Here, let me weigh in on the latest Penny Arcade controversy.
Mike “Gabe” Krahulik, the Penny Arcade cartoonist, made some tweets a while ago that, to put it charitably, demonstrated some insensitivity to the transgender community. Actually, I think that’s probably the most accurate way to put it — I don’t think his flippant words were truly those of a man who is “transphobic,” just someone who lacks empathy in general for anything he hasn’t already decided is important. We throw around the “-phobic” label far too cavalierly these days. All sorts of offense-causing acts are motivated by feelings other than sheer fear or hatred.
I read Penny Arcade religiously when I was a teenager, and I have strong respect for what the company — for that’s what it now is — has done for webcomics and the art’s rising profile as a respectable and important player in 21st century culture and commerce. But I haven’t “liked” the comic in any serious sense for quite a while, and controversies like this are a good reminder why. There’s a vulgar, combative, cocksure attitude that motivates much of what Mike and his partner, Jerry Holkins, do, from the gross sense of humor they express in their comics, to the cruel manner they carry themselves on their reality show, to the snarky way they tweet, to the apocalyptic battles they choose to pick with anyone they believe has wronged them. I don’t find that kind of smug nastiness compelling or attractive.
“I’m very good at being a jerk. It’s sort of my superpower,” writes Mike in his sort-of apology currently posted on his site. “When it comes to Penny Arcade it has served me well but it’s not okay when I make a bunch of people who are already marginalized feel like shit.”
When you speak in a blunt, absolutist, arrogant way about everything — indeed, when you place great premium on having that “persona” — it’s more or less inevitable that eventually you’ll express some dumb opinions on a topic about which you know very little. And when you’re used to framing all your critics as nuts or enemies, it’s inevitable that it will be very difficult to even be aware when you do this, and very hard to see the need to apologize afterwards.
This is not PA’s first scandal stemming from this same cycle of flippancy-begets-public outrage-begets-hunkering down. Daniel Kaszor, in Canada’s National Post of all places, has a good summary of a similar incident in 2010 involving that great bugaboo of our time — the rape joke.
“The argument was never that they shouldn’t be allowed to make the joke,” says Kaszor, “but that the critics wished that they were the types of people who wouldn’t make the joke.” Indeed.
Likewise, Mike’s current concession to his critics, a promise that “I’ll keep my mouth shut when it comes to all the other stuff” and only talk publicly about video games and cartoons from now on — seems like exactly the wrong lesson to be learning.
I’ve never understood why so many figures in the public arena choose to shy away from openly discussing controversial, or politically-charged topics. I guess the idea is that if you say nothing, you’ll give people nothing to hate, but I just don’t think that’s a very practical long-term strategy in the age of social media, where everyone’s constantly chattering publicly about everything all the time. Much better to just be open about where you stand, and weigh in with your opinions when appropriate, but with dignity, respect, and moderation. People might not agree with you, but if you have a bit of poise and tact, they’ll at least understand you’re coming from a thoughtful place. In the comics community, I understand the leading role model of this sort of thing is Douglas TenNaple, the creator of Earthworm Jim who’s also a Christian fundamentalist. People don’t like a lot of what he believes, but no one thinks he’s a wicked or hateful person, because he’s gone to great efforts to make it clear he isn’t, in previous writings and conversation.
The alternative is what Mike’s experiencing right now. If you conceal everything you actually believe about matters “political” or “contentious” (even if you believe only progressive, politically-correct things), people will invariably think your first thoughtless tweet on some sensitive topic is the clearest, most genuine expression of your overall attitude, simply because it’s the first noise they’ve heard. It gives the impression, to once again cite a saying I’m fond of, that the worst thing you’ve ever done is somehow the truest thing about you.
Of course, it’s also true that some people just aren’t terribly thoughtful in the first place. If you expected otherwise from Penny Arcade, it’s probably time to move on.