#ComicsGateIsAHateGroup Is a Dog Whistle
It Has Nothing To Do With Hate, And Everything To Do With Money
Hi, Friend,
I’d like to think of myself as a student of people.
People are funny. Sometimes they do things that don’t make any sense or look extremely out of character. That is, until you look a little deeper.
When I see words and deeds that look out of character, I don’t jump to conclusions.
I wait.
I watch and listen and wait. On any given day, people who act out of character will eventually let slip what they’re really after, and everything they’re doing makes total sense.
Today is one of those days. Here’s the story.
Something Strange Is Happening Here
I noticed an odd bit of behavior from one particular Twitter account and associated website. When the story broke that Dynamite Comics had pulled back on its variant cover program due to hard feelings towards one of the creators, the online postings of this website took a darker turn. You can read more about the Dynamite controversy here. Online chatter over the controversy started a few days sooner, but official stories began to break on July 19th. Keep that time frame in mind.
Now, for a little context. I watch and listen to a number of creators and comics-related news sites; through their social media, their websites, their YT videos, and their podcasts. Therefore, it’s no surprise that a historically vocal number of creators were condemning Dynamite for the program, and of course, opposing supporters were cheering them on in the name of “good business sense.”
To be clear, I’m not part of ComicsGate, and have never claimed to be so. This opinion piece is about observing disingenuous motives disguised as virtue and the harm it brings to a Comics Industry already in turmoil.
The Claws Come Out
Precisely on that day, the account I’m talking about started posting Tweets condemning ComicsGate, condemning anyone associated with ComicsGate, and even bemoaning employees within its own organization that sympathize with ComicsGate.
Keep in mind, nothing from this account and it’s website had made any overtly negative comments about Comicsgate except for a few words of caution from February of the same year. This was odd.
Then the vitriol started picking up steam.
Then the hit pieces started coming out. I call them hit pieces because some of the information in them is provably false, and honestly, quite ridiculous. Note the absurd description of Ethan Van Sciver as a DC “intern” below from said article, published on August 3rd, 2020. I won’t provide a link to it as it, frankly, doesn’t merit more traffic.
The article in question generated some buzz on both the pro- and anti-ComicsGate side of things, but it didn’t make sense that a Twitter account and website that’s focused on pop culture and comics news would would suddenly jump into a spat between creator groups in which it had no stake.
In other words, why would a journalism site get so caustically involved with a spat as a third-party? Wouldn’t a site dedicated to reporting what’s going in within the Comics Industry want to avoid taking sides and alienating a whole segment of it's base?
So I watched, listened and waited. And today the final piece revealed itself.
The Pieces Fall Into Place
On one of the website’s recent podcasts dated September 2nd, the panel was reviewing a now-cancelled TV show, and a casual comment slipped. Here’s the full quote referring to the response to that same anti-ComicsGate article:
Mod 1: The website has an ads partner, so the more you go there, the more money I make. There’s that. And… I mean… it’s a blog post [referring the the accuracy of the GomicsGate article]. I mean, it’s meant to be free form and not be perfect. So, that was fun.
Mod 2: It’s an opinion piece, and if you get hate clicks, you get money. I mean Buzzfeed’s been doing this for years
Ahh, now we’re getting somewhere. Again, I asked myself: Why would a “comics review/journalism” site intentionally start spitting bile at creators, writing smear pieces, and overall, risk alienating segments of the Comics Industry?
The answer is simple: MONEY
Remember the timing of the caustic tweets, July 19th? Let’s take a look at the sites traffic ranking starting around that date and up to today.
Notice anything? That’s right. The site, which was pulling in paltry ranking numbers prior to July 19th, suddenly starts getting a significant boost in ranks from traffic after the toxic tweets. Then, the website makes serious gains after publishing the erroneous smear piece.
The site advertises through Google’s AdSense which will pay out on a monthly basis based on number of impressions - that’s number of people who visit the website and simply see the ad. You don’t even have to click on the ads. This is confirmed from the podcast comments and independently through AdSense’s documentation.
When you put those factors together, the reasoning becomes clear. (In my opinion, of course).
A comics journo site uses ad platforms that pay the website based on number of visitors.
That same website uses a minor controversy about ComicsGate to 1) start making derogatory comments meant to create division for attention, and 2) writes a smearing hit piece to fan the flames of division even further.
Not for morality’s sake. Not for the cause of the righteous and the just. The website and it’s creators are intentionally sowing division and conflict for one reason above all others - MONEY.
The Root Of All Evil
Sadly, this website and it’s affiliated accounts are not alone. In five minutes, I was able to find a number of sites with similar ad setups, including: Polygon, Kotaku, Gizmodo, (what’s left of) Newsarama, and Bleeding Cool. All sites which have a consistent history of targeting creators that have any association with ComicsGate.
Again, I’m not aligning or defending ComicsGate. What I am saying is the toxic divide between groups of creators is intentionally being inflamed by news agencies that report on the Comics Industry. Inflamed because anger creates traffic, and traffic makes ad money.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Site owners can do what they want. It’s their business, and as long as no laws are being broken, there’s not much to be done. Except for one thing.
Don’t feed the trolls.
Websites, Twitter accounts, and FB pages fanning the flames of division are feeding off the negative energy they create at the expense of the industry they serve.
The only way to get them to stop is to take away the energy they crave. Ignore them. Deny them the attention they want. Don’t visit their websites. Don’t react or respond to anything they say on social media. Deprive them of all oxygen until there’s nothing left but a “This Website Name Is For Sale” sign on their homepage.
Legitimate arguments about ComicsGate need level heads, calm emotions, and a genuine desire to see everyone headed in the best direction for the Industry. When a profiteering website blows that dog whistle, the only one who’s getting fed is them.
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Thank you very much for your time, and please have a great day!
-Gabe