Penny Arcade says, "Rape culture is hilarious!"
Has anyone else been following the Penny Arcade Dickwolf Controversy (as I've taken to calling it)? The whole thing started with this comic, posted in August, which many readers took offense to due to an unfunny rape joke. The argument was revived with new fervor recently, and it's still ongoing. Personally, I'm finding it really difficult to enjoy the comic lately, because of the way this whole thing has been handled.

A better and more thorough write-up than I could ever hope to put together has been posted here.

Edit: Via seiberwing: An interesting protest movement has arisen on Tumblr.
Edit again: A couple of comments have indicated that the Tumblr linked in the above post has malware, so tread lightly.

Edit 3: Via lady7jane: This isn't the first time that Mike has exhibited douchebaggy behavior. "I don't know, Love Systems doesn't seem so bad to me."

Edit 4: Via airawyn and alexa: Jerry responds.

Edit 5: Via number13baby, Mike calls for the discussion to end.

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caitiedid
2011-02-02 01:30 am UTC (link)

Oh yeah, that post is one of the (many, many, many) links in the write-up I linked to. I really appreciate how well and how calmly she laid out her opinion in that piece, especially given that, according to the linked write-up, some obnoxious PA fans accused her of lying about being a rape survivor.

I agree that the way this thing has been handled is atrocious. I actually was kind of glad when I saw the blog post about removing the shirt - I mean, Mike still wasn't apologizing for the joke or how the aftermath was handled, but at least it was something - but in the days following I got a headache that just kept growing and growing as I watched Mike and the fans flail around about being victimized. Ugh.

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dottiness
2011-02-02 01:41 am UTC (link)

I know, I heard the shirt was getting removed and my reaction was pretty much "about god damned time," but then everything just started blowing up all over again. I'm glad there are so many people calling PA out on this, but it just reminds me of the Kate Beaton stuff where people mansplain it all away as "stupid girls getting emotional over stuff, let us explain to you why it wasn't offensive."

I mean that comic someone made about the Kate Beaton thing could be remade, right this instant, with rape jokes as the subject and you wouldn't even have to change practically anything except the words used.

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	tiasian 2011-02-05 06:23 pm UTC (link)
	... what Kate Beaton stuff? D: (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dottiness
2011-02-06 12:57 am UTC (link)

Um, I can't find any lings, but in summary! Some dudes made vaguely creepy compliments to Kate Beaton
(like "You're sexy and I would like to marry you, we would have sexy genius children together"), she ranted about how such compliments were disingenuous on Twitter, and immediately all the privileged dudebro guys on the entire internet turned out in force to tell her about how she had no reason to be offended. Shit like "you're taking it too seriously" and "if I ever got a compliment like that, I'd be flattered." You know, the stuff they routinely say about women who complain about getting catcalled.

This comic is the one that got made about it and it's a pretty fair summary.

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	dottiness 2011-02-06 12:59 am UTC (link)
	(Oh! I forgot to mention there was one guy in particular who reveled in people calling him out, telling him to stop mansplaining, etc. Much like the way Mike has been reveling in comments like "how does it feel to perpetuate rape culture." I think he even made the "well girls like me so I can't be a sexist" remark the same way.) (Reply to this)(Parent)

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