Thursday, November 14, 2013

Bravery...



With all the slings and arrows tossing around about the preponderance of male figures in our beloved game, I wanted to share this video I watched today. It does a great job of comparing storylines in ways I hadn't thought of before. I would love to have Colin Stokes weigh in on narratives in Azeroth -- rather, it would be great to hear his daughter's point-of-view.

The thing is perhaps we should consider redefining manhood. It's getting tiresome for women to do all the heavy-lifting. We (women) can't keep hitting our selves against the glass and be met with derision without finally saying it hurts. Nor should men be expected to do the same.

Please watch this video. It's a little over 12 minutes long. It's not just for parents of sons, or parents of daughters: it's for people.

Then if you still want to toss your keyboard or treat storylines light-heartedly (but still make your point),  I think we all will be better prepared to value the true hero/heroines of any narrative: those we see in ourselves, and those others want to show us.

Postscript:
This is a wonderful editorial piece: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harris-oamalley/on-labeling-women-crazy_b_4259779.html


7 comments:

  1. Dahakha15.11.13

    I was surprised to see the BBB post, I didn't think he'd be that kind of person. I hope my reply got through to him though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your reply was epic. I need to hire you to write a letter to someone I'm tangling with right now! I totally get that there is a company, they're the creative forces, they write what they want. I wonder what would happen, though, if their 40% player base boycotted the game for a few months. Doing the right thing doesn't happen until it affects profits it seems.

      Delete
    2. Dahakha15.11.13

      I should warn you that I charge by the hour, and my currency is internet hugs.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous15.11.13

    You are the best good video finder. As usual I'm playing in my cardboard box as this all goes on around me unnoticed which is kind of typical of me. Will have to climb out of my box and investigate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tome, the box is far more fun. I like my box, too. I can create it however I want. But I really do love that video, too.

      Delete
  3. That is an amazing video, and I was surprised by how much it affected me. I saw both of your responses to BBB's post, and though his voice behind it doesn't surprise me, from reading his blog all this time, I know when he gets mad, he should take a breath sometimes. But a voice is a voice and everyone is entitled to an opinion and I understand where he is coming from. As you both know, my viewpoint is also different from yours, but that doesn't mean I don't respect or value your thoughts on the subject.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But Navi, here's the thing - your viewpoint isn't different from mine. I had a long conversation with Apple Cider about it at Blizzcon, because I quite often try to make the point that we are humans, not feminists, not sexist, etc. I am not really clear why you say this (you said something at Blizzcon, too). I completely agree that everyone has the right to their opinion. My opinion: we need to be mindful of when there's discrimination, no matter in what case, but there are other things in life to worry about and be happy about. I'm still trying to figure out when or how you thought you and I feel differently about something: I just like to think about it, and examine it. I love sexy females in the game, I love the female form, and think the gender stuff is often overblown, and sometimes it's not. What I do know is we all have our sticking points, and boundaries. Dialogue and respect is key - all good things.

      Delete

Thank you for your comment!