Combatting Shaming and Toxic Communities

Discrimination in the gamer community is rampant, as evidenced by the recent GamerGate controversy. Though females make up 45 percent of all gamers, nearly 90 percent of all game designers are male. This has resulted in troubling portrayals of women in the games, which can leave lasting impressions on young people playing them. Even more serious is the abuse women face in gamer communities and as professionals in the industry. This timely resource will help teens make sense of the issues facing them when they participate in video game culture.

Today, we can find an online community to suit almost any interest we may have. And yet these communities carry an element of menace. The anonymity associated with online communities allows particularly vicious interplay, where people can pile on others with virtually zero consequences. Using current examples from the news and connecting this phenomenon to historical incidents like the Salem witch trials, this fascinating resource examines an interesting time in the world and grounds it with practical guidelines for being a responsible member of an online community.

In the West, overweight people are shamed daily for their "poor choices" and their "lack of self-discipline." But thin people can be shamed, too-we assume they are anorexic or desperate to keep up with Hollywood standards. Then there are the female athletes who should be celebrated for their strength and power but are deemed "masculine." How can anyone feel good about his or her body? This important resource for female and male students alike uses real-life examples to explore the concept and harmful consequences of body shaming, as well as what to do if it happens to them.

The Internet is a wonderful place, but it can also be vicious and harmful. One of the negatives about being connected is a phenomenon called Internet shaming. Internet shaming is just one of the ways people show their uglier sides online, to tragic and unfair consequences. It has damaged reputations, hurt feelings, and even driven people to suicide. This resource examines what Internet shaming is, why people do it, and why, in the end, it's a dangerous practice. It also provides guidance to both those who have been victims of Internet shaming and those who have shamed others.

All types of bullying are toxic, but one kind known as slut shaming can have particularly nasty consequences. Slut shaming supports a culture that tries to control women's choices. This culture leads to higher rates of sexual assault, depression, and even suicide. Women who are slut shamed online face additional harm to their reputations, particularly in their college and professional careers. This important resource will explain what slut shaming is, why it is so harmful, and how to stop feeding into the culture that supports it.