Okay, folks. Since I keep getting questions on the new policy, this is a little overdue. I'm essentially using a super-simplified version of the policies in place at The Border House and at GeekFeminism.org, albeit a bit simplified into a few easy to remember rules:
1) NO INSULTING OTHER COMMENTERS.
I don't care if they deserve it. I don't care if they insulted me, or if they insulted you, or if they came over to your house and kicked your dog. Don't do it. If you come along and see an insulting comment, don't get bent out of shape and insult the other commenter. That will just get both of your comments deleted.
Keep disagreements civil. You are welcome to argue with other commenters as long as you are arguing with their points and not resorting to polemics. That goes for BOTH sides.
2) NO DERAILING
I'm not opposed to the odd off-topic conversation that springs up in the comment threads, but there's a difference between that and actively wasting everyone's time and energy so that no one ever gets to discuss what we're here to discuss. If you're not sure what constitutes derailing, please go read Feminism 101 or Derailing for Dummies.
If something gets to the point of derailing, I will post a bolded comment in the thread to the effect of:
[This is derailing]
Any comment after that that continues the conversation will be deleted. Yes, even those comments trying to explain why the original derailer is derailing the conversation. Talking with someone trying to derail the conversation is like punching a tar baby. It's best just to not get involved at all.
3) MY HOUSE, MY RULES
I get to decide what constitutes insults or derailing. Don't argue with me for deleting your comments. If you're really, genuinely puzzled as to why your comment was deleted, feel free to ask in a civil manner. But don't tell me that I'm being wrong-headed or stupid.
4) READ THE FAQ
Any comment that could be answered by the FAQ will be removed. Period. This is not and never has been a 101-level blog.
Let me be your muse:
http://www.infinitythegame.com/infinity/en/
There’s plenty to write about, just two examples:
http://www.infinitythegame.com/infinity/en/2012/miniatures/riot-grrls-2/
http://www.infinitythegame.com/infinity/en/2011/miniatures/caledonian-volunteers-2/
(Comments that are mostly links tend to get flagged as spam. I went and manually approved this one.)
Hey, there!
Know the feeling, but there’s been something I’ve been meaning to suggest to you for a while. Even if it doesn’t get your brain jump-started, it should at least give you a laugh.
http://thehawkeyeinitiative.com
It’s stated to be for comic books, but the same principle works with ANY stupidly sexualized women!
Complaining about hypersexualization of women in superhero comicbooks is, pardon my language, like complaining that poop stinks.
These things will be awful untill the core reasons for their foulness (extremely limiting genre conventions, relliance on rabid collectors for sales and being marketed by character rather than plot) are fixed. No amount of mocking will change the way they portray women, because they have very little else to offer besides borderline pornography and violence.
On the other hand, I smile everytime these foul things get ridiculed.
…then I guess it’s a good thing that I’m writing about games and not comic books?
Ah… I would argue that when you say “Being marketed by character rather than plot”, you really mean, “Being marketed by boobs, rather than value.”
Because no matter how good a comic may be, odds are, the cover page is a big picture of BOOBS. With maybe some visual distraction. Like humans. Ich.
That’s not what I mean. People buy Batman comics, because it has Batman in it, not because it is good. hardly suprising, considering the it’s not advertised as, for example, “complex mystery that will blow your brain”, but “this had goddamned Batman in it, buy this”.
Ah well, no worries. Sometimes you just need a break from all this stuff to clear your head a bit. Plus it’s that’s time of year where you need to relax a bit. Maybe you could do another post about all the good stuff that’s happening? Dragon Age: Inquisition has blown me away with the types of topics that they are not afraid to touch and handled issues with a surprising degree of sensitivity. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were to have a transgendered companion/romantic interest in the next installment. They are light years ahead of other developers.