forefront
10-20-2010, 03:55 AM
Here is the letter that I just sent to the editor of the Washington Post, and here is a link to the original thread (http://thelannetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?578-Terrible-MLG-Article) in this forum.
Dear Editor,
I am submitting this letter in objection to an article found on your website, written by staff writer Ms. Jenna Johnson. The article was originally called 'Video gamers finally meet online friends, compete for nerdy bragging rights'. Now I see that the article was re-posted with a new title, and if this was done due to its offensive nature, then I thank you for the change. However, there are still things in the article that many of my peers and I find untrue and biased.
The first thing that I would like to point out is that your writer made it apparent that she did not want to do her job. Whether she felt she had something better to do at the time, or if she was uncomfortable I cannot speculate. However, the general tone of her article was one of negativity and intolerance.
There were several paragraphs that I would like to point out as specific examples. The first being the eighth paragraph in the article. The first sentence states "This weekend's tournament brought together a crowd that confirmed many stereotypes..." I would like to argue this, saying that while some of the stereotypes the author supplies may fit some, or even most of the partcipants, nothing was "confirmed." The most alarming of these is the fact that in this paragraph and the next, she implies that a video game player cannot have a healthy relationship with a female. This is completely untrue and uninformed as she contradicts this in a previous paragraph by interviewing a player's girlfriend. I understand that any implied idea is a matter of reader's opinion, but with the general biased tone it is acceptable to think that the author was attempting to portray this as a truth.
Even with all this said, there is one more thing that I actually found offensive. It is the fact that in paragraph nine, Ms. Johnson implies that video game players do not have proper hygiene to include undesirable body odor, foul breath, and a general unkempt appearance. While I can admit that this is true for some, this is not even a stereotype related to gamers. It is one related to teenagers and young adult bachelors. However, I will again explain that this is not a fact, and does not apply to most.
I am a gamer, but I am also a twenty-three year old United States Marine. I play video games, but I dress in business attire. I enjoy Major League Gaming tournaments, but I keep proper hygiene, and have a beautiful fiancee who is a special education teacher at a middle school. The point that I am trying to make is that we as a community are generally offended by this article. Seeing an article about our passion in such a prestigious medium should be a moment of success. Yet it is a fact that many I have spoken with are not happy, and have been very put off by the article. I would like you to take a look at the article, and remove it from your website. While it may be the opinion of your staff, and possibly yourself that the e-sports community matches such generalized, inappropriate stereotypes, they do not. I would also ask that you consider our position in society and realize that while some may not like it, we are the current and future professionals, philosophers, and heroes of this society. I hope that you can understand the frustration some of us feel, and I would like to thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
W. E. "Forefront" Hawkins
Dear Editor,
I am submitting this letter in objection to an article found on your website, written by staff writer Ms. Jenna Johnson. The article was originally called 'Video gamers finally meet online friends, compete for nerdy bragging rights'. Now I see that the article was re-posted with a new title, and if this was done due to its offensive nature, then I thank you for the change. However, there are still things in the article that many of my peers and I find untrue and biased.
The first thing that I would like to point out is that your writer made it apparent that she did not want to do her job. Whether she felt she had something better to do at the time, or if she was uncomfortable I cannot speculate. However, the general tone of her article was one of negativity and intolerance.
There were several paragraphs that I would like to point out as specific examples. The first being the eighth paragraph in the article. The first sentence states "This weekend's tournament brought together a crowd that confirmed many stereotypes..." I would like to argue this, saying that while some of the stereotypes the author supplies may fit some, or even most of the partcipants, nothing was "confirmed." The most alarming of these is the fact that in this paragraph and the next, she implies that a video game player cannot have a healthy relationship with a female. This is completely untrue and uninformed as she contradicts this in a previous paragraph by interviewing a player's girlfriend. I understand that any implied idea is a matter of reader's opinion, but with the general biased tone it is acceptable to think that the author was attempting to portray this as a truth.
Even with all this said, there is one more thing that I actually found offensive. It is the fact that in paragraph nine, Ms. Johnson implies that video game players do not have proper hygiene to include undesirable body odor, foul breath, and a general unkempt appearance. While I can admit that this is true for some, this is not even a stereotype related to gamers. It is one related to teenagers and young adult bachelors. However, I will again explain that this is not a fact, and does not apply to most.
I am a gamer, but I am also a twenty-three year old United States Marine. I play video games, but I dress in business attire. I enjoy Major League Gaming tournaments, but I keep proper hygiene, and have a beautiful fiancee who is a special education teacher at a middle school. The point that I am trying to make is that we as a community are generally offended by this article. Seeing an article about our passion in such a prestigious medium should be a moment of success. Yet it is a fact that many I have spoken with are not happy, and have been very put off by the article. I would like you to take a look at the article, and remove it from your website. While it may be the opinion of your staff, and possibly yourself that the e-sports community matches such generalized, inappropriate stereotypes, they do not. I would also ask that you consider our position in society and realize that while some may not like it, we are the current and future professionals, philosophers, and heroes of this society. I hope that you can understand the frustration some of us feel, and I would like to thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
W. E. "Forefront" Hawkins