Popular gaming forum NeoGaf, which prides itself in hosting an “civil, evidence-based discussion” on various video game industry-related news and topics has banned members for posts that are not anti-Trump.
The numerous bans were handed out during discussion within a topic entitled: “How can the games industry resist and push back against Trump & his fascism?”
The original post by NeoGaf member, Lime, asks what methods developers and publishers might be able to utilize in order to combat what the user describes as President-Elect Donald Trump’s “white supremacist, sexist, Islamophobic, homophobic, imperialistic ideology“. The post went on to offer suggestions such as; donations to civil rights groups, increasing the diversity of staff by hiring people from groups the author describes as “oppressed”, and whether news outlets will address the societal context in which they cover video game news.
The NeoGaf author even asks if “Microsoft consider how their own company is situated in a country with a white supremacist government?”
No evidence or examples were offered in the original post to support the assertion that Donald Trump is any of the things of which he has been accused of by Lime.
Counter posts on the NeoGaf thread that remotely questioned the legitimacy of these claims, or even expressed fatigue in seeing similar posts through out the internet were banned by forum moderators.
NeoGaf owner Tyler Malka has seemingly allowed the banning of members who do not adhere to the view that President-Elect Donald Trump is a bigoted fascist.
The following posts, all of which were located on the first page of the thread, resulted in bans for their respective members:
Just what the gaming industry needs to be taken seriously: taking sides in politics with an aim to undermine the results of a democratic election.
The FUD echoing the chamber on GAF right now is unbearable and the mods would do well to confine it to OT – Hix
I agree.
Also, by the time trump commentary made it into a commercial product it would be akin to throwing in a stale meme, so I hope it’s nothing direct. – Nose Master
Who said he is fascist? – PhillipDoesMatter
Maybe, just maybe, they’ll continue behaving exactly how they have and not involve themselves in embarrassing hyperbolic political propaganda. But I’m just spit balling here. – benjammin
If you’re so scared there is the 2nd amendment – Azzurri
How can one half of the population’s extremist control freaks combat the other half of the population’s extremist control freaks? – NinjamicWZ
No, his problem is that you make very little argument here in gaming than “trump bad, how can we fight back”….which is exactly what people are doing in OT.
If this was a “EA backing Trump policies” or “Nintendo making game against Trump” it would make more sense for a discussion than your hypothetical “discussion” you put over here – Blackjaw
Wow. Maybe keep this stuff to non gaming. If you wanna debate Trump and the election that’s cool.
But this seems a bit of a stretch to have in the gaming forum – VinceDiCola
I think I was just banned from #neogaf for saying people needs to respect the result of the election. Is this reality?
— whyman (@whyman) November 12, 2016
I reached out directly to whyman and verified that he had not received an explanation for his banishment, from NeoGaf site moderator’s. He also confirmed his belief that his above quoted post was the reason for the blocking, since he does not post on that site regularly.
If the bans did indeed result from comments that could be construed as pro-Trump, or at least neutral-Trump, then they would run counter to NeoGaf’s own stated rules of conduct.
Article II of the NeoGaf terms of service states that “Negative commentary and minority opinions are not frowned upon, but members are expected to be able to substantiate their positions.”
While NeoGaf does reserve the right to institute a ban at any time, the troubling irony here is the denial of any argument to the questions posed by the original author that run contrary to the assertion that President-Elect Trump is a fascist. This behavior, in and of itself, is a disturbing form of institutionalized fascism on the part of the NeoGaf moderators.
A feeling of shock and anger has swept over young millennials sympathetic to Democratic party nominee, Hillary Clinton, in the wake of the stunning upset victory of her rival, Donald Trump, in last week’s US Presidential Elections.
Vast swaths of mostly twenty-somethings, too young to have been politically aware prior to the election of current US President Barack Obama, have engaged in numerous protests throughout the country, although the goals of these demonstrations is unclear.
What are your thoughts?
Do you feel that NeoGaf is indeed banning users for posting anything but an anti-Trump sentiment? If so, do you think that form of censorship is justified, or do you think that the NeoGaf powers that be have failed to practice the tolerance that they ardently profess?
Exercise your free speech in the comments section below.
Written by The Watchman
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