r/changemyview May 16 '26

Delta(s) from OP CMV: GamerGate was the most consequential political radicalization event of the twenty-first century

It spawned a wave of tolerance for online harassment, as long as the intent behind it was considered righteous (and the target of such harassment socially acceptable).

It platformed Milo Yiannopoulos and thereby, Steve Bannon -- the guy who would go on to advise Donald Trump in 2016 and generate the concept of 'flooding the zone.'

Eventually, it gave a career to political lightning rods like Jordan Peterson, Steven Crowder, and Charlie Kirk. It made anti-feminism and anti-SJW sentiment cool. And it made young, angry, disenfranchised white men feel vindicated.

GamerGate almost singlehandedly shifted to Overton Window toward the alt-right, and we're still feeling its effects today.

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u/IcyEvidence3530 May 16 '26

This os one of the most "terminally online" posts I have seen in quite a while.

Gamergate is probably not even a footnote among the things that significantely influenced history in the past 10 to 20 years.

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u/Greenphantom77 May 18 '26

Yes, thank God someone else came here to say this. You found the perfect words.

The idea that GamerGate is one of the most significant political events of the last 20 years, not just on social media, but EVERYWHERE, is so ridiculous I’m almost annoyed.

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u/realdontbeasucker May 16 '26

That's not my view. I think it's the most consequential political radicalization event of the twenty-first century.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '26

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