Over at Kairos, Brian points out a discussion about gatekeeping, keeping SJW’s out, and how EVS/D&C/etc. are determined to keep SJW’s out but hate being called gatekeepers.
I feel their pain. I hate bullshit – more even that flat out lies.
This conflation is pure bullshit.
An expansion of what I posted as a comment at G+:
This is jailhouse / sea lawyer bullshit. The problem here is that we’re seeing a conflation of what gatekeeping commonly means to make the D&C/EVS/alt-comics crowd look like hypocrites.
In the commonsense version, defining what kind of product you want to put out, what kind of themes you want to have that you’re willing to spend your time and money to promote and develop, what kind of stories you’re willing to tell, and who you’re willing to work with, is not gatekeeping. You are only affecting your company, and what kind of fans you were willing to cater to.
In the commonsense, gatekeeping would be taking a near monopoly (or one of “big three/big two”) position of power to determine who is even allowed to try to play. Tor. DC. Marvel. Much like I once said in the post about socialism versus government being a matter of focus, gatekeeping in the common sense is not about deciding who you want to work with, but blocking opportunities for other people to work at all.
In short, it’s scope. Pay attention and you’ll spot the implied motte of “industry” when they fall back to the bailey of “well you’re controlling ideas at your company and not willing to work with just anyone of all ideas”.
So yes, in a purely technical sense, EVS/etc. are “gatekeeping” what kind of themes they want, and who they want to work with, for their company. Unlike TOR/Marvel/SJW’s, they are not doing it for an entire hobby or industry.
And for those who are all “but that’s not nice” – nice is not a virtue.
The detail that conservatives tend to forget is that when one party violates a contract, the other party is no longer bound by all of its terms. If you sign a contract to buy a car, and the dealer refuses to turn it over you, you aren’t “sinking to their level” by refusing to hand over your money. If you contract an employee who never shows up for work, you aren’t “repaying evil for evil” by withholding his wages. The same is true when dealing with people who are deliberately uncivil to civil people — it fundamentally changes what the rest of society owes them.
Aside – holy shit, some “conservatives” are starting to understand game theory. Politics is war by other means , and the reverse is true. If they won’t play by the rules, reprisals need to be on the table.
People declare how it is acceptable to treat them by how they treat others.
