Trigger Warning: All of them,
the following piece contains frank opinions on a number of things, those who
know me know that I have fought my whole life for those less able than me, I’ve
always been there for those who needed me, and I fight for what I believe to be
right. I’ve got strong opinions that I
keep to myself because I don’t feel the need to talk about them to others.
That changed just recently.
There’s been a lot of talk in recent times of what’s acceptable and
what’s not in the world of RPGs, and a lot of it has centred around a
particular product (That I shall not name to give it more publicity) that
arrived on the store and set off an Inferno because it wasn’t immediately
pulled down by the stores management.
I have to preface what I’m about to say because the potential for
people to twist things for their own agenda is colossal, and we all have to be
aware that there are always agendas when individual points of view are being
considered..
The question posed was whether or not something can be considered
inappropriate for general release due to the subject matter contained within,
and to make a reasonable comment on that, you have to consider things in a
broader perspective.
Is it appropriate to take it down because it offends certain people?
No... Never...
Why?
Because you’d never make anything, someone somewhere will always have a
problem with something, no matter how much the rest of the world likes it
(sometimes exactly because the rest
of the world likes it.)
Is it appropriate to take it down because it contains certain subjects
that are considered taboo?
No... Never...
Why?
Because the subject matter is not the problem, the way in which it’s
presented is the problem. It’s possible
to talk about any subject from two different perspectives, one that uses the
subject respectfully and carefully, neither sensationalising or condoning it,
and one that uses the subject for shock and baiting tactics.
The First is acceptable, the Second is not.
To say that bad things don’t exist is naive at best, stupid at worst,
and by not talking about them, the only thing you do is deny their existence to
people who would otherwise not have known about them.
Would the world be better off thinking some things didn’t exist?
No... Never...
Why?
Because they do exist...
There are bastards in the world, All genders, all creeds, all
religions, all orientations, bastardry is not limited to any part of humanity,
and that’s where the subject matter becomes a problem, when it’s used for the
wrong purpose.
When you write something, you have to consider what is it you’re
writing. If you write a scene where a
bunch of fifty year olds are playing RPG’s around a table (bear with me here)
you can present it in two ways, the first shows a bunch of childish losers who
never grew up, the second shows two directors, one geneticist and a nuclear
engineer all having fun with their friends.
If you write a rape scene, it can be presented as the horrific crime it
is, it can show the devastation that it leaves behind, the wounds that often
never close, and if they do, remain close to the surface. Or you can use it as a tagline, something to
draw people in to stare at.
Because most of humanity does stare when others are hurt or upset, they
don’t step up and try to help, they don’t put themselves at risk.
They take out their phones and
film it...
It was the second that the aforementioned product did, the title was
deliberately provocative and those who wrote it knew that. If they didn’t, they should seriously
consider which world they live in, no one is that naive anymore...
And this brought up the question of free speech, with many heated
opinions on all sides.
My take?
Are you free to speak of it?
Of course, those are the freedoms that the countries we live in granted
you.
Are others free to speak of you in return?
Of course, those are the freedoms that the countries we live in granted
them.
It is not right (note the use of the word right, not possible or reasonable) to restrict the opinions of any person just because you don’t agree with them. If you cannot or will not make a reasonable
argument to what they are saying, then you have the choice of ignoring them or
walking away, because it’s very likely if they’ve been shouting about it, they’re
going to keep on shouting about it. Does
this apply to everyone?
Yes... Absolutely...
Whether it’s over the Ether or in person, if you care about something,
you’ll form a strong opinion to it, and you’ll be inclined to defend that
position from anyone attacking it, which is only human nature. What makes us most human is the ability to
accept (Not agree) that someone else has a different perspective, and that as
long as it’s not hurting anyone, we should let them have that.
Now here’s where the box of worms opens...
Most of the entrenched on both sides are now saying “But it is hurting
me, I’m hurt because I want to say **** because it matters to me, and it hurts
when I can’t say it because of those bastards.” Only for the other side to
retort with “But it is hurting me, I’m hurt because I want to say **** because
it matters to me, and it hurts when I can’t say it because of those bastards.”
And this goes on...
Every once in a while, someone has to step into the middle of these
wars, and because these people identify with neither side, they end up getting
shot at from both sides and whatever they do will not be enough.
This is where I found Matt Mcelroy this week after this went up. Unlike a whole bunch of people who are
talking about him at the moment, I know Matt. I’ve met him in person and while
I haven’t spent as much time around him as I’d have liked, I know him enough to
know he’s a good guy faced with the impossible task of putting in measures to
satisfy both sides when both sides are only happy with their perspectives and
recognise no middle ground.
Matt holds a tremendous amount of power as the person in charge of
Drivethru, and with great power...Well...
Comes Great Headaches I have no doubt...
They’re never going to make things right for everyone, and whether they
took a side or not, there’d be people upset and there’s still no win to be
had...
There’s no win in this for anyone, only those who profit from the
war...
For myself, I think the product that was put up was deliberate
clickbait, I haven’t bought it so I can’t comment on it, and I also believe
that absolute censorship is not the way forwards. It ends up like the BBFC
before they were accountable, and we all saw how that ended up, the only films
that got through in those days without a red triangle on them involved paint
and the art of drying...
And in times like these, I’ll stand with the people trying rather than
the people yelling...
And I’m with Matt on this, I’m not on anyones side, I’m here to help where
I can...
Those who say I can’t help without choosing a side, this isn’t a war,
you might think it is, but it’s not, not yet...
This is how wars start, lets
try to stop it from getting to that stage...