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from the harrassed-turtles-all-the-way-down dept.
As the March kickoff for the weeks-long 2016 South By Southwest (SXSW) festival approaches, its disparate sections—music, film, and interactive—have begun announcing confirmed panels, speakers, and showcases. SXSW Interactive appeared prepared to host a panel about the hot-button topic of online harassment and abuse, but that plan changed on Monday when a festival director officially announced that the panel, along with another tangentially related panel, had been canceled due to allegations of "numerous threats of on-site violence."
SXSW Interactive director Hugh Forrest posted the news at the festival's official blog, though Forrest didn't confirm whether the threats were linked to both panels that he confirmed received the axe: "SavePoint: A Discussion on the Gaming Community" and "Level Up: Overcoming Harassment in Games." After describing SXSW as a home for "diverse ideas," Forrest also described a desire to maintain "civil and respectful" dialogue.
"If people can not agree, disagree, and embrace new ways of thinking in a safe and secure place that is free of online and offline harassment, then this marketplace of ideas is inevitably compromised," Forrest wrote. "Maintaining civil and respectful dialogue within the big tent is more important than any particular session."
And then, just a few days later, we have this report that the panels were restored:
South by Southwest's organizers reversed course Friday and scheduled a summit about gaming-related Internet harassment, after criticism for canceling similar sessions at next year's event due to threats of violence at the festival.
"Earlier this week we made a mistake," Hugh Forrest, director of the SXSW Interactive Festival, said in a statement on its website. "By canceling two sessions we sent an unintended message that SXSW not only tolerates online harassment but condones it, and for that we are truly sorry."
[...] "While we made the decision in the interest of safety for all of our attendees, canceling sessions was not an appropriate response," SXSW's Forrest said, adding the organizers had worked with authorities and security experts. "Online harassment is a serious matter and we stand firmly against hate speech and cyberbullying."
(Score: 2) by VLM on Monday November 02 2015, @02:11PM
I was going to comment on the irony of online harassment (on twitter and elsewhere) being discussed at SXSW a decade after twitter became popular because it was released at SXSW but it turns out that was eight years ago not ten. Not sure that unicorn is going to survive until ten, so may as well discuss it on the eight year anniversary.
Another meta point is I first heard about twitter, and made an account I still haven't used, from a guy who went to SXSW because he liked SXSW-style music and BBQ. So he came home partially deaf and fat with BBQ and very happy meanwhile telling me about this twitter place that was like IRC over SMS. Apparently SXSW has pivoted out of that scene and into video gaming, post feminist gender relations theory, online sociology, and being a home for diverse ideas. Do they still offer music and BBQ or has that been completely eliminated with the pivot? I suppose for their new mission statement of supporting diverse ideas they had to get rid of the BBQ so as not to offend the vegetarians. I might have faulty data, perhaps SXSW was always primarily a SJW convention, its just the guy I knew skipped the SJW convention parts and stuck to booze, bbq, and music. This aspect of the story sounds extremely strange, as if my local Octoberfest beer garden decided to hold a symposium about online harassment in between polka contests and emptying lots of beer steins.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday November 02 2015, @02:26PM
One of the panels was three people active in the #GamerGate hashtag (who will also all be panelists at the "summit" last I heard), so I'm going to assume they're at least willing to allow diverse points of view still.
The "summit" though... I can't help thinking that's kicking a hornet's nest just for the inevitable chaos. There's going to be no rational debate or meeting of minds, just some vile blue-haired harpies shrieking so loud that nobody can get a word in edgewise unless there's a moderator willing to cut their mics.
No idea on the BBQ. I'd take my own just to be safe.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 02 2015, @02:27PM
Sorry, the vegans were offended by BBQ, so that was eliminated.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday November 02 2015, @03:58PM
SXSW eliminated Iron Works BBQ? That really sucks. It's one of the best BBQ places I've ever eaten.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday November 02 2015, @04:31PM
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 02 2015, @07:23PM
Then some vegans suggested BBQ tempeh, which is disgusting, and it started to gain some traction until the pro-health vegans complained about the carcinogens in smoke. Now, only tasteless food that makes you hate yourself is allowed so Taco Bell is catering.