You establish a very valid principle. A lot of the people on the Internet are assholes because of the austerity they get hiding behind their monitor (so to speak.) So the minority of females who go on and game sometimes get the impression that everyone's a dick because she's female, when really everyone on the Internet is just a dick.

Just so it's said. Girl/lady gamers aren't to be placed on this pedestal that some of you are trying to push toward the sky. You all act like they're so feminine and soft and are so very scared of us Boy/guy gamers. This is total and complete BULLSHIT. Sorry i dated a "gamer girl" and she spent a good chunk of her online time harassing people. Mostly other females. So please, STFU about how we're scaring them away. It's total BS.

Before the second picture loaded I the title.


"Cause she doesn't have any."

Lol at that my friend.

The article itself makes a valid point, but some of these girls/women crusading for a rainbows and puppy dog world is just comedic.

Why do you care about what someone you don't even know and probably won't ever know says?

If they're such morons then why is their opinion valid at all?

Most people aren't serious at all when making fun of or harassing someone on the internet. They look for fun in frustration of the person they're bothering. If you're not bothered and just agree with them, they get pushed into a corner. Then they don't really know how to retaliate besides with common insults such as: fag, homo, nerd, 40 yr old living in moms basement.

I get the 40 year old one alot simply because my voice is deep. I just agree with them and go along with it. I think it's really funny that someone can assume your sexual orientation, age, and physical appearance simply from hearing your voice.

Unless they're threatening to kill you and know where you live, you shouldn't worry about some moron you will probably never meet again.

It is not true that people don't randomly shout out "fag" or other discrimminating things of that sort... People have shouted that out to me when I've just been walking down the street, most likely because I wear tight pants, but still, people are rude in real life, along with online.

I think that guys need to stop being so immature though, and stop saying shit to girls online. If you are that much of a loser to not be able to hit on a girl in real life, then you need to go out and try to get a life.

Faith, you rock. Thank you for setting the record straight.

Quite honestly, guys have it as rough as the girls. It's just that the avenue to pissing girls off has an extra personal touch.

I treat everyone (excluding those that have been deemed worthy by me with their actions or words) on the internatz like trash, male and female alike. The same (for me) applies to real-life as well.

Let's face it, most people deserve the verbal harassment that goes on at the place where the general populace congregates. Even though I don't have sources, I'd say about 90% (or even more) of the worlds population are utter morons that need to remember how to breathe.

Faced with those odds, nobody really deserves the benefit of the doubt. Asking the first girl you see if she will be your girlfriend, or telling some guy to go suck his dad's dick pretty much ranks on the same scale as far as "intelligent conversation" goes.

Just you know... different things for different people.

Quite honestly, if you're an active member of the general internet community, you deserve everything that's coming to you. Be it friends you make and stand by with for dozens of years, down to the spam mail you get in your inbox about penis enlargement.

Actually, I don't care if somebody "sexually harrasses" me. I realize humans are indulging into what has been natural since our beginning.

My only trigger is if somebody callse me a "pimp". I hate pimps, the act of pimping and the damned word all together. It might just be me, but the carreer of managing whores seems like a bad idea to me. But what do I know? I'm just some guy from Iowa!

TITS OR GTFO

I really gotta wonder what a lot of girl gamers think happens when they log off and the boys are left to themselves. As Faith said, internet asshats are internet asshats. They don't magically transform into polite gentlemen the moment a girl leaves the room, and if anything, they are often gentler in their insults when faced with anyone who might possibly own a pair of boobs.

Personally, I've never really had much of a problem with sexism. Yeah, it exists, and yeah, I certainly get hit on from time to time, but I typically find it amusing, or at the very least, easy to ignore. If male gamers can handle having their masculinity and everything else constantly under assault by other men, I can handle the occasional "get back to the kitchen" or "show us ur boobz!" joke ;)

Philonious, thanks for the laughs.
Females are treated with sexism and discrimination largely because they practice so much sexism and descrimination. What do I mean? Imagnine a min-teen girl. Has she ever shown her boobs to any woman? Would she be just as willing to show them to any man? If the answer is 'No' she is being sexist. If she is willing to show them to a male Dr. but not a male construction worker she is practicing descrimination. Sorry, but *everybody* practices both sexism and descrimination (the word 'everybody' includes girls and women). Women want men 'banned' from these practices so only women can use them! Look, if you don't like the treatment LEAVE. If you want to stay and try to change things fine, just remember that the going may get ROUGH. Like it or not, women's boobs are a source of power for women. Women generally only show them in exchange for another form of power (protection or money. Sorry, that is life. You got boobs you get stuff, you don't have boobs you give stuff and try to see them. Women set the exchange rates, not men. As for your postingings, women usually prefer to talk about problems as opposed to actually doing anything about them, at least until some man they can manipulate comes along and changes things for them. These are games, play or leave. Manners don't belong here any more than black ties belong at a barbecue. Grab some ribs or find another place to get food. If you are really ticked (especially at me for stating the obvious), start writing some shopping games or soap opera games or talk on the phone games. Other women will play those with you and they will try to destroy your self esteem by talking about you behind your back or try to steal your boyfriend by showing him glimpses of parts of their boobies, but they won't ask to see your boobies.

>> @ Lezbro: So you're the kind of person who think women deserve harassment because of they wear?

Didn't say that.

Try again.

good article Faith!

Jaybird did a woman piss you off lately, because I'm getting that "just been turned down or dumped" vibe from you.

Because a teenage girl has to show her boobs to a male doctor for health reasons, but she won't show them to you, she's sexist. HOW THE HECK DOES THAT AMOUNT TO ANY SORT OF LOGIC IN YOUR BRAIN?!

Also you're talking about a mid teen girl - like a 13 year old girl - you are a friggn' pedophile for even saying that.

I also like to point you out as a prime example of idiots on the internet.

Thank you! I'll be here all week. Remember to tip your robot and try the veal. Goodnight!

Faith, the veal was lame and I blame you because you're a girl on the internets.

How can I show you guys my boobs? Is this thing on?

When I played a lot of BurnOut3 online, I played with this girl all the time and never heard some kind harassment. She is from the UK and the and the only annoyance she had to deal with was from guys making retarded comments about her "accent". All she had to say was: "what accent? I speak English you know that language that we speak in England". Usually they kept there mouth shut from there, if not the host would kick 'em when we got back in the room.

I don't say that all the harassment stories aren't true but I've really never witnessed something awful first hand maybe it's because BurnOut3 on PS2 was a relative small community, almost everybody knew each other. Or maybe I'm just living on the wrong part of the internet. All I'm saying is that it is possible to enjoy online gaming without too much bullshit and if it's really an issue start your own room - If that is possible - so you can decide who can stay and who gets the boot.

Stop segregating yourself.

OK, this goes out to everyone, most of all the people being annoying and abusive online.

STFUAJPG

I got to this discussion a bit too late, but if anyone ventures this far down I just want to say that Philonious is spot on.

Even though the internet is a mask most people wear to free themselves from social constraints they find in "real life" that doesn't mean it's a good thing, and it doesn't mean that sitting around and accepting it with a "boys will be boys" attitude, etc., is something to be applauded or shrugged off.

Will it ever be fixed completely? I seriously doubt it, but there's room for change.

I actually rolled a couple female chars in WoW, I immediately got offers of free stuff (sweet!) and some dudes following me around (creepy!). It was good for a laugh, but I could see how someone might get sick of it. Not exactly a controlled study, but it gave me an idea of what goes on.

Congratulations Jaybird... now Faith is angry :(
Anyways, I agree with u Faith :D Cool article

This is going to be a long one, so be warned! If you want the super short summed up response, see the very last paragraph/sentence!

I believe that everyone should have the right to say whatever they want whenever they want and wherever they want. That means on the internet, in real life, or anywhere else. Be it racist, sexist, compliment, suggestion, positive, negative, whatever.

I believe very literally in free speech. I believe free speech should exist in the most faced value form possible. I believe censoring anyone for anything ever is abhorant. Everyone should be allowed to say exactly what's on their minds and feel free to do so. They also have to live with whatever repercussions comes with that, however no law or censorship should be applied from a 3rd party. When I say repercussions, let me be clear here. I mean social repercussions, not legal. If you were to call someone by a derogatory term in front of them when clearly you know they will not like it, you need to deal with the fact that you may get punched.

Let me be very clear here. Just because I want people to be free to say whatever they want does not mean I agree with it, believe it to be right, or believe it to be true. You will never hear me approve of racism or sexism, but that does not mean that because I am against certain things that I feel everyone must think exactly as I do.

There is nothing I would ever say online that I would not say in person. I wish everyone were the same way. There's a reason I decided about a year ago start posting things under my name and not an online nick. I want to be credited with everything I do or post online. I want people to know what I've said. I am not a different person in real life than I am online. I am the same no matter where I converse or socialize. Like everyone, I may act differently around different crowds, but I will never think differently. You don't see me telling female gamers to take their shirts off online and you'd never see me do it in person either at a lan party.

If you don't like the way you're being treated or like the things you hear in a certain place, you need to stop going there. Clearly the people already there have no problems with it and enjoy that atmosphere, so if it's an atmosphere you don't like, why are you there?

Also, nothing is offense unless you decide to take it as offensive. If someone calls me a geek even if the person saying it is clearly saying it because they don't like me, I have the option to take that term offensively, ignore it, see it as a compliment, or see it in a different light altogether. Point is, you actively give meaning to the word.

Clearly, not many feel the same way I do about this and I'm fine with that. Because like I said, if that's how you feel you should feel free to feel however and say whatever you want.

Actual physical actions are another matter altogether, but I won't get into that.

My point is that words and feelings should never be censored.

@Philonios

Maybe you should seriously consider not playing online games. The whole point and benefit of online games is the social interaction you get while playing them. You are obviously not enjoying a large portion of this interaction you get when you are online.

You can choose what you play. I'm too lazy to scroll up and see what games you're exactly complaining about but I do recall you saying something about xbox live. It's xbox live for f's sake! If I want to play sports competitively I don't go to the local middle school and play kickball with 13 year olds. I join an adult basketball rec league. Same goes with xbox live where a majority of the players are at best in their late teens.

I'm sure if you went and hung out with a bunch of teens at the mall you would get similar responses from them. It's not just secluded to the internet. It's also, as many have pointed out, not secluded to girls getting harassed. I own an xbox/xbox360 and rarely use Live for this reason. When I do I don't use the communication features unless I'm playing with friends of mine I know and use them for team coordination.

I guess what I'm saying is you ultimately have control over what you let people do to you. If you really do long for the competitive nature of online gaming find out what games/groups of people are worth your time. Find a social group who share the same values as you do and then ignore the rest for the most part.

Sorry for the long winded rant(ish) post. I just find it annoying when people want something to fit their needs exactly and complain instead of just making it happen. Take the initiative, start your own clan or something.

peace.