People Worth Mentioning

In the past week I had the good fortune to enjoy some incredibly humorous episodes of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. A focus of their satire rested on none other than Megyn Kelly, a “newswoman” from Fox “News” who made the following statements in regards to Santa Claus:

“Santa Claus just is white.”

Now, maybe I am taking this out of context. I could very well be. In the interest in fairness, here is a clip to her official website of not only her initial comments but her defense of them as well. See, I’m letting her have the first word. Now, go take a look (really you have to see this).

Did you watch it? Okay… she’s had her say.

I am not joking now. So Megyn Kelly (by the grace of my good fortune), if you are reading this site I want you to know: you represent everything I hate most about my country. Not to say I hate the United States. Not in the slightest, I believe firmly that the USA has the potential to be the greatest nation on the planet. But what stops it? People like you.

For the record, it’s not her initial statement that annoys me. Everyone makes mistakes. I put my foot in my mouth at least a third of the time I open it. We’re all human: we all say stupid and potentially offensive things from time to time. It’s her “apology” that is so infuriating. Here is a how-to in proper apology etiquette:

1) Accept responsibility for your actions.

2) Express regret for said actions.

3) Be sincere in above statements.

It’s not a complicated process, that’s why we teach it to children. Notice how there is no “express feelings of victimization/persecution” step? Too bad, because that’s all Megyn Kelly’s “apology” was. When someone actually apologies for something he/she did wrong, the offended party shouldn’t feel like it owes an apology as well.

In the United States, there is an atmosphere of self-righteous. This is true of any country and humanity in general. Everyone wants to believe they’re the good guy. Sure, it’s an understandable notion. America is no different, everyone born in this country is raised to believe that America is “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. That is a pretty awesome description. We’re also raised with the knowledge that we were founded on liberty, revolted against oppression, destroyed the nazis and declared war on terror. In short: we’re raised to believe America is pretty bitchin’.

While not part of the official curriculum yet, public schools hope to teach this by 2025.

I’m not going to go into whether the USA actually is or not. There are plenty of valid opinions on both sides of that issue. Just let the record show that, while I personally believe my country is flawed, I am still proud to be from it. However, it is when this attitude of “I am American, I can do no wrong” is carried too far, that Americans unquestionably become the arrogant assholes that other parts of the world stereotype us to be.

Megyn Kelly and most of Fox News represents this attitude. Just look at how Bill O’Reilly defended Kelly’s statements. He brings up a valid point of “it doesn’t matter”… while taking the time to defend it, rather than simply saying that Megyn made an erroneous statement (which everyone does occasionally).

So f*ck it, if both of them feel that they have to be defensive, maybe it does matter. And if it matters then the answer obviously is: Santa Claus isn’t just white. But why stop at Santa? From now on, the tooth fairy is gay, the Easter Bunny is Muslim and Jesus was a Jew (yes, I’m aware that last one is an actual fact). Anything that makes the omnipotent Megyn Kelly feel that she has to make more “jokes” to feel comfortable. Because, for you kids reading at home, Megyn Kelly just is a racist bigot, and that’s a verifiable fact.

Santa Claus just is a kitten in an over-sized hat.

For those out there who read this blog, you’ve no doubt noticed that there are certain other internet sites that I reference more than others. Giant Bomb is one such favorite that I like to mention (find the site here ). Of all the video game review sites out there, Giant Bomb is my personal favorite. The Quick Look feature allows for a level of gameplay understanding not found on other critical gaming sites. I’ve picked today to celebrate the genius that is Giant Bomb, yet recently was the saddest day in the web site’s short history. We mourn the loss of co-creator, Ryan Davis.

The friendly face of Giant Bomb. May he rest in peace. 1979-2013

I am saddened that I never had the opportunity to meet Ryan or to speak with him. To understand the man we will look back at Giant Bomb’s history; at its creation and the principles that the site stood for. Yes, I video game review site can have principles. In 2007, the world of video game critics was kind of a joke. As I have mentioned before: AAA games were pretty much guaranteed a good review. Gamespot.com was one such site where the AAA found a certain unfair favor.

Enter Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Not one of the worst games ever made but by no means good, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men was your typical bargain bin fodder. A game that comes out and goes from sixty dollars to twenty dollars in a matter of months. However, this game was made by Eidos Interactive, a large video game developer who paid Gamespot a lot of money to advertise on their site. Imagine how red their faces must have been when video game critic, Jeff Gerstmann, delivered the negative review.

In short: both Gamespot and Eidos were displeased with the review and Jeff Gerstmann found himself out of the job. However, he did not vanish quietly into the night. The firing of Gerstmann triggered what would become known as “the Gamespot Exodus” wherein multiple individuals abruptly resigned the company at the same time. Among these were Alex Navarro, Brad Shoemaker, Vinny Caravella and Ryan Davis. This team of men would go on to create Giant Bomb.

A unique genesis to make a unique site, Giant Bomb was the breath of fresh air in a market that was too heavily controlled by fixed critical reception. To this day, I still trust Giant Bomb more than any other site. Places like IGN and Gametrailers are good for their quick reviews, except that video games aren’t over quickly. They are a continued experience.

The Quick Look, Giant Bomb’s iconic feature, provides that extra level of analysis. Also it is incredibly funny to watch grown men play Kinect.

If I may, there is one example that showcases how important a site like Giant Bomb is for the consumer. Remember Resident Evil 6? A lot of people (including me) were really wondering about that game when it came out. Resident Evil 4 stands as one of the greatest games of recent memory while Resident Evil 5 was… not so much. So which game would 6 be: more of 4 or more of 5? I’m a big fan of the series and was ready to fork over sixty dollars if the new one was up to snuff. I looked on Gametrailers and saw this. Doesn’t look too bad right? Not “game of the year” but not bad. I was getting ready to go out an buy it. Then I watched the Giant Bomb Quick Look. I am so glad I watched that before wasting my money.

Giant Bomb also has a tendency to cover many of the smaller, frankly more interesting indie releases out there. Products that other websites are slow to get to, Giant Bomb does in a hurry. Yeah, they’re indie and there’s less money involved but honestly, a lot of those smaller games coming out on Steam look a lot more fun to play right now than the AAA titles; and I base a large portion of that statement off of my experiences watching Giant Bomb.

As the audience, you can’t help but trust them. They don’t come off as paid critics but rather as passionate individuals doing what they love and luckily making a living while doing it. That is their charm and Ryan Davis encapsulated that as an individual. He came off as nothing but a nice guy whose charm earned him the benefit of many close relationships in the industry.

Giant Bomb will continue and hopefully maintain their unique flavor of critique. Yet Ryan will be missed. I’m going to take this moment so give a few examples of just how many people Ryan touched with his passion and sincerity.

IGN.

And finally, the last and most fitting tribute: Giant Bomb.

Greatness comes from humble beginnings that seized opportunity.

On a side note I would like to apologize for my unscheduled absence over the past two weeks. However, my unexpected vacation is now over and regular posting should resume. So… yay that.

Santa Claus Just Isn't White

Celebrating Giant Bomb in Memorium to Ryan Davis