In my earlier post titled "Danicaphilia", I mentioned in a sarcastic way: "Anything that involves a high ratio of white males must be a sign of racism, especially if they are Christians, God forbid." I feel it is necessary to bring this topic out into the open as there have been various circumstances where a group's greatest crime is being too much of the wrong race or gender.
A recent situation that inspired me to tackle this topic was at a website I like to frequent, Cinemassacre. Cinemassacre is the home of the Nerd. That is, James Rolfe as the Angry Video Game Nerd. I am definitely a big fan of his videos. Those who aren't familiar with him, he is very vulgar in most of his videos. However, if you're a fan of old video games, fun reviews, and you don't mind a little harsh language and imagery, definitely check out his videos. The situation I have is not with the James, but his wife.
Mrs. Rolfe (commonly known as Mrs. Nerd) is pretty cool overall. She is very supportive of James' film career and shares many of his interests, based on the information provided. However, there was one comment in her debut blog post. It reads: "...its all too clear that this site is a caucasion [sic] sausage fest..." "Caucasian sausage fest"? That is a good one. This basically translates to "lots of white males." She changed the subject to diversity halfway into her post, which reads:
"The second thing that has become apparent recently is the lack of
diversity on Cinemassacre. In its beginnings it was James and only
James, so diversity wasn’t an issue, but now as the site expands to
include new shows like OverAnalyzers, Mike’s Glitches, guest actors on
Board James or AVGN and fun little videos like the TMNT Pizza Party its
all too clear that this site is a caucasion sausage fest. While I can’t
help to add any ethnic diversity, I can bring a female perspective to
things that I think all 10 of the female viewers will appreciate. [sic]" Emphasis mine.
Now, there are no charges of racism here, but the apparent need to bring up the "lack of diversity" because a website is a "Caucasian sausage fest" is an old hat. First off, why does there need to be an influx of diversity? As long as I have been following the work of Mr. Rolfe, I have never seen any sign that he didn't want anybody except white males watching his videos. Then again, my inherent "white male privilege" might be blinding me from seeing the truth. (FYI, that was also sarcasm.) The truth is there is no rule, spoken or not, that says women and minorities are not wanted at Cinemassacre.
So why would there be a lack of females and non-whites at Cinemassacre and related pages? My own personal theory is culture. Generally, it is nerdy white males who turn inwards and express themselves in unorthodox (see: uncool) activities. Among these activities include video games, sciences, and the internet. Now as the internet has grown into a mainstream social medium, more and more people have started using the internet. Simply put: everyone uses the internet now.
The internet, being as powerful as it is, allows one to search any information he or she wants and get it almost instantaneously. If a girl or a "minority" (since the Caucasian race is not the most numerous on a global level) has interest in video games and movies and wants to see a funny review about them, they may arrive at jolly ol' Cinemassacre for example. What's to stop anyone from entering the website and enjoying the material? Well maybe James makes women and minorities uncomfortable in his videos with hateful or offensive speech (not including his characterized vulgarities)? All a person needs to do is watch a few of his videos and know that James is not a hateful person to anyone but bad games. There is no reason for anyone not to like the Nerd's website unless they don't enjoy his videos. If that's the case, they can just as quickly find another website that they do enjoy.
Let me reiterate: Why does there need to be an increase in diversity on Cinemassacre? Anyone can be a fan of James Rolfe. There are no restrictions or unspoken rules that prevent women and minorities from enjoying the AVGN. The only thing that matters in the topic of diversity is everyone, no matter their race or sex, enjoys something in common. There could be a majority of white males, white females, black males, Asian females, or any other group possible. It doesn't matter because everybody is welcome.
What about other groups out there? I'll point out the Tea Party Patriots and NASCAR. The Tea Party Patriots have been labeled as a group of nothing but "old, angry white guys". However, the group has many different people, including but not limited to women and minorities. It is a movement of Americans who want less big government in their lives. NASCAR, primarily a Southern sport, has a lot of baggage for being a Southern sport. Even though it is a racing organization that has a majority of white male racers and white fans, it is not a racist association. There are a few black and Hispanic racers as well as female racers. The most notable examples are Juan Pablo Montoya and the previously mentioned Danica Patrick. Still, both Tea Party members and the NASCAR fan base are considered racists, and the proof is because both groups have...
MAJORITY WHITE MALE POPULATIONS!
A big step to solving the problem with white male racism and sexism is to stop seeing racism and sexism where there is none. I can attest from personal observation that as far as us nerdy white males are concerned, we are ultra-tolerant of women and minorities to a fault. I constantly see the classic Kool-Aid drinking on the geeky message forums. Feminism is seen as a pure liberation movement and women are all superior to men and perpetual victims. White guys, Southerners in particular, are viewed as drooling racists intolerant of personal freedom and eternal oppressors of females and brown people. The Daily Show, Colbert Report, and Family Guy are more reputable than using that tried and true organ between their ears.
Nerdy white males are far from your enemies. Many are quite capable of acting as your own useful idiot who will follow your words and feelings and will submit to their white male guilt on command. However, at least one of us has become wise to the lies and shaming. I was raised with the belief of equality and fairness for all, and I still hold compassion in my heart for the underdog. That is why I am calling things as I see them these days. I want to see equality and fairness, not feminism and race hustlers.
If there is a group with a significant number of white males, does there really need to be more diversity? The answer is no because white male does not equal racism and sexism. Some people can preach their need for more diversity until the cows come home. I instead will live as if this is the 21st century and surround myself with people who accept me for who I am and who I can enjoy having as company.
Forsaken Eagle
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