the face in the ceiling and arms too long

(Continued from part the first.)

NexusChild925 had an interesting response to Dewaiz:

+Dewaiz that may be so but it is the problem of those people. I know this sounds heartless but there is no way anyone can expect the world to adapt to them. As someone else already said triggers can be ANYTHING if he were to give a trigger warning for basically a creature resembling a human thrashing around a mannequin which doesn't even have genitalia as a "Rape Warning" then he may as well accommodate every other possible trauma while he's at it:
Warning gun shots- PTSD
Warning physical combat- Childhood abuse
Warning blood- Hemophobia
Warning Darkness- Nyctophobia
Warning Fog- Homichlophobia
Warning Loud noises- Phonophobia
Warning Bright lights and glitchy flashlight mechanics- Epilepsy
Warning scampering, quick freaky creatures- Me personally....

So do you see how absolutely stupid it would be? Mental trauma is a disorder which must be handled by the victim. Diabetics must check nutritional facts, as do people with food allergies, Epileptics must research movies before going to theaters, and paraplegics don't just move into apartments without checking to see if it has wheelchair access do they? The concept of trigger warnings is stupid and a pleasantry but absolutely NOT a required thing nor should he be punished for not giving one.

I think this is the main point of the counter-arguments, though more are put in less likeable terms overall. That point being, if Cry gives a warning for rape on this game--or, at least, general adult themes--then where does he draw the line? Because let's be honest, what bothers one of us may not bother another of us, even if they had similar traumatic experiences. Isn't it up to the individual in question to protect themselves, rather than insist the world at large puts them in a bubble so they take no responsibility?

I'm not trying to make the point that Mm. Tanaka was wrong to say it bothered them to see that scene. But as referenced later in the thread (with an insane amount of cursing, so I'm omitting the actual comment itself), Tanaka has seen the game before. In point of fact, Tanaka has played the game before. So why scream about needing a trigger warning in the first place, if you've already experienced what you want to be warned against?

From PetvetM:

i totally understand that and a warning would've been nice, like a general warning for intense scenes at the beginning of this playthrough, but you should understand that in a psychological horror game like this, there's bound to be a lot of content that a lot of people are sensitive to. just keep your eyes open for anything more like this, or try and skip through the scenes that are too hard for you.

Also true. And, I won't lie, it's hard for me to summon up much sympathy for the person who calls other people "pony f*cker" and "furfag". That's straight out of 4chan, and that loses Tanaka MAJOR points, IMO.

But was the original point valid? As I don't know how they put it to Cry in the first place, I can't say with any accurate opinion. Requesting that a warning be given--or, at least, typed in the description of the video, if nothing else--isn't wrong. But when to give a warning, that's entirely on the broadcaster, isn't it? There is this, however, which starts with Xbyte Zephyriums reply to Tanaka:

+Konata Tanaka Well... You know, Cry's human too... Of course it's his fault for not triggering... but in this kind of game, I guess it's something you should expect, don't u think? And well, regarding the other games, he may have f*cked up. But don't you think it's hard? I think he at least tries, to the point he himself have triggered some things over the past let's plays. He cannot foressee and expect what could be offensive or not for everyone, but I bet he'd trigger the f*ck out of everything if he'd known about it. And about your "he cares about suicide but doesn't care about child rape at all" probably because he can relate to, it must be hard for him to think for 2 million people that are watching him. I think you've got some kind of right to complain, as long as you do it properly. Well, good luck with a lot of people ganging up and saying mean things to you, but that's internet, stay strong I guess.

And Tanaka's reply in turn:

+Xbyte Zephyrium i know crys human thats why i warned him about this scene and asked him for a warning in the very first hour he uploaded the first episode

he NEVER tried to tag for rape
ever
unless, and im serious, /i/ brought it up with him
literally me
always f*cking me telling this grown ass men to put rape warnings in games
forest of drizzling rain is the only one hes put a warning for.
i just dont get why he doesnt, yknow?

also sorry if i come across as rude bc of my typing! just in advance i guess i wanted to say that

thanks for the vote of confidence friend!! i really dont get why people wanna be mean :/ like it so easy to be nice just chill out listen to people and relax and bam youre happy!
everyone happy and safe!
one day man one day the world will be perfect and safe

Which is a good sentiment, but also, a puzzling one, because it tells me a) Tanaka's been watching Cry for a very long time, and b) there's still that dissonance between wanting everyone to be happy and safe, and calling fellow debaters various unfriendly epithets which are used solely to demean and hurt.

There is one change from all of this, in that Cry added a new bit to the fourth playthrough video, to wit:

"This is a psychological horror warning for all things Silent Hill-related. If you are sensitive to story elements that may or may not contain situations that might involve rape, molestation, child endangerment or self-harm, you might want to stop watching now. This is the one and only warning I will give you. Make sure to look into the parental guide found on websites like IMDb next time. Let's get back into this."

So...I guess that's something?

I won't say it's something positive, because he says this in a very rushed, clipped, and undeniably irritated voice, but...at least it's there.

is it dark already? how light is a light?

Konapun, a Japanese toy company, apparently marketed a fully functional tiny kitchen playset at one point during their reign (between 2007 and 2009, mainly). Unsure how to use it? Watch AAAJoken cook egg and sausage breakfast, or Miniature Space do a pretty passable, if miniscule, chicken curry using the set (or, at least part of the set).

The weird thing is that apparently everyone thought that this more 'American' style cookset was just another toy, until some intrepid souls on YouTube actually cooked edible food on the darned things. No idea where you'd get one now, if you wanted one; I suppose you could check the Konapun collectors' page on eBay, and see if one turns up.

In the meantime, there's been some controversy over one of the YouTube broadcasters I follow. His name's Cryaotic, and, like many YouTube gamers, he plays various games--some that he chooses, some that his fans request--interspersed with question/answer videos and announcements of live streams. In this sense, he's similar to everyone else, only with far less screaming (like some of his contemporaries). Also, he possesses two other things I tend to like: a calm, soothing voice, and a general outlook on the world that is against racism, misogyny and bigotry. This is not to say that he's completely free of any of these traits: he's a white male living in the US, and as a culture, Americans are rather steeped in all three. But he does pretty well.

He also plays horror games...and that's where the controversy comes in.

I can't find the original comment, it was deleted--either by Cry (which is his right as the channel's owner) or by YouTube itself (because on occasion, they step in and do that). But I was able to track down Mm. Tanaka's reaction:



What they're responding to--I want to say "she", but as I don't know for sure, I'm edging towards caution--is a scene in Silent Hill 2, between Pyramid Head and two of the Mannequins. There's a lot of fan theories about this particular scene, and it can be seen to have potential sexual elements, but overall, I think what Pyramid Head is trying to do to the Mannequins involves more outright murder, over rape. Granted, it's highly suggestive, and if you don't know going in that he's trying to force one of the Mannequin's limbs into the garbage disposal (for...reasons unknown), then it's easily misinterpreted.

This is (part of) the scene in question:



I'm not going to show moving footage--you can search YouTube for that, it's a fan favorite scene for many, and in fact, it did inspire the Pyramid Head "Rape Time" meme among (mostly male) fans who failed to understand the context--but I don't feel as if I'm encouraging a 'trigger warning' need on this post, either. At any rate, from that comment, whatever it was, drama spawned, in SPADES.

From Yaranaika in response:

To be perfectly honest "trigger warnings" are absolutely stupid things that should stay in tumblr and never come out.
It's embarrassing seeing someone use that term.

I don't entirely agree, but to be fair, the use of trigger warnings is rife on Tumblr, with many people demanding them for the most innocuous-sounding things.

From Larissa A to Yaranaika:

Or maybe you're just blatant ignorant and insensitive.

That's on the harsh side, but it's the mildest of the responses in kind, so I'm choosing that.

From Inoella:

The ABUSE of trigger warnings is what is embarrassing and stupid. Many people claim to need them just for the attention, however that doesn't mean that some people actually do need them. Where is your compassion? Is it so hard to sympathize with people who have had traumatic experiences and don't want to relive that? Personally I have never need a warning, and regarding the scene in this episode that so many people are talking about, I believe it's purely up to interpretation.

I'd agree. And part of what causes the horror in the Silent Hill franchise--or, at least, the first three games, if not the others--is that sense of not fully understanding what's going on. We see it; we know we see it; but we're not always sure what it is that we're seeing.

From Vladimir Bodrovski:

+Inoella I agree a hundred percent with this. Trigger warning is kind of meant for people who will ABSOLUTELY DIE from a panic attack cus of a scene. (I personally think the most important warning for watching a video is flashing lights in case of seizures) but it seems people now abuse tw for things that make them a tad uncomfortable. SO ABUSED, to the point, that it ironically is slightly oppressive.

Which may be why Cry's fans seized on this, in good and bad ways--the fact that merely requesting a trigger warning is not what happens (especially on Tumblr). Usually, it's used as a counterattack--"You've TRIGGERED me and now I'm having ABUSE FLASHBACKS and you're EVIL and you should DIE!" kinds of comments.

From Flynn Pierce:

+Larissa A The problem with trigger warnings is that anything can be a trigger. A depiction of rape can be a trigger to a rape victim. A gun firing can be a trigger to a veteran suffering from PTSD. Hitting a vaguely humanoid enemy with a lump of wood can be a trigger to someone who was physically abused as a child. Drug abuse can be a trigger to someone recovering from an addiction. The list goes on.

When you go into a horror game you can generally expect a large portion of the list of triggers are going to be fulfilled in some way or another, especially a game as horrific as Silent Hill 2 that covers so many topics. It's just something that comes with the genre.

Now, if the game was a non-horror point and click or platformer that happened to reference a particular trigger? Then I could maybe see a good reason to put a warning in if the scene was particularly graphic, because it's so unexpected.

I agree, and--going back to Tumblr--I get why they're both used and abused alike. Because Tumblr is excessively visual--while in general most people choose what's on their feed, in terms of bloggers, they have no choice on what those bloggers put on their feeds. I follow general (albeit personal) guidelines whenever I post things likely to trigger those extraordinarily depressed, or those rape/abuse victims who may be following my feed. But those warnings are in the tags, not stamped across the images--one must already be employing a program like Tumblr Savior that specifically blocks words you don't want to see. (I actually use that program, only for mine, the two words are "sponsored" or "advertising".)

From PK Boal:

Right, let's just stop warning rape victims of rape scenes. Should be hilarious to watch them have panic attacks and flashbacks, right? I agree with Cry, it's a little redundant to put a trigger warning on a Silent Hill game, but they have a place and a definite purpose.

Trigger warnings are overused on Tumblr, but content warnings are everywhere- those "parental advisory" stamps on music and ratings on TV shows and movies are the first ones that come to mind.

Honestly, a warning for people who need it takes at most a couple of minutes. Speaking from experience, coming out of a panic attack takes nearly an hour of nausea, lightheadedness, and feeling like you're about to die. If you can't spare two minutes to slap a warning on something like an out-of-the-blue rape scene, you shouldn't be putting out content.

While I think PK's correct in the main, I don't agree with the specific 'everyone should do this' conclusion, and the below comment is exactly why.

From FastFlyerJr:

You make a good point but it's still unknown, even today, if it was rape.

As I said earlier, this is true. Do understand, Japan does not function on the same set of sexual "ethics"--if America's both insane draw towards sex, and aversion towards sex, can be so named--that the US does. There are numerous games that exist for the specific purpose of getting some nubile young thing's clothes off, and having sex with her. (There's at least one game that exists solely to wipe the sweat off a naked male post-shower, so it's not solely centered on male urges, either.) In fact, there's a rather infamous game called RapeLay, released in 2006, whose storyline was so offensive that it was subsequently banned from being sold in several countries.

Which brings us to the whole game rating thing. Silent Hill 2--in fact, ALL Silent Hill games, as far as I'm aware--are released with an "M" content stamp. Officially, this is what that rating equates to:



So, in Silent Hill 2: Intense violence, check. Blood and gore, check. Nudity, in a couple places, check. Mature humor: not a lot, but some. Strong language? Check. Strong sexual content: check. Use of drugs and alcohol: not so much.

But your core guidelines are there: strong sexual content. Violence. Blood, gore, nudity. What person needing to be protected from these things would see these guidelines and decide "Sure, let's boot this up!"?

From Dewaiz:

I have never seen a comment chain this unpleasant on a video of Cry. Please understand that some people have traumatic experiences which makes trigger warnings useful to them (panic attacks are not very nice, I assure you). But I also agree that you probably shouldn't be watching horror games if you need trigger warnings for this kind of stuff.

Which references my point above. It's called Silent Hill, and there have been several games, two movies, and a lot of internet commentary (including literally hundreds, if not thousands, of YouTube videos) related to it. It's a horror game, and not an obscure one. So why the controversy?

(To be continued in part two, of two.)