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Idiots live on the Internet

7:20 PM on 01.24.2007, Faith 117 comments

Idiots live on the Internet photo
     Rant

Today on Digg.com, there was a front page article about a female gamer with problems fitting into the online community and after reading her article, I feel that she doesn’t understand how the online world works.

Every female gamer can tell you at one time or another they have been insulted or hit on by another male gamer during an online game session or on a Web site in the comments or forums. It’s not fun and it hurts to have people act in such a way, but I don’t think that most female gamers understand that guys aren’t picking on them because they are women, but because they can pick on anybody.

When anyone goes into an online situation whether it is an online game session or a Web site forum, they are now in a world where everything they say and do has really no affect on them in the real world and some people tend to take advantage of this situation.

If you are in a bar or at work, you would be faced with consequences if you were to insult someone or sexually harass them. You would be fired, slapped or forced into a fight that couldn’t easily be dealt with. Online you can just turn the console or computer off, and never have to hear about the problem again.

The online world allows for people to say anything they want with little repercussions, and though I don’t find that fair, I do understand why people do it. I also understand that when a fellow gamer insults me online by telling me to go back to the kitchen where I belong, it’s because that’s the best insult he could come up with.

Cause she doesn't have any.

Male gamers insult each other with names like fag or worse. Male gamers insult female gamers with sexual stereotypes. It’s just how they do it. Our insults just seem worse, because we take it personally and guys generally don’t.

As for the online offers of cyber sex, again it’s just easier for a guy to say these kinds of things to women behind the safety of a screen, then to say it in public. Guys are always checking us out on a daily basis, but they can’t always respond to their urges because of the consequences. If a guy could ask to see your boobs in public without getting slapped, trust me they would.

In long run, female gamers need to understand that even though the behavior of idiot gamers is inappropriate and hurtful, guy gamers get the same treatment from the idiots too, but we tend to get it more, because they will always pick on what they think is the weaker person.

Just play your games and ignore the online idiots, because they will always be there at some point or another. This is the online world and its full of idiots.


Next page: More Online stories




godkow's Avatar
godkow at 01/24/2007 19:24
Welcome to the internet, enjoy your stay.
Mabec's Avatar
Mabec at 01/24/2007 19:25
I kinda agree... u shouldn't stay online this late.
Aetsen's Avatar
Aetsen at 01/24/2007 19:27
Can I see your Boobs?
Faith's Avatar
Faith at 01/24/2007 19:28
Mystery explained, and now back to the kitchen.
tehuberone's Avatar
tehuberone at 01/24/2007 19:32
Ya got any burgers in the kitchen? If so can you grab me one?
Magesx's Avatar
Magesx at 01/24/2007 19:32
Maybe if they were in the kitchen where any good woman should be instead of the internet, they wouldn't be asked such booby questions.
Philonious's Avatar
Philonious at 01/24/2007 19:32
I have to disagree with you Faith. The fact the girls and women are faced with rampant sexism any time they pop online is not acceptable, and their learning to live with it is not a solution. The immature and sexist behavior displayed by male gamers is shameful and honestly needs to be cracked down on. In any other environment this kind of behavior is punished, and rightly so... It is wrong. Pure and simple. There is no excuse for sexism, racism or any type of discrimination and it doesn't have a place in any aspect of modern society.
Aetsen's Avatar
Aetsen at 01/24/2007 19:33
MMMMMmmmm... sandwiches.
Magesx's Avatar
Magesx at 01/24/2007 19:34
Unless it's funny.
Max's Avatar
Max at 01/24/2007 19:35
i don't think it helps when people call them "girl gamers".

instead of "girl gamers" and "guy gamers", why not just call everyone "gamers"?

i mean, you don't call J.K. Rowling a "girl author", do you?
SP420's Avatar
SP420 at 01/24/2007 19:37
@Philonious:

And who's on the internet to stop this rampant discrimination? Certainly not the assholes who continue to exhibit it.
SP420's Avatar
SP420 at 01/24/2007 19:38
@Philonious:

And who's on the internet to stop this rampant discrimination? Certainly not the assholes who continue to exhibit it.
Jordan Grim Devore's Avatar
Jordan Grim Devore at 01/24/2007 19:38
I'm not gonna lie, most of the chicks I've played Gears against are pretty damn annoying.
Philonious's Avatar
Philonious at 01/24/2007 19:44
@SP420

You'd think our mothers would have raised us all right and this wouldn't be an issue. There are laws against discrimination in the work place... I'd say complaint systems so that people with a history of derogatory remarks are banned from posting/chatting in online environment. The duration of the ban to be limited by the host.

@Grim

...and the stupid crap that spews forth from the mouthes and keyboards of online gamers is pretty damned annoying as well.
Civnerd's Avatar
Civnerd at 01/24/2007 19:44
I agree with you Faith, the internet is the greatest extension to free speech, and people take it a little too far at times because of the ability to disconnect.

As far as forum posting and general internet communication, you will never be able to weed out the bad from the good without sacrificing some freedom in the process.

Xbox Live's reputation and blacklist/ignore functions are about as far as we can go when it comes to multiplayer games, and I think it's the right approach.
Knives's Avatar
Knives at 01/24/2007 19:46
@philonious

I don't think she's saying it's ok, just that she understands why they do it and that it isn't personal.
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar
deiga-the-semivaliant at 01/24/2007 19:46
Philonious... you will NEVER get rid of sexism or racism. EVER. There are billions of individual people in the world, all with their own beliefs, behavior and thoughts. To think that it's possible to squish it out of every aspect of our life is a laughably impossible feat.

The most we can do is supress it in its public form, which we've been pretty successful in doing, especially with today's sometimes unbearably politically correct society. The fact that the anonymity of the internet makes some people resort to stupid comments is a minor issue, really.

So if we can't get "rid" of racism and sexism, what's the next best thing? Shrug it off! Don't react! If you as an individual reduce the issue, then eventually it will disappear from your view of reality. As long as it isn't hurting you physically, then what's the beef? Keep your head up high and don't let little 13 year old jackasses make you angry.

I get a lot of shit because I'm asian. My communcations professor always assumes I know everything about asian language and culture, even though I've never step foot in Korea in my life. People always assume I know how to work with computers, and I'm a math genious. But I just laugh it off and refuse to let it bother me. Why? Because there really isn't anything I can do about it, so why waste the energy and time? I'd rather work on improving myself as a human being, establishing myself as an individual so people don't see me as an Asian, but rather as a pretty cool guy who has dark hair and thin eyes.
Namelessted's Avatar
Namelessted at 01/24/2007 19:47
I have boobs Ron, do you love me?

The thing about it is that guys are extremely immature, if girls don't understand that then too bad for them. I will continue to make jokes.
Michymaster's Avatar
Michymaster at 01/24/2007 19:50
Faith is the best girl gamer \o/
Joseph Leray's Avatar
Joseph Leray at 01/24/2007 19:53
@Philonious - while I agree that sexism and racism have no place anywhere, even the intertubes, I think that Faith's point is that sexism, racism, xenophobia, and insults in general are not exclusive to girls. Guys online are insulted as much as girls, albeit not in a sexual manner. Is calling a guy a queer or a fag not as bad as propositioning a girl?
Philonious's Avatar
Philonious at 01/24/2007 19:53

@Deiga

You're right we can't get rid of it, but companies like Microsoft for one can make it very clear what kind of behavior is unacceptable on services like Live.

And while I agree shrugging off the ignorance of other is commendable, there is a difference between assuming a girl can cook, and telling her to go back to the kitchen where she belongs. How would you feel if some guy harassed your mom or sister, asking them to him their boobs? How is it any better online than in reality? Would you just tell mom to suck it up?
Philonious's Avatar
Philonious at 01/24/2007 19:56
@Orcist

I wasn't even going to touch the "Fag" thing, but that seriously has to go too. You don't walk up to strangers and say that, you shouldn't be doing it online either. People like to use anonymity as an excuse to be assholes... Accepting it as a reality will never lead to change. I think people need to wake up and realize how fucked up social reality on the internet is and start making changes.
Aetsen's Avatar
Aetsen at 01/24/2007 19:57
Yeah emo kids, LOL.
bayushi's Avatar
bayushi at 01/24/2007 20:02
I still want to see your boobs! Is that wrong? Someone call Dr. Phil, so I can punch him in the dick!
Faith's Avatar
Faith at 01/24/2007 20:06
I'm not saying any insult is acceptable, but the more you bitch about it in an online forum, the more the idiots come out and just bash you further. Better to just ignore the bull and play your games.

You can ban people all you want if you have the power to, but there will always be an idiot to replace them.
generaldane's Avatar
generaldane at 01/24/2007 20:07
but this is not real life its the interent wheter you like it or not thats just how things is if you cant deal with it thats your problem
momiji58's Avatar
momiji58 at 01/24/2007 20:08
i guess guys in general, whether online or in the real world, can be immature. I have to agree somewhat with Faith on her last paragraph. You just have to ignore the rude comments guys give you, and eventually they'll get bored and stop. You'll be stooping to their level if you fire back at them. But on the other hand if you don't take notice, they won't stop. Such a dilemma....
generaldane's Avatar
generaldane at 01/24/2007 20:09
the most annoying thing to a person who is harassing someone is to be ignoreg bny the person he is harassing
Doom Biscuit's Avatar
Doom Biscuit at 01/24/2007 20:10
*Generic Sexist Joke*
Michymaster's Avatar
Michymaster at 01/24/2007 20:17
yeah leave faith alone or i kick your ass
Joseph's Avatar
Joseph at 01/24/2007 20:19
Philonious- If you think that a stranger wouldn't call you fag on sight or after a short converstaion you've been sheltered from the true asses of life.

You need the realize how much real life social interaction is screwed. The internet is just a place where it's even esaier to see.

Some people act out for attention and social acceptance. These people can be changed by getting them a better social group.

Other people are truly uncaring about the feeling of others and do what they want, even if that means hurting the feeling of other for fun. I call them ASSHOLES. These people can not be changed. It's simply best to avoid them all together.

It's thier right to be assholes. You can't enforce morality or decency on others unless it interferes with a another persons basic rights.

You can only avoid them and make it so people you don't like can't be in your social groups, or in this case, network games.

kaoru's Avatar
kaoru at 01/24/2007 20:19
I generally point people in the direction of http://welcome.twysted.net :P
Philonious's Avatar
Philonious at 01/24/2007 20:21

I agree 100% that turning the other cheek is the thing people need to do in these circumstances. My point is that no one should have to put up with this stupidity... And I have to wonder if at some point our sitting here doing nothing makes us complicit to the original wrong. At some point someone needs to make a stand and make a point of saying this behaviour is unacceptable.
Lezbro's Avatar
Lezbro at 01/24/2007 20:23
Lemme clear this up right now.

For roughly half a million years, the males of our species have been spending their entire allotment of brain capacity ruminating on food, sex, and sport.

Now, this Internet thing comes along.

And surprise, surprise, it reveals to all the ancient truth which is known to half of our species and a small savvy portion of the other half. The Internet allows males to communicate, speculate, cogitate free from the social inhibitions that have largely kept our inner thoughts in check for so many millenia.

So, when a guy on the Internet says: "Show me your titties," that's because that is actually what's in his (our) head most of the time. That's really how we pass the majority of our day. And we will equate all manner of external stimuli as an excuse to reference boobies and such. Excel spreadsheets? Sure, boobies. Crosswalks? Why not, boobies. Cantaloupes? Yeah.

It's important to us.

Kind of like shoes are important to women.
Michymaster's Avatar
Michymaster at 01/24/2007 20:24
Well, if guys can control themselves in real life why not the same crap in the internet?
Joseph's Avatar
Joseph at 01/24/2007 20:27
Actually from what I've seen just simply ignoring guys with rude comments won't work all that well. IF you have the tenacity and linguistic skill, visiciously calling out and attacking such people in the most public way will shut them down.

Make sure they know EXACTLY how much of a looser they are. Most men/boy really don't take well to being chewed out by girls/women. You don't have to be an easy mark make sure that if they hurt your feelings their ego suffers.

Philonious's Avatar
Philonious at 01/24/2007 20:31
I think you're all making a mistake in assuming that because the internet is the way it is, that it is the way it has or should be. There are many injustices in the world and if no one had the balls to say something about them, there would be many more. Yes sexism and discrimination and stupidity are rampant online, but they don't belong here anymore than they belong anywhere else. If you want to see boobs on the internet there are plenty of places where you can find some... Both from porn and real live girls. Someone looking to play a round of Gears shouldn't have to listen to you begging to see hers. If you actually think that kind of behaviour is acceptable, I'm glad I don't have to deal with any of you in the real world.
generaldane's Avatar
generaldane at 01/24/2007 20:37
i beleive this guy sats it best




What this chick doesn't seem to understand is she's being treated equally. Guys, gamer or otherwise, rag on each other ALL THE TIME and say shit to each other. So now she's upset because guys on the internet act like guys towards her and not try to butter it up or pretend to be anything other than what we are?

News flash, its how guys are. Just because your a girl won't change shit, if we say rude and crude comments and jokes about other guys, we'll say them about you too. Now STFU and either play your damn game or go back to the kitchen.

I refuse to treat anyone any different when I play an online game, if you're a woman and can't deal with it? Tough. If you're a guy and can't deal with it? Tough for you too. But I'm not going to treat someone special and talk carefully around them on the internet just because they are a woman. I have to worry enough about what I can and can't say in front of a woman at work enough, I'm not doing it while I'm relaxing as well.

STFU and enjoy your equality.
Teamjesus's Avatar
Teamjesus at 01/24/2007 20:38
I agree with Grim 100% Especially them British ones, like a sack of bricks being used to kill a garden of kittens.
And my Mic I got with my 360 broke so I can't hear them anymore.
Fuck you Microsoft, Fuck you.
Lezbro's Avatar
Lezbro at 01/24/2007 20:38
Here's another important point that gets overlooked.

This.

Takes.

Time.

It wasn't until VERY recently that videogames and the Internet, computers, and geek culture in general were almost completely a boys only club. It's only in the past few years that women have begun to make their presence known as contributors, consumers, and patrons of these mediums.

When I was a kid, girls didn't play school sports and the very idea seemed eccentric. Now, my daughter plays any sport she likes and the infrastructure is there to encourage at any level.

If anything, the Internet is progressing much more quickly in that regard.
Teamjesus's Avatar
Teamjesus at 01/24/2007 20:40
About the insults and guys, This one dude named WEEDS something EXP-FUCKIN-LOADED when he got called a fag, I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Glad my Mic broke, constant and I quote "YOU FAGGY ASS BITCH, THAT WAS BULLSHIT ETC....." It just got really fucking annoying.
eigokyoukan's Avatar
eigokyoukan at 01/24/2007 20:44
Myg0t.com...... You will never get rid of the idiots online or in real life. Point of fact is this stuff DOES happen in real life too. And in the case of the online realm, little thundercunts like the ones at myg0t will look for you to react and take joy in it. Ignore it. Know your the better person for it. For farks sake this stuff will be with us humans FOREVER online and offline.
Topher Cantler's Avatar
Topher Cantler at 01/24/2007 20:46
Awesome article, Faith!
Lezbro's Avatar
Lezbro at 01/24/2007 20:47
Males express friendship to each other in crude ways. I can speak for myself and say that one of the things I like most about the Internet is that I am (almost) completely free to see or say anything I wish. Maybe the price for guys being polite in public is that they'll use places like the Internet as a dumping ground for their id.

Sorry, ladies.
maximum0v3rdriv3's Avatar
maximum0v3rdriv3 at 01/24/2007 20:59
What? Censor idoits online? Are you fucking crazy? It's the best fun there can be had to piss off an idoit. They'll fly off the handle and scream red faced into the mic for hours. It's like getting a free ticket to an improv show. Sure they get annoying after awhile thats when you mute/ignore/block/discconnect and move on to pissing off the next jerkfaced monkey. What use to me is a clean PC internet full of happy people frolicking? Way to take ALL the fun out of life.
Joseph Leray's Avatar
Joseph Leray at 01/24/2007 20:59
Another thing people have to realize is that internet is not a public place. By agreeing to IM, join a forum, or play Live, you enter into the private sphere.
Michymaster's Avatar
Michymaster at 01/24/2007 21:02
Orcist made his point... I agree with u
Philonious's Avatar
Philonious at 01/24/2007 21:21
While I agree that joining a board or agreeing to IM is a decision, I disagree that this is the case with Live. Live is a service I pay for, WOW is a service I pay for, and in neither case is my money spent to listen to idiots spouting racist,s exist or homophobic epithets... They are also the only option for playing specific games online. I think it is a small favour to ask that gamers show their fellow gamers some common courtesy and mutual respect.
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