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[Snarky(HEART)]

Is he even using cucked correctly? Do I even know what that means?

In current AltRight lingo, yes.

If you ever support Feminism, Gay Rights, Tranagenderism, POC or anything liberal, you are "cucked."

Cucked is meant to be a catch all term for emasculation. Notice that women are never called cucks. To the alt-right, the worse thing that can possibly happen to a white man is his girlfriend sleeping with a black guy. And the other thing worse than THAT, is if the white man is okay with it. That's where the term comes from, the racially charged current popular usage of cuckold.

 

[ChockaBlocka]

Okay, but it's a bit like when Elijah Wood was all "Hollywood is full of pedophiles! I know about some crazy shit!" and then refused to name names.

If you know that someone behaved in a merely unethical manner, then I can understand the desire to throw shade while staying quiet. But someone who caused "absolute pain" to their victims? Either that's hyperbole, or you should be talking with the police.

Just to clear the air waves with that comment from Elijah Wood:

He later said he didn't know of or was witness to any sexual assaults or molestations. That comment was in reference to a documentary he had watched (can't remember which one) about kids being sexually exploited in Hollywood and the media game of telephone tried to portray that as if he knew that was happening to people he knew.

I'm just putting that out there because he was never in a position to name names. If you're looking for someone who was molested spoke out about it, just short of naming persons but heavily implying who they were by context, then look up Corey Feldman.

 

[RumbleHumble]

Nick's apology would be great if he only did what was stated in his apology. It's a great apology for someone who unwittingly realized flirting on Twitter can carry weird implications as a z-list celebrity.

Too bad Nick's did more than merely flirt on Twitter.

Obviously Nick can't say more without liability problems coming in to play, but honestly, it would be better than if he hadn't said anything at all. This is just a token statement that tries to apply a Disney bandaid over a gaping wound.

 

[Glass Shark]

as someone who is often really disheartened and frustrated at how insular the games industry is, I'm really glad that some people are calling him out firmly, clearly, and directly instead of just letting this go by

after reading some stuff from other sources about things he has done... hoooooo boy, I think Nick might actually be deluded if he thinks "flirting" is the problem here

I'm glad he lost his job and his reputation, and I hope he stays very far away from this industry forever. we don't need people like him creeping in the shadows and preying on people.

 

[Goofalo]

I'm not familiar with media employment contracts.But, does Polygon have a non-compete clause in their contracts that would prevent people who left on less than desirable terms from working with competitors? In the non-technical/sensitive information corporate world, it's typically a year for specialized positions.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Another person isn't too pleased with his response

Jesus, what did he do? This language makes it sound like he's responsible for some seriously traumatic assault, which is way past what he was being accused of up until now.

"Absolute pain" in particular makes it seem like he did something really, truly unforgivable.

Is there a summary of this whole thing somewhere? I've not been following the situation closely, so I'm having a hard time getting a clear picture of what the guy did. Posts earlier in this thread made it sound like he was basically just being a slimy creep in private messages, but posts like the ones the above poster responded too make it seem like he was up to much worse stuff.

 

[OriginalPoe]

Glad to see he wrote an apology and that it contains what it does. I think had he gone the extra mile to be brutally honest and called it "flirting that may have bordered on or actually been sexual harassment" would have helped a lot of the commenters here accept the apology a bit more fully.

I think the people still going off on Nick, that he owes more or this wasn't a real apology, are missing a key detail - Nick has a price to pay now for these transgressions and the payout is going to be over a long while. Even if he didn't say what YOU wanted him to say in the apology, this kind of penance tends to have a marked effect on people.

I hope he has apologized to the women he engaged with on personal levels where possible as well.

 

[Dominic_Shade]

Yeah I think you'll find that sexual harassment is so confronting and so out of order people cannot process or react like the little logical model of a person you have in you head reacts.

Anecdotally listen to Shannon reflecting on her time at Uni.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyHBmltwxos

Or how about Sarah where she's taught it's her fault, and she initially accepts that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwBTceHscoo&list=PL4P5HNnwRQI_0HT0KOLrwpOwgd5AbTuXw

Minnie again how sexual harassment is so out of order she does not know in the moment what is actually happening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFnOdSrRrhM&index=5&list=PL4P5HNnwRQI_0HT0KOLrwpOwgd5AbTuXw

Also sod Nick he's obviously a serial harasser.

Thank you for linking these. It helped me understand just how unprepared a person can be when abruptly faced with a sexual harasser.

On-topic, it's difficult for me to take Nick's apology in good faith when there are women who do not. That he names his harassment "flirting" is made more disgusting when I consider the perspective of women who've been on the receiving end of his awful behavior. I'm only aware of the few screencaps that were shared in the previous Neogaf thread; for the women who know much, much more than I and still refuse to accept his apology means a great deal more than my bystander skepticism.

I can only hope he can follow through on his promise to reflect and repair his ways, but I will not be surprised if he is never forgiven, either by his victims or the gaming sphere in general.

 

[GillianSeed79]

I'm not really familiar with Nick, but his apology seemed pretty sincere and he lost his job. I'm not sure what more the guy could do unless I've missed something since the apology was issued. For those complaining he didn't apologize enough I can understand, but the truth is probably somewhere in between. Probably not as bad as say spamming dick pics to every woman in the VG industry but probably not as innocent as simple flirting. *shruggs* Guy admits he was immature and wrong though and he did pay a price. I could be completely wrong and off base though

 

[BTA]

I'm not familiar with media employment contracts.But, does Polygon have a non-compete clause in their contracts that would prevent people who left on less than desirable terms from working with competitors? In the non-technical/sensitive information corporate world, it's typically a year for specialized positions.

I sorta doubt he ends up with a competitor?

Pre-apology I was guessing he leaves the industry and works elsewhere for a bit, though I guess in the context of Vox as a whole that might mean a competitor.

Now that he's already trying to save face, though... maybe he will actually go for something on his personal YouTube channel. Or, as I'm talking through this with a friend- maybe vlogging?

 

[ScientificPizza]

Let see how the reasonable level-headed and totally not insane people on the alt-right are taking Nick's apology...



What does this even mean ffs

one of the reasons why Nick just referring to it as flirting in his apology is that it's such an easy thing for dickheads to latch on to and be like "wow these cucks can't handle someone flirting with women this is what feminism looks like"

 

[Glass Shark]

maybe he can get a job at TechRaptor

that's about it, though

 

[Zambayoshi]

It seems to me that he thought he was flirting, after being called out, he realizes it was harassment, and he's sorry and ashamed.

But he's not going the publicly admit to harassment, because because it'll be used against him in court (if that were to come of this).

It would be nice to hear the words... but going all the way would probably cost him more than his intitial transgressions already have.

Interesting point. Without laying blame anywhere, there must be some objective standard beyond which 'romantic intention' (for lack of a better word) becomes harassment.

For me, it would be after the first 'attempt' to become involved with someone where that person indicates verbally or non-verbally that the attention is not wanted.

The challenge might be that the verbal or non-verbal indication is not clear. That's where education becomes important. Teaching people to read and understand rejection which isn't communicated by a clear "Not interested."

I'm not familiar with media employment contracts.But, does Polygon have a non-compete clause in their contracts that would prevent people who left on less than desirable terms from working with competitors? In the non-technical/sensitive information corporate world, it's typically a year for specialized positions.

Not sure about the US position, but non-compete wouldn't generally apply where there is termination by an employer for anything less than gross misconduct (which wouldn't be the case here). Depending on how Polygon handled it, I'd suspect this would be a case of termination by mutual agreement and that any non-compete would be waived.

 

[OriginalPoe]

Yeah I think you'll find that sexual harassment is so confronting and so out of order people cannot process or react like the little logical model of a person you have in you head reacts.

Anecdotally listen to Shannon reflecting on her time at Uni.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyHBmltwxos

Or how about Sarah where she's taught it's her fault, and she initially accepts that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwBTceHscoo&list=PL4P5HNnwRQI_0HT0KOLrwpOwgd5AbTuXw

Minnie again how sexual harassment is so out of order she does not know in the moment what is actually happening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFnOdSrRrhM&index=5&list=PL4P5HNnwRQI_0HT0KOLrwpOwgd5AbTuXw

Also sod Nick he's obviously a serial harasser.

These aren't very fun to watch, but it really helps me understand the perspective from women who go through this sort of thing. The first video in particular... make a scene!! Make a scene right away!!

I had no idea someone would respond to that kind of event by quietly going to a librarian rather than immediately yelling at the person and drawing everyone's attention as possible (someone was shooting upskirts in a library campus and a woman recalls her experience). If I heard someone in a library screaming about someone taking a picture of her in that manner, I'd move to try and help, and I for SURE would not be any sort of annoyed with the woman yelling. This is one of those things where you MAKE NOISE because holy shit, most people are on your side here.

 

[Goofalo]

I sorta doubt he ends up with a competitor?

Pre-apology I was guessing he leaves the industry and works elsewhere for a bit, though I guess in the context of Vox as a whole that might mean a competitor.

Now that he's already trying to save face, though... maybe he will actually go for something on his personal YouTube channel. Or, as I'm talking through this with a friend- maybe vlogging?

http://imgur.com/a/avERH

This was something I just found. But, this appears to be a subcontractor/freelance contract. Wonder if the 2 year non-compete is part of his employment contract. I'd imagine it wouldn't be, because your employer can't take away your right to earn a living in your field. But the rules for contractors are different.

 

[L Thammy]

Haven't read the rest of the thread, but this is exactly what I'm looking for in an apology. It's not just an empty "I'm sorry", but a demonstration that he's learned how what he's done is wrong and that he's going to change his behaviour. I don't know what kind of consequence he should receive but I hope that he does change, and if so, that he can eventually bounce back.

 

[Sabas]

I'm sure there are enough people that would support a Patreon. That's usually where this goes.

Six paragraphs about him, one near the end about people he hurt. It's a weak-ass attempt at apologizing.

 

[MercuryLS3]

you fucked up cheeto chump

 

[bonesmccoy]

What a super shit apology.

'Back when no one knew who I was, no one cared that I'd act like a mongrel to women - so I didn't realize it was a problem! Oopsie!'

Fuck off.

 

[Arcia]

I gotta say this because it is making me so angry to see people in this thread saying this is a 'good apology'.

THIS IS NOT A GOOD APOLOGY!

Nick is lying. Yes, lying. He is mischaracterizing his sexual harrassment as flirting. Pressuring women online on social media for nude pictures and sex acts is not flirting, its harrassment. Its like a person saying groping someone is just being friendly. He is not only giving a weak ass apology, he is straight up doing damage control for his image by mischaracterizing what actually happened!

Also, you can tell he fucking cares about himself and his online popularity more than his victims because he spends most of this shitty apology bragging about how popular he is and how people made fanart. An apology letter about sexual harrassment is NOT the place to bring this up, wtf.

Also, screw Polygon for saying they wish him the best. This man is a serial sexual harrasser and displaying predatory behavior and they are hugging him before they send him out the door?! By not taking a firm stance that what Nick did was deplorable, they only embolden people to accept that what he did was less awful than it really is. I was so hopeful that this was going to be handeled well, but Polygon and Nick are just doing damage control afterall and trying to downplay everything.

 

[Squire]

https://twitter.com/aegies/status/895816315981635584

That's not too surprising. Vice' legal team told the Waypoint crew to tread lightly themselves.

 

[Goofalo]

Haven't read the rest of the thread, but this is exactly what I'm looking for in an apology. It's not just an empty "I'm sorry", but a demonstration that he's learned how what he's done is wrong and that he's going to change his behaviour. I don't know what kind of consequence he should receive but I hope that he does change, and if so, that he can eventually bounce back.

I think it's gonna take some time.

As much as I think he absolutely has no concept of what he has done, and is sorry that he is suffering the consequences of his actions, not what he actually did. His life is also collapsing around him. So he will need some separation from that before really being introspective about the whole thing.

 

[ScientificPizza]

I'm sure there are enough people that would support a Patreon. That's usually where this goes.

Six paragraphs about him, one near the end about people he hurt. It's a weak-ass attempt at apologizing.

what would he even have a patreon for? solo nick videos have never ever been the draw. his career at polygon largely exists as the guy in the video with griffin

 

[Goofalo]

what would he even have a patreon for? solo nick videos have never ever been the draw. his career at polygon largely exists as the guy in the video with griffin

Because the alt-right will overwhelmingly support that which they feel triggers the left. I hate to say it, but in a way, its leaving money on the table to not do it.

 

[BUNTING1243]

That's not too surprising. Vice' legal team told the Waypoint crew to tread lightly themselves.

Is there any proof of that?

 

[BreezyLimbo]

Is there any proof of that?

In last weeks Waypoint podcast they talked about how some senior editors at vice told Wayponit to hold off on reporting about this.

 

[elohel]

What a super shit apology.

'Back when no one knew who I was, no one cared that I'd act like a mongrel to women - so I didn't realize it was a problem! Oopsie!'

Fuck off.

Exactly what are people thinking?!

 

[RumbleHumble]

Is there any proof of that?

Patrick mentions holding back on a story about it in the latest Waypoint Radio, although I don't remember him saying if Vice legal is why they were holding back (although I'm sure it factors in)

 

[sflufan]

This carefully crafted apology letter has been brought to you by the Vox Media Legal Department.

 

[ScientificPizza]

Because the alt-right will overwhelmingly support that which they feel triggers the left. I hate to say it, but in a way, its leaving money on the table to not do it.

i don't know man, like there is a lot of "those SJWs!!" around this but Nick is still a soft boy and idk that the alt right would be ready to absorb that

and if they were idk that Nick would want to

 

[RumbleHumble]

This carefully crafted apology letter has been brought to you by the Vox Media Legal Department.

It's better than your average media apology, but it still is in no way a good apology.

 

[hwy_61]

Damn this whole thing is crazy as hell. Holy shit man

 

[BreezyLimbo]

i don't know man, like there is a lot of "those SJWs!!" around this but Nick is still a soft boy and idk that the alt right would be ready to absorb that

and if they were idk that Nick would want to

The alt right, like Miles, is ready to attack the Left. They see Nick as a crack and an easy way to attack the "SJW"s. This is why people aren't stepping forward, the second they do they will be harassed by them.

 

[ScientificPizza]

Is there any proof of that?

https://twitter.com/patrickklepek/status/894685446084677632

The alt right, like Miles, is ready to attack the Left. They see Nick as a crack and an easy way to attack the "SJW"s. This is why people aren't stepping forward, the second they do they will be harassed by them.

yeah, that's true. i'm probably giving both parties too much credit tbh

 

[KZXcellent]

i don't know man, like there is a lot of "those SJWs!!" around this but Nick is still a soft boy and idk that the alt right would be ready to absorb that

and if they were idk that Nick would want to

Yeah, I don't see Nick having any desire to get in with those types of people.

 

[Timeaisis]

That apology sounds more like him admitting that he guesses what he did can be considered wrong and more apologizing that people took it that way. Like, he didn't admit what he did was wrong, he just said he shouldn't have used Twitter for it...

But that's just my take, though.

 

[Seregil]

This whole thing honestly leaves me pretty disappointed with games media in general and I'm probably going to ramble for a bit. I'm sure most of that is because of my limited understanding of the events, or people not being able to reveal more due to legal implications (Waypoint basically saying legal told them to not comment directly on it due to conflicts of interest and having to wait for the investigation to complete), but it still feels really scummy.

You hear a lot about how close the games media are to each other, but apparently Polygon's EIC's reputation is so bad nobody trusted him to take these allegations seriously as there were plenty of comments about how it was good that they were investigating and not closing ranks. Or maybe people were to worried about the victims to tell him that one of his employees, for years, has been doing some seriously bad shit? But isn't part of the job protecting sources? They can protect their source for the big video games scoops but can't protect their source when reporting a serial sexual harasser to another media outlet and prevent them from harming more women? Especially when none of this needs to be public at all? Would Polygon have to name victims in order to fire Nick? It doesn't look like it but I'm not sure what exactly has been revealed.

Maybe handling it all privately is bad and its better that it all blew up publicly rather than Polygon simply firing Nick one day without comment, but it seems like something could have been done sooner. Perhaps people did more than they are admitting in public due to legal issues and people did try and do something about it, but maybe Polygon couldn't do anything until now. The whole situation is messy, but it seems like people talk about sexual harassment seriously, but don't take action like it is serious.

I'm sure this is quite unfair to the games media, and a lot of them do seem like good people, and maybe they will be able to talk about the process in more detail later and I'll be able to understand their perspective better, but right now to me it seems like they failed pretty badly at stopping sexual harassment.

 

[sflufan]

It's better than your average media apology, but it still is in no way a good apology.

It's good enough for Vox's legal team to somewhat mitigate any theoretical liability they might incur from his actions.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

That apology sounds more like him admitting that he guesses what he did can be considered wrong and more apologizing that people took it that way. Like, he didn't admit what he did was wrong, he just said he shouldn't have used Twitter for it...

But that's just my take, though.

That's more or less my take as well.

 

[GillianSeed79]

I gotta say this because it is making me so angry to see people in this thread saying this is a 'good apology'.

THIS IS NOT A GOOD APOLOGY!

Nick is lying. Yes, lying. He is mischaracterizing his sexual harrassment as flirting. Pressuring women online on social media for nude pictures and sex acts is not flirting, its harrassment. Its like au person saying groping someone is just being friendly. He is not only giving a weak ass apology, he is straight up doing damage control for his image by mischaracterizing what actually happened!
...

These are valid points. Apologies if my last post could be construed as minimizing the trauma suffered by these women and women in the workplace and society in general. I think in cases like these the guilty party will always try to minimize their actions even when admitting fault. But anyway sorry if my post came off as insensitive

 

[tim.mbp]

Is that tweet the only official response from Polygon?

 

[Goofalo]

It's good enough for Vox's legal team to somewhat mitigate any theoretical liability they might incur from his actions.

Might not been an issue, depending on how the separation occurred. It could be Vox's counsel is reading his apology and being happy there is a timestamp on the separation. "That shit was on Nick's time. Not Vox's."

 

[RumbleHumble]

It's good enough for Vox's legal team to somewhat mitigate any theoretical liability they might incur from his actions.

Exactly. Lawyers polished this up hard and let Nick add in the appropriate "Dude" and "Like" here and there to provide "authenticity".

 

[BTA]

http://imgur.com/a/avERH

This was something I just found. But, this appears to be a subcontractor/freelance contract. Wonder if the 2 year non-compete is part of his employment contract. I'd imagine it wouldn't be, because your employer can't take away your right to earn a living in your field. But the rules for contractors are different.

I saw that, but I figured it was at least somewhat fake given who it's about/who posted it.

This whole thing honestly leaves me pretty disappointed with games media in general and I'm probably going to ramble for a bit. I'm sure most of that is because of my limited understanding of the events, or people not being able to reveal more due to legal implications (Waypoint basically saying legal told them to not comment directly on it due to conflicts of interest and having to wait for the investigation to complete), but it still feels really scummy.

You hear a lot about how close the games media are to each other, but apparently Polygon's EIC's reputation is so bad nobody trusted him to take these allegations seriously as there were plenty of comments about how it was good that they were investigating and not closing ranks. Or maybe people were to worried about the victims to tell him that one of his employees, for years, has been doing some seriously bad shit? But isn't part of the job protecting sources? They can protect their source for the big video games scoops but can't protect their source when reporting a serial sexual harasser to another media outlet and prevent them from harming more women? Especially when none of this needs to be public at all? Would Polygon have to name victims in order to fire Nick? It doesn't look like it but I'm not sure what exactly has been revealed.

Maybe handling it all privately is bad and its better that it all blew up publicly rather than Polygon simply firing Nick one day without comment, but it seems like something could have been done sooner. Perhaps people did more than they are admitting in public due to legal issues and people did try and do something about it, but maybe Polygon couldn't do anything until now. The whole situation is messy, but it seems like people talk about sexual harassment seriously, but don't take action like it is serious.

I'm sure this is quite unfair to the games media, and a lot of them do seem like good people, and maybe they will be able to talk about the process in more detail later and I'll be able to understand their perspective better, but right now to me it seems like they failed pretty badly at stopping sexual harassment.

It's not "protecting sources" if a victim is a friend, not a source. I get your point here - they should be able to keep their identity from being revealed - but it's more complicated than that. I'm sure everyone involved took it very seriously, but would not betray the trust of their friends.

This is not the fault of the victims or the people who they tell to listen to their wishes about handling their situation, though. It's only Nick's.

 

[RumbleHumble]

.

 

[@MUWANdo]

Because the alt-right will overwhelmingly support that which they feel triggers the left. I hate to say it, but in a way, its leaving money on the table to not do it.

What makes you think he has any interest in courting those idiots?

 

[lifeexpectancy]

Straight white male feels sorry that the internet discovered he was a dick. News at 11.

This post is the kind of bullshit that these conversations dont need. Imagine for a second if someone posted "lesbian black female feels sorry that the internet discovered she was a ***". Just because someone is a white male doesnt give you license to use their race, gender, or sexual orientation as a fucking snide comment. That shit directed at anyone in the manner of your post is deplorable.

Good on him for apologizing.

 

[sflufan]

Exactly. Lawyers polished this up hard and let Nick add in the appropriate "Dude" and "Like" here and there to provide "authenticity".

"Hey, Mike - what would an apology from a twentysomething year-old millennial dumbass who plays video games for a living and is being accused of inappropriate behavior in regard to the opposite gender sound like? I gotta come up with that by COB today!"

 

[K.Jack]

I'm a little LTTP but do we know what he did other than asking for nude pictures? Sorry if this has been asked to death but some are vaguely speaking as though he did way worse than that.

There are no details, like at all.

All we can do is wait for a journalist to bring his actions to light.

 

[Goofalo]

Stuff.

This is the start of a path I stood at earlier this evening. Went down it. Wrote it down. And immediately regretted posting as it was irresponsible to do so, so I deleted it.