Thread by @kenogulabz

@Polygon Just when I thought you couldn't stoop any lower, Ben Kuchera sticks his vile nose into the mix. It was only a matter of time.

I say this not because of any history with GG or any such nonsense, but because I've been watching Polygon for years now, and confronted him before.

@Polygon "what makes this situation so unique is O’Brien’s inability to act like an adult."

How, exactly, is he not acting like an adult in this situation? Unfounded ad hominem #1

@Polygon "Deroir’s lack of empathy for what happened throughout this controversy is notable, as is his claim that he’s a feminist."

... Lack of empathy? Why mock him for supposedly not being a feminist? How did you come to the conclusion he is not? Unfounded ad hominem #2

@Polygon "While Deroir may not have been the worst example of that trend, his tweet definitely exists in the proud tradition of male gamers talking down to the women who make their games."

How was he talking down to her? He respected her, as he stated many times. Unfounded ad hominem #3

@Polygon "because women who don’t talk to players with sufficient amounts of fealty make for tempting targets"

She is the one who made the claim that she was being criticized for not paying fealty; no-one else made that claim, and she conjured it out of thin air.

@Polygon "Leaders would look at the situation, de-escalate the rhetoric and maybe put a more robust social media policy in place. But O’Brien didn’t want to lead; he wanted to satisfy the mob, and he did it in the worst way possible by firing Price." - It was too late to de-escalate.

@Polygon "Whether O’Brien intended to or not, he helped to perpetuate an ideology situated at the center of a never-ending battle."

You are actually one of the primary forces perpetuating it, not the person in question.

@Polygon "O’Brien’s rush to act rewarded the worst behavior in gaming"

There's two sides to this coin. It was punishing the worst behavior in development - one that would hurt all his other employees - and, yes, possibly rewarding bad behavior. Two concerns that need to be balanced.

@Polygon "The idea [is] that fans are somehow entitled to these relationships with developers,” Massanari said."

Show me how that entitlement was expressed here. Provide evidence, Kuchera.

@Polygon "They’re going to keep trying, and it won’t stop at ArenaNet. O’Brien sent his own message with this firing: Keep up the outrage, it’s more effective than compassion and leadership."

No, that's the message _you_ are sending by twisting his words to your worldview.

@Polygon @BenKuchera , you need to answer for these types of serious, unfounded personal attacks you make in this article.

I'd try posting this as a comment on the site, but I already know you don't tolerate criticism or disagreement there.

Not holding my breath here, either.