Video: Sessler Stands Up To Bigotry On Xbox Live
Ever since this beautiful moment at GDC 08, I've known we have a straight ally in G4's Adam Sessler. And after yesterday's brave tirade on Sessler's Soapbox, the rest of the online universe knows it as well.
Here you see Sessler stand up to the culture of rampant racist and homophobic language on Xbox Live and other online gaming platforms - his sincerity and passion are undeniable, and I don't think I'll be going out on a limb by saying that the entire gay gaming community thanks Adam Sessler for standing up to the legions of anonymous bullies who hurl hate speech into their headsets while hiding safely in their homes.
He points out a truly disturbing trend: gamers, once stereotyped as weak, flabby "mouth-breathers" are in danger of sidling into another stereotype altogether: that of the obnoxious bigot whose language is filled with words he'd be far too cowardly to scream in public, where burly homos such as yours tinily might take it upon ourselves to correct their behavior with some skull cracking. Not to mention African-American gamers who just might not take so kindly to scores of white kids throwing around the N-word.
What's more, Sessler invites anyone who thinks such bigotry of race and sexuality is justified to write in and explain the ethical defensibility of their behavior. Not surprisingly, the comments so far are resoundingly sane. Check it out for yourselves, and thank you Mr. Sessler, for standing up for basic human decency.
[Thanks, Randle!]
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, Miscellany, Videos on 12 June 2008
· Comments (23)
Other stuff like this: adam sessler, bigotry, g4, hate speech, homophobia, racism, sessler's soapbox, xbox live
I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Sessler, and this simply increased it even further. I hope more people decide to stand up to this kind of hate online.
*Hugs to Adam*
It's good to hear that straight people are actually offended or at least uncomfortable with this language online.
I know that all my gay, black, and jewish friends have just sorta accepted the fact that XBOX Live is full of people being bigoted (which is why I never have general chat up), but if more straight people actually start talking about this, then maybe we can all feel a little more comfortable online.
After typing that last line, I realize how dreamy and unrealistic that sounds, but a guy can dream, right?
I'm so pleased that more and more of the prominent figures in gaming are taking a stance against the juvenile and immature behavior exhibited in open online gaming.
Also, the way he ended the segment was pure awesome.
Nicely said Mr. Adam Sessler.
Thank you very much.
After reading through a long list of the comments, many people are on Adam's side and are taking the mature, clean way out (mute and ignore them). I also noticed that the only ones who were challenging against what Adam had said, showed extremely poor grammar and even more limited vocabulary. I know I don't what to make any general consenses but it's hard not to and I'd let the comments on the link speak for themselves.
Well said mr Adam *thumbs up*
Its ok, according to one poster, its over the net so it dosn't really count as an insult "really" and you should just ignore it...
Hey FriskyApple. Being African American and Gay, I haven't ignored the rabid use of "gay", "fag" and the N-Word - I've just stopped playing games online.
The attitude of such players has made me mark my calendar. When it becomes time for me to renew my Gold membership, I'm declining. I appreciate Microsoft's efforts to root out such issues by the ability to file complaints and its Code of Conduct, but very few people are abiding by it.
Many of you are right. We do need more straight and gay persons decrying online behavior. Of course they should not limit it to one console but all gaming units in general.
Thank you Adam.
I don't understand why people who play online don't report the individuals the minute they mention an slur. Are they afraid they won't have anyone to play with? If that's the case are the people really worth playing with.
Thank you, Mr. Sessler. It is rewarding to know that someone so highly respected in the gaming community is on our side. However, I'm afraid that by using "endemic" and "Neanderthal", you have gone way over the intellectual heads of the very shits that you are trying to speak to.
Is not just in video game land, in real life is worse.
Why Latino and Black men spit at gay men?
I live in a heavily Black and Latino neighborhood and I noticed that every time they walk past me or other gay men they just spit to their side. I have seen this "behavior" in other places not just my neighborhood as well. Is this a "new" thing or they have always done this? For the record I am Latino and gay.
A definite thanks to Adam, it's nice to hear such open remarks against what seems to be an ever growing problem.
I have always loved Adam Sessler and his comments. I am glad that he talks about this problem on Xbox Live, though I will add that there is a problem with sexism on Live as well.
*slow clap*
Well said Adam. I've been noticing that more and more people on TF2 are getting better at muting and kicking the real a-holes. But it still sucks. I played GTA4 multiplayer all of 2 times before pulling the plug after hearing the N word 4 different times by 4 different people. It's been sitting in it's case ever since.
I do report people, but it sucks to have to stop playing all the time to do it.
Well Said! Sessler you truly are the man!
(at the risk of sounding narcasistic) I'm happy to bring spread this video, because frankly I think more people should see it.
I heart Adam Sessler.
That was well done. I like how he mentions you can be foul mouthed and shocking while still in good humor. I'm guessing some people who look up to Sessler are feeling a little stupid right now.
I think what it will take to change the subculture that uses the bigoted language is another subculture that thinks it's lame and immature but is still able to talk trash. Thanks, Sessler, for doing your part to create that.
It's very cool of Adam to stand up and say what he did. I appreciate it very much as a gay person and also as a decent human being. I think the only thing I can disagree with him on is the idea that it's a recent development that people have begun to behave in such a manner while online. Since the debut of Xbox Live I've heard the same terrible language on the voice chat, and before that it was in-game text chat in various online PC games. I'm not sure where Adam has been all these years, but I sure wish I could have been there for this supposed golden age of online civility that he seems to reminisce for.
This is one of the reasons why I do not like to play online games very often. The anonymity of online play seems to make people throw common decency out the window sometimes. I rarely have any form of general communication up. I talk with people I know and ignore the majority of everyone else, which kind of defeats the purpose of having massive online gaming worlds.
It is cool of a well known and respectable person in the industry to take a stand, but sadly I think the people ignorant enough to use such hate speech will probably be too ignorant to learn from his example.
He's right, the #1 reason why I don't play on XBL against people I don't know is because I don't want to get shit from an 8 year old. I do however enjoy some of that kind of trash talk when I am among friends. What can I say? When you don't know someone, there is a line that shouldn't be crossed. When you know who you're playing against, you can talk smack without people getting bent out of shape.
As for "is this how you want to represent yourself?..." Well, that's the question I would like to ask to anyone who drops the N-word like it's hot. Frankly I think that if Dr. King were still alive he's vomit everytime he heard that word being used, regardless of what race is saying it.
I respect Sessler for saying what we all think. But I must admit, I still find him annoying. And I really don't know why.
I'm with you autobot. Prolly cos his name is Sessler, which sounds like sass... And I've always perceived him as irate, aggressive and loud on G4TV. But if he uses that for the common good, then that is all we can ask for, right?