When Winning the Culture War Isn't Enough | Sacred Symbols+, Episode 515

It's me, Colin. Please welcome journalist and writer Alyssa Mercante to Sacred Symbols+. Though I've heard of Alyssa and knew her name for some time, it wasn't until a few-ish years ago that she more properly popped onto my radar. It was then that the dreaded Sweet Baby Inc. Crisis (a moniker I just now made up) erupted, and Alyssa -- then at publication Kotaku -- was one of the most visible media-types covering the affair. Now, with the Slay the Spire II-slash-Anita Sarkeesian situation unfolding before us, it felt like a great time to sit down and talk things through. This whole scenario is, after all, a distinct echo from the past. To keep things simple, we started with a basic premise and then went off from there: Did Anita Sarkeesian ultimately lose the culture war? Why does her name still resonate more than a decade after so-called GamerGate kicked-off? Can the victors of these sorts of fights simply not accept that they now wield the power they once coveted? And perhaps most importantly of all: Why can't more people have conversations just like the one we've conducted? There's a lot to get to, so let's not delay further. Please enjoy.