I've thought long and hard if, or what, to say and write to the current news that dominate all of Activision Blizzard. I struggle between expressing loudly and clearly my support for those who were hurt, which I do, and not taking away even an iota of space for the voices that should be listened to right now, which mine is not.
So I would like to give space here to someone I admire very much, who has helped me and this project immensely in the past years, and who expressed their thoughts I fully support and agree,
DragonsAfterDark.
My thoughts on the Activision-Blizzard Lawsuit
If you have 6 minutes, please use them to listen to her message, since it is an important one.
There is only one thing I want to add myself: this is not the first time something like this happens. And almost certainly, it will not be the last. But as Dragons says, it is important that we listen, that we work through this, or otherwise it will never stop. This is not pleasant, it is not easy, but it can also be a chance. A chance for us as a community, and in the larger sense of things for us as a society, even as a species, to become better, to improve, by NOT looking away anymore. Instead, by looking more closely, to look at where it hurts, because only then we can help those who suffer. Not by pushing them into doing something against their will, which might include speaking up publicly, but by protecting them. And I am not speaking about open attacks, I mean protecting them from or in situations they are not prepared for. Because maybe self-preservation strategies were not part of their upbringing, maybe it is the first time they are put in a situation with someone not behaving like a human being, maybe it is their first job and the first time someone with more power is taking advantage of that, and of them. And often enough, they don't need a knight in shining armor but simply someone who looks, who listens, and who believes them.
Don't be the person who just watches, gossips or worse, takes part. Be the person who protects. Be the person I wish I was when confronted with such situations, and who I pledge to be when it happens again. And as much as I hope the opposite, it will happen again.
Thank you for your time in this difficult situation, game on!
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Whuumper wrote on 2021-08-24 08:32:59
They know what to do to correct such immature childish behavior...
But then again when every one was dry humping in Goldshire -(You all Laughed -Correct! )
They need to return group summon/mass rez/reforging/and coins again for raids.
They can easily return this game to glory with more hard work and less butt chasing...
Start demanding better why pay for ludicrous make believe auction house priced tokens...
For 20 dollars a flat 250k in gold.Let the Chinese start matching that ...
Farming -grinding -Beta testers only going in to see content ahead of time .Then they turn elitist's...
Start cracking down on dumb,we need no more worlds.We have plenty start expanding vertically...
Naval ships in garrison that are show only...Boring...
No ingenuity ,and stop reformatting old raids...
You don't see that every new one is a cheap version of another?
Its like the old cartoon trick.Why draw scenery when you can just make toon move in old scenery...
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Mssmee#1831
wrote on 2021-08-18 00:41:24
I have experienced physical harassment in the workplace in the past and in my case was never addressed but I was already leaving the job in question when it occurred. I hope we can all do better at encouraging each other's efforts and not be toxic.
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CardinalFlyer wrote on 2021-08-17 18:39:12
During my career, I rose to senior management levels. I had the pleasure of working with some truly exceptional human resource specialists who helped me build the culture and workplace that I wanted. But that was not always the case, and frankly was more of an exception than the rule in much of high-tech. In multiple other companies, my wife suffered wage discrimination, being told that she needed to dress differently, and was often told that her behaviour was inappropriate for a woman. This is not just a high-tech problem: it is built into our culture and takes intentional effort to change it.
I am a white male. I went to a great high school. I graduated from Berkeley. And it took a long time for me to understand the hurdles that women and people without the privileges and expectations that I grew up with must overcome. I strongly feel that is the responsibility of executives of companies to ensure that those hurdles are removed, and environments are created to build on the talents from all of our resources. This is especially critical in creative environments - which is all of the technology industry, and especially gaming and entertainment.
Sometimes it is hard for executives to see everything in their domain. But the responsibility is still there - to investigate - to listen - and to hire individuals that will push you to build a better workplace. When executives fail to do so, they should be replaced. And when companies as an entity fail to do so, the last resort is lawsuits. And those can be valid mechanisms of change, not just for the company being sued, but for other companies wishing to avoid such penalties.
I applaud the individuals who are working to force change at Activision/Blizzard. I hope that the company can grow and change and embrace the creative potential of a more empowered and diverse workforce to continue to build great games and great entertainment for all of us.
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Fazethree
wrote on 2021-08-11 01:15:39
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anybodykilla#1103
wrote on 2021-08-08 15:40:19
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Shinmizu
wrote on 2021-08-07 06:40:49
Although words are very strong, it is the deeds that really bring about change. So while I may not have the power to effect such change, I can participate in it by setting an example and being respectful in this massive community and by rejecting and reporting any abusive behaviour, both inside and outside of any environment.
Thank you again to everyone for speaking out against this irrational behaviour and let's all take a stand so that this does not become a habit.
See you on the next adventure!
4
Sazalla wrote on 2021-08-07 00:24:54
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Sargasm
wrote on 2021-08-05 23:34:32
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Inovindil
wrote on 2021-07-31 01:43:45
I learned, that if a man comes towards me I should lower my gaze because otherwise he could think, I would be interested.
I learned, that if I would wear a sexy dress, I would kind of invite a man. The less cloth, the more invitation. Better not to wear a Bikini.
I learned, that I should never walk alone at late, because that would be an invitation too. Because woman who walk around in the dark must want thant. No chance, they just want to go home after work.
I learned, that it is normal, that boys my age grab my boobs. It's kind of a male ritual. They show their strength or something like that.
I learned, that a man could not understand, that a "no" really means no. They just don't understand the language of a woman. For them a no means yes. A yes or a perhaps, by the way, means yes to. So it doesn't matter, what you say. It's always yes.
I learned, that a boy needs more pocket money because they have higher expenses. Don't now for what. So it's no surprise, that man get paid better for the same job. I'm sure, they still have higher expenses.
I also learned, that computers are nothing, a girl should touch, because girls are not able to understand that.
I am a mid-forty IT-Consultant now. I had a damn lot to do, to change my learned behavior. I'm not done yet.
It's not Blizzard. Blizzard is just the company that gets a lawsuit right now. It's part of the system. It's something we learn as children and many people are never able to change their learned behavior.
What we really need to do is to change what we teach our children.
Last week while shopping I heard a mother tell her perhaps 14 or 15 year old daughter, that she should not complain about getting raped if she would really wear that small piece of cloth not worth the name skirt. It' wonderful to see how the world changes. (edited)
6
Nyari
wrote on 2021-07-31 02:28:15
Thank you for your words and thank you for your part in the change.
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Kahlan-sm
wrote on 2021-07-31 14:15:21
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skallagrime
wrote on 2021-08-01 13:52:55
“Most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally evil, but by people being fundamentally people.”
that is an important thing to understand in terms of biology, it is also important to understand that we CAN opt in and out of what biology nudges us towards, but expecting everyone to come to the same place at the same time simply because YOU have, thats a stretch
0
Aranesh
wrote on 2021-08-01 15:20:26
Where do you take it from that anyone in this thread is expecting that? (edited)
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skallagrime
wrote on 2021-08-01 18:08:39
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Aranesh
wrote on 2021-08-01 18:51:36
What you wrote is largely true and I would even agree with most of it, but it seems out of place here.
Perhaps read again what Inovindil wrote and comment on that, instead of writing about your assumptions of what other people's motivation or goals might be. Or, if you really want to know what Inovindils goals in posting here were, the easiest way to find out is to ask :-)
In the end, isn't your entire point that it's better to move away from the political divide and focus on what unites us, being humans and humane in that?
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Kahlan-sm
wrote on 2021-07-31 14:12:21
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DragonsAfterDark
wrote on 2021-07-31 22:03:07
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Kahlan-sm
wrote on 2021-08-01 07:46:29
I hope you are in a good place dear DragonsAfterDark, thank you for speaking.
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DragonsAfterDark
wrote on 2021-08-01 16:13:32
For me it's been a combination of therapy and medication, and I've probably been the most stable and content the last few months. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to speak about this; there are just subjects you learn to avoid to keep your mental health in a decent place. There were a lot of things that my experience took away from me, and I decided I was going to try and speak out so another thing would, hopefully, not be added to that list.
As for your experiences they are just as valid. You felt the need to change your behavior and dress as a result of the remarks and the discomfort that resulted, and that's not okay, either. I wish that hadn't happened to you, and I wish the same for all the people at ABK. It's my sincere hope that everyone involved keeps this momentum going and we see some real change for all of us. ^-^
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Wowgrl
wrote on 2021-07-31 10:04:33
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3891970/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3
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josephb
wrote on 2021-07-30 22:49:47
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Nyari
wrote on 2021-07-30 02:37:34
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DragonsAfterDark
wrote on 2021-07-29 22:23:04
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