The online culture wars have moved out of comments sections and into Amazon’s Kindle Store. Following the publication of a book by the controversial sci-fi author Theodore Beale aka Vox Day, two parody e-books surged to the top of the store’s top-100 rankings. The first book was a parody of Day’s work, while the other (which has now been removed from Amazon) mocked John Scalzi, one of Day’s critics. Day’s book is entitled “SJWs Always Lie: Taking Down the Thought Police”, and is intended to be a serious polemic. The book’s summary describes SJWs (Social Justice Warriors — a term for authoritarian progressive activists) as having “plagued mankind for 150 years” and describes how they “invaded one institution of the cultural high ground after another.” It presents itself as a guide to “understanding, anticipating, and surviving SJW attacks.” The book includes a foreword from Breitbart associate editor Milo Yiannopoulos and was
Author: Allum Bokhari
Ice-T to gamers: “The press will always be the enemy”
It’s the anniversary of GamerGate, and the movement just got a birthday present. Earlier today, musician and actor Ice-T attracted support from gamers after he condemned outrage culture and misrepresentations of gamers in the press. Ice-T’s comments came after GamerGate supporters criticised his role in a Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode inspired by a press-led panic about gaming culture. In response, Ice-T seemed to acknowledge that gamers got a raw deal from the mainstream media. “The press will always be the enemy”, said the musician. “Play your games [and] f**k the press.” He added that the episode he appeared in was just a “fake TV show.” The episode, entitled “Intimidation Game”, drew inspiration from panicked press reports around the GamerGate controversy, portraying gamers as misogynists, rapists, and murderers. Forbes called it the “Reefer Madness of our generation.” Many of the lines given to Ice-T’s character, such as “I read on Kotaku
Rise of the Cultural Libertarians
A new force is emerging in the culture wars. Authoritarians of all stripes, from religious reactionaries to left-wing “social justice warriors,” are coming under fire from a new wave of thinkers, commentators, and new media stars who reject virtually all of their political values. From the banning of Charlie Hebdo magazine across British university campuses on the grounds that it promoted islamophobia, to the removal of the video game Grand Theft Auto V from major retailers in Australia on the grounds that it promoted sexism, threats to cultural freedom proliferate. But a growing number of commentators, media personalities and academics reject the arguments that underpin these assaults on free expression, in particular the idea that people are either too emotionally fragile to deal with “offence” or too corruptible to be exposed to dangerous ideas. In a recent co-authored feature for Breitbart, I coined a term to describe this new trend: cultural libertarianism. The concept was critically discussed by
Why Do People Imitate Oppressed Minorities?
Last summer, veteran Washington Post columnist George Will argued that victimhood in America, thanks to the efforts of progressives, had become a “coveted status that confers privilege.” The column was highly controversial, and generated significant o…
Society of Professional Journalists’ #GamerGate Debate Suspended By by Bomb Threat
The Society of Professional Journalists’ debate on the GamerGate controversy had to be evacuated earlier today after the venue hosting the event was targeted by multiple bomb threats. Police arrived at the venue shortly after 2pm, interrupting a panel discussing how the media should cover GamerGate, a movement calling for improved standards in video games journalism, as well as other amorphous online movements. The afternoon panel featured Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, Reason contributing editor Cathy Young and Christina Hoff Sommers, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Also present on the panel were independent game developer Derek Smart, Poynter Institute educator Ren LaFome, and prospective SPJ president Lynn Walsh. The SPJ event, known as Airplay, aimed to address concerns about journalistic ethics and accurate reporting raised by the GamerGate movement, which began last September after gamers raised questions about ethical standards and groupthink in the games press. This is the second time a GamerGate event
YouTubers in Uproar After Popular Channel Targeted with Copyright Claims over Critical Video
YouTube personalities have reacted angrily to an aggressive series of copyright claims made by the Fullscreen network against H3H3 productions, a popular comedy channel that mocked one of the network’s partner channels.
The post YouTubers in Uproar A…
Free Speech-Friendly Reddit Alternative Voat Incorporates in the U.S.
Voat, the link-sharing site which enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence as a destination for aggrieved Reddit users during the “Reddit Revolts” is now incorporated in the United States.
The post Free Speech-Friendly Reddit Alternative Voat Incorpora…
Twitter Wants More Users—Maybe It Should Stop Alienating Them First
How can Twitter improve its sluggish growth? The company’s stock plummeted after interim chief executive Jack Dorsey said he was “not satisfied” with current user growth figures following the release of Twitter’s Q2 earnings report on Tuesday.
The post Twitter Wants More Users—Maybe It Should Stop Alienating Them First appeared first on Breitbart.
Meet the New Reddit Boss, Worse Than the Old Reddit Boss
Ellen Pao has resigned as CEO of Reddit following the worst set of user and moderator revolts in the site’s history, but Redditors who hoped her departure marked the end of threats to free speech on the site are likely to be disappointed.
The post Meet…