• FerretyFever0@fedia.io
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    2 months ago

    Here’s something I’ve noticed. Whenever someone describes a group, individual, activity, or anything else with more than 2 negative adjectives in a row, they’re probably saying something deeply unstable. This is one of those times.

    • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      I take offense to this generalization. When I call someone an honorless gormless bitch ass motherfucker I’m relieving stress so when fists start flying I ain’t blinded by my own anger, my instability is only mildly correlated to my verbosity.

      • FerretyFever0@fedia.io
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        2 months ago

        Let me sit you down when I say this… but if you’re getting into fights even after relieving stress… it either doesn’t work, or you’re behaving in an unstable manner.

        • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          Oh no fights are fun. Tis the curse of my kin, seriously damned near every man on the German side of my family treats fights like a fun time waster. Not saying it’s not instability just that my verbosity is perpetual regardless of my mood or actions, well unless I am physically exhausted then I communicate with a handful of words like a caveman.

          Also just cause I’m somewhat calm going into a fight doesn’t mean that the person I hurled insults at is.

  • InfiniteHench@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I like how the language is ‘claims responsibility.’ You know. Like terrorist groups do after an attack

    • DosDude@retrolemmy.com
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      2 months ago

      Trump doing actual pedo and rape shit and being a convicted felon

      Religious zealot chuds in the US: “there’s no proof”

    • joenforcer@midwest.social
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      2 months ago

      This comment and many like it are a product of only reading the headline. Also shame on the authors for the ragebait headline.

      The tweet the quote comes further classifies that they’re talking about games that include rape, incest, and/or child sex abuse. I’m not sure if people are just knee-jerk reacting to headlines without understanding what’s actually happening, or if they are legitimately upset that rape fantasy games are being removed. In both cases, you’re stating that you are vocally in support of rape media, which is not OK.

      • VoidJuiceConcentrate@midwest.social
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        2 months ago

        Sure, that’s the plausible deniability reasoning. But the end result, whether you agree with the on the surface reasoning or not, is the removal of all adult media whether or not it is offending. This coupled with the lumping in of LGBT issues with Adult media (and often lumping in with egregious media like rape and abuse fantasy) means that the end result is removal of adult games AND games which feature LGBT characters and storylines.

        and uh, if you actually did read my comment, I did say consenting. me saying I enjoy content where clear adults are consentually enjoying sex is not endorsing rape fantasy games, and is a bit of a Twitter ass conclusion to come to.

        • joenforcer@midwest.social
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          2 months ago

          and uh, if you actually did read my comment, I did say consenting. me saying I enjoy content where clear adults are consentually enjoying sex is not endorsing rape fantasy games, and is a bit of a Twitter ass conclusion to come to.

          The article you commented on is explicitly referencing media where consent cannot be given. So, I’m not sure why you commented about consenting adults in the first place, because that had nothing to do with the topic.

  • Zozano@aussie.zone
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    2 months ago

    Collective Shout claim it’s about harm reduction, but then push an agenda that functionally amounts to moral panic.

    Their approach is identical in logic to the “GTA causes school shootings” hysteria: loud, pearl-clutching, and utterly unmoored from data.

    If Collective Shout want to argue these games cause harm, then show us the harm. Not correlation. Not outrage. Not hypothetical downstream consequences. Show causation. Peer-reviewed. Reproducible.

    Otherwise, they’re just moralizing bullies using the banking system as a cudgel.

    On top of this, they might actually be harming their own cause. The catharsis hypothesis poses that sexual fantasy enactment might reduce risk of real world harm.

    The logic is simple: suppressing a compulsion doesn’t eliminate it. It just bottles up until it explodes. Redirect it into a safe outlet, and it becomes manageable.

    The only reason this research isn’t cited more often is because it’s politically radioactive. Nobody wants to admit that it’s better to let a gooners jerk off, than to escalate under repression.

    The burden of proof SHOULD be on Collective Shout to provide a reasonable argument which supports their claim that censorship will reduce real world harm.

    Current working theory in psychology: it doesn’t. Emerging theory suggests: they’re shooting themselves (and potential rape victims) in the foot.

    The real solution to real-world harm involves empathy, autonomy and education.

    • Zozano@aussie.zone
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      2 months ago

      Furthermore…

      Their decision to target the payment processors - not the developers, or itch.io, or steam, is some of the most cowardly and authoritarian things I’ve ever seen in the gaming space.

      It’s economic coercion; a playbook used by religious bigots and authoritarians for decades. Financial censorship by proxy. IMO: they should fuck off.

      • Zozano@aussie.zone
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        2 months ago

        Even Furthermore…

        Wanna censor it? Good fucking idea /s

        Shoving that shit into the shadows doesn’t make it go away, it just makes it untraceable, unmoderated, and unaccountable.

        If you care even remotely about preventing harm, you don’t force taboo communities off the grid. You keep them where they can be seen, tracked, and contained… preferably behind legal firewalls, age gates, and content filters.

        If you push them into the dark web… then congratulations… you’ve just built a Petri dish for escalation, radicalization, and actual predation.

        • redwattlebird @lemmings.world
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          2 months ago

          I believe they’re a religious group under the guise of feminism and child protection. If you look at their affiliate page, they list quite a few religious groups.

        • blargle@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          TERFs are as feminist as Nazis are socialist and North Korea is democratic. It’s in the acronym; that’s it.

          • QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works
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            2 months ago

            Sadly from my experiences with feminist groups, TERFs have historically been the norm not the exception.

            You should really look into what the Daughters of Bilitis were up to, and books like the The Transsexual Empire. A book I cannot say the full name of for it contains a slur.

            Historically feminist groups have attacked transgender women and gay men for “Infringing upon what it means to be a woman.”

    • aceshigh@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      We have examples today of the real harm of this, like in Afghanistan. It’s interesting that western societies are overall less religious as ever, yet religion keeps getting shoved down our throats… and winning.

      • QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        If I’m not mistaken it’s not a religious group doing it because Jesus, it’s a feminist group doing it because they blame porn for the existence of transpeople

        • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Porn and prostitution do have historical correlation with the existence of trans people. Namely that when we’re kept from all other means of making money these industries help us continue to afford food and shelter.

          That’s one of the things that pisses me off most about all this. By calling us pornographic they’re calling for us to be forced back into an exploitative relationship with the porn and sex industries.

  • palordrolap@fedia.io
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    2 months ago

    This whole thing smacks of the “anyone who has a sexual proclivity I claim not to share must have all sexual proclivities I claim not to share” logic. i.e. the logic that got gay people flagged as child molesters back in the bad old days. And occasionally still today.

    Such logic might actually be rooted in projection, which is a deeply disturbing thought. Deeply closeted people desperately clinging to heteronormativity and traditional gender roles because they think that if they don’t they they’ll do something abhorrent. Maybe even to someone who can’t consent. Or they already have and they desperately want to hide away from it.

    Yes, for the love of all that’s holy and secular too, ban the games with apparent child sexual abuse. Children can’t consent. Leave everything else the hell alone.

    I don’t even play video games with sexual themes, but I do play ones that contain 18+ violence. I assume those will be next on the chopping block.

    • FerretyFever0@fedia.io
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      2 months ago

      Digital violence causes school shootings, don’t you know? Ignore the non-American rates, they don’t matter.

  • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Are we wagering this absurdity is built on projection?

    cause I’m wagering this absurdity is built on them projecting.

    • Salamanderwizard@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It always is. These are the type of folks who have that feeling of shame wash over after they bust a nut to something they “despise.”

      That literally all these types of groups are. They want us to feel the same shame, too. I wish folks could just keep their shit to themselves. Have rules for your own home, sure, but eat shit and rot if you think you should be able to tell me how I should live my life.

        • Salamanderwizard@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Totally. I just mean if you don’t want porn or violence in your home more power to ya, but keep your rules to yourself. Let me live and enjoy my life.

  • Zorsith
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    2 months ago

    Tbh, its only a matter of time before the entire organization gets doxxed and the internet does what it does.

    I look forward to eating popcorn when it happens.

  • Zink@programming.dev
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    2 months ago

    OK now I am not one to lob accusations without evidence, but for any of you kind government agents or AIs reading this, let’s say from anywhere within the Five Eyes since we’re talking about Australia:

    We have another fanatical religious conservative organization here that is publicly labeling opposition groups pedos. You know how this has trended in the past. Keep an eye on these people.

    • mojofrododojo@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      We have another fanatical religious conservative organization here that is publicly labeling opposition groups pedos.

      projection. they want a monopoly on skeezing on the kiddos.

      for some reason people will bend themselves into pretzels to give religious people a pass on buggery. here in washington state, we passed a law mandating the reporting of abused children. conservatives and religious types want to keep these children in their abuse.

      https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/07/18/judge-blocks-wa-requirement-for-priests-to-report-child-abuse-disclosed-in-confession/

    • Eugene V. Debs' Ghost@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 months ago

      Don’t be silly. Government surveillance isn’t for the protection of the people, it’s for the protection of the government.

      Has the NSA ever caught a terrorist with their massively invasive privacy violating programs, spending the money on that instead of making people better to not become terrorists? Ask the NSA, they’ll tell you they haven’t stopped a single one.

      Government surveillance is in service to these people, why else would they care about the privacy and consent of adults in their free time?

        • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          No, no, they don’t ignore them. They train with them so that chat gpt is fully capable of acting like it doesn’t want AI models to train on its output, if you ask it to.

  • deathbird@mander.xyz
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    2 months ago

    I truly don’t understand how Visa/MasterCard/etc can be pressured. They are basically infrastructure.

    What’s someone going to do, stop using credit cards if they don’t stop a store that person doesn’t even patronize from selling morally hazardous goods?

    I don’t get how these campaigns are even effective.

      • RedFrank24@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        That’s because 90% of cryptocurrency marketing consists of “THINK OF THE GAAAAAAINS YOU CAN MAKE!” instead of “You can use this to buy things without government censorship”.

        The entire crypto industry has based itself around being a speculative asset, not a currency.

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          Which is really unfortunate. If you avoid the most popular coins (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc), you avoid most of the scams and speculation and end up with a decent currency that respects your privacy and has low fees.

            • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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              2 months ago

              Monero is perhaps the best option imo. Here’s the official page about it, but basically:

              • not profitable to mine, so most miners are enthusiasts who want the coin to succeed
              • privacy-focused - basically creates a ton of fake transactions to mislead snoopers
              • relatively popular - seems to be the most popular coin recommended by privacy enthusiasts (e.g. Mental Outlaw, he even gives a discount on his store for Monero)
              • not popular among speculators - they mostly stick to the big ones (BTC and ETH), as well as new startup coins
              • low cost transactions, fairly short transaction window

              It’s far from ubiquitous, but it’s popular enough that if a place accepts any crypto, there’s a good chance they accept Monero as well.

                • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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                  2 months ago

                  Some do, which is a lot more than GNU Taler. I don’t know of another digital payment system that has more usage that isn’t dominated by a handful of companies.

                  Here are some examples of things you can buy today w/ Monero:

                  It’s far from ubiquitous, but it is being accepted today. If any of those places interest you, I recommend putting a small amount of money into Monero and trying it out.

      • emmy67@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Not when exchanges still govern taking money out. They are businesses like everything else and will be just as risk averse

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          It’s pretty easy to switch between cryptocurrencies, so they can surely find an exchange that is friendly to their business. That’s way better than the credit card situation where there are only four major processors–Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express–and only two of those actually matter.

            • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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              2 months ago

              Then I guess I don’t understand your problem.

              Payment processors like Visa and Mastercard control a huge chunk of the market, which gives them a lot of say in what transactions are allowed. Even if you avoid credit, most debit cards go through those two companies, so they can restrict what transactions you can make.

              With cryptocurrencies, there’s no restriction at the point of sale. Your problem seems to be that converting crypto to fiat could be problematic, and they’d potentially be stuck with “useless” currency. My point is that’s a much easier problem to solve:

              • if their exchange stops converting a given currency, they can convert to one they do accept
              • if their exchange bans their account (e.g. due to the nature of their business), they can switch exchanges
              • there are ATMs that dispense cash for crypto
              • if no exchange will work with them, they can make direct exchanges with regular people (i.e. “launder” the money)
              • they can also spend the currency directly

              There are a ton of options to convert crypto to fiat, there are far fewer to select a different fiat payment processor.

        • deathbird@mander.xyz
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          2 months ago

          One benefit to payment processing for crypto is that there’s little in the way of material limitations on processing payments. The blockchain for a given coin already exists, your job as a processor is primarily to convert those on-chain transactions into and out of other currencies. Only requiring intervention at the point of entering or exiting dollars to and from the system changes a lot of the dynamics.

        • swelter_spark@reddthat.com
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          2 months ago

          You don’t need to use an exchange. You can use a local wallet to store your funds, and then no company controls who/where you send it to.

    • Vinstaal0@feddit.nl
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      2 months ago

      The thing is they are American corporations who care to much about their public image. I would be highly suprised if they national payment platforms would also accept this. (ideal/bankcontant/wero/etc)

    • MysteriousSophon21@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      They pressure payment processors through reputation damage and regulatory threats - these companies are terrified of being associated with anything that could trigger banking regulations or get them labeled as “enabling” problematic content in the media, its purely a risk management desicion for them.

    • plyth@feddit.org
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      2 months ago

      Supposedly there was a ruling in California that made them responsible.

  • WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today
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    2 months ago

    Ah yes, now anyone who enjoys wanking themselves off in private, is also a Pedo, because they ran out of mean words.

  • FerretyFever0@fedia.io
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    2 months ago

    Oml, trying to ban Eminem and Snoop Dogg from Australia? Really? Fuck did Eminem actually do in the last 15 years? Snoop, never really listened to him, can’t think of anything he did (in relation to women). They managed to stop Tyler, the Creator from touring in 2015? They’re doing the dumbest shit. Going after sexualization of women isn’t going to help any actual problems. Pathetic.

    • real_squids@sopuli.xyz
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      2 months ago

      Judging from their description (“pro-life feminists”) I bet they’re using objectification as a cover to push their regressive ideals. When it comes to rap there’s a disproportionate amount of hate towards it from these people, could be as simple as that.

      • FerretyFever0@fedia.io
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        Of course. I’ve listened to quite a bit of Eminem, more than is reasonable. There’s like 5 songs that I’d say were actually that crazy, mostly about his wife, and mostly 20+ years ago. I’d say it’s probably something to do with racism, actually hating rap usually does.

        • QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works
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          The amount of times I’ve seen Eminem counted as a black artist isn’t common enough to be depressing, but it’s alarmingly more than 0.

  • dan@upvote.au
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    2 months ago

    There’s a few groups like this in Australia, unfortunately.

    Australia didn’t even have an R18+ rating for games until 2013 (R18+ is similar to AO or NC-17 in the USA). Before then, all games with a higher rating than MA15+ were illegal in Australia. Many games had an Australia-specific version with blood/gore reduced, some things edited out, etc. to reduce the rating. The original release of GTA4 in Australia was heavily censored.

  • tacosanonymous@mander.xyz
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    2 months ago

    That is so dumb. How would such a small group have that much pull? It seems like gooners would vastly outnumber them.

  • chrischryse@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    The same group who complained Detroit Become Human is bad for glorifying child abuse and women abuse. Yet supported Cuties…

      • WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today
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        2 months ago

        Bro, have you seen e621 lately? That place needs quite a lot of pruning. I don’t know what the admins are doing, it went too far in the other direction!

          • AllHailTheSheep@sh.itjust.works
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            2 months ago

            very similar to rule 34 in terms of content. I haven’t been on it in ages tho so I can’t speak for it as of late. if I had to guess it’s probably had an influx of AI slop that’s causing issues, other online image boards have been suffering from that as well.