Psychologist and author Carole Lieberman is not very popular with some people right now.
Yes, her sex in games leads to real-life rape comment in yesterday’s FoxNews story seems to have rubbed a few folks the wrong way. As such, she’s joined Jack Thompson and Cooper Lawrence as someone whose, shall we say, ill-advised comments have prompted the less mature of us to mosey on over to Amazon and give her book a negative review.
Yeah, that’ll show her the light.
Prior to yesterday, Lieberman’s book Bad Girls had six reader reviews, all of them awarding the title five out of five stars. Since then, it has garnered over 30 additional reviews, the vast majority of which are one star. The comments are of the predictable “I didn’t read the book but if she feels qualified to speak on topics she knows nothing about, than so do I” variety and range from admittedly pretty funny to flat-out vulgar.
As it has done for other bookstormed authors, Amazon will doubtless remove the offending reviews soon so those who want their opinions to stick around are encouraged to demonstrate a bit more class and communicate them in the appropriate forums.
-Reporting from San Diego, GamePolitics Correspondent Andrew Eisen
Comments
Re: Carole Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
For those who are interested, here is a message left 1 hour ago on Fox News's article's comment section :
"Dr. Carole was misrepresented on her views on video game violence. I hope you understand that it was the publication that chose to represent Dr. Carole's views in this light, and that the statement was taken out of context. Her books also do not condemn the use of video games.
It is clear, however, that this statement has unintentionally caused readers some deep emotional turmoil and we would like to rectify the situation.
Please contact carole.lieberman.md@gmail.com with your address and contact information, and we will be in touch
to clear up any misunderstandings that may have been caused. It is important that we create a dialogue regarding this.
Sincerely,
The Team at Dr. Carole Lieberman"
Re: Carole Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
"Dr. Carole was misrepresented on her views on video game violence."
Right.....
Maybe if she didn't misrepresent herself in the first place...
Re: Carole Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
... and Kotaku has more. Much more : http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/02/the-doctor-who-said-video-games-cause-r...
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
I have mixed feelings about this. I admire the "take the high ground" arguments, but at the same time I see the amazon tactic as a kind of non-violent protest, which can indeed be effective as others have mentioned.
So although I didn't participate in any bookbombing, I can see it as a legitimate form of protest toward those who spread misinformation.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
Also I note that the ratings are back up to 42 in total, most of them negative so I think Amazon ultimately gives up on trying to remove them.
Cooper Lawrence's books, 3 years later, are still saturated with negative reviews.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
That, or they are not getting rid of reviews that look like semi true negative reviews.
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There are only 10 types of people in this world, people who know binary and people who don't.
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There are only 10 types of people in this world, people who know binary and people who don't.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
This can't be new to that book. There are only 5 and 1 star ratings which likely means that the reviews, good or bad, have nothing to do with quality.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
As much as I found the Amazon stuff funny, emailing her and asking her for her sources, etc. is a much better tactic.
I did, and so should everyone else.
I really wish critical thinking was mandatory in school.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
I doubt it would do anything useful what so ever. This is someone who has spent decades making cash off moral panics.. she has no interest in being right, only in being able to cash checks.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
What about Cooper Lawerance? Do you think she would have apologized, if you could call it that, if we had just emailed her? It may be immature but, when it comes to people like that you have to take the avenue that will get them to understand. Email? What do most do with a email. Especally one from someone that they don't want to talk to? Maybe delete the email and block the user. I mean I knew this would happen. I wouldn't chip in. I don't do Amazon reviews. ;3
Like Cooper Lawerence, she got on Fox News and ran her mouth about a topic that she knew nothing about, on National television no less, and is recieving the backlash. It happens. I'm sure that there are those that are emaailing her, and if they actually get somewhere with that, then the more power to them.
Carol Liberman aside, Fox News is only doing this sensationalistic crap of a story to ger the ratings. I see that it worked.
- W
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
"What do most do with a email."
That's not the question. The question is, "What do most people do with many thousand emails, all from unique addresses?"
It's not simple to filter such a vast number of messages. So, if everyone who wanted to comment did so by emailing her directly, we'd at least be directly inconveniencing her. Instead we're bothering some poor schmuck at Amazon who has to go through all the reviews and try to take out the junk. If this effects her book sales at all I'd expect it to sell more copies just because it'll get more press.
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Chris Kimberley
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Chris Kimberley
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
Point taken. I really hadn't thought about it. I was thinking of her screaming 'harassment' if we emailed her. I'm not sure the effect of that, as it would be 'thousand emails, all from unique addresses'
- W
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
So the end justifies the means?
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
No offense, but I don't see how raiding her e-mail inbox is any diffrent.
- W
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
Raiding her reviews on Amazon is not exactly a harmful mean to get the message delivered.
------------------------------------------------------------ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
The means are hardly awful. She sells a few less books, and maybe her voice won't be heard quite so often on Fox. There are repercussions for shouting 'Fire!' in a theatre. If she wants to sell books, she should play nice with the people she wants to sell to.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
Sorry but I have to disagree. I think it perfectly serves her right. If she's allowed to talk out of her ass on something she knows nothing about, why shouldn't we? As long as we're fairly civil about it and refrain from personal attacks and vulgarity, I think she'll get the message: don't criticize what you don't understand. Cooper Lawrence got the hint and backpedaled from her earlier statement. So did Kevin McCullough. And they did have a an effect on JT's book sales as well. I'm not asking for something of Anonymous-style proportions, but people like these ought to know publicly that we as gamers are not pleased with our hobby being misrepresented. Sending personal emails are well and good, but it's not going to get as much attention.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
Sending personal emails are well and good, but it's not going to get as much attention.
/this
Yes, the problem with emails is that she just would shut them down and keep acting like nothing is happenning. She can´t do nothing with the Amazon reviews by herself, and the situation I´m very sure that it will last a couple of weeks.
------------------------------------------------------------ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
I agree. When people do bad things, they should be punished. This is as good a way to punish an author as any.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
I understand your point but if we go down to her level, can we really hold in contempt? Then its just two dogs fighting each other over and over. We are obligated to act with more maturity than she's giving us credit for.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
Amazon is currently in the process of clearing out bad reviews. I went there and there were 25 reviews and when i left there was only 21. I am sure that it will decrease even further in the next couple of hours.
I really think this is one of the dumbest ways gamers can respond to these situations. I really wish people were more inclined to stick to the high road, but with a generation of gamers like those found on XBox live, it is nothing more than a pipe dream.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
As someone who owns both consoles, I gotta say... PS3 has it just as bad as 360, believe it or not. Played MW2 on both consoles and saw that they were on equal level of stupidity.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
I think the relevant part of that comment is "MW2".
-- Sometimes the truth is arrived at by adding all the little lies together and deducting them from the totality of what is known
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
I remember when this happened to Cooper Lawrence and I have to say that was kind of fun but at the same time some real criticism came out from the trolling on Amazon. With Lawrence, at least, she admited that she was talking about things she didn´t know.
Let´s hope if Lieberman somehow follows the same path.
------------------------------------------------------------ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
Don't. Like. This. At. All.
Carole Lieberman has an email address. Contacting her on her address could have been (and should have been) largely enough. Now, she'll have the opportunity to play the innocent victim of angry gamers' lynch mob. Granted, she's certainly not innocent, but who will care among the public ?
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
GP is right, not really high ground there people.
...that comment is really quite clever though...
-Austin from Oregon
Feel free to check out my blog.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
At this point, it's people letting themselves be brought down to her level: a vast wasteland of ignorance and stupidity.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
People made the same comment on that author who was commenting on the Mass Effect sex scandal on Fox News a few years ago. Nothing original about it, though it does still ring as true today as it did back then.
Re: Carol Lieberman Bookstormed Over "Games Lead to Rape" ...
But the ME thing... The book actually turned out to be pretty damn bad apparently.