Comments on: My Tiny Life Freed (Almost) http://grandtextauto.org/2008/01/15/my-tiny-life-freed-almost/ A group blog about computer narrative, games, poetry, and art. Thu, 30 Sep 2010 22:43:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Jason Scott http://grandtextauto.org/2008/01/15/my-tiny-life-freed-almost/comment-page-1/#comment-191267 Jason Scott Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:45:58 +0000 http://grandtextauto.org/2008/01/15/my-tiny-life-freed-almost/#comment-191267 Thanks for the link, Noah. Of course, I hadn't heard this speech from Dibbell as regarding the outcome of "Rape in Cyberspace". It took me a while to paw through that speech, which I found self-serving and overly dramatic. It shouldn't be a surprise that someone who throws the term "rape" around so easily would use the terms "paralysis" to describe not speaking much at a dinner. And I am disinclined to believe he is characterizing his time with McKinnon as anything resembling accuracy, instead going for the approach of a snicker-into-his-sleeve narrative and how he's sorry Your Humble Writer was unable to live up to the expections people have for him. I really don't like this guy, if it's not clear. The online world needs less of his type to speak as a de facto representative. Thanks for the link, Noah. Of course, I hadn’t heard this speech from Dibbell as regarding the outcome of “Rape in Cyberspace”.

It took me a while to paw through that speech, which I found self-serving and overly dramatic. It shouldn’t be a surprise that someone who throws the term “rape” around so easily would use the terms “paralysis” to describe not speaking much at a dinner. And I am disinclined to believe he is characterizing his time with McKinnon as anything resembling accuracy, instead going for the approach of a snicker-into-his-sleeve narrative and how he’s sorry Your Humble Writer was unable to live up to the expections people have for him.

I really don’t like this guy, if it’s not clear. The online world needs less of his type to speak as a de facto representative.

]]> By: noah http://grandtextauto.org/2008/01/15/my-tiny-life-freed-almost/comment-page-1/#comment-185634 noah Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:45:26 +0000 http://grandtextauto.org/2008/01/15/my-tiny-life-freed-almost/#comment-185634 Jason, I agree with you that the title of "<a href="http://www.juliandibbell.com/texts/bungle.html" rel="nofollow">A Rape in Cyberspace</a>" may conjure visions of the MOO/MU* world that are as misguided as the image of <i>D&D</i> that came from stories of those committing antisocial acts while drawing on its tropes. But none of those stories about RPGs, that I can remember, focused on how the community of those involved in the activity came together to think and talk through some difficult issues in response, which I've always taken to be the interesting core of Dibbell's piece. Inspired by your comment, however, I did a little looking around and found a link to something I hope to read soon: <a href="http://www.juliandibbell.com/texts/mydinner.html" rel="nofollow">My Dinner with Catharine MacKinnon: And Other Hazards of Theorizing Virtual Rape.</a> If you have a chance to look, I'd be very curious to hear what you think. Jason, I agree with you that the title of “A Rape in Cyberspace” may conjure visions of the MOO/MU* world that are as misguided as the image of D&D that came from stories of those committing antisocial acts while drawing on its tropes. But none of those stories about RPGs, that I can remember, focused on how the community of those involved in the activity came together to think and talk through some difficult issues in response, which I’ve always taken to be the interesting core of Dibbell’s piece. Inspired by your comment, however, I did a little looking around and found a link to something I hope to read soon: My Dinner with Catharine MacKinnon: And Other Hazards of Theorizing Virtual Rape. If you have a chance to look, I’d be very curious to hear what you think.

]]> By: Jason Scott http://grandtextauto.org/2008/01/15/my-tiny-life-freed-almost/comment-page-1/#comment-184936 Jason Scott Wed, 16 Jan 2008 03:08:09 +0000 http://grandtextauto.org/2008/01/15/my-tiny-life-freed-almost/#comment-184936 Too bad Dibbell's work has generally been exploitative dander, bringing a sense of filth and decay to the MU* world as his articles that Tiny Life is based on were distributed; having a front page story on the voice called "A Rape in Cyberspace" (which it wasn't) did nothing but rain down criticism and disaster for games that were, especially in the context of today, truly and utterly harmless. Every dollar of that book should have gone to a real rape crisis center, just for that small tidbit. Too bad Dibbell’s work has generally been exploitative dander, bringing a sense of filth and decay to the MU* world as his articles that Tiny Life is based on were distributed; having a front page story on the voice called “A Rape in Cyberspace” (which it wasn’t) did nothing but rain down criticism and disaster for games that were, especially in the context of today, truly and utterly harmless.

Every dollar of that book should have gone to a real rape crisis center, just for that small tidbit.

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