[Spoon]

Watching how part of the internet has reacted to TB's death has been pretty abhorrent...
This for example:

[karajorma]

To be honest, you get this kind of insect scuttling out of the woodwork every time a celebrity dies. Good to see that his actions have had consequences.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Apparently the guy's pissed because of some **** TB said about ME3?  All I remember TB saying about ME3 is that he really enjoyed the multiplayer. 

Good way to commit internet suicide anyway, someone's passing should be the time when even their worst enemies have a kind word or two to say.  That's just human nature, or at least how many people present themselves publicly.

[Luis Dias]

There's always going to be people who will piss on dead ones. I mean, if you haven't made any enemies in life, you haven't really made a dent in the public in the first place. Even saints like the Dalai Lama will fade with millions of people dancing on his grave. It is despicable but whatever. I guess in this case, his attempt to place gamergate *precisely* where it should focus on earned himself a hate bonus from the people most affected by it.

[Grizzly]

There's been cases where TB has used his platform to punch down, despite being aware of how toxic his platform could be, because of percieved slights. Often he didn't really seem to know what he was doing in that regard. Being on the recieving end of him wasn't always a pleasant experience.

Not that I agree at all with that guy. Anything that could be said about those things had already been said earlier, there's no point to just dredge it all up again just for the purposes of pissing on someone's grave.

[Lorric]

Watching how part of the internet has reacted to TB's death has been pretty abhorrent...
This for example:

This behaviour doesn't make sense to me on any level. What, is he pissed off because the reaper got to TB before he could? Either that or him dying at a young age somehow isn't enough punishment for him. The problems he had with TB, they're over. They're all over. There's no need to go pissing on the body, what's the point?! It doesn't achieve anything!

[Nightmare]

Yeah but dead people can't defend themselves, and probably can't hire lawyers too.

[Lorric]

Yeah but dead people can't defend themselves, and probably can't hire lawyers too.

Oh yeah, that. I get that, I just don't work that way so I didn't think of it.

[The E]

Watching how part of the internet has reacted to TB's death has been pretty abhorrent...
This for example:

I too found it weird that Casey Hudson had to issue an apology for something a contractor not working for Bioware said.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Watching how part of the internet has reacted to TB's death has been pretty abhorrent...
This for example:

I too found it weird that Casey Hudson had to issue an apology for something a contractor not working for Bioware said.

The video in the previous page suggests that Crooks was employed at the time of his comments, and then promptly fired because of them.   His linkedin page at the time, and current google search results, suggests that he's a programmer there.

[karajorma]

Yeah, I got the impression he was working for Bioware too. Either way, it doesn't exactly do Bioware any harm to point out that Crooks doesn't represent their point of view. If anything it's good PR for them.









And I've just realised what a shockingly low bar is required for good PR on the internet.

[The E]

I was under the impression he was only a contractor who worked on Andromeda, but okay, that explains that then.

Except, of course, it kinda doesn't.

[Akalabeth Angel]

I was under the impression he was only a contractor who worked on Andromeda, but okay, that explains that then.

Only a contractor?  Most jobs in games are probably not full time but are contractors for a specific project.  Being a contractor is the norm, not something less than it.  Only the core guys are going to be full time because they'll be retained when work at the studio is less.

Except, of course, it kinda doesn't.

Explain

[The E]

I was under the impression he was only a contractor who worked on Andromeda, but okay, that explains that then.

Only a contractor?  Most jobs in games are probably not full time but are contractors for a specific project.  Being a contractor is the norm, not something less than it.  Only the core guys are going to be full time because they'll be retained when work at the studio is less.

I am aware of that. I am also aware that being a contractor means that you're not an employee.

Except, of course, it kinda doesn't.

Explain

Why does Bioware have to address this? This is one guy who isn't willing to let bygones be bygones when it comes to TB, who has personal issues with TB, and who had a bit of a rant about TB and how he used his influence. So what? What makes this a huge PR crisis that one of the studio leads has to respond to?

[Akalabeth Angel]

I am aware of that. I am also aware that being a contractor means that you're not an employee.

They're basically temp employees.  I work as a contractor in a related industry and the only difference between myself and a full time employee is job security and sometimes benefit packages.

Why does Bioware have to address this? This is one guy who isn't willing to let bygones be bygones when it comes to TB, who has personal issues with TB, and who had a bit of a rant about TB and how he used his influence. So what? What makes this a huge PR crisis that one of the studio leads has to respond to?

Because silence on the matter can be seen as tacit approval of those comments.

Almost any professional company in this situation, will both fire and disavow the employee.

[The E]

Almost any professional company in this situation, will both fire and disavow the employee.

And I'm sure the "political correctness has gone too far" crowd would jump to that employees defense in a heartbeat.

Oh, who am I kidding, of course they wouldn't. After all, that employee doesn't seem to be a right-wing extremist.

[Luis Dias]

Ooh boy here we go 

I find the pissing-on-grave shtick quite abhorrent, but I also find the reaction to it too trigger-happy for my taste - as if all the hurt that was underneath was just below a very shallow surface ready to burst into flames again. I'd say let it be, but this is surely not the audience for that message, and the ones who would benefit from it are too blind from their own particular rages to even listen.

Oh dear.

[karajorma]

Why does Bioware have to address this?

Why are you assuming that they had to?

[Lorric]

Almost any professional company in this situation, will both fire and disavow the employee.

And I'm sure the "political correctness has gone too far" crowd would jump to that employees defense in a heartbeat.

Oh, who am I kidding, of course they wouldn't. After all, that employee doesn't seem to be a right-wing extremist.

That doesn't apply. His views aren't the issue here, he can think TB is garbage and the World is better off without him without being an unprofessional, malicious asshole.

[Spoon]

Almost any professional company in this situation, will both fire and disavow the employee.

And I'm sure the "political correctness has gone too far" crowd would jump to that employees defense in a heartbeat.

Oh, who am I kidding, of course they wouldn't. After all, that employee doesn't seem to be a right-wing extremist.

How did you even make this leap? 
This thread went from "Rip TB" to "This guy hating on TB sure is a jerk" to "Bioware shouldn't have to apologize to its employees being jerks" to "Those gosh darn right-wing extremists hating on political correctness! Reeee"
The E, are you okay? Maybe you should take a break from the internet if your eternal struggle against the right-wing is getting too much for you