To those whom it may concern.
I've never visited PAX, and as such this email might be disregarded by you, because I'm not a person who is giving you moolah. But even so, I hope that you take the time to read this and maybe think about what I'm saying.
You guys have a problem, and it's spelled Mike Krahulik. It goes further than that, but I'll get to that in a bit.
Mike's a fucking cancer in your company. He'll kill it, slowly. Listen, people call PAX the most inclusive show/convention/whatever there is, but when you do rape jokes or keep the lid on Enforcers sexually assaulting women I'm starting to wonder how inclusive you actually are? I mean... If I'm a rape survivor -- which I am, I might add -- I don't think I'd feel entirely comfortable if you do rape jokes or condone them. I mean, I get that you have the right to do so, but... you know, I'm not sure I'd feel welcome. So rape survivors are clearly not part of your inclusiveness.
Then we have the trans people. They're also, clearly, not part of the inclusiveness. Maybe you don't actively try and discourage trans people from visiting your convention (so far, but maybe next year you could do a joke about that? That'd be swell, I'm sure), but Mike's opinion has been voiced and it's definitely not inclusive.
Mike is in a position of power. He's straight, white and male, and he's got an audience that listens to him. He could do so much good shit if he ever wanted to, but he continues to bully -- yes, bully -- his critics. That shit aint cool, yo. It'd be nice if he actually thought about his own position in the company and the world, instead of trying to debase criticism raised against him or the comic. Criticism that is, I might add, valid.
The thing is, it's not just Mike. Gabriel is a problem too. He's not as caustic or as likely to say downright stupid things as Mike is, but he's not stopping Mike from doing it. He's actually enabling Mike to continue his shit. That aint cool neither, yo.
I don't know who, between Gabriel and Mike, said that taking down the dickwolves joke was a mistake, but it really doesn't matter any longer. This shit has got to stop, and it's got to stop now.
I've followed the comic since pretty much the start. I've ordered PA stuff over the years. I've wanted to visit PAX, and I was actually planning on doing so next year, because you know -- travelling across the world is fun, but if you can time it to a really cool convention that'd be even better. But guess what? Until Mike learns how to behave like a fucking adult, I won't. Mike needs to grow up, and Gabriel needs to "grow a spine" and tell him when he's out of line.
I won't visit the site any more. I won't buy PA merch any more. I won't visit PAX.
And you know what? It's not my fucking loss. I loved the comic and the gaming stuff, but if the people behind it says and condones behaviour like what I've seen? Yeah, I'd rather live without it.
--
best regards,
Robert S.
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