Male Privilege & False Equivalence in Video Games/Comics

Is this... is this my journal I'm posting this on? Am I actually going to talk about "X-Class of Citizen's" Privilege? Admittedly, I'm branching out of my comfort zone for this one. I'm home sick for the day, so I need to entertain myself.

It all started with a post on ontd_gaming linking to this article: Nerds & Male Privilege.

The article concentrates on two particular aspects of Male Privilege: that women in video games and comics are consistently portrayed as sexual objects, and women who play video games are treated as far-from-equals in the gaming community. Both of these issues are, by and large, ignored and denied by the industry and community.

Male privilege – again – is about what men can expect as the default setting for society. A man isn't going to have everything about him filtered through the prism of his gender first. A man, for example, who gets a job isn't going to face with suggestions that his attractiveness or that his willingness to perform sexual favors was a factor in his being hired, nor will he be shrugged off as a "quota hire". A man isn't expected to be a representative of his sex in all things; if he fails at a job, it's not going to be extrapolated that all men are unfit for that job. A man who's strong-willed or aggressive won't be denigrated for it, nor are men socialized to "go along to get along". A man can expect to have his opinion considered, not dismissed out of hand because of his sex. When paired with a woman who's of equal status, the man can expect that most of the world will assume that he's the one in charge. And, critically, a man doesn't have to continually view the world through the lens of potential violence and sexual assault.

Now with this in mind, consider why being a girl first may be a hindrance to geek girls. A guy who plays a first person shooter – Call of Duty, Halo, Battlefield, what-have-you – online may expect a certain amount of trash talking, but he's not going to be inundated with offers for sex, threats of rape, sounds of simulated masturbation or demands that he blow the other players – but not before going to the kitchen and getting them a beer/sandwich/pizza first. Men will also not be told that they're being "too sensitive" or that "they need to toughen up" when they complain about said sexual threats.

( Typically, I don't look into this stuff, but as an avid FPS chick gamer? Amen. A million times, AMEN! )

It's such a prevalent staple of our society, as well. Billboards, commercials, books, tv shows, movies... Seriously ladies, how many times a day do you roll your eyes or avert your gaze?

I don't know that I necessarily agree with the implications of calling it Male Privilege: such a term, in my opinion, implies that men -particularly white men- should feel guilty about who they are and what their societal gender has done, that they should feel that much of what they do and can accomplish has little to do with their own merits, and I will never agree with that. What I do agree with is the awareness part. Be cognizant is about all I would request, and in doing so, attempt to change your actions and the actions of others whose lives you touch.

As to the article's other part on false equivalence, someone posted a comic in one of the threads I read, and I thought it was AMAZING. Because a ripped guy without a shirt on does NOT equal a busty girl without a shirt on, no matter how many times guys repeat this ridiculous argument. I didn't want to destroy your friends pages with a massive pic though, so the comic is below the cut.

( I'm tired of you griping that chicks are sexually objectified! Dudes are, too! )