So was playing Genshin Impact with him yesterday, apparently he's waiting for an update in the story and wanted me to play until then, for the first time. Side note I like the game so far but I sat down in a chair and couldn't get back up so I had to stop playing.
We started talking about the characters available their roles and gameplay value when the subject of women came up. He was using females and I asked him to stop using that word. He asked why I told him it weird and alienating like we were scientists observing animals. He pointed out that we were males so it looked like I wasn't getting through to him so I switched tactics.
I told him incels tend to refer to women as either females or femoids you know really alienating and off putting things. He was like 'oh shit' and stopped using female to describe the characters. He slip once like 30 minutes later but self corrected.
I know it's video games and nothing major but I feel like moments like this are important. Part of his concern was not being seen as an incel but I feel like not using incel language can help expand or at least not diminish empathy for others.
Also additional side note does anyone know the character's ages. I can't find anything or conflicting fan speculation. So far I like Amber and Lisa. Lisa looks like an adult but I have no idea how old Amber is.
I’ve been doing stuff like this with my 11 year old son. He lives with his mom and sometimes when he comes over, he’ll say stuff like, “Dad I hate SJWs,” or “Feminists ruin everything,” and, “Are there any funny female comedians?” And I know it’s because he watches so much youtube.
The alt-right youtube algorithm is so sneaky. He was over watching Star Wars theory and lore videos one time, and one of the videos that came up was, “How PC culture and feminists ruined Star Wars,” and it was just shit about how making main protagonists women and POC was a move pushed by liberals to erase the importance of strong men protagonists.
I’ve had to do so much reprogramming with him, and try to explain to his 11 year old brain that the stuff he’s seeing on YouTube may seem like it’s coming from an innocent place, but the rhetoric that some youtubers push is really dangerous.
Yeah my nephew is 18 and I kind of feel responible. I introduced him to reddit back before it went to shit and I knew better. Maybe he would have gotten there anyway what with the YouTube pipeline you described but I still have to do something. I been offering up a class based analysis to somethings he complains about. When he complains about feminists I usual tell him what he dislikes is liberal feminism the kind that doesn't factor in more complex things other than girl bosses and men being bad. Or how sjws don't have the power people think they have and are merely a scapegoat for capitalism ruining everything.
That's a good tactic, I've tried doing the same thing with my kid. I've tried explaining, "Feminism is a good thing that's helped achieved some big victories for women. Better pay, more independence in our male-dominated society, etc. What you're complaining about is a crappy liberal version of feminism that doesn't go beyond 'all men are garbage and we'll get upset at everything.' However, some messages that you'll see as 'SJW snowflake stuff' are actually solid arguments for people who don't have it as easy as most white men. So it's important to hear what they have to say and think about the message they're trying to tell." It's really hard to explain to a child this stuff, and idk how much actually sticks, but I'm trying.
I got two nephews 18 and 13 with the younger one very child like don't know what he has tbh. The first one is concerned with feminists mainly because of the idea that everything is considered sexual assault and that the cops always believe women. You know shit redpillers spout to scare other men about women's rights.
I told him no, survivors of sexual assault are rarely believed because of power and class dynamics. Somewhat related I told him my theory of the so called supernatural serial killers that never get caught. They aren't geniuses but two things happen. First they have connections to people with power best example is Charles Manson who was let go to give the hippy movement a bad name. Second the police aren't there to solve mysteries but to protect the rich.
The few times I would hear about a false accusation going anywhere was when the accuser had ties to the police and uses that power to harass.
The younger one I told rich people are evil because they have more money then they can ever need and still want more while we live pretty broke. At first I wanted to lie to him that we weren't poor but decided to tell him money has no bearing on being a good person.
It sounds like you're doing the right thing. Just keep being a level-headed person your nephews can turn to, and stay consistent with your messaging. Kids are going to mess up and change their beliefs multiple times before their brain stops developing and they settle on a coherent set of values. You're just there to help steer them in the right direction and offer what knowledge you have.
Thanks, I heard a saying once that it's not about teaching them what to think but how to think. I try my best to remember this when talking with them. Their dad walked out on them when they were little and their mom just got out of an abusive relationship so now I'm the only male role model for them. I feel like I failed them by not doing more when they were younger but the guys my sister was with isolated them from us. Now I don't know I'm trying though even if I'm maybe a bit of a fuck up.