Anatomy of a #GamerGate Hoax
April 16, 2015
In yesterday's comprehensive #GamerGate article I observed, "Any idiot or troll could say, 'I hate all women and want to kill them! #GamerGate.'"
Today that happened. A troll made a nasty remark to Anita Sarkeesian in the #GamerGate hashtag. Ms. Sarkeesian was more than happy to Tweet this nastiness out to her gullible followers.
Hundreds of gullible morons retweeted it and no doubt felt much sympathy for Ms. Sarkeesian, who now earns several-hundred-thousand-of-dollars a year for making a YouTube video every month or two.
Thanks for showing how trolls exploit #GamerGate. This account has NEVER used the tag before: https://t.co/aVwjcW96qS pic.twitter.com/6PxQH9AEqC
— Adrian Chmielarz (@adrianchm) April 16, 2015
There were two problems with the #GamerGate Tweet.
1.) The user had never used the #GamerGate hashtag before posting a mean Tweet. (This is easily verifiable for yourself.)
2.) People who regularly use the #GamerGate hashtag (the pro-#GamerGate people) quickly reported the account to Twitter in an effort to get the amount suspended or banned.
As you can see, rumors of #GamerGate being a misogynistic hate campaign have been greatly exaggerated.
Does the Internet have a problem with trolls and vile people?
Of course. In fact, I have been vicitimzed by trolls. Zoe Quinn doxed me, posting my home address as well as pictures of my home to her 30,000 Twitter followers. In addition, Ms. Quinn was a member of Hell Dump, a doxing and Swatting board at Something Awful.
Her friend Margaret Pless encouraged people to call the Los Angeles Police Department on me simply because they did not like what I wrote on the Internet.
Yet the problem with troll has more to do with the Internet itself and it's simply unfair and contra to the evidence to label #GamerGate a hate campaign.
In fact, it's simply illogical to label #GamerGate a harassment campaign when I myself have been doxed and when people have reported me to the LAPD and California State Bar for engaging in constitutionally protected speech.
However, there's simply too much money in #GamerGate for the controversy to end anytime soon.
Trolls will troll for the lulz, and Ms. Sarkeesian will keep collecting fat paychecks.