Thread by @beaglerush

I discuss misogyny fairly often lately, and today I need to bring that discussion closer to home.

30 days after his second ban for misogynistic behaviour, @Trainwreckstv will be back broadcasting on Twitch. Now, Gamers with a capital G behaving terribly isn't surprising, and women are a popular target.

But it's the severity of this behaviour and how Twitch responded that makes this situation something that needs to be looked at. So stick with me for a second and let's do that.

I don't know a lot about Trainwrecks, but I'll tell you what I do know: He's a fairly large streamer on Twitch, he plays videogames, and his attitude towards women seems terrible.

Recently he was banned from Twitch for a second time for making misogynistic remarks to women in the online games he was playing while on a stream. These remarks were garbage, but I want to get to them after we've understood the background here - his previous ban last year.

Last year, Trainwrecks was also banned for misogynistic behaviour. You can see some of that behaviour in a pre-written speech he reads out live to inspiring music where he shouts about the 'fake fucks' and 'girls that rejected us' and how he will lead the true nerds against them.

If you have the time, watch it for yourself - it'll give you a better picture than my tweets will, and that's important context. But for those who don't have time, I'll summarise.

In summary, Trainwrecks spends 8 minutes reading a speech he's clearly written and rehearsed. He tries to strike an emotional chord with his viewers, inspiring them into a movement he wants to lead against the 'cucks' and 'girls that use us' who he describes as ruining Twitch.

You know how most people understand that if you're going to be racist or misogynistic, you're meant to at least *try* and do it subtly in a way you can't get pinned on? Yeah, he doesn't bother with that.

"At the end of the day pussy's pussy; don't put it on a pedestal, put it where it belongs - on the fucking couch, and on the fucking ground! Ruin that shit!"
"We will do whatever the fuck we want with pussy!"
"We will feast on the blood and bones of our enemies! I will lead you!"

"Say no more to these goddamn using women! I am the leader! From now on, we will not give you money, from now on we will not sub to you, from now on we will do nothing unless you prove to us it is not an act!"

Oh good, women having to 'prove' they belong somewhere. That's new.

"Tonight, we fucking take this goddamn website back from these boring shitstains, from these cucks, from these girls that use us, we take it back!"

Understand the severity of this. These are not 'questionable' statements; this is 110% Bad.

They are also not private beliefs that have leaked about Trainwrecks; this is him making a premeditated, rehearsed speech on his platform that directs hate and abuse towards women.

He not only holds these awful beliefs, but is going out of his way to promote them in his eager, receptive audience. I cannot emphasize enough how bad his behaviour is and the very real effect it has upon those watching him, those who look up to him and admire him.

This was also not even the only time he did it - here's excerpts from another rant. I think there might be some common threads here.

Now, that Trainwrecks exists is not surprising - men like him are common, and you shouldn't need me to tell you his behaviour is awful. What concerns me is how Twitch responded. And I don't mean viewers - I mean @Twitch the company.

Twitch banned Trainwrecks for this behaviour - that's good!

Unfortunately, the ban was only temporary. Five days, apparently. Yeah, that's bad.

This was not a case of Trainwrecks making a mistake or an accident and needing a lil' time-out - I have to stress again, this was clearly a pre-written, rehearsed speech combined with music and timing and calls to action to achieve a specific goal.

That goal is to affect and rouse an audience, and the direction he chose is the good ol' us vs. them of misogynistic hate. That's not an "oopsie", that's planned. So for a start, I would not be giving Trainwrecks five days off and then a second chance for this kind of shit.

But, second chance nothing, I would also not be giving him a *third* chance. Ah, and now we come to the present.

livestreamfails.com/post/29854

In the present, Trainwrecks has been banned again, this time for behaviour such as harassing someone for playing DPS instead of healing ("Hey Ashley, can you please fucking heal? We get it, you wanna fuckin' act like you're equal and all that bullshit.")

And, when a woman in-game rejected him asking her to follow him on Twitter, he called her fat.

streamable.com/hc90k

If you're truly wondering if Trainwrecks learned anything from his first ban, pay attention to the end of that clip.

"You don't say that."
"I say it."

Trainwrecks won't learn anything from temporary bans for the same reason his fans (and new fans he'll accrue from this) will be waiting for him until he's back. He and his audience don't see someone rightfully punished for awful behaviour. They see a truth-teller.

They see a brave man who'll tell it like it is regardless of the consequences. And when Twitch slaps on a temp ban, it only serves to legitimize him in their eyes. He didn't get banned for behaving badly, he got banned for Speaking Out. He's not a misogynist; he's a martyr.

When others are scared to say something because "You don't say that", guess who's brave enough to say it?

"I say it."

Our hero.

So how do you deal with an unrepentant misogynist who shows no signs of changing their public behaviour, let alone their personal beliefs? It seems clear temporary bans aren't going to fix that. You might want to take away their platform. And we know who has the power to do that.

When discussing the widespread misogyny on Twitch and in gaming, people often like to act like it's not a problem you can fix. "That's just how it is. How do you propose to change it?" as though the scale of the problem is an excuse to ignore it. But that's all it is; an excuse.

A problem being big and difficult to tackle is no reason to ignore it, and if you don't oppose something like this, you accept it. If you accept it, you support it. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.

And with that said, the party here with undeniable power to instantly enforce some positive change, right now, is Twitch. So, how does Twitch intend to oppose Trainwrecks' behaviour?

30 days after his second ban for the same pathetic behaviour that clearly still represents his beliefs, Trainwrecks will be back on Twitch.

Twitch is telling us what, sadly, we already know: regardless of whatever lip service is paid to cracking down on hateful behaviour, the truth is that misogyny on Twitch isn't going anywhere.

After your time off, you're welcome to bring your hateful beliefs back to our platform - just try to be more subtle about it from now on. We don't want to lose you as a partner.

Just like Trainwrecks and his behaviour, this is not an "oopsie" from Twitch. This is not an accident or a mistake. This is a weak stance to take on misogyny. Because as I've discussed before, misogynistic beliefs are infectious, and gaming is a perfect breeding ground for it.

I've believed the things Trainwrecks is saying. I've been that guy. I mean, literally, not even that long ago I've BEEN that guy who criticizes 'sexy' female streamers as manipulative at worst detrimental at best, beliefs I've come to abandon as my own understanding has changed.

In another life, I'm one of those people in his chat eating his rant up. So I get where the love for him and his "truth" is coming from, and that's exactly why I do not want to see more people encouraged into these misleading, hateful beliefs.

Much less by someone who does so because he wants to "start a movement". Yikes.

Trainwrecks is not rare. We have more than enough men who say and believe things like "We will do whatever the fuck we want with pussy" and "What do you mean no?". That is not a reason to excuse him or ignore him.

Misogyny on Twitch and in gaming is rampant, and a problem this severe is not one that should be ignored; on the contrary, its scale demands an equally serious response. Twitch has failed to provide one - and again, make no mistake; that is not an accident, it is a choice.

The time off should hurt his numbers, yes. But it's nothing he hasn't survived before. Once more, Trainwrecks will be back. And this is my opinion, but I do not expect his attitudes to have changed.

Someone like Trainwrecks should not be given second or third chances after making a rehearsed, pre-meditated public speech targeting and attacking women. He should not be allowed to not just accept the misogyny of Twitch but *actively foster it* and still retain his platform.

"But he apologized!"

"Fuck all these manipulative women and the cucks who defend them, we forgotten victims will take what belongs to us back, put pussy on the ground where it belongs and fuck it" is not an "oops my bad" moment. Am I crazy? Does that really need to be explained?

These are not the words of someone who understands and apologises for their horrific behaviour. Don't give me that "everyone makes mistakes!" excusing with this. I do not believe for a second his apologies are sincere.

For Twitch to repeatedly allow Trainwrecks not only to come back and continue streaming after a temp ban, but to continue to do so as a Twitch Partner who is literally signed to their company is an active endorsment of his still-held beliefs and continued terrible behaviour.

This is someone who should have been permanently banned last year. Not someone who should be back after his second ban for November.

It's bad enough to have let him come back once; twice is abhorrent. So please, @Twitch, take a look at what you're saying here.

See you next month, @Trainwreckstv.