Why is there so much hate on ERA?

HussiZooT · Dec 10, 2018

I've been following gaf/era for more than 5 years now. I am not very active in the thread discussions, but I read a lot of them.

And what I've been seeing lately, especially this year, is the negativity around this place. Somehow... it doesn't feel like a happy place where gamers are coming together to celebrate and discuss about games. Yes, there can be discussions that lead to arguments and disagreements, but many a times I sense strong hate towards companies, individual personalities, or sometimes even against each other.

Why? What's changed? I used to love this place, and I still do, but the constant negative vibe is killing the happiness and good memories I've had of this forum.

Recently I saw the thread on Jaffe and how people are just jumping on him. His opinions aside, why do we all have to hate on him. Let him be. What he is saying is an opinion and even if it's wrong, why should ERA divulge into it and give it more fire than it would deserve?

Similarly, I don't get the hate on Ninja. I don't like Fornite, nor do I follow him, but I've known about the controversies surrounding him. The whole "But he doesn't play with women..." argument was thwarted before when he gave us the reason why - it might/would affect his relationship with his spouse and even if you find it ludicrous, it's his way of dealing with things. Why does that have to justify hatred towards him? So what if he won the award? He won it for the content he's producing, not the person that he is.

Even with the discussions, the mods are so heavy with the warnings/bans. It's like... sometimes some opinions don't even look very warning/ban-worthy to me, yet they get warnings/bans. I'm not questioning the board here, but it feels so restrictive, it feels like I'm in a class-room and I have to be careful of what I say, otherwise I might get punished.

Either way, I just wanted to get this off my chest.

I love era. I always have. Not a day goes by that I don't spend my time, lurking around the forum, looking for interesting topics to read about or take part in if possible. But the negative energy that I've been getting off late has slowly started to sour my experience.

And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I hope I don't get banned/warned for making this thread. It's more of a love letter to a place I've always adored.

WrenchNinja · Dec 10, 2018

Hussein Zohair said:
Recently I saw the thread on Jaffe and how people are just jumping on him. His opinions aside, why do we all have to hate on him. Let him be. What he is saying is an opinion and even if it's wrong, why should ERA divulge into it and give it more fire than it would deserve?

Because what he is saying is stupid and dangerous. People like Milo are not entitled to have a platform to spew they're bigoted rhetoric.

HussiZooT · Dec 10, 2018

WrenchNinja said:
Because what he is saying is stupid and dangerous. People like Milo are not entitled to have a platform to spew they're bigoted rhetoric.

But by talking about it more, we are giving him a platform still. Even if it's not accepted, he's still being talked about. People like him do not deserve any sort of attention. Positive or negative. And it's pretty evident these guys thrive on negative attention.

MillionIII · Dec 10, 2018

Don't know, feels like we have threads about e celebs almost weekly, I try to ignore them but what can you do.

leehom · Dec 10, 2018

Hussein Zohair said:
Similarly, I don't get the hate on Ninja. I don't like Fornite, nor do I follow him, but I've known about the controversies surrounding him. The whole "But he doesn't play with women..." argument was thwarted before when he gave us the reason why - it might/would affect his relationship with his spouse and even if you find it ludicrous, it's his way of dealing with things. Why does that have to justify hatred towards him? So what if he won the award? He won it for the content he's producing, not the person that he is.

Even with the discussions, the mods are so heavy with the warnings/bans. It's like... sometimes some opinions don't even look very warning/ban-worthy to me, yet they get warnings/bans. I'm not questioning the board here, but it feels so restrictive, it feels like I'm in a class-room and I have to be careful of what I say, otherwise I might get punished.

Agree on these two.

Been in plenty of relationships where females are insecure. Majority of my friends are females and the S/O will get jealous because I'm speaking to them.

sabrina · Dec 10, 2018

why does era hate shitty people. somebody please tell me

Deleted member 8408 · Dec 10, 2018

I blame Anime.

Nimby · Dec 10, 2018

I might have that same impression if I was blissfully ignorant.

texhnolyze · Dec 10, 2018

This place supports progressiveness, those people are the exact opposite of that. Those people are also very famous and have tons of followers. They can influence lots of people to be not progressive, which is not a good thing to happen.

WrenchNinja · Dec 10, 2018

Hussein Zohair said:
But by talking about it more, we are giving him a platform still. Even if it's not accepted, he's still being talked about. People like him do not deserve any sort of attention. Positive or negative. And it's pretty evident these guys thrive on negative attention.

He's only being talked about now because of his legal problems and Jaffe being two years late to the party in all these censorship arguments. Looking away doesn't make something go away. Letting Jaffe say this stuff unchallanged is not right.

GUNDAM STARDUST · Dec 10, 2018

Honestly it seems fine here. Some people catch shit for not being great people but hey, hopefully they learn from it. I've learned a lot about different points of view watching the arguments here. Spend a minute in someone's shoes and all that.

Treasure Silvergun · Dec 10, 2018

If the Jaffe and Ninja threads are your examples of Era "hate", I don't think you've been following the board as much as you claim.

Philly Cheesesteak · Dec 10, 2018

I agree with the warnings/bans. If you say a dissenting opinion and enough people don't like it, they will report you into oblivion and the mods will ban you saying that you are trolling and console warring. For having a different opinion? Ok. I don't agree with giving people like Milo platforms to spew their stupid ass rhetoric. You can keep that shit to yourself.

Afrikan · Dec 10, 2018

Because the Internet is full of hate now.....News sites... Blogs...Social Media is full of hate... and some are finding out most people that are looked up to, are not perfect... or are horrible people.

Your best bet is just to see each scenario for what it is...and decide for yourself if that person deserves hate (after reading opinions/reasons in said threads).

If that person doesn't deserve hate, or at least to the level you are seeing.... then just leave the thread and try to ignore it.

Deleted member 21709 · Dec 10, 2018

I don't get it. You started off great, but then you use Jaffe as an example? Jaffe is defending Milo, Jaffe deserves this reaction.

Can we stop 'leaving be' these people with harmful opinions?

CrazyAndy · Dec 10, 2018

Chromie · Dec 10, 2018

MillionIII said:
Don't know, feels like we have threads about e celebs almost weekly, I try to ignore them but what can you do.

So glad we can ignore threads now. I'll be ignoring anything twitch related from now on because I just don't give a shit.

I won't give Jaffe any attention either. All people are doing is spreading his message. Same thing with Notch and his dumb ass views.

JonathanNielson · Dec 10, 2018

All is not right in this, the year of our Lord, 2018. There are things to be justifiably upset over.

On the real though, I tend to agree with you. People going ape shit over the Epic store snagging some exclusives felt extremely over the top. I don't like Epic at all, but the reaction felt worryingly like old school gamer ridiculousness.

OrdinaryPrime · Dec 10, 2018

As someone that doesn't care about a lot of these "controversies", OP you seem to be doing a lot of defending in the OP.

You don't care that Ninja doesn't play with women but also think it shouldn't matter because he won an award for his content. Does this extend to anyone doing anything?

Chromie said:
So glad we can ignore threads now. I'll be ignoring anything twitch related from now on because I just don't give a shit.

I won't give Jaffe any attention either. All people are doing is spreading his message. Same thing with Notch and his dumb ass views.

Strings said:
You can ignore these threads now! I've been using that feature plenty (for instance, the thread that was signal-boosting Notch's inane toxic shit was an instant ignore).

Notch has 4 million followers on Twitter. This logic is incredibly flawed. Talking about it and detailing the issues with it are absolutely fruitful. Since when has ignoring something made it go away?

sredgrin · Dec 10, 2018

Did someone let Boogie have a new account?

Strings · Dec 10, 2018

You can ignore these threads now! I've been using that feature plenty (for instance, the thread that was signal-boosting Notch's inane toxic shit was an instant ignore).

SolicitorPirate · Dec 10, 2018

I was about to agree with the OP until I saw the actual examples he used. Fuck outta here with excusing shit behaviour just so we won't be 'negative'

Hella · Dec 10, 2018

I don't feel like you're coming from a genuine place when citing someone like David Jaffe, OP.

This is David Jaffe:

There is no defending or even tolerating this.

Live the best life--do not give in to the hatred of others.

GhostTrick · Dec 10, 2018

I agree with you OP. The hate is on the side of ERA and definitely not on the side of people like Jaffe, who claims that deplatforming a nazi pedophile is wrong.
We should discuss his ideas, even if they imply killing non white people.
"I disagree with you, but I will stand for your right to express your ideas", amirite ?
Also censorship is America's first problem and by doing that, ERA is being worse than nazis. The sooner we deplatform ERA for hating on these "free thinkers" (aka nazis or pedophiles), the better.

Xaszatm · Dec 10, 2018

Because we have seen what happens when we ignore them, when we pretend that they don't exist. They fester, grow a base, convince people that they are right, and start corrupting more and more of society until they are openly and brazenly attack anyone who doesn't support their views. I will not pretend we can ignore the problem like that will solve anything when the very ideas they spout inspire horrors.

Deleted member 13328 · Dec 10, 2018

Chromie said:
So glad we can ignore threads now. I'll be ignoring anything twitch related from now on because I just don't give a shit.

I won't give Jaffe any attention either. All people are doing is spreading his message. Same thing with Notch and his dumb ass views.

No, people are opposing his shitty views. You can't just ignore people when they say things that in the long run harms people. If it's ignored long enough it becomes the new truth. I mean look at the times we live in, we can't let people who spout false shit be. There has to be a resistance, and if you have a problem with that don't read the threads, because I won't stop.

Zacmortar · Dec 10, 2018

Its almost as if most of the people on these forums are empathetic adults that can see how others' actions can be incredibly harmful and rightfully criticize them.

I'll take hating on shitheads like Jaffe and Ninja over the vast majority of the communities elsewhere being cesspits of sexism, racism, and homophobia

sredgrin · Dec 10, 2018

I thought for sure this was going to be about the Epic game store stuff lol.

Why should people put Jaffe's opinion aside. He was asking for a public exchange of ideas, he made fugging youtube videos and shit. He wanted public discussion, it wasn't like someone stole his private diary. Seems weird to be policing speech about such a topic when his opinion was calling for all speech to be considered fair game.

Rosebud · Dec 10, 2018

About Ninja, female gamers have to deal with a lot of shit already from gamergate and supporters (way worse than the posts on Era), so the biggest streamer choosing to just never stream with women because they are women is really bad. Try to view the situations from the other side.

Keyser S · Dec 10, 2018

Ninja: Aside from being derogatory towards women , which he wants to explain away in a stupid way, he has screamed at children and "accidently" used racial slurs. All three are atrocious - but especially if a racial slur "slips out" "accidentally" when you are mad at something - you are a bad person.

Jaffe: He wants to be moderate or nice to people who are human trash. Fuck off.

edit - I misremembered, Ninja sang a racial slur, and did not used the word in anger, but he should be smarter, and still he should be a better person in the position he is in.

adj_noun · Dec 10, 2018

Chromie said:
So glad we can ignore threads now.

We've been able to ignore them since April! :D Don't even have to enter the thread to nuke it.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/by-popular-demand-the-return-of-hide-forum-threads.35590/

You can also use keyword filters.

Seriously, this thing is a godsend.

Chromie · Dec 10, 2018

Hjod said:
No, people are opposing his shitty views. You can't just ignore people when they say things that in the long run harms people. If it's ignored long enough it becomes the new truth. I mean look at the times we live in, we can't let people who spout false shit be. There has to be a resistance, and if you have a problem with that don't read the threads, because I won't stop.

This isn't twitter, Facebook or instagram. No one is doing anything about it here. It's an echo chamber.

And I literally just said I'm going to put those threads on ignore so I won't be reading such threads.

adj_noun said:
We've been able to ignore them since April! :D Don't even have to enter the thread to nuke it.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/by-popular-demand-the-return-of-hide-forum-threads.35590/

You can also use keyword filters.

Seriously, this thing is a godsend.

That's how little I browse these forums. Not enough time. I had no idea!

Francesco · Dec 10, 2018

Because this forum was born for (justified) sociopolitical reasons. The insane media climate of today is reflected by people getting salty and jumping to personal accusations and slurs knowing they won't be banned as long as they stick to the right side of the argument, making any discussion pointless and nerve wracking.

Looking at things from different perspectives is immediately tagged as Trump's "both sides" or Boogie's "in the middle".
Try to avoid these threads and you'll see less hate.

Edit: however, all an all other places can be full of dumbfucks with horrifying opinions, so this is better than those at least.

Timppis · Dec 10, 2018

Hussein Zohair said:
But by talking about it more, we are giving him a platform still. Even if it's not accepted, he's still being talked about. People like him do not deserve any sort of attention. Positive or negative. And it's pretty evident these guys thrive on negative attention.

Being talked about and giving platform are not synonymous. Being able to discuss things in a closed group is different in both dynamically and via public spread even if those discussions are public.

What comes to other things I feel it's pretty much in line with the more mellow places of Internet. Mods being active strikes me as a good thing mostly.

Falk · Dec 10, 2018

I really don't like jumping into these discussions since constant negativity over the most trivial matters did grind me down as a mod in the final year or so that I was moderating NeoGAF, but I was typing up a long post about how people do get incredibly over-the-top invested into a topic, then I read the examples in the OP.

There are some issues worth understanding other people's viewpoints over. There are some issues where it's worth acknowledging someone that thinks Party A is at fault doesn't automatically mean he's defending Party B. Just because someone e.g. thinks Anthem Streamer NDA guy is an idiot doesn't automatically make him an "EA corporate apologist" since it's completely possible to believe both parties could have handled the situation differently.

That said, I don't believe either example in the OP falls within this classification. You don't need to go out of your way to give discriminatory views a platform.

Knowing how to spot the difference in these circumstances is the first step to having healthier discussions.

Zippo · Dec 10, 2018

GUNDAM STARDUST said:
Honestly it seems fine here. Some people catch shit for not being great people but hey, hopefully they learn from it. I've learned a lot about different points of view watching the arguments here. Spend a minute in someone's shoes and all that.

This is pretty much me.

atomsk eater · Dec 10, 2018

Yeah, not sure that just not talking about something has ever made things better. The people in your examples already have a large following, so I'd say letting their opinions stand unchallenged would do more harm than talking about it and pointing out ways in which they are wrong.

And while Resetera does have their share of "what a dumb/hateful douche" threads, I far prefer that over most any other forum I visit that seems to have no problem allowing bigoted language, slurs, and hate pieces from KiA or whatever posted as news.

Benita · Dec 10, 2018

Because people are lazy. When you see a shitty tweet or video, it's easy to just say "well I guess this is the encapsulation of exactly who this person is" as opposed to applying any level of nuance to your assessment of them as an individual.

Nimby · Dec 10, 2018

Chromie said:
So glad we can ignore threads now. I'll be ignoring anything twitch related from now on because I just don't give a shit.

I won't give Jaffe any attention either. All people are doing is spreading his message. Same thing with Notch and his dumb ass views.

Strings said:
You can ignore these threads now! I've been using that feature plenty (for instance, the thread that was signal-boosting Notch's inane toxic shit was an instant ignore).

That's your prerogative, but it is important to analyze and discuss these situations. Progress is not made by ignoring hate speech, it needs to be brought into light and condemned in order for any action to take place. Milo does not lose his funding and audience if we just collectively block him on Twitter and leave it that.

A few alt-right Youtubers just had their Patreons shut down, and it would not have happened if the community against these people were not vocal.

Kwigo · Dec 10, 2018

You know what OP, I kinda miss the gaming celebration as well.

It's important to discuss stuff like Jaffe being a morron, but there's still the fun gaming discussions missing inbetween.

Legend of Aims · Dec 10, 2018

I'm with you. Your best bet is to ignore.

Deleted member 2652 · Dec 10, 2018

don't those examples have very large threads you can try to go learn from?

nikos · Dec 10, 2018

I do wish we had a separate forum for threads that are more driven by politics. I'd say 9/10 of the replies I type are never submitted because threads often become more about politics or ethics rather than gaming. Most of us are here specifically for gaming, and I think a lot of us would prefer the discussion to be based solely on that.

We live in an era of detached, utopian delusion enabled by the unprecedented level of comfort and privilege that the amenities of modernity provide and what's popularly extolled is a product and reinforcement of said delusion. This enables people to be incredibly vocal about things, especially on the internet.

psynergyadept · Dec 10, 2018

I will say people sometimes to go over the top when it comes to issues but you using two threads to sya there's hate on Era as awhole is ridiculous; you seem to just disagree with a majority on those threads which is okay but again doesn't mean the opposite side is full of hate.

I will say you reasoning the the David Jaffe thread(s) is faulty; he said some very polarizing views; you don't just say what he says and "let him be" when you share an opinion online with his noteriety; you're going to get checked.

Dussck · Dec 10, 2018

I wish there was a subforum 'politics' where people could discuss opinions of somewhat game-related people, etc.

I'm here for gaming news and discussions, and every thread that's about political or ethical opinions I put on ignore. That's just not what I come here for.

WrenchNinja · Dec 10, 2018

Kwigo said:
You know what OP, I kinda miss the gaming celebration as well.

It's important to discuss stuff like Jaffe being a morron, but there's still the fun gaming discussions missing inbetween.

There was an award show literally three days ago.

Blade Wolf · Dec 10, 2018

Era hates a lot of people, Era also hates Era sometimes.

Era is sad ; _ ;

RM8 · Dec 10, 2018

There are so many threads celebrating games out there. Smash Era is having a blast, for example. That doesn't mean people won't discuss heated issues, you shouldn't try to silence discussion that makes you uncomfortable, you can always avoid such threads.

Benzychenz · Dec 10, 2018

People can discuss e-celebs freely, if enough people are of the opinion that the people are trash then the threads will reflect that. That's fine, opinions are opinions.

I do agree with you though about the moderation and bans, I see banned posts here and there that I feel are way too trigger happy with absolutely no ill intent behind the post. Really lowers the atmosphere of the place, rather than a fun community it's like we're always being watched and judged.

Normal · Dec 10, 2018

Thought you were going to talk about how negative threads on here about video games get a lot more attention than the positive ones haha

I do think the moderation isnt that great tho, my last ban was because of a joke. :[ I was just trying to make an always sunny reference. And it also seems like I'm certain users get extra "protection" and certain communities don't get the same type of "protection" as other communities.

Why is there so much hate on ERA?

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