Anita Sarkeesian, a video game figure that is both loved and loathed at the same time, recently gave a speech at XOXO in Portland. There, she described what she did in the grander scheme of the changing face of video games. In addition, she also described some of the weirder and wackier conspiracy theories that surround her.
Among these theories include the fact that she embezzled money from her Kickstarter, that she said murder was OK, that she is lying about her race, along with several other incredible wackjob claims that use falsified tweets, 4chan posts, and more to back their claims up. These things have been PROVEN FALSE, and yet a large portion of the gaming community believes them at face value.
“Once the cascade reaches a critical mass, it no longer matters what the facts are,” Sarkeesian says. “It becomes a viral meme. These hoaxes work to reinforce the ‘folk demon’ narrative about me, because it’s turning me into the embodiment of the most extreme, irrational stereotype of feminism possible. The fake quotes also gain traction in the information cascade because they prey on and help rationalize pre-existing, paranoid fears about ‘feminist interlopers’ and ‘women invading video games.'”
Perhaps the most powerful part of her talk was the ending in which she says,”One of the most radical things you can do, is to actually believe women when they tell you about their experiences.”
What do you think? Do you agree with Sarkeesian? Let us know in the comments.
Source: XOXO