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Deleted member 18944

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Oct 27, 2017
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Carl "Sargon of Akkad" Benjamin, one of the original voices of GamerGate, is running for a seat in the European Parliament. He's not a fringe voice—he's becoming the mainstream.

1555450100252-Image-2019-04-16-at-42658-PM.png

Image via Carl Benjamin

Content Warning: This piece includes racist language and references to rape threats.

One of the most prominent anti-feminist voices during GamerGate has turned towards politics, having been named a candidate for the European Parliament representing UKIP, a political party with a bent towards xenophobia, racism, and anti-immigration. It helped push the UK towards its infamous Brexit vote in 2016, which the country continues to wrestle with, and has yet to find a real path forward on.

Anyone paying attention during GamerGate probably remembers Carl "Sargon of Akkad" Benjamin. He was one of many far right grifters who rose to prominence in that era, when the online hate group went around claiming it was for ethics in games journalism, but largely spent its time harassing women online. In the years since, Benjamin has turned his moment in the sun into a profitable endeavour, with nearly a million subscribers on YouTube, and more than 3,000 people sending him nearly $12,000 per month on Patreon before he was banned.

More here.
 

Haze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,773
Detroit, MI
Good to see that racism isn't dying with baby boomers like we thought it would smh.

Edit: $12,000 per month to be a racist, signal boosting talking head...
 

Shift Breaker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,483
I'm not sure which words are banned on ResetEra but I know that there are plenty that I could use to describe Sargon.

What an absolutely vile human being.
 

Ferrs

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
18,829
And some people thought Gamergate were only a couple of random incels doing shit on 4chan and Twitter... People have been overall too lenient to the movement and now we have this.
 

Haze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,773
Detroit, MI
It was a nice dream, but it should be clear that something that's been around for thousands of years is just part of human nature.

All the more reason that this post-racial rhetoric needs to end. People get sensitive about this topic and want to censor it but it's something that must be discussed or else ideas like this are allowed to foster.
 

L Thammy

Spacenoid
Member
Oct 25, 2017
49,943
Reminder:
In July 2016, US presidential candidate Donald Trump tweeted an image of Hillary Clinton with a background of money and a six pointed star, seen by some as resembling the Star of David, containing the message "Most corrupt candidate ever". The image had been posted to 8chan's /pol/ board as early as June 22, over a week before Trump's team tweeted it.[22][23] CBC News called 8chan an alt-right forum.[24]
The Internet right wing propaganda machine is just a tool of the original right wing propaganda machine.
 

Brotherhood93

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,769
I wouldn't call running in the European Parliament elections for a failing party mainstream, traditionally nobody has given a shit about EP elections in the UK until 2016 and UKIP are now polling behind Farage's new party.

As for GamerGate politicians, we already have bigoted politicians so this isn't exactly something new.
 

Sasliquid

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,292
We've had movie star presidents and tv presidents (both bad), I imagine in my lifetime we will see the youtuber President.
 

Atolm

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,825
But Gamergaters have always been there. Maybe they weren't gamers but women-haters have been fairly abundant in the Euro-parliament. It's the place national parties send their thrash.

Edit: Also Fascism is on the rise on every major European country.
 

TerminusFox

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,851
It was a nice dream, but it should be clear that something that's been around for thousands of years is just part of human nature.
Not quite true.

Human discrimination based on skin color has only been a thing for last four hundred years give or take.

Prior to that it was nationalism and culture superiority complexes.
 

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
92,983
It is the next evolution since the right wing has been using them for foot soldiers.
 

EvilBoris

Prophet of Truth - HDTVtest
Verified
Oct 29, 2017
16,676
It's all going to shit.
I was in a service station and there were white supremacist stickers stuck up on the toilet cubicle.
Unwelcome Break
 

Deleted member 35077

Self-requested ban
Banned
Dec 1, 2017
3,999
It's kinda crazy and also depressing to think that youtubers may actually cause a rise of voting in young adults. They already have the fanbase, with most of them thinking that the youtuber is a friend to them, and one to listen to.
 

Zeno

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,150
I wouldn't call running in the European Parliament elections for a failing party mainstream, traditionally nobody has given a shit about EP elections in the UK until 2016.

As for GamerGate politicians, we already have bigoted politicians so this isn't exactly something new.
Pretty much. GamerGate is essentially the geek offshoot of the alt-right.
 

Deleted member 31923

User requested account closure
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Nov 8, 2017
5,826
All the more reason that this post-racial rhetoric needs to end. People get sensitive about this topic and want to censor it but it's something that must be discussed or else ideas like this are allowed to foster.

Agreed. Sick of hearing people say "Americans elected a black President, they can't be racist." Yeah, and they followed that up by electing the most racist President in about 100 years, since good old Woodrow Wilson.
 

oni-link

tag reference no one gets
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,997
UK
Carl "Sargon of Akkad" Benjamin is an absolute, 24 carat bellend of the highest order
 

Umbrella Carp

Banned
Jan 16, 2019
3,265
......Welp, I guess the right wing within Gen X/Y/Z had to evolve into something, and of course it encompasses our favorite hobby and paints it in a terrible light
 

Danteyke223

Banned
Oct 24, 2018
937
Oh i know this guy. He got publicly shamed by internet troll Jim aka Metokur for being a tryhard and taking it too seriously. The whole thing was hilarious to watch as Ben was getting angry as fuck
 

L Thammy

Spacenoid
Member
Oct 25, 2017
49,943
I never saw the term "cultural marxism" on a gaming forum until Gamergate happened. Then suddenly everyone knew the phrase overnight.
 

Deleted member 8561

user requested account closure
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Oct 26, 2017
11,284
I do have to give Candace Owens some credit, her gender bender cosplay as Uncle Ruckus is pretty much 100% spot on
 

Timppis

Banned
Apr 27, 2018
2,857
Oh no... UKIP has racist candidate.

In other news, water is wet.

It would be awesome if we as human race could get past the whole skin color thing that's been goddamn awful way of separating us.
Until we do this kind of shit rises into the mainstream every now and then. It's something that needs to be fought against.
 

Danzflor

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,710
Nah, he has a very slim chance of getting elected.

UKIP's lunch has been eaten by The Brexit Party, and Carl is their second candidate in the South West, where they'll get one seat at most.
Thanks for this clarification, I admit that I don't know about EU politics that much, my fears are just based in the current global climate.
 
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Tregard

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,221
UKIP is a notoriously vile party in UK politics, I think as long as they remain out of the main two parties (Labour & Tories) it's not going to become an imminent danger.

U.S. Politics however, the Republican party seems to be their homebase...
 

Spaghetti

Member
Dec 2, 2017
2,740
Carl of Swindon gets punked even by Neo-Nazis. Would fold like wet tissue paper in a genuine debate.
 

Falcon511

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,148
Yeah I listened to his videos around the time GG started. I honestly got lost in his bullshit so I didn't pay close attention and yeah it was mostly sexist rhetoric. His videos were like 20 minutes long of nothing. There was another alt right YouTuber around that time that jumped into gamer gate. But Sargon came up a lot.
 

Deleted member 8593

User requested account closure
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Oct 26, 2017
27,176
People were saying to take these idiots serious but I guess it was all about ethics in games journalism and meeemez.
 

Deleted member 8468

User requested account closure
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Oct 26, 2017
9,109
Nope, it was cops, but at this point I'm sure that they would sooner or later say this to cater to gamergaters
If she didn't say it why are we sharing false information? I won't ever defend Owens or her ilk, but I feel like its easy enough to fight their rhetoric that honestly. I've seen this image posted around here before, frustrating to hear it's false and still being spread.

Also, what a ridiculous thing to say in the first place.