TDLR: Blizzard needs to be held accountable. Unsubbing because of Blizzards toxicity is your choice, but you should realize that your moral standards are usually only applied to life when it’s convenient. Instead of burning blizz to the ground, we should realize that every company we spend money on is guilty of negativity in the world. Picking and choosing battles is easy, but how far does your moral justice go when you’re responsible for funding suffering that far outweighs the actions of Blizzard?
Blizzard is possibly (I originally said undoubtedly) guilty of the death of at least one person, sexual harassment, and a toxic culture - not to mention burying all of this while delivering a subpar product in retail.
There’s no denying this, and they’re going to have to make serious amends and have a complete overhaul if we’re ever going to have our faith restored - and some of us will never return anyways.
I want to make a point, however. Many people will be unsubbing because their money has been supporting a toxic, dangerous culture. But let’s take a step back and look at where our other money goes - to movie theaters, banks, groceries, cars, living spaces, etc.
Refusing to spend your money on toxicity is commendable, but ultimately impossible. Our love of movies puts money in the pockets of Hollywood, while we choose to ignore the sexual degradation of children and women that thrives there.
Our need for banks creates massive international slush funds for grifters that generates incomprehensible monetary imbalance and global theft that leaves millions in unfair debt.
Our love of meat and produce creates a massive factory of slavery and death that uncaringly slaughters billions of living creatures every year.
Our need for furniture depletes entire ecosystems in the Amazon on a monthly basis.
Our fondness for travel and gasoline is destroying our entire planet at an increasing, seemingly unstoppable rate.
So let me ask you this - when was the last time you spent money at the movie theaters? At the grocery store? At the gas station?
Unsubscribing from a company over toxicity is an applaudable gesture. But if you really knew where your money was going, you’d probably unsubscribe from life as well.
That being said, WoW is a game that has held our affection for many years and it’s sickening to see Blizzard as a flawed, toxic group.
If you truly refuse to support toxicity, then destroy your internet router and hike on foot to the mountains somewhere and get off the grid. This world is bathed in bloodshed and gluttony and our addiction to consumerism supports all of it happily.
This is not meant to belittle the actions of Blizzard, but let those who are free of supporting negativity be the first to point fingers.
It’s contradictory and foolish to refuse to spend money on things that perpetuate pain and intolerance when we all gladly throw money at companies that are much more sinister, guilty, and deceitful than Blizzard.
The only sensible thing to really argue is that we do not need WoW to live, yet we need other essential, corrupt services to do so. It’s inescapable, really.
Welcome to the world.
