On Wednesday night, Stephen Colbert welcomed Anita Sarkeesian, creator of the feminist video game critique Tropes vs. Women in Video Games, to explain #GamerGate’s threats against her life, and threats against women.
#GamerGate loves Stephen Colbert. Stephen Colbert does not love them back.
Alex Abad-Santos is a senior correspondent who explains what society obsesses over, from Marvel and movies to fitness and skin care. He came to Vox in 2014. Prior to that, he worked at The Atlantic.
“You attacked male gamers for enjoying looking at big-breasted women with tiny armor that barely covers their nipples,” Colbert said, highlighting the gulf between #GamerGate’s demands and their threats against Sarkeesian and other women.
Earlier this month Sarkeesian was forced to cancel an appearance at Utah State University because someone had said they would kill her and students there if she spoke.
Colbert, a hero to many Gaters, gave Sarkeesian the opportunity to talk about the threats against women that have come from #GamerGate, the discrepancy between how the movement has treated men and women, as well as the “ethics of journalism” credo that is used to justify this harassment:
At the end of the interview, Sarkeesian gets Colbert (still in character) to admit he is a feminist, which isn’t exactly what Gaters wanted to hear.
Gaters were watching the show too and expressed their thoughts on Reddit and 8Chan. And from the sound of it, it’s not going so well. Some of them think a hero has betrayed them:
(Reddit)
Other Gaters are trying to talk fellow Gaters down from the ledge:
(Reddit)
But some Gaters have chalked this all up to the giant conspiracy theory in the sky …
(8chan)
… vowing that this won’t be the last time we hear about #GamerGate.
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