(no subject)
Jun. 19th, 2009 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
epporsimuoveI have quite a few things I want to talk about in the next few days, among them religion (Christianity and Islam), Iran, and this.
It is the last one I want to address in this post. It involves a very offensive video game, and the creator's mistaken and misinformed ideas about love and relationships in the modern media. I am leaving this post public for now.
So, if you have never heard of it before, Stockholm: An Exploration of True Love is a video game in which players get the opportunity to "convince" a young woman to fall in love with them through sexual assault, gassing, and psychologically abusing them. Sounds like the path to true love, right? Amazon banned the game from its site. Now, the creator, Stanton Audemars, is going on a campus tour to promote his ideas of the "types of love and relationships hidden and ignored by a culture increasingly dominated by female values" (qtd from here).
Alright, let's talk about this; specifically, let's talk about Audemars' view of love and relationships. Now, if you do not know me very well yet, let's go over what I think about love and relationships.
I do not dislike Mr. Audemars' game because I have a "sugar coated nonsense" view of love. I am not trying to "criminalize" alternative forms of sexuality, relationships, or love. What I am doing is calling this game on its blatant support and encouragement of rape. Yes, utilizing mind altering substances and psychological and physical abuse to force a woman to 'fall in love' and give herself to you is rape. And rape is a criminal act. I am "criminalizing" a criminal act. Imagine that.
I am sick and tired of people assuming that because I call myself a feminist, that I am only supporting relationships where women are dominate. I am sick of people assuming that because I like love stories that I only find relationships with happily-ever-after and a man who will shower me with flowers and romance legitimate. No. I find any relationship that is consensual to be a worthwhile and legitimate relationship. Mr. Audemars, your game breaks that rule and does so not for any purpose other than to shock and awe and assert your power, that's why I have a problem with it.
I have to admit, were the creator not so vocal about his beliefs surrounding this game and adamant that this is okay, I would likely support his right to produce and sell the game wherever. It is, after all, a game. There are plenty of books out there that have rape scenarios, and I do not want them banned. But the creators of those put them out there with the intention of playing on certain fantasies. They are not there to suggest a someone should actually implement them.
It is the last one I want to address in this post. It involves a very offensive video game, and the creator's mistaken and misinformed ideas about love and relationships in the modern media. I am leaving this post public for now.
So, if you have never heard of it before, Stockholm: An Exploration of True Love is a video game in which players get the opportunity to "convince" a young woman to fall in love with them through sexual assault, gassing, and psychologically abusing them. Sounds like the path to true love, right? Amazon banned the game from its site. Now, the creator, Stanton Audemars, is going on a campus tour to promote his ideas of the "types of love and relationships hidden and ignored by a culture increasingly dominated by female values" (qtd from here).
Alright, let's talk about this; specifically, let's talk about Audemars' view of love and relationships. Now, if you do not know me very well yet, let's go over what I think about love and relationships.
- There are many types of love and many types of relationships.
- I have no right to make judgements on the type of relationship a person chooses to have. Dom/sub? Fine. Susie Homemaker? Fine. Live in two different houses? Fine. Love more than one person? Fine. I don't care! "Judge not lest ye be judged" and all that. I only have one hard and fast rule regarding relationships and love.
- It must be consensual. Period. That means: no drugs, no coercion, no abuse (and abuse and consensual punishment are two very different things).
I do not dislike Mr. Audemars' game because I have a "sugar coated nonsense" view of love. I am not trying to "criminalize" alternative forms of sexuality, relationships, or love. What I am doing is calling this game on its blatant support and encouragement of rape. Yes, utilizing mind altering substances and psychological and physical abuse to force a woman to 'fall in love' and give herself to you is rape. And rape is a criminal act. I am "criminalizing" a criminal act. Imagine that.
I am sick and tired of people assuming that because I call myself a feminist, that I am only supporting relationships where women are dominate. I am sick of people assuming that because I like love stories that I only find relationships with happily-ever-after and a man who will shower me with flowers and romance legitimate. No. I find any relationship that is consensual to be a worthwhile and legitimate relationship. Mr. Audemars, your game breaks that rule and does so not for any purpose other than to shock and awe and assert your power, that's why I have a problem with it.
I have to admit, were the creator not so vocal about his beliefs surrounding this game and adamant that this is okay, I would likely support his right to produce and sell the game wherever. It is, after all, a game. There are plenty of books out there that have rape scenarios, and I do not want them banned. But the creators of those put them out there with the intention of playing on certain fantasies. They are not there to suggest a someone should actually implement them.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-20 04:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-21 05:40 pm (UTC)But anyway... I totally agree with you. And you notice in his interview he only says:
"The point of ‘Stockholm’ is not that kidnapping is the path to true love."
... but he doesn't say anything about drugging, raping, or otherwise abusing the woman.
Grrr...
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 02:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 02:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 02:32 am (UTC)