The Giant Beastcast: Episode 263

Black Lives Matter!

Thank you for that intro

I'm very early on, but boy can I appreciate Bakalar's position. I have friends and family that I just had to let go, because educating them became to exhausting, asking them to try to educate themselves even became arguments, so I just had to let them go. Of course, that makes me "the bad guy" in their eyes I'm sure, but such is life. I only have so much bandwidth and I can't waste any more of it on them.

Crying very quickly. I love GB so much for their clarity and honesty.

I've lost contact to family members because of this shit too, this is why I compare it to cancer. I've lost more family to radicalization of right wing ideas than I have to any disease.

Black lives matter.

For those looking for a timestamp to skip the "political" talk...

Too effin' bad. Be uncomfortable for a while.

@depecheload: oh boy had me worried there for a second! Black Lives Matter!

Thank you for speaking up and taking a stance.

Thank you for using your platform to engage and encourage action.

Thank you for giving us a necessary retreat - to recharge ourselves and to better galvanize and care for each other each day, and for the many next days to come.

Now let's take it all the way and knock down this house to support and elevate the black voices that are putting their lives at risk, to stand up against the people who choose to be on the wrong side of history.

Black lives matter. Black trans lives matter. Fuck fascism, and fuck institutionalized racism.

Video game talk starts at 18:30...

I haven't even started listening yet but thank you guys for doing what you do.

I never heard that Chappelle's show story, holy shit.

Being from a small town outside of Philly my whole family was so casually racist and it haunts me to this day. Sadly I do not talk to any of them but my mother so I know where Jeff is coming from. Somehow I felt like I could see that pain in him from the second Vinny started talking and Bakalar just know that you are not alone. Thanks so much for helping call attention to things and not just diving right into the game chat.

Came for the scatter. Stayed for the brain.

Honestly I'm very surprised at how candid this intro is about the current crisis in comparison to the Bombcast which felt like it was beating around the bush a bit too much.

Thank you all for doing this and thank you Vinny for expressing yourself openly. There was no hint of sensational, hyperbolic language. Only raw truth. This moved me to donate to BLM again.

I hope the protests will keep going because change will only happen at the local level from local pressure. The federal response will continue to be MIA until after the upcoming elections.

Thank you everyone, and in particular thank you @vinny for being so straight up as to be visibly upset and angry and frustrated at the beginning on this recording. I am relieved to hear something more than the polite acknowledgments; there's never been a better time to have your disgust and contempt for the failures of our institutions something that can simply not be misunderstood.

No justice, no peace.

Fuck the deliberately opaque veil of detachment so many still affect - this is our country.

This is our responsibility.

Does that also apply to those who struggle with mental health, those who are suicidal? Or what about people of colour? Those who deal with racism every day. Those people who enjoy Giant Bomb for entertainment, and as an escape from the abuse they face daily, are those people expected to be uncomfortable for this set of time as well?

What if someone spent all day protesting, and now just wants to unwind? Why can't they ask for a timestamp to when the video games are talked about?

Sorry, I'm just feeling so much despair. I know it's important to be informed and educated. And I'm doing what I can on that front. After work today I spent just shy of two hours watching clips of police violence during these protests, reading opinion pieces, listening to POC talk about their experiences. At the end of that, I had a conversation with my wife about whether or not we could make a donation, despite not being able to work the last couple of months due to COVID. Is it enough? No, but it's what I can do, right now.

And after that I just went to refill a bit by listening to some people talk about video games. And I'm so proud of the Giant Bomb staff, for taking a stand and addressing this, I just wasn't at a place where I could hear more of this at the moment.

I can't be an ally, I can't take a stand against injustice, if I can't get out of the bed in the morning. I know I don't have a lot to give, and I know I need lots of time to refill before I can give more, and I feel guilty about that, but I am also learning to show more grace towards myself, because mental health issues are a real bitch. Looking for a time-stamp and being told to just suck it up and deal with it, is kinda a bummer.

It just makes a bunch of assumptions of me as a person that I'm not down with...

Like either mental health issues aren't at all on you're radar, or you think Giant Bomb is the only way people get information, and therefore needs to see this, or you think I'm a racist who just doesn't want to be challenged? Or is it that I'm too lazy, or too selfish to care about all this? Like, what is it?

ACAB
Black Lives Matter

@mozzle: Thank you for taking the time to write that out. Obviously this week has been traumatizing in a million different ways to everyone. I appreciate the fact that if someone wants to take a step back from the news to just hear about game stuff that they should be able to do so. Obviously from a site standpoint, though, we will continue to talk about what is going on in the world. If you wish to skip that, so be it; I certainly won't judge you for it.

Sorry if this comment seems insensitive, mozzle...not really sure what I'm trying to say lately.

@rorie: It's all good!!! I know I'm being overly sensitive. I don't want you guys to ever shy away from talking about these important issues. Really appreciate all of you on staff.

@depecheload Sorry for kinda exploding over your comment. I know what you said was coming from a good place.. was just feeling overwhelmed.

There's something about hearing this from the internet's dad that really got me in the feels. Black Lives Matter. Brown Lives Matter. Trans Lives Matter.

Also, Happy Pride everyone.

Wait, holy shit. I did not know Vinny worked on that Chapelle Show sketch.

@mozzle: I'm right there with you. It is overwhelming, and of course should feel overwhelming - but if you feel like you are over your capacity or feeling like your mental health is at too high of a risk in the moment, there is nothing ever wrong with taking a step back so you can take 2 or more steps tomorrow.

Vinny is self-conscious about telling the Chapelle Show story too much but this is the first time he's told it in detail on the site (and it only came out in the first place at all because Brad mentioned it during a live event!).

The exchange of Vinny meeting Dave - I can honestly that is the hardest I have ever laughed at something on Giant Bomb and I've been here since day one. Holy shit.

Also, Black Lives Matter - thank you all.

There are people I love and respect dearly who unfortunately will always dig their heels in and refuse to give that millimetre on these topics. Sometimes it feels like just attempting to have these discussions pushes them further in the wrong direction. The past few days have been the most mentally draining and depressing times I've felt in a long time.

@larmer: There is a clip of Killer Mike on that Shannon Sharp and Skip Bayless show called...something, I can't remember (Undisputed? I'm not a regular watcher) . But anyway, in it, he basically said black people are tired of being our teachers, and they need white people to teach each other or learn, and it made me SO sad because, like you, I have family and former friends that are so dug in. They will read nothing, listen to nothing, consider nothing. It has made me so frustrated and tired, and that just makes me feel like I can't even come close to imagining how tired and fed up black people must feel.

@sethmode: I feel defeated and sorry that I wasn’t able to teach. I feel sorry that I have family who are maybe even more racist now than they were before these discussions. Vinny says it feels like it moved a millimetre but around here it feels like if it moved at all it was only backwards and I have failed to help.

For those who come to the Beastcast for the escapism that giantbomb offers for a lot of us, the impossible pivot to games stuff starts around 18:12,

Fuck racism Fuck police brutality.

@rorie@vinny@alex@jeff etc Here's one way Giant Bomb/CBS/Viacom can help improve the lives of black people and POC. Hire them! It's not good that Giant Bomb is mostly white.

I understand those who have exhausted their mental health in these times. (And thank you for reminding me of that!) I would suggest listening to that first chunk at some point in your time dealing with the situation, because it was really well-said on all fronts, and said by people whose opinions I know we all greatly respect.

Thanks to the Beast crew for their comments. And love to everyone in here in this thread and this community. I just subbed to Premium again and I'm glad to have done so.

Right there with you, Jeff. My blood relatives are some of the most vile and despicable remorseless cretins I know. I maintained civility for decades, but engaging with people who live and breathe unremitting bigotry, increasingly over the years, is emotional abuse.

Cutting ties brings its own collection of burdens and I still don't entirely know how to cope, I choked up just watching this discussion because it still hurts, but it is with immeasurable comfort and satisfaction that the word family to me now represents those with which I have chosen to share my life. People I greatly respect and admire and with whom I feel privileged to give and/or receive affection.

I've had some pretty toxic therapists but that perspective on family changed me to my core. There is no more guilt, no taking responsibility, no blaming myself. Some people are just fucking fucked.

Thank you Abby, Alex, Jeff, and Vinny. I'm not exactly a veteran in this community yet I've always felt welcome and represented by the Giant Bomb family, not only for the serious stuff, but especially for the serious stuff.

I'm very proud that the protests have been peaceful in my country, so far.

It's important that people know it's serious that we don't respect racism. There's just many ways you can protest. I find it reasonably doubtful that Floyd would have wanted people to murder in his name.

We need more love in this world.

@mozzle: Black people can’t take a break from being Black.

You say you’ve spent 2 hours consuming the fetishized manner that Amerika maims and kills it’s own colonized people, especially Black people. To even have the choice to decide when to escape from the violence and trauma is a privilege. Please remember this.

As a “POC” who started, finally, weekly psychotherapy sessions in 2017 and was once on medication for anxiety and depression, I take mental health and self care quite seriously. It’s most certainly on my radar. To shield yourself and your discomfort behind all those marginalized folks you mention in the first paragraph is telling.

I commend you and your wife for talking and exploring ways to help. I will say they SHOULD be financial but there are many substantive ways to contribute to the cause of liberation. I do hope you keep showing yourself grace and compassion.

Vinny <3 Jeff <3

I love you guys. Best site on the web. Y’all are funny as heck and it’s amplified because it comes from people who are as smart and caring and compassionate as the entire staff is, former bombadeers included. God bless you folks, stay safe.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

ACAB

Why? Just why?

Thanks for the time check @mofoless

Thank you for speaking up and confronting the issues. Black Lives Matter. Love to y'all.

There are a million apolitical videogame personalities who'll pussyfoot around important issues in the name of sparing their audience the stress and discomfort of confrontation.

I'm fucking glad the GB crew aren't amongst those people.

BLM

Good on Vinny for not pulling any damn punches in the intro. Say it how it is

Good stuff GB. Also as a person living in a tropical climate, 78 degrees is most certainly not hot air. It's pretty perfect air-con temperature really, and as Vinny rightly points out is a good balance for energy efficiency.

Love you folks. Your candor and passion is heartening. Thank you for speaking your minds when silence is the easy route. Ever proud to be part of the GB community.

Black Lives Matter.

Great discussion in the intro Beastcast team. Bravo.

Thanks gang, appreciate you all the more these days. BLM.

Edit: Also, please make Meat of the Cheats a real show!

I didn't mention it in my first post, but I'm First Nations and from Canada. I've had to, and am dealing with tons of issues that goes along with being indigenous. I didn't mention it, because it wasn't at all relevant to my point.

I hate bringing it up now because it just seems like we lose when minorities have to fight against each other, chest beat to show that they're also oppressed, rather than stand together. Right now, I'd rather focus my attention on the fact that black lives matter.

I can't take a break from being indigenous, but I can hide in my home and find fun places on the internet to escape to when I need to. I can do that because I have a place to live, with a wife who loves me, and live in a country where we don't do no-knock warrants. It's why/how I feel safe, not because of the colour of my skin.

I'm not sure why you think I'm just shielding myself behind marginalized people. Was your default assumption that I was just a white American?

Tiny correction regarding Stay Tuned: It's the devil's brother, and he's played by Jeffrey Jones...which is, well, apropos I guess.

Well said Vinny, well said.

I’m angry... that racism is still a thing. Black lives matter!

I’m leaving... donations to BLM and Minnesota Freedom fund, so that they can further their cause.

I’m unsubscribing... from the Philadelphia Inquirer, for their stupid-ass article “All Buildings Matter”. Seriously, you’d think there would be enough backlash internally that the title would be revised quickly!

Meat of the cheats needs to be done!

Oh boy. I wish I could give Vinny a hug.

Thanks for your honesty y'all <3

BLACK LIVES MATTER