# Anita Sarkeesian **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 18, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982 "2014-11-18T18:29:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/61 "2014-11-18T20:21:17Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > It’s like…anyone who pits a person without supplying any evidence or rational arguments is a bad person. Any little inaccuracy of hers is fuel for MRA’s. I know she’s made mistakes regarding some games. I’ve told you that she mentions the women that can be killed in certain games, but mentions no where that men are killed too. I provided three links to youtubers who don’t agree with her… all female. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/62 "2014-11-18T20:22:19Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > It has been literally _proven_ to you that she was not referring to physical strength. > > You may need to be spending your efforts on something else. You’re not doing a good job with this. Perhaps you’re right. But I didn’t get funded to do this. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/63 "2014-11-18T20:22:37Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > And please tell me how it’s OBVIOUS she’s not talking about physical strength. I read the quote above, but I still think she’s referring to that. I’ll post it again (repost of #47 in this thread): She says “The damsel in distress is not just a synonym for “weak”, instead it works by ripping away the power from female characters, even helpful or seemingly capable ones.” This is talking about power/empowerment – ability to take action to control one’s situation/destiny/etc. Not physical strength. She says “The pattern of presenting women as fundamentally weak, ineffective or entirely incapable also has larger ramifications beyond the characters themselves and the specific games they inhabit.” Note how weak is followed by “innefective or entirely incapable” – as though these are along the same spectrum. This is also about empowerment and being “active” vs “passive”, and not physical strength. She says “It’s a sad fact that a large percentage of the world’s population still clings to the deeply sexist belief that women as a group need to be sheltered, protected and taken care of by men.” This is clearly not about physical strength. And in light of the above statements, when she says “The belief that women are somehow a “naturally weaker gender” is a deeply ingrained socially constructed myth, which of course is completely false- but the notion is reinforced and perpetuated when women are continuously portrayed as frail, fragile, and vulnerable creatures.” she is clearly talking about power, empowerment, active vs passive, and the like – not physical strength. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/64 "2014-11-18T20:23:04Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > I don’t just look for anti-Sarkeesian things, I put “Anita Sarkeesian” in a google search, and found a lot of things… …just asking questions were you? Pitting Anita Sarkeesian in the middle of a massive and bizarre hate campaign against not only Sarkeesian but other people in the gaming industry is either the work of a clueless idiot or a trolling dickhead. If you really want to discuss her ideas I suggest you open a thread in the gaming forum. But I really don’t know what sort of reaction you were expecting in the pit. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/65 "2014-11-18T20:23:45Z")
I’m borrowing an idea from **Colibri**. I sincerely hope no one is honestly engaging this troll. What happens when a normal person makes a Pit thread and it turns on them? They reconsider their topic. They don’t keep bringing up that same topic multiple times. Dude is posting for the reactions. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/66 "2014-11-18T20:23:46Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Any little inaccuracy of hers is fuel for MRA’s. So you are concern trolling. How nice… > [@](#): > > I know she’s made mistakes regarding some games. Maybe she has. You haven’t proven it by anything you’ve posted here. > [@](#): > > I’ve told you that she mentions the women that can be killed in certain games, but mentions no where that men are killed too. I provided three links to youtubers who don’t agree with her… all female. Argument by youtube goes nowhere with me. Start quoting their claims and arguments. Otherwise don’t waste our time. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/67 "2014-11-18T20:24:52Z")
I would call myself a feminist. That’s the best I can do for you. I’m not in the gaming business. So… ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/68 "2014-11-18T20:25:25Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Any little inaccuracy of hers is fuel for MRA’s. …dumb threads like these are fuel for MRA’s. > [@](#): > > Perhaps you’re right. But I didn’t get funded to do this. :: subtle swipe at her kickstarter :: So trolling dickhead it is. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/69 "2014-11-18T20:25:55Z")
Even if we don’t consider the context, it’s reasonable to assume that she didn’t mean physical strength. When someone says “My boss is a total alien creature”, it’s reasonable to assume this is a metaphor about strange behavior rather than an identification of an extra-terrestrial. Similarly, because it’s widely known (and not disputed by anyone significant) that women are, on average, physically smaller and have less physical strength than men, it’s reasonable to assume that she was talking about strength in one of the many other common ways the word is used. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/70 "2014-11-18T20:26:11Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > But I really don’t know what sort of reaction you were expecting in the pit. True confession time: I was expecting this to be more of a two-sided issue\* when I saw a pit thread titled simply “Anita Sarkeesian.” I am pretty happy, actually, to find out my prediction was wrong. \*In the sense of there being people who disagree with each other, not in the sense of both sides having equal validity. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/71 "2014-11-18T20:26:53Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …just asking questions were you? > > Pitting Anita Sarkeesian in the middle of a massive and bizarre hate campaign against not only Sarkeesian but other people in the gaming industry is either the work of a clueless idiot or a trolling dickhead. If you really want to discuss her ideas I suggest you open a thread in the gaming forum. But I really don’t know what sort of reaction you were expecting in the pit. Oh, I must be a troll. I mean… in the middle of a culture war, why would I have the nerve to criticize someone? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/72 "2014-11-18T20:27:27Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Perhaps you’re right. But I didn’t get funded to do this. Are you upset that she actually produced the videos she said she would or because you didn’t get a chance to start your own anti-Sarkeesian video kickstarter scam and scamper off with the money? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/73 "2014-11-18T20:28:22Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > And please tell me how it’s OBVIOUS she’s not talking about physical strength. That has already been done. > [@](#): > > I read the quote above, but I still think she’s referring to that. Then you obviously lack the intelligence to fight ignorance. You really should reconsider participating in intellectual pursuits, you’re giving fodder for anti-anti-Sarkeesianists by saying things that are provably false. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/74 "2014-11-18T20:29:13Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Oh, I must be a troll. I mean… in the middle of a **culture war** , why would I have the nerve to criticize someone? These are words you obviously do not know the meaning of. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/75 "2014-11-18T20:30:25Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > I would call myself a feminist. That’s the best I can do for you. I’m not in the gaming business. So… I’m morbidly curious: what kind of business _are_ you in? ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/76 "2014-11-18T20:30:26Z")
I guess I was wrong to put it in the pit. I will come up with examples of games she’s misrepresented later. I know there were a few, but I want to double check to see if I didn’t miss anything. That perhaps she might be right and I misheard her. And that I put it in the correct context, because you’re all sticklers for that. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/77 "2014-11-18T20:32:01Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Are you upset that she actually produced the videos she said she would or because you didn’t get a chance to start your own anti-Sarkeesian video kickstarter scam and scamper off with the money? The first… because her videos are not what I even expected. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/78 "2014-11-18T20:32:04Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > I guess I was wrong to put it in the pit. I will come up with examples of games she’s misrepresented later. I know there were a few, but I want to double check to see if I didn’t miss anything. That perhaps she might be right and I misheard her. And that I put it in the correct context, because you’re all sticklers for that. In my view, this post represents progress, or at least the possibility of it. Thanks for that. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/79 "2014-11-18T20:33:02Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > I guess I was wrong to put it in the pit. Not necessarily; you’ve just completely failed to support your assertions. > [@](#): > > And that I put it in the correct context, because you’re all sticklers for that. I would hope you’d be a stickler for putting statements in the correct context, since that’s the only way to evaluate them. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982/80 "2014-11-18T20:36:18Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > The first… because her videos are not what I even expected. Even though you haven’t even watched them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anita-sarkeesian/704982.md?page=5)