Nick Robinson fired from Polygon
Aug 20, 2017 18:27:14 GMT -8
Post by Zarnium on Aug 20, 2017 18:27:14 GMT -8
This has a larger point to it even if you don't care two bits about Polygon, so hear me out.
This probably doesn't mean much to anyone else, but Nick Robinson has been fired from Polygon over allegations of sexual harassment. Apparently, this has been in the air for a couple weeks, but I only just heard about it a couple hours ago. To most onlookers, this probably just looks like another dime-a-dozen let's player getting long-deserved comeuppance. To me, this is a pretty massive blow.
Let's back up; last summer, while looking for something to listen to during my work commute, I stumbled upon My Brother, My Brother, and Me, the comedy advice podcast from the McElroy Brothers, Justin, Travis, and Griffin Mcelroy. I fell in love with it, and have been listening ever since, starting from episode 1 of over 300 episodes, only just recently almost catching up to the most recent releases. I like the show not just because it's funny, but because the hosts are very good at being funny while being kind, friendly, and open-minded, and without being offensive. On the rare occasions where they've offended someone, they've publicly apologized and changed their habits so as to not do it again, and moved on with their creative endeavors without throwing a fit and getting into Twitter fights. They genuinely make an effort to connect with marginalized groups and seek to cause as little discord as possible, preferring to find solutions where no one feels excluded. I find that very commendable. Since I liked My Brother, My Brother, and Me so much, I started listening to another well-known McElroy podcast, The Adventure Zone, and have also gotten really into Justin and Griffin's content on Polygon like Monster Factory and Car Boys, which is where Nick Robinson comes in.
Nick Robinson is a co-host with Griffin or Justin on many Polygon produced video series and podcasts, to the extent that I've called him the "fourth McElroy brother" before. Most notably, he hosts the podcast Cool Games Inc. and the let's play series Car Boys from last year, which became very popular and only ended a couple months ago. I don't normally like let's plays, but I loved Car Boys. I could explain why, but that's beyond the purview of this post, so I'll just let Film Crit Hulk explain it. Suffice to say, I watch Nick Robinson's stuff for much the same reason that I watch and listen to the McElroys' content. It's friendly, it's open, it's not hostile, it's largely apolitical, and it's a much-needed break from the increasingly depressing current events and news coverage which seems to be slowly seeping into my other entertainment options whether I like it or not. And, until recently, I watched it because I thought it was made by a person who I could actually respect and not feel like I'm supporting someone who I shouldn't, as more and more entertainers slip into grey areas (or pitch-black areas) that make me uncomfortable.
So, I'm super bummed about this. I'm not entirely certain what the full extent of his transgressions are, especially as not all of them have been made public, but he's apparently made lewd comments and requests towards women in the games industry, including other Polygon employees. It's serious enough that no one who works with him is defending him, and he's not disputing the allegations, either, so I don't doubt that he's guilty. This being the case, I'm sad for a lot of reasons. I'm sad that there won't be more content from him, of course. But I'm also sad for the harassment that he's perpetrated, I'm sad that I won't be able to watch Car Boys again without it feeling tainted, I'm sad that his fans who are more personally affected by this sort of thing than I am have had their experience with his work ruined, too. I'm sad that I won't be able to start listening to Cool Games Inc. like I was planning to, and I'm sad for the McElroy brothers, who now have to contend with the fact that their friend and co-creator did something they're diametrically opposed to. I'm sad that there's now a ton of McElroy content out there that I feel like I can't watch because Nick is in it, and I'm sad that one of the last people I would have suspected to do something like this let me down.
I'm also bummed because this just makes me increasingly paranoid that some other beloved internet personality is going to turn out to be an ass or a creeper, and all the enjoyment I've gotten from their content will feel ruined. It happened with Jontron a few months ago, who's next? Is Jake Hurwitz going to turn out to be a domestic abuser? Will it be revealed that PeanutButterGamer has alt-right sympathies? Will Matt Sloan get in a drunk-driving accident? There's apparently no rhyme or reason to who has skeletons in the closet, so anything goes!
I mean, geez, this really blows. This must be what people who grew up with the Cosby Show feel like. Ok, Nick Robinson probably just sent a ton of inappropriate tweets rather than being a serial rapist, but still.
This probably doesn't mean much to anyone else, but Nick Robinson has been fired from Polygon over allegations of sexual harassment. Apparently, this has been in the air for a couple weeks, but I only just heard about it a couple hours ago. To most onlookers, this probably just looks like another dime-a-dozen let's player getting long-deserved comeuppance. To me, this is a pretty massive blow.
Let's back up; last summer, while looking for something to listen to during my work commute, I stumbled upon My Brother, My Brother, and Me, the comedy advice podcast from the McElroy Brothers, Justin, Travis, and Griffin Mcelroy. I fell in love with it, and have been listening ever since, starting from episode 1 of over 300 episodes, only just recently almost catching up to the most recent releases. I like the show not just because it's funny, but because the hosts are very good at being funny while being kind, friendly, and open-minded, and without being offensive. On the rare occasions where they've offended someone, they've publicly apologized and changed their habits so as to not do it again, and moved on with their creative endeavors without throwing a fit and getting into Twitter fights. They genuinely make an effort to connect with marginalized groups and seek to cause as little discord as possible, preferring to find solutions where no one feels excluded. I find that very commendable. Since I liked My Brother, My Brother, and Me so much, I started listening to another well-known McElroy podcast, The Adventure Zone, and have also gotten really into Justin and Griffin's content on Polygon like Monster Factory and Car Boys, which is where Nick Robinson comes in.
Nick Robinson is a co-host with Griffin or Justin on many Polygon produced video series and podcasts, to the extent that I've called him the "fourth McElroy brother" before. Most notably, he hosts the podcast Cool Games Inc. and the let's play series Car Boys from last year, which became very popular and only ended a couple months ago. I don't normally like let's plays, but I loved Car Boys. I could explain why, but that's beyond the purview of this post, so I'll just let Film Crit Hulk explain it. Suffice to say, I watch Nick Robinson's stuff for much the same reason that I watch and listen to the McElroys' content. It's friendly, it's open, it's not hostile, it's largely apolitical, and it's a much-needed break from the increasingly depressing current events and news coverage which seems to be slowly seeping into my other entertainment options whether I like it or not. And, until recently, I watched it because I thought it was made by a person who I could actually respect and not feel like I'm supporting someone who I shouldn't, as more and more entertainers slip into grey areas (or pitch-black areas) that make me uncomfortable.
So, I'm super bummed about this. I'm not entirely certain what the full extent of his transgressions are, especially as not all of them have been made public, but he's apparently made lewd comments and requests towards women in the games industry, including other Polygon employees. It's serious enough that no one who works with him is defending him, and he's not disputing the allegations, either, so I don't doubt that he's guilty. This being the case, I'm sad for a lot of reasons. I'm sad that there won't be more content from him, of course. But I'm also sad for the harassment that he's perpetrated, I'm sad that I won't be able to watch Car Boys again without it feeling tainted, I'm sad that his fans who are more personally affected by this sort of thing than I am have had their experience with his work ruined, too. I'm sad that I won't be able to start listening to Cool Games Inc. like I was planning to, and I'm sad for the McElroy brothers, who now have to contend with the fact that their friend and co-creator did something they're diametrically opposed to. I'm sad that there's now a ton of McElroy content out there that I feel like I can't watch because Nick is in it, and I'm sad that one of the last people I would have suspected to do something like this let me down.
I'm also bummed because this just makes me increasingly paranoid that some other beloved internet personality is going to turn out to be an ass or a creeper, and all the enjoyment I've gotten from their content will feel ruined. It happened with Jontron a few months ago, who's next? Is Jake Hurwitz going to turn out to be a domestic abuser? Will it be revealed that PeanutButterGamer has alt-right sympathies? Will Matt Sloan get in a drunk-driving accident? There's apparently no rhyme or reason to who has skeletons in the closet, so anything goes!
I mean, geez, this really blows. This must be what people who grew up with the Cosby Show feel like. Ok, Nick Robinson probably just sent a ton of inappropriate tweets rather than being a serial rapist, but still.