Anita Sarkeesian, Feminist Memebot

The Queen Bee of The #Gamergate Overwatch is arguably Anita Sarkeesian. She is the only member of The Overwatch to make an appearance on "The Colbert Report." The way that I process Anita is to marvel at her as a triumph of operant conditioning. This is a type of learning in which an individual's behavior is modified by its antecedents and consequences. Anyone who has a dog knows how to teach and reinforce a desired behavior: reward it.

In Sarkeesian's case, when she runs her feminist programming, she receives gratification. This happens often enough to reinforce her behavior. At this point, her feminist memes are core beliefs. To take the memebot analogy a step further, feminist grievances are part of her firmware.

Sarkeesian's behavioral reinforcement takes two distinct forms: Rising status in the feminist hierarchy, and antagonism from white cissexual males in general and gamers specifically. For Anita, expressions of hostility toward her are a feature, not a bug. A BASIC diagram of her meme program looks something like this:

10 Document the most trivial female objectification in video games, declare it misogyny.
20 Document ensuing harassment from gamers, declare it proof of this misogyny.
30 GOTO 10

It is indeed ironic that her major media debut occurred on Colbert's program. Colbert is a faux conservative, a caricature of a patriotic, cissexual white male. By exaggerating conservative beliefs, he invites ridicule. In a way, Sarkeesian invites ridicule by becoming a caricature of a feminist. The main difference between them is Anita's absolute sincerity. By the way, it should be considered a tactical mistake to go on a television program that skews younger and male, and then insult them.

On Colbert's program, Anita is asked, what is #Gamergate. Is it about ethics in journalism? Apparently no one told Colbert that video game "journalism," is practiced exclusively by social justice warriors who despise gamers.

Anita said, with a straight face, "Ethics in journalism is not what's happening, in any way!" This was the truthiest thing she said during the interview.