in life, Pokket had to compete for where she is. She's here because she was capable of siezing the opportunity, and stood out from the rest of the competition. It's naive to think that landing a job for a gaming site (or anywhere for that matter in this economy) did not have some level of competition.
Moving on from that, I just wanted to show my support, and wish you the best of luck on forging ahead! Keep up the good work!
edit: I had to double space the paragraphs because it came out as a wall of text for some reason
I love how much women throw that term around (and it is spelled with a Y btw), and most don't have even the slightest clue what it means.
To be fair, you did just bunch up all women in a would-be-offensive statement. Demisogynise that and get back to us.
So all women are attractive? And all women live in western society? I must need to google the meaning of all. And as for the Y comment, i will admit i made a mistake on that. Because i am one of those guys who is willing to admit when i'm wrong.
And please, explain to me what a "would-be-offensive" statement is. Is that a statement that you can interpret however you want so that you can be offended by it?
What you're doing is attributing Pokket's success to her looks and by extension the fact that she's a woman. The problem with your statements is that this works the same way for men. Taller, more attractive people are more successful, get promoted more often, are more often elected to public office and in entertainment they are more successful. That is a fact of life, and it applies equally to men and women. It's debatable whether or not your statements are misogynistic (I spelled that right btw), but they are definitely sexist.
Finally, the point of her article isn't "ooh, feel sorry for me, I need your pity". It's that people can be misogynistic @sses (it's assumed they are men, but this is the internet after all) and there's no excuse for it.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
So all women are attractive? And all women live in western society? I must need to google the meaning of all. And as for the Y comment, i will admit i made a mistake on that. Because i am one of those guys who is willing to admit when i'm wrong. And please, explain to me what a "would-be-offensive" statement is. Is that a statement that you can interpret however you want so that you can be offended by it?
What you're doing is attributing Pokket's success to her looks and by extension the fact that she's a woman. The problem with your statements is that this works the same way for men. Ok, you are attempting to make a point.
Taller, more attractive people are more successful, get promoted more often, are more often elected to public office and in entertainment they are more successful. That is a fact of life, and it applies equally to men and women. You just failed at your point. This doesnt reflect a male advantage at all, just a height one.
It's debatable whether or not your statements are misogynistic (I spelled that right btw), but they are definitely sexist. I hate to be the one to break it to you but reality is sexist. Finally, the point of her article isn't "ooh, feel sorry for me, I need your pity". It's that people can be misogynistic @sses (it's assumed they are men, but this is the internet after all) and there's no excuse for it. And im sure that is a fact that all of us here on the internet were entirely unaware of.
You've misunderstood my point, or I've misrepresented it.
Taller and better looking works the same way for men as it does for women. Everything else being the same, taller, better looking people are more likely to succeed. This is a human thing, not a female thing. Saying that it's exclusive to women while ignoring that it applies equally to men is sexist.
Apparently, there are people on the internet that were/are unaware that being a misogynistic @ss is generally unacceptable. I don't expect Pokket's article or anything I say to change that. I have, however, managed to use the term 'misogynistic @ss' five or six times now. :-)
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
./sigh...
I'm getting tired of having to outline this. Where in my post did i specifically refer to Pockett? As a matter of fact, as i recall, i specifically stated that im sure she DID in fact work hard, and i'm sure PLENTY of attractive women worked VERY hard. The >>>>>>ONLY<<<<<< thing i said was that "they" and by "they" i mean attractive women in western society, do not give their looks enough credit in regards to how much it assisted them with their successes.
Of course, as usual, because you wanted to be offended by my statements, you read into and put meaning into that didnt exist.
Nobody ever questioned whether better looking men are more successful, once again, you are putting your own meaning into my statements, nobody every said that it was exclusive to women.
The simple fact that you like to use "msogynistic ass" at every opportunity shows me that you really don't have a damn clue what you're talking about, and that very likely you're just pissed off at men in general and are taking any opportunity possible to direct that anger.
So, i'm going to say it one more time and then i'm done.
All i am saying, with no underlying meaning, is that i feel that attractive women in western society do not give enough credit to their looks when it comes to how successful they are.
Thats it, don't read into. I know its hard, but try.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Less attractive men don't need to be reminded of their failures of getting 'hot chicks' by a hot chick. They have been discarded all their life so of course an article like this is going to provoke some anger.
I say hot chicks should be banned from making commentary videos on youtube. They are clearly at an advantage.. that is enough to dislike/hate them right? We'd rather look at a girl who looks like a Boomer from L4D2 in order for us to take her serious as a journalist
And to Pokket. No matter what you do and how you do it. There will be people out there either disliking or outright hating you. There is absolutely nothing you can do to change it, because it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. Make peace with that, then be indifferent towards it.