I am a big fan of free speech and the freedom to write what you want without having to apply a filter of political correctness. Freedom however, does not mean that you are not accountable for your words or that you are entitled to be protected from all criticism.
Do I take full responsibility for my own words? You bet and people are free to call me out on any of them. I’ll either stand by them or change my opinion.
Vox Day, Theodore Beale, who is a sci/fi author, used to write for WND long ago, and likes to promote and advocate outlandish ideas generally related to bigotry and hatred, likes to perceive himself as venetian glass, as a special snowflake entitled to say and do whatever he wants.
He does not respond well to criticism, even the gentlest and most respectful. In fact, he and his so-called Dread Ilk, his roving band of minions, like to attempt to bully and terrorize any opposition they receive. They do this by attempting assorted forms of intimidation, like threatening to dox people, to twitter out their real name, address, phone number, and social security number, therefore encouraging random strangers to harass them. They especially enjoy doing this to women, likely because we are softer targets, and easier to frighten and terrorize.
If you’ve ever been doxxed, it can be rather scary. Random strangers now have your address and phone number, often the names of your children and family members. There are people on the internet who genuinely get off on attempting to terrorize doxxed women for their perceived crimes. It makes them feel powerful and feeds their revenge fantasies.
I have been doxxed so many times, I have just rather defiantly doxxed my own self. No, I’m simply not going to play that game. I believe it’s wrong to hold privacy over someone’s head. You can’t dox me, I’m already doxxed.
I have been on the war path against internet bullying and doxxing for sometime now. I find it to be appalling behavior. Those who dox others believe their hands are clean, since they have only released the private info, not actually acted on it. This is false, the entire purpose of doxxing someone is in the hopes that psycho will come along and terrorize them into silence.
I have attempted to comment directly to Vox Day, but he simply accuses me of being a cyberstalker, uses obscenities, and threatens to call the cops. He has posted my full name and email address on several occasions. Thou shall not speak out against anything written by the so-called Voice of God, apparently.
It’s somewhat ridiculous to have a man bully and threaten you, only to turn around and claim he’s going to have you charged with harassment. This is like calling the cops because you got the wrong sauce with your chicken nuggets at the McDonald’s drive through window. Stuff and nonsense.
I believe we are morally compelled to speak out against things we see that are not right. Many of his so-called followers and fans are so enamored by the idea of Vox Day, I doubt they read half of what he writes.
Those who call themselves Christians and advocate not only some of these hate filled ideas, but also this bullying behavior, should really take a hard look at themselves and what they are doing and endorsing. It’s just not right.
A few of the articles from VD I have criticized:
“I will not be in the least bit surprised if Anders Breivik is one day regarded as a national hero in Norway, much like George Washington and William Tell, two men who also offered murderous resistance to their own governments.”
http://voxday.blogspot.com/2013/09/breivik-sets-political-trend.html
“In light of the strong correlation between female education and demographic decline, a purely empirical perspective on Malala Yousafzai, the poster girl for global female education, may indicate that the Taliban’s attempt to silence her was perfectly rational and scientifically justifiable.”
http://alphagameplan.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-wages-of-female-education.html
“..always punch back twice as hard. The second rule is this: keep punching. Women are particularly susceptible to attacks on their appearance and their sexual behavior, so those are the most effective subjects to target..”
http://www.voxday.blogspot.com/2015/03/punch-harder.html
(Regarding sex trafficking) “God abandons the human trash determined to go its own way and leaves it to its inevitable destruction. Man should follow his example.”
http://voxday.blogspot.com/2014/02/victimless-sex-trafficking.html
Vox Day likes to engage in rhetorical trickery as a way of evading accountability for his own words. In theory he can claim he’s not really saying what he’s saying, because it’s just that most people don’t recognize his so-called superior intelligence. In the case of Malala Yousafzai, by claiming that shooting her in the head was “perfectly rational and scientifically justifiable,” he leaves himself an out. He thinks it’s okay for him to speak these words because he never actually equated “rational and scientific” with “moral.”
Complete Baloney. 80% of the general population is incapable of perceiving the subtleties to be found there and will therefore receive his words as approval and endorsement of violence. VD is intelligent enough to understand this, which is why he does it. He advocates outright hatred and violence while maintaining the illusion of keeping his own hands clean.
This is dangerous and harmful behavior and I’m not going to be silent about it.
As to the assorted threats to report me to the proper authorities, you do that Mr. Beale. I’ll leave this preemptive confession posted on the front of my blog.
Tricia said:
Wow, I have no idea who this Vox Day scumbag is nor have I ever heard of doxing someone. Jez, it’s not often that I’m surprised by how crappy people can behave but you got me here IB. Sorry you have to go through this. Perhaps it’s time to stuff Vox in a box and dox him in to the moon.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you’ve never encountered this sort of thing. I was hesitant to share the misery, but when I think of all the people who have been bullied, especially people who have been spiritually abused, I have to say something.
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Tricia said:
Good for you for sticking your neck out. Now that I know who this Vox Day is, I’ll be sure to comment if I see an article of his. Usually I avoid the WND stuff, they really give the right a bad name.
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insanitybytes22 said:
He doesn’t write for WND anymore, that was long ago, but he does maintain a couple of blogs and has a heavy internet presence.
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thetruthisstrangerthanfiction said:
Waaaaaaa?? He’s done WHAT??? Ohh, now I’m positively seething…
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insanitybytes22 said:
Don’t waste your time seething. As we used to say, it’s just a thang 😉
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thetruthisstrangerthanfiction said:
Very true… and speaking of needless seething and “wiping the dust off our feet”, remember my rants a while back towards Mr. Mark Driscoll? Funny thing… Just the other day I just got wind of the whole Mars Hill closure, and Driscoll resigning etc. I had no idea. I can’t remember when those comments were written, but I think they were probably done after he wasn’t even pastor anymore, and I had no clue. Kinda funny. Pride truly does go before the fall…
I guess my point is that maybe God has the same sort of thing in mind for the “Gamer cult”. praying hard in that direction anyhow…
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Eric said:
IB2:
Over time, I’ve really come to regard Game as a cult; and this kind of behavior proves it. Seriously, isn’t this the kind of behavior one would expect from the Moonies or Scientologists? Not to mention a sectary who calls himself the ‘Voice of God’ in the first place.
The fact that Vox, Dalrock, Tomassi and their camarilla of imitators wrap themselves in Christian rhetoric doesn’t make them any less of a cult. St. John tells us that we know fellow believers by Love—you can hunt in vain for the ‘L word’ throughout Churchian Gamer blogs and count the times its mentioned on the fingers of one hand, if at all. Malice, sexual revenge, fanaticism, Superiority Complexes, you’ll encounter plenty of that though. And blind veneration of the various Game gurus, just like any other similar coterie of monomaniacs do.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Words of wisdom there, Eric. It is clearly a cult, with the added seductive element of enticing men into a life of idolatry.
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Norm said:
You really don’t understand why you’re not welcome on Vox’s blog, but it’s not our responsibility to explain it.
I see you’re anti-feminist. Good. You’re almost there… now, let go of the false concept that one can be ‘bullied’ outside real life, re-examine your prejudices, and you might actually learn something by reading.
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insanitybytes22 said:
I have been bullied within real life. My life is very real, as is my name and personal information.Why don’t you wake up to the fact that this isn’t a game, people are not avatars, and perhaps you are the one who doesn’t understand what you are involved in?
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Eric said:
Norm:
Most Gamers are fanatics, and Game is a religion with them. They’re crazy, hence impervious to reason.
The reason blogs like this are good is because it warns others away from their cult. Especially unsuspecting wounded and vulnerable men whom the Gamers claim to defend, but prey upon instead.
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lang3063 said:
Norm:
If stuff on the net is detached from “real life” then why do Vox and his lofty gamers waste their time? Don’t words express ideas? Don’t ideas have consequences? Aren’t actions set in motion by words, ideas and concepts? If words on screens can be taken or left as we please then why did Beale choose writing as his life’s work? Is it because he isn’t serious? Is it because gamers are too cowardly to stand by their ideas if there’s pushback? Is it because they think exactly like little boys who dredge up some imaginary point of law when Mom catches them with their hands in the cookie jar ( you didn’t SAY I couldn’t eat THESE cookies! I win!) Beale is a bright guy with a lot of capability. If he ever decides to grow up he’ll make some real contributions. For now he’s that rotten kid that sets off the stink bomb in class and imagines he has an airtight alibi. Nobody is fooled.
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thetruthisstrangerthanfiction said:
“now, let go of the false concept that one can be ‘bullied’ outside real life, re-examine your prejudices…”
Oh, the irony of such a statement! Isn’t “Vox Day” the one playing the “stop bullying me card”? I mean, SERIOUSLY? Posting someone’s personal information, threatening to call family members and the police, because you don’t want someone to keep commenting on your blog??? If that isn’t the most pathetic and cowardly thing I’ve ever heard…
If VD was such a true “manly-man” and intellectual stud, you’d think he could contend with a little online dissent!
What. A. Child.
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Eric said:
Most of these Game-tards palm themselves off on their followers as ‘manly alpha leaders’ and boast of their self-sufficiency and individualism. In reality, though, Game is just as feminocentric as feminism itself. Their entire sense of self-worth is based on how many women they conquer/control sexually. And Vox himself has said that biological fitness is based on one’s ability to reproduce (obviously meaning this exclusively to males lol).
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zgypsy said:
Disgusting. Completely disgusting.
This happened to me one time. A guy got a bee in his bonnet because I disagreed with him on an issue. He threatened me on one forum not aware I was friends with the owner so the owner told him he would be banned if he posted my information, which calmed him down. Later, on another forum he posted my information because of the conflict on the previous forum. He was so proud of himself for his superior “investigative” work. He had a royal hissy fit when he later discovered I use an alias! 😹
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insanitybytes22 said:
I’m sorry that happened to you. It is disgusting, isn’t it? I call it the politics of personal destruction. It’s an attempt at social engineering, somebody doesn’t like your words or opinions, so they attempt to frighten you into silence. Some people have been really harmed by it, gone into hiding, moved away, stopped blogging, all because of some bully.
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Belladonna Took said:
I feel for you … I had a similar experience when our local community newspaper launched a very personal attack against me (they didn’t like steps I took to protect a dog I had taken in through a rescue organization I started – long story). There were people responding online to the article by sharing my personal details. Fortunately said personal details were out of date so no harm came of it, but it was scary; one guy – of course using a pseudonym – was literally advocating coming to my home and torching it. We had to ask the police to keep an eye on things, just in case. I LOATHE bullies!
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insanitybytes22 said:
Oh yuck, I’m sorry that happened to you. How scary.
Now there is something you and I are in complete agreement with. I too absolutely loathe bullies 😉
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henrywest said:
Please know that there are a lot of us out here who support you and we support anyone who stands up to bullying. By informing others we can slowly turn the tide. Bullies succeed when others keep quiet. They lose when others call them out. I’ve not heard of vox but I do know about trolling. These people are evil. They are misguided idiots who would not say these things to your face, they spew from the protection of their basements or darkened, moldy rooms. Sorry I get quite animated when dissing bullies. When confronted they cannot handle it and attack everything about you. They are evil little cowards full of hubris and unable to communicate in a humane manner. Trying to destroy one’s character either through the web or other means as mentioned above is the only response these fragile, scarred creatures can deploy since they are incapable of proper communication. My best to you and hopefully they will all crawl back into the wood pile where they belong.
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Rebecca LuElla Miller said:
You might think someone else was writing exactly what you wrote about Theodore, but no. These are his words about people in the SFWA (who expelled him from their membership, by the way. It was a nasty piece of work—he ran for president of the writers organization and then responded to criticism with a blog and Twitter campaign filled with misogynist, racist attacks of the kind you expose, IB: the kind that allows him to squirm out as if he wasn’t actually directing these words at a particular person, but making a metaphorical observation. I’ll post some parts of his tirade below to show those uninformed just what kind of a person Theodore is).
Theodore once again, in response to criticism about him during his run for SFWA president:
When the outraged SFWA community came down on him for threatening, Jemisin, Theodore did his sidestep, saying that, no, he was not suggesting he’d actually come gunning for her.
Let’s just say, I am sorry that the name of Christ is in any way associated with this kind of attitude and treatment of other people. Theodore needs much prayer.
Becky
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insanitybytes22 said:
Sheesh! I’d have call Beale’s words a major projection. That is totally him in that description he wrote. He’s actually speaking those words over his own self. He does need much prayer because he’s surrounded by yes men that apparently don’t care enough about him to point him towards the truth.
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rebeccaalene said:
That’s so scary. I hate that the internet is so full of hate. My husband and I often talk about if the internet does more good or more harm. I’m not sure what the answer is. It’s nice to be able to find like minded people from all over the world; to find “your” people. On the other hand, all the freaky, evil, scary people have a way of connecting and propagating their corrupt ways.
I’m sorry you are being bullied for standing up to a bully. It’s just wrong. Good luck.
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Nataliya Kochergova said:
I’m not one of Vox’s fans. But most of those quotes don’t shock me. It makes perfect sense to me that efficiency or rationality doesn’t equal morality. Perhaps Vox wants to attract attention by creating outrage, and then promote his ideology and ideas. No idea what kind of person he is, though. I learned a long time ago not to form conclusions on people’s character by reading either their opponents or their own political rants.
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Eric said:
IB2:
I was offered to do a guest post where some of these issues about Churchian Game were brought up. Check it out here:
https://wwnh.wordpress.com/2015/05/09/2203-manosphere/
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insanitybytes22 said:
Absolutely lovely, Eric. Well said and well done. It is a great relief to know that there are others in the world who have the eyes to see this stuff.
Love is awesome, men and women when we come together is one of life’s greatest blessings. On the spiritual side of things, I really believe evil entered the garden long ago by managing to separate and divide men and women. To this day, failing to find that harmony and balance between the genders always results in great evil. We’re two halves of the human race, designed to unite and work together and when we fail the implications for us personally are unpleasant, but also bad for the world at large.
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Eric said:
Thanks—yes, the Churchian Gamers pose an especial threat because they seduce vulnerable people into believing there is Divine sanction for their blasphemies. But as St. John points out, nobody who denies Christian Love is a real Christian.
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xPraetorius said:
Well said, IB! I’m often amazed at the timorous hyper-sensitivity of those who post online opinions that they know will rile people up! If you’re going to put something out there that’s controversial, then you shouldn’t be surprised when someone takes umbrage, and you should be able to handle the incoming as easily as you were able to write the outgoing.
At my place, where I’m the editor of my think tank’s blog, and as editor I have an iron-clad rule: if you maintain vocabulary that my 11-year old son could read, I don’t care what you say in critique of our thinking. I won’t allow doxing, or threats, or gratuitous personal insults, or baseless speculation or accusations about the writer him or herself to appear. You may attack what we think or say, but not our persons or anything about our characters, education, our lives, our past our upbringing, or the like.
The reasons for this are as simple as they are practical: personal attacks are (1) neither relevant nor even knowable — you simply can’t know who is at the other end of a blog post — and (2) the personal attacks are always cheap dodges, indicating that the attacker has no counter to an idea.
I find that if I edit out that irrelevant nonsense, leaving a marker indicating what I’ve elided, then the post is generally left with very little of substance.
Vox Day would be well advised to try to become as graceful and gracious on his blog as you are on yours.
All that is one of quite a few reasons I like your writing and your commenting so much, IB. You are the quintessential graceful, good-humored respondent. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go off on someone who has posted something completely obnoxious in response to one of your posts. It’s a grace that I struggle to achieve.
Best,
— x
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thanks for your kind words, they are much appreciated. You do a great job of presenting ideas on your blog. Many times I have learned a few things 😉
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