AstroSamantha is gone, or: are women the better men...?

AstroSam

Barrista
Mar 8, 2016
5,884
19,636
1,525
RSI Handle
AstroSam
Dear TESTies


well, after some days off I'm feeling better, sorted things out for myself and am now coming back to you. Although, I have to clarify something of which I thought over for hours during the last two, three weeks:

When I started to register myself to RSI, I tried my common male handles which I've used since my first years of gaming. None of it worked aka were not available. In a frustrated mood I thought something like "take this, you damn program" and typed the callsign of my favorite astronaut: AstroSamantha. And it worked, was available. I stopped short;
hesitated;
thought;
thought it over again;
and again.
And finally I said to myself: "Why not? Lets take the path into the rabbit hole".
If I would've known where I would get into, I'd gone away; far away.

So, from now on I wasn't "me" anymore. I was "AstroSamantha" or, as most of them StarCitizens from now on called me "Astro" or "Sam" or "lady". Calling me by those names, that was quite okay. The other names which were given to me over the upcoming, next months, that was...frightening; alarming. To act like a woman was quite an interesting experience. There were lots and lots of very nice conversations which I would never have had as a guy, and I enjoyed it a lot. But there were also the ugly ones, rude; the ones which made me be ashamed being a "man".

Especially the last weeks I more and more asked myself: where is the point that men are posting every sexual related shit without thinking at least one second about that a woman could take that as an offence, feeling offended or aggrieved? Why men are thinking that they can lurk around a lady? ...for she probably is feeling like "yay, people are spying at me, that feels so good"...!? Really?? And why the hell there are men who think that they have the birth-given right to be rude; but don't have the guts to accept when I - as a woman - get rude in advance aka am not interested to be fucked by every guy who thinks that he is a big virtual number in virtual space? There were instances where a bunch of guys even bullied me - just for being a woman!

Experiences like those ones made me angry - and sad. And they ashamed me. I have to say to never made such experiences in my life before. Clearly, being a guy never before a guy asked me if I hadn't been fucked enough last night, calling me bitch or the like. So I had to learn (how) to handle words and sentences like those ones. It wasn't easy and it hurt. But I also grew during this experiment, especially my respect for women, sometimes treated as nothing more like...things.

That said, there were also very, very nice and wonderful moments, because there are not only the ugly bastard men in the verse. No, truth is, that most of them were very respectful and friendly and polite. More polite than ever a guy would be to another guy. As an example, never I will forget this moment where some shit-brained bitch-boy again was bullying and hunting me, trying to bring up other guys against me. But suddenly, a group of other pilots in this instance were hunting him instead! He got frustrated and began to push other ships from landing pads in PO. But finally, he had to leave the instance for his own good.
This was a very hearth warming experience which made me very happy. And yes, there are those virtual friends, who are always happy meeting me in space, flying around together with "me", AstroSamantha, defending me in my role as a female pilot.

But the last weeks it became too intense. The more I "transformed" into "AstroSamantha" the more I was kind of betraying those who trust me in who I am. This had to end. I had to make a decision. And this was a hard decision because - in some strange way - I somehow fell in love into this role, this new "me"; loved it too much. But I think, becoming aware of the before named points I suddenly recognized that it has to end; now! I had gone too deep into the rabbit hole and ran into danger not finding my way back again.

First I thought about to cut all ends, to let AstroSamantha die, creating a new "me". I thought over it for several nights. But finally I came to the conclusion that this would even be more betrayal to all those of you with whom I got in contact over the last months. So the only solution seemed to be: just to write down the truth; how it began, how it evolved - and how it ended.

Well, there it is; and if you read this wall of text until this line, I would like to thank you; just for reading.
I've learned a lot of things during the last months, especially becoming aware of the very dark side of some male...living things. Made this experience I would like to take the opportunity to ask you, whenever you become aware that a woman is bullied in the verse by some shitty guy, to break up your current mission and to hunt this bastard down. They are not worth it to have "fun" in the verse, especially when "fun" means to them to treat other players, especially women. Not because women are "weak", oh no. There are those who are having bigger guts than some male beings, who are the better pilots and who for sure are having a better behavior. But there is absolutely no reason - and absolutely no excuse! - for asking her about the sex last night, calling her "names" or lurking/stalking her! And we simply don't need those guys who are lack of respect; not in the verse, not in forums, not in real life!

And finally I would like to apologize to all of you who are knowing me as "AstroSamantha".
Its just "AstroSam". I would be very happy if you'd accept my apology.

Yours,

Sam
 

Lienna

Space Marshal
Feb 27, 2014
348
816
2,480
RSI Handle
Lienna
The trick to being female on the internet is to be "one of the guys". It's depressing really, but there will always be guys out there who are disrespectful, there's plenty of others who are absolutely wonderful. Much in the same way there are women who I wouldn't want to spend 5 minutes in the company of, so don't think it's just your gender who are awful! Terrible people live all along the gender spectrum, women just tend to be more subtle about it so it doesn't come across as much online...

I can see the temptation to do things like this, heck I'm fully aware that I get an abnormal amount of respect from certain people based on my gender, which I'm sure I wouldn't get if I was simply "one of the guys", I haven't earnt that respect, I've just been a female member of a largely male group.

In my experience there are usually 9 guys willing to defend you for every 1 who attacks you, decent people outnumber the crappy ones!

Anyway, nice to (re-)meet you Sam, glad you learnt from your experience and super-glad your picture didn't involve a corset and fishnets :P
 

MzHartz

Vice Admiral
May 24, 2015
652
1,856
450
RSI Handle
MzHartz
Thank you Sam.

All is forgiven. While I don't like G.I.R.L.s (Guy In Real Life) in general because it makes it harder for us, at the same time, your learning experience and honesty redeems that. I do believe that your intention was not to deceive but to experiment.

And I do wish that more guys would have to experience what it's like being a woman for a while. That being said, believe it or not, your experience was probably a mild one. I've found that the Star Citizen community is more mature than the average gaming crowd, but there are still stereotypical gamers in there too. There is still harassment. And while the blatant harassment like you described isn't as bad here, the subtle stuff, more quiet patronising, is still around. I don't think it's on purpose, it's a cultural thing, but it's still there. Like when I hear, "OMG, it's a girl!" Or for example, at Citizen Con, a couple guys asked me, "Do you actually play Star Citizen?" (Also see @witchkittie 's open letter on diversity: View: https://twitter.com/WitchkittieTv/status/788586963225894912
)

I also know some women who play video games under masculine or unisex names so that they don't get treated differently.

And that's why I'm as visual as I am. It's a choice and a responsibility. I'm a decent pilot. Not to be too full of myself, but I'm better than the average player. I get my ass handed to me by the best pilots, sure, but at least they consider me worth their time. I stream Star Citizen, and my focus is on the game. My webcam is set from my shoulders up. I feel like that's what I have to do to be taken seriously. But at the same time, I'm showing that girls can be hardcore gamers too. I'm hoping to help women get more respect in this game and others. That's why I'm involved with Diverse the Verse (and yet we got slammed on reddit for only having women on our podcast....).

@Lienna is absolutely right. The trick is to just be one of the guys. I try to do this while retaining my identity. I got there by being blunt, and while I'll call someone out for sexism, I also try to see things from their perspective instead of getting offended. It's a delicate balance.

Thank you for not only revealing your identity, but for using this as a learning experience for yourself, and sharing that with others. Sadly, sometimes this truth needs to come from a guy. I don't like to talk about gender disparities in gaming a whole lot, preferring to highlight the positive sides. But part of the reason I stay away from the subject is because so many guys just think I'm whining. That surely it can't be that bad. It varies a lot, but it's still there.
 

Xian-Luc Picard

Space Marshal
Jan 9, 2016
947
3,142
2,010
RSI Handle
Xian-Luc_Picard
Yeah... I am definately *not actually* Zapp Brannigan, although, I think his character encompasses exactly what you are talking about above. Honestly, I think that the parody of Zapp is a healthy sign simply because it mocks the nature of that mindset. What scares me, at least in America, is that we seem to be reverting to our Zapp mindset by having people think rape isn't that big of an issue and others that talk about women in objectifying ways rather than with respect; then claiming that, "nobody respects women more than them". I think more men need to do what you did and put themselves in a woman's shoes... it would be enlightening for them, I'm sure.

That being said, you are and will continue to be one of my favorite people on here. Your posts are often a bright point on gloomy days.
 

Grimbli

Space Marshal
Jan 27, 2016
4,034
14,846
2,910
RSI Handle
Grimbli
I am definately *not actually* Zapp Brannigan
WHAAAT??

What scares me, at least in America, is that we seem to be reverting to our Zapp mindset by having people think rape isn't that big of an issue and others that talk about women in objectifying ways rather than with respect; then claiming that, "nobody respects women more than them".
People need to chill the fuck out. That's all there is to it. I'm not sure why some men feel the need to dominate* women. I feel they are definitely a minority, albiet a very vocal minority, that unfortunately ruin someone's day. These same people like to ruin the days of other men too, but just go about it in a different trolly way, I just find it pathetic they resort to such low standards of harrassment when it comes to women.

On another note, I'm not really a big fan of people apologizing or stating they're ashamed for the male gender as a whole**. These bottom feeders are not real men. They are not in the majority and they do not hold any real power over anyone.

That being said, you are and will continue to be one of my favorite people on here. Your posts are often a bright point on gloomy days.
I LOVE Sam's posts! Such positivity from someone is always a wonderful influence!

*(Unless you're talking in an actual Dominant sense, but then that's all consensual)
**Sorry, @Carlos Spicyweiner , nothing personal against you, it just kinda bothers me. I have a friend who is always martyring his ego to make sure everyone in the room understands he supports all women's causes at all times. Gets old.
 

supitza

Vault Dweller
Aug 5, 2015
2,000
8,576
3,010
RSI Handle
AstroSupitza
We still love you, @Sam K Macer . It's sad that the internet is full of so many kinds of uncivilized people. My mind can't really grasp sexism, racism or other kinds of stereotypes in the 21st century. It all seems so barbaric and uneducated.
But wait... does that mean you're not actually a... barrista?
 

Xian-Luc Picard

Space Marshal
Jan 9, 2016
947
3,142
2,010
RSI Handle
Xian-Luc_Picard
We still love you, @Sam K Macer . It's sad that the internet is full of so many kinds of uncivilized people. My mind can't really grasp sexism, racism or other kinds of stereotypes in the 21st century. It all seems so barbaric and uneducated.
But wait... does that mean you're not actually a... barrista?
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Han Burgundy

Space Marshal
Jan 15, 2016
2,225
9,740
2,900
RSI Handle
Han-Burgundy
OKAY! Fine. I admit it. I'm actually just three children in a trench coat. Feels good to get that off our chests. In all seriousness: I find your experiment intriguing and, to be honest, I've always wondered about that myself. I hope that someday we get to the point where the (mostly virgin) dickheads sprinkled around the verse don't automatically try to act like some hotshot womanizer the second they catch the scent of a woman in their server. When I see an enemy StarFarer flown by CMDR JAck, Ill board it and kill everyone. When I see an enemy StarFarer flown by CMDR Jill, Ill board it and kill everyone. Equality is equality, because taking it easy on someone in a VIDEO GAME because of their genitals is a bit absurd, is it not?

Welcome back, Sam
 

Grimbli

Space Marshal
Jan 27, 2016
4,034
14,846
2,910
RSI Handle
Grimbli
We still love you, @Sam K Macer . It's sad that the internet is full of so many kinds of uncivilized people. My mind can't really grasp sexism, racism or other kinds of stereotypes in the 21st century. It all seems so barbaric and uneducated.
But wait... does that mean you're not actually a... barrista?
I really don't get racism and sexism either. Can't we all just stop it? I try to ignore most things anyways.

Also, Barista, is male or female server of coffee type drinks. So it still fits!
 

maynard

Space Marshal
May 20, 2014
5,146
20,422
2,995
RSI Handle
mgk
I think it's great that virtual worlds give us opportunities to experiment with our identities

we may not always be comfortable with what happens but we definitely learn and grow from our experiences

you can be Sam or AstroSamantha - your humanity shines through either way
 
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