
It has been only a few days since Milo Yiannopoulos pledged to donate $10,000 to Feminist Frequency if Anita Sarkeesian would agree to a public debate and, to the surprise of no one, she has yet to accept this challenge. In fact, she hasn’t even publicly acknowledged it. Fresh off being listed on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people, engaging in a debate seems to be low on her list of priorities.
Anita Sarkeesian Represents Gaming On Time's 100 http://t.co/NfMNGzIGpK pic.twitter.com/MUR1Im1w1x
— Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) April 17, 2015
(I would have worded it differently. “Anita Sarkeesian represents gaming’s descent into the abyss” has a nice ring to it.)
Milo originally offered $5,000 but has now upped the ante in an attempt to draw out the Queen of Gamer Slander from her safe haven. In addition to bribery, she would be allowed to choose the venue, moderator and date of the event, and could have any reasonable security measures she desires including pre-screening of audience members. This is her chance to go head-to-head with a key figure of GamerGate and show the world just how right she is about gaming.
She can be comforted by the fact that accommodations will be plentiful and her personal safety, which she maintains is precarious due to numerous valid threats on her life, will be dealt with accordingly. A chance to put a key figure of GamerGate, and by extension the entire movement, in his place and validate her views of gaming on a grand scale, what more could a girl ask for?
If her positions can withstand scrutiny, why then does she take steps to make certain that opposing views are not heard? She does not allow comments on any of her videos, has never taken a question at any of her speeches, and as Milo pointed out, would appear on The Colbert Report only if they would agree to not allow comments on YouTube (the only Colbert Report video that has comments disabled).
She blocks comments for the same reason this debate will never happen: her outrageous assertions about gamers and gaming are so flimsy that they have no hope of withstanding even mild scrutiny. How could someone who claims that the fact women are the naturally weaker sex is untrue hope to compete in an environment where facts and logic are given appropriate merit? A woman who is accustomed to ignoring irrefutable facts so easily would not fare well in an open debate with a determined opponent. When your entire worldview is built upon sheer delusion, suppression becomes a necessary means in order to maintain the illusion.
The tactic Anita uses to justify taking steps which effectively ban debate and silence opposition is to claim its necessary due to all the harassment she receives. Apparently, “harassment” as defined by her can include everything from death threats to someone not completely agreeing that gamers hate women.
Scaring The Queen Of Slander
She has used the “harassment” excuse as a convenient way to silence opposing viewpoints. Anyone familiar with Anita knows she doesn’t debate, she lectures. The mere suggestion of dissent will not be tolerated. She would much rather operate in a “safe space” wherein no dissention can exist. She is perfectly content with lecturing developers on why their games are sexist and what they must do to reverse the trend while her subjects are only allowed to nod in agreement. Her ideas can not be challenged by anyone and she will not be persuaded by pesky facts and logic that contradict her at every turn.
.@femfreq: When white men get harassed they get called names. When women are harassed we are sent threats of sexual violence. #WITW
— Women in the World (@WomenintheWorld) April 23, 2015
Just a few tweets below on the same page we have an example of a white man getting called names:
Good example of how online harassment works as an interactive spectator sport. It’s straight up dystopian sci-fi. pic.twitter.com/9o4Uvu2zDP
— Jonathan McIntosh (@radicalbytes) April 22, 2015
But before you get any crazy ideas:
And just to be clear I’m harassed because I work for @femfreq, stand against sexism and vocally support women online NOT because I’m a dude.
— Jonathan McIntosh (@radicalbytes) April 22, 2015
We can’t get that mixed up: only women are targeted for harassment and it’s based solely on their gender. White men are just “called names,” except for when they are not. Then, it’s only because they are fighting against sexism and receive some collateral damage from all that hate for women flying around.
Feminists and SJWs have perfected the technique of terrifying people into self-censorship and making examples of those who step out of line. When confronted with enemies who they cannot silence, slandering them or ignoring them completely are common tactics. Engaging in honest debate seems to be something few of them deem worthwhile.
Anita’s abject refusal to participate in the arena of ideas, opting instead to preach from the safe confines of an echo chamber devoid of opposition, should cast serious doubt on her claims in the minds of those who still credit her with any legitimacy. She has no facts, logic, or basic common sense to back up her ludicrous accusations. It’s about time she finally enters the arena of ideas and gets what she so richly deserves. Gamers want to see her stand behind her assertions in the face of direct criticism and put herself at risk of having her own “darling” moment, courtesy of Milo (10:30):
Now, that might be worth ten grand.
Read More: A Response To Anita Sarkeesian’s Demands Upon The Gaming Industry