Zak Smith is Accused of Abuse
Moderator: Moderators
-
- Duke
- Posts: 1060
- Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 3:51 pm
There are a lot of Shitmuffinisms on display in his rebuttal. There's even a point where he denies saying something, and in the same paragraph says that even if he did say it it was totally fine and just a reference to something.
Truly Shitmuffin is the person Shitmuffin always showed himself to be.
Truly Shitmuffin is the person Shitmuffin always showed himself to be.
sandmann wrote:Zak S wrote:I'm not a dick, I'm really nice.Zak S wrote:(...) once you have decided that you will spend any part of your life trolling on the internet, you forfeit all rights as a human.If you should get hit by a car--no-one should help you. If you vote on anything--your vote should be thrown away.
If you wanted to participate in a conversation, you've lost that right. You are a non-human now. You are over and cancelled. No concern of yours can ever matter to any member of the human race ever again.
- deaddmwalking
- Prince
- Posts: 3782
- Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 11:33 am
There are...
Keeping in mind that he is trying to sound sympathetic, a careful reading is...frightening.
Diving right in, one of Shitmuffin's first comments is:
To me, it sounds like he didn't have to pack that stuff up - he didn't allow her to do so. Using that quote as a defense of his character is bizarre. Clearly he has power over her (her stuff) and one couldn't expect that she could be 100% honest. If he included further texts that allowed her to get her stuff, MAYBE we could be more charitable, but that's really strange.
If Mandy was abused, then Zak is an abuser. If someone that is close to Zak is defending him, there is always the chance that it is as much because they are being abused/used as it is that they are independently bringing this forward. Spending a lot of time saying he didn't PHYSICALLY abuse her but saying nothing about verbal abuse is also an interesting choice.
Since Zak says 'Connie knew us best', I wonder how he would respond if her story ever changed. I'm guessing he would accuse her of having an ulterior motive at that point. Immediately following Michelle's own defense, he adds more words that are supposed to be from her - just ask her! I hear Zak saying 'Mandy has personality issues', not Connie saying 'Michelle has personality issues'. Even if that is true, I'm not sure what it is supposed to mean.
He also adds Charlotte's words to his defense. When you take out direct quotes and what he says other people would say or did say according to him (hearsay, which he actually calls out as something that shouldn't be considered), you're not left with much.
He does also admit that he choked and slapped Hannah in broad daylight 'out of the blue', but that he thought it was appropriate at the time. He thinks it is okay because they had a sexual relationship later. In the #MeToo era, I've read a number of accounts where a woman had sex AFTER she was raped - here's a New York Times response from a number of women sharing exactly that.
Keeping in mind that he is trying to sound sympathetic, a careful reading is...frightening.
Diving right in, one of Shitmuffin's first comments is:
Just before the end, he includes a text without other context or response. It says "I don't think there's any need to fight about anything. I'm not mad at you. I'm not angry Zak. Maybe you won't understand that. The only thing I'm concerned about is will you let me come by and pack up my stuff over the next few days."all the stories attached to every old photo and book and game and bandage and prescription bottle I had to carefully pack up and put away when she left
To me, it sounds like he didn't have to pack that stuff up - he didn't allow her to do so. Using that quote as a defense of his character is bizarre. Clearly he has power over her (her stuff) and one couldn't expect that she could be 100% honest. If he included further texts that allowed her to get her stuff, MAYBE we could be more charitable, but that's really strange.
Shitmuffin goes on to specifically call out three specific people who he claims couldn't know anything while then pointing out other people who would have to know. Like, if 10 people COULD have seen it, and 3 people DID see it, I would assume that it happened when the 3 people happened to see it and not everyone was paying attention/it didn't happen all the time, etc. Like, most people who are abused have a person or people in their life that the abuse doesn't happen around. If a parent is abusing a child, they usually don't do it when grandma can see; grandma can say she never saw abuse, but it doesn't mean the abuse didn't happen. Like obviously it means it didn't happen when she could see it. He's trying to prove a negative (it never happened because I never saw it) while other people are asserting that it did happen (it happened because I saw it). Like, even in his own posts here he is very clear that if something happens even once, it counts. Almost 1/5 of his response is someone else responding on his behalf - and one of the allegations is that he used Mandy's name to defend himself earlier.Of course, when I refer to “everyone”, I’m not talking about ...
If Mandy was abused, then Zak is an abuser. If someone that is close to Zak is defending him, there is always the chance that it is as much because they are being abused/used as it is that they are independently bringing this forward. Spending a lot of time saying he didn't PHYSICALLY abuse her but saying nothing about verbal abuse is also an interesting choice.
Since Zak says 'Connie knew us best', I wonder how he would respond if her story ever changed. I'm guessing he would accuse her of having an ulterior motive at that point. Immediately following Michelle's own defense, he adds more words that are supposed to be from her - just ask her! I hear Zak saying 'Mandy has personality issues', not Connie saying 'Michelle has personality issues'. Even if that is true, I'm not sure what it is supposed to mean.
He also adds Charlotte's words to his defense. When you take out direct quotes and what he says other people would say or did say according to him (hearsay, which he actually calls out as something that shouldn't be considered), you're not left with much.
He does also admit that he choked and slapped Hannah in broad daylight 'out of the blue', but that he thought it was appropriate at the time. He thinks it is okay because they had a sexual relationship later. In the #MeToo era, I've read a number of accounts where a woman had sex AFTER she was raped - here's a New York Times response from a number of women sharing exactly that.
I think that Shitmuffin's narcissism is showing.Mandy published her attack with the obvious intent to hurt me and turn people away from me.
There are certainly going to be a lot of people that take Zak's side. We're going to hear about how he could have gotten sex from any number of willing people, so why would he use power to force sex? We're going to hear about how the victim should have said something before, during, or immediately after. We're going to hear the same things we always hear but I at least am hopeful that our culture is changing - someone like Mandy would have kept silent a decade ago. I hope that despite the attacks that she'll receive, other women are inspired/empowered to continue to share their own experiences.Mandy wrote: What I want to convey is my grief. And my shame. There is so much of it. I think when women come forward to talk about their abusers people strip them of their grief. And I am not okay. And I should be angry but I can’t be because the shame is too great. Because the abuse had me taking responsibility for everything and it’s very difficult to stop that after all these years. Everything was always my fault, the problem was me--but it wasn’t.
-This space intentionally left blank
-
- Duke
- Posts: 1060
- Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 3:51 pm
Even at a glance it's fucking bizarre that he started with saying " She is the very last person in the world who needs any more pain than she’s already been subjected to," and then went on to say the following:
She's literally incapable of living a normal life
She is spiteful enough to try to destroy somebody for...what? He never says why.
That she WAS "wonderful and smart and beautiful and fierce and sharp" (obviously she's not anymore, nobody who dislikes Shitmuffin or does things he doesn't like can have positive qualities. They are cancelled and shouldn't be helped if they get hit by a car)
She has personality issues
She assaulted him
She mocks other women based on their looks
She was "extremely aggressive" about pursuing people sexually
She is a liar
Oh, and he added an addendum of people who are all attacking Mandy. But hey, he wants her to find peace and he thinks she is literally the last person in the world who deserves pain! The sort of peace and protection from pain that only a sustained campaign of online harassment can provide. What a nice guy, that shitmuffin.
She's literally incapable of living a normal life
She is spiteful enough to try to destroy somebody for...what? He never says why.
That she WAS "wonderful and smart and beautiful and fierce and sharp" (obviously she's not anymore, nobody who dislikes Shitmuffin or does things he doesn't like can have positive qualities. They are cancelled and shouldn't be helped if they get hit by a car)
She has personality issues
She assaulted him
She mocks other women based on their looks
She was "extremely aggressive" about pursuing people sexually
She is a liar
Oh, and he added an addendum of people who are all attacking Mandy. But hey, he wants her to find peace and he thinks she is literally the last person in the world who deserves pain! The sort of peace and protection from pain that only a sustained campaign of online harassment can provide. What a nice guy, that shitmuffin.
Last edited by Pseudo Stupidity on Thu Feb 14, 2019 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sandmann wrote:Zak S wrote:I'm not a dick, I'm really nice.Zak S wrote:(...) once you have decided that you will spend any part of your life trolling on the internet, you forfeit all rights as a human.If you should get hit by a car--no-one should help you. If you vote on anything--your vote should be thrown away.
If you wanted to participate in a conversation, you've lost that right. You are a non-human now. You are over and cancelled. No concern of yours can ever matter to any member of the human race ever again.
Definitely a joke to see him post "I believe women"
Come see Sprockets & Serials
How do you confuse a barbarian?
Put a greatsword a maul and a greataxe in a room and ask them to take their pick
How do you confuse a barbarian?
Put a greatsword a maul and a greataxe in a room and ask them to take their pick
EXPLOSIVE RUNES!
-
- Serious Badass
- Posts: 29894
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
I usually really like being proved right and being allowed to say I told you so. I genuinely am not enjoying this particular vindication.FrankTrollman wrote: Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 11:26 pm
The thing I find weird and creepy about shitmuffin's insistence on defending 'his girls' is that the person who keeps bringing those women into arguments is... Shitmuffin. Go ahead and go back throughout this thread and try to count the number of times shitmuffin attempts to get people to shift the conversation to those women or even to contact those women directly and involve them in the argument. It's a lot.
In short, shitmuffin has been pleading and cajoling people to pretty please attack those women throughout this entire conversation. And apparently were anyone to take that bait, he'd go into white knight mode and think himself virtuous for defending 'his girls' from whatever slings and arrows he had baited people into aiming at them.
It's just really creepy. I understand that there are reasons to use a possessive and a diminutive to describe a free adult. But when combined with a blatant internet tough guy strategy of attempting to create insults to that person he can 'defend' them from, it sure looks abusive from here.
-Username17
-Username17
- OgreBattle
- King
- Posts: 6820
- Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 9:33 am
-
- Serious Badass
- Posts: 29894
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Part of the fifth edition marketing push was a direct outreach to various "Old School Revival" people. So chuweros like RPGPundit and shitmuffin were publicly courted as "consultants."OgreBattle wrote:So what did this dude contribute to 5e
These people didn't actually write anything in the books. They were merely contacted by representatives of Wizards of the Coast and asked to share their concerns and ideas with Mike Mearls over a series of emails and/or phone calls.
To the best of my knowledge, there's no evidence that shitmuffin or RPGPundit or any of those assholes had any real effect on the contents of 5th edition. There isn't a lot of contents to 5th edition, and it mostly appears to have been written in a hurry right at the end. People like shitmuffin had sessions where Mike Mearls "listened" to them in an effort to get them to give the edition a thumb's up before it actually launched.
The problem here is that while marketing is marketing, obviously Mike Mearls got to choose whose ass to blow smoke up for marketing reasons. Like, there are a lot of fucking nerds in the world. He could have called some Magic pros like Luis Scott Vargas or some film stars who are nerds like Vin Diesel or web comics people like the Penny Arcade folks. Here's who they chose to credit as "additional consultation provided by":
- Jeff Grubb
- Kenneth Hite
- Kevin Kulp
- Robin Laws
- S. John Ross
- RPGPundit
- Vincent Venturella
- Zak S.
-Username17
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:There are a lot of Shitmuffinisms on display in his rebuttal. There's even a point where he denies saying something, and in the same paragraph says that even if he did say it it was totally fine and just a reference to something.
Truly Shitmuffin is the person Shitmuffin always showed himself to be.
That didn't happen.
And if it did, it wasn't that bad.
And if it was, that's not a big deal.
And if it is, that's not my fault.
And if it was, I didn't mean it.
And if I did...
You deserved it.
Keys to the Contract: A crossover between Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Kingdom Hearts.
RadiantPhoenix wrote:The D&D wizard is a work of fiction that has a completely unrealistic expectation of "uses a book".TheFlatline wrote:Legolas/Robin Hood are myths that have completely unrealistic expectation of "uses a bow".
hyzmarca wrote:Well, Mario Mario comes from a blue collar background. He was a carpenter first, working at a construction site. Then a plumber. Then a demolitionist. Also, I'm not sure how strict Mushroom Kingdom's medical licensing requirements are. I don't think his MD is valid in New York.
So, seemingly the dnd Beyond's version of the PHB got edited yesterday and the whole paragraph of consultant credits was removed.
Last edited by Dogbert on Mon Feb 18, 2019 9:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Somehow I'm not surprised...
How the fuck does the D&D division handle this kind of shit so much fucking worse than the Magic division, which already only handles it at a general "passable, but eyerolly" level.
How the fuck does the D&D division handle this kind of shit so much fucking worse than the Magic division, which already only handles it at a general "passable, but eyerolly" level.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.
You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
- deaddmwalking
- Prince
- Posts: 3782
- Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 11:33 am
Flaccid doesn't even begin to describe that statement.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.
You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
- Count Arioch the 28th
- King
- Posts: 6172
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Not sure what more they could have done, it wasn't known what Zak did when he was hired. Expecting them to do more than this is retarded.
Last edited by Count Arioch the 28th on Wed Feb 20, 2019 2:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
In this moment, I am Ur-phoric. Not because of any phony god’s blessing. But because, I am enlightened by my int score.
What would you want them to do besides what they've done so far?Prak wrote:Flaccid doesn't even begin to describe that statement.
Koumei wrote:I'm just glad that Jill Stein stayed true to her homeopathic principles by trying to win with .2% of the vote. She just hasn't diluted it enough!
Koumei wrote:I am disappointed in Santorum: he should carry his dead election campaign to term!
Just a heads up... Your post is pregnant... When you miss that many periods it's just a given.
]I want him to tongue-punch my box.
The divine in me says the divine in you should go fuck itself.
Realistically speaking? Own up to the fact that their golden boy Mearls handpicked two abrasive narcissists for osr cred and then literally forwarded criticism of Zak to him?
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.
You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
-
- Prince
- Posts: 2606
- Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 11:43 pm
I haven't been here in ages really, but when I saw the news about shitmuffin, I figured I'd poke back in here and see what the Den's postmortem was.
Y'all handled it pretty damn maturely and comprehensively. I don't have anything really to add.
I hope the people he's hurt can heal. Sometimes it takes a *long* time to recover from abuse from a narcissist. I know that firsthand.
Also, I realized I miss gaming *and* you yahoos.
Y'all handled it pretty damn maturely and comprehensively. I don't have anything really to add.
I hope the people he's hurt can heal. Sometimes it takes a *long* time to recover from abuse from a narcissist. I know that firsthand.
Also, I realized I miss gaming *and* you yahoos.
I would expect more of a "It turns out we're terrible judges of character, and looking back, we should have seen there were problems and warning signs. We are going to look into how we can be better about who we bring on for advice and who we basically endorse."
(Yes I'm just having fun here and reminding you why you missed us.)
DickheadTheFlatline wrote:Also, I realized I miss gaming *and* you yahoos.
(Yes I'm just having fun here and reminding you why you missed us.)
Last edited by Koumei on Wed Feb 20, 2019 5:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Count Arioch the 28th wrote:There is NOTHING better than lesbians. Lesbians make everything better.
It's not, but it is something they could have known about him when he was picked. I mean, technically they could have known there were allegations of abuse against him back then, because they're not new, but it was before we as a culture were believing women.MGuy wrote:Zak being an abrasive narcissist isn't exactly what he's being pilloried for.
No, but they should have. Just because I'm calling out their statement for being so flaccid, doesn't mean I'm surprised by it.This seems like the kind of corporate response you would normally get over this kind of allegation. I wouldn't expect them to get personal with distancing themselves from him. At least not publicly.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.
You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
- Ancient History
- Serious Badass
- Posts: 12708
- Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2010 12:57 pm
And the saga continues...
https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/a ... he_mearls/
https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/a ... he_mearls/
https://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.p ... ost1075771
​
As we know, all the D&D5e consultants' names were removed from D&D Beyond and the Basic Rules. In addition, WotC made a statement today that Zak Smith's name was being removed as a consultant from all future printed matter.
​
RPG Pundit is now threatening to release emails from Mike Mearls to reveal what was going on behind the scenes, but only if his name was removed. RPG Pundit said, "But if they should remove mine along with Zak's just to placate these f***ing Stalinists, there will be hell to pay. Starting with my pushing the nuclear button and publishing the Mearls Emails."
​
I don't know the ins and outs of the arrangement between WotC and Pundit (breech of NDA I am sure), but this is extremely distasteful, and seems to be 'peak Pundit' at his worst. I've seen WotC's writer's contract, and there are standard non-disclosures baked into the agreement. Knowing RPG Pundit is willing to blackmail a previous employer, I cannot imagine any publisher in their right mind could trust him whatsoever.
- RobbyPants
- King
- Posts: 5201
- Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2008 6:11 pm
I would expect that, and not "he's just a beta tester, uh, and don't look into that claim." I mean, if Mearls is lying about how well you knew him, he's probably lying about not knowing (or having a good idea) what kind of person he was.Koumei wrote:I would expect more of a "It turns out we're terrible judges of character, and looking back, we should have seen there were problems and warning signs. We are going to look into how we can be better about who we bring on for advice and who we basically endorse."
That reddit thread is full of gold. I had more snickers than after I raid my kids’ Halloween hauls.
It seems super reasonable for WotC to stop listing all their consultants. The upside for using their *cough* prestige to lure in OSR players has long since expired, and clearly the downside to listing them just continues to deepen. Unless they are contractually obligated to list em hell or high water then yeah, take em down.
Currently consoling: Stalinists
It seems super reasonable for WotC to stop listing all their consultants. The upside for using their *cough* prestige to lure in OSR players has long since expired, and clearly the downside to listing them just continues to deepen. Unless they are contractually obligated to list em hell or high water then yeah, take em down.
Currently consoling: Stalinists
-
- Serious Badass
- Posts: 29894
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
RPGPundit going the full Franco is something that surprised me more than it should have.
Right now, I just genuinely don't even know what his goals are. I mean, he doesn't want the man who was extremely credibly accused of abusing his girlfriend to be thrown under the bus by corporations that he did freelandce work for? And he's going to... what? Like, I don't even understand what the threat is supposed to be if that completely insane demand is not met. It won't be met, because fucking obviously, but what does RPGPundit think he can do to change that?
Like, shitmuffin and Pundit are completely radioactive at this point. The only question is how severely WotC distances themselves from them. Making a bigger stink just makes the company more determined to draw a firmer line between itself and them.
-Username17
Right now, I just genuinely don't even know what his goals are. I mean, he doesn't want the man who was extremely credibly accused of abusing his girlfriend to be thrown under the bus by corporations that he did freelandce work for? And he's going to... what? Like, I don't even understand what the threat is supposed to be if that completely insane demand is not met. It won't be met, because fucking obviously, but what does RPGPundit think he can do to change that?
Like, shitmuffin and Pundit are completely radioactive at this point. The only question is how severely WotC distances themselves from them. Making a bigger stink just makes the company more determined to draw a firmer line between itself and them.
-Username17