The main tenant of that article is that geeks/gamers will :
“insist that they treat women exactly the same as they treat guys – all the while ignoring the fact that their behavior is what’s making the women uncomfortable and feeling unwelcome in the first place.”
I believe that this isn’t a black and white issue. I would counter that everyone is responsible for their behavior and the tenants for sexism and prejudice don’t arise because of geek culture, those attributes arise elsewhere and are magnified by the insular nature of a predominately introverted fandom.
I’m an adult and have made no illusion that my past has
prejudiced my outlook on life, but I also do my best to treat everyone as an
equal and listen to other opinions before I talk. When I read an article like the one mentioned
above, I see another kind of prejudice, that of the overly sympathetic male:
What? How can you say
that? That article seemed very
sympathetic to woman’s issues. Yeah, I
thought so too, until I read the last sentence.
“And when you check back on Friday, I’ll provide you with
some concrete applications on how being cognizant of male privilege will
improve your relations with women.”
Am I wrong, or is this entire article a blueprint on a
subterfuge? If you’re worried about
improving your relations with women (i.e., how do I better get laid), then you’re
doing it wrong. What you should be
worried about is how your interpersonal skills allow you to function in an ever
changing world. That last sentence turned
that whole article on its ear for me.
This was nothing more than a blueprint for how the jerk gamer/geek can
satisfy his lady friend and continue to be a self-righteous douchebag.
The truth is that there are plenty of inroads that women
have made in geek/gamer culture. During the middle ages, zealots desecrated art by chopping off exposed genitalia or covering it up with a fig leaf. At the
turn of the century, I was playing Everquest and one of my guildmates was a
woman who played a male avatar in order to avoid the sexist bullshit. Fast forward to today, where I play Guild
Wars with my wife and 2-3 other strong women who comprise our core group. Now, that’s not to say that women have it
easy. Sexism still exists everywhere…
The article on male privilege seems to relate the
objectification of females in comics and games as proof that women are treated
as second class, but it also either ignores or brushes aside cases of male
objectification in the same art form:
Yes, fantasy and science fiction literature has a long
history of placing women in unrealistic manners of dress, but I would contend
that all art places women and men alike in unrealistic manners of dress. If you are looking for a realistic woman
warrior in a fantasy series, look to Game of Thrones:
This scene says a lot about the whole topic. However, this topic isn’t black and
white. In fantasy and science fiction you
can have both Brienne of Tarth and Catwoman. The medium is there to explore social issues. Star Trek wasn't a great science fiction story because of the short skirts and special effects. It was a study of the human condition set through a science fiction lens that helps one see that condition through a unique perspective.
The core issue here revolves around women in geek and gamer
culture. While it’s true that women are
an oddity, an unicorn if you will.
However, women also have a role in this society just as they do in every
other aspect of the world around us.
Team Unicorn, a group of beautiful actresses who also love video games,
comics, and Star Wars exists as a message to other women out there. You don’t have to wear sack cloth and hide
behind an asexual persona in order to thrive in a world of fandom:
Yes, fantasy and science fiction can objectify men, women,
and just about anything in an effort to create an art form that many hold near
and dear to their hearts. As citizens of
this planet, we need to move to a place where we cherish everyone’s opinion. We need to find that scrap of something to
adore and not be afraid of showing people that child-like glee. Don’t worry how to be politically correct in
order to ‘improve your relations with women’.
That won’t work. Strive to be
open minded, or as Will Wheaton would say; ‘Be awesome’.
