Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Conversation with Crackstyle Creator Sid Blair

Below is my brief conversation with Sidney Blair, the player who was recently suspended from competitive Magic for 18 months as a result of this post he made on Reddit, which went viral, receiving hundreds of thousands maybe millions of views: Grand Prix Richmond Crackstyle: http://imgur.com/a/SjcgE (Original Reddit thread here: http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/202wd3/i_participated_in_one_of_the_biggest_magic_the/)

That’s the post as it originally appeared, but you may have encountered it in a content regurgitator like Buzzfeed or TIME Magazine, and/or alongside commentary and speculation about Sid’s motivation, the impact of the post, and what the DCI (Magic's tournament rules enforcement body) should do about it. 

Amidst all that commentary and speculation, I didn’t see Sid’s own thoughts.  His post was made without much commentary or explanation.  I chatted with Sid not knowing whether he’d be pissed off, understanding, regretful, satisfied, or whatever else.  Here is my full conversation with Sid:



(Image via on Twitter - NSFW).

The Conversation:

Matt Sperling (MS): First of all, can you describe your goal or mindset when you were taking the pictures and then posting them? 

Sid Blair (SB): My goal was to make myself and my friends laugh. We have an odd sense of humor and find this sort of thing funny. I decided to post the pictures I took the day after I got back. I figured a few people would think it was funny, and the rest of the world would think I was really weird. I kept it anonymous and never intended to shame, bully or harass anyone.

MS: That was certainly my impression of it.  I've seen bullying, more to the point: I've been the bully, and I've been the victim.  Most of us have.  Your post just didn't come off that way to me, with faces and names hidden, and not even any commentary beyond the specific phenomenon (ass cracks) that you showed.

So you don't expect this thing to go viral, but it does.  My mind is focused now on the naysayers first and foremost since the DCI took action, but there were thousands and thousands of fans of the post too.  Did the tone of the reaction change over time or was it a pretty mixed bag from early on? 

SB: Within a few hours after I posted it, it had a ton of upvotes and most people thought it was funny. I posted it in r/funny and r/MagicTCG and then left to hang out with some friends. It wasn't until I was home later that night that I started noticing a lot of negative feedback.

MS: So you had your intentions when posting the pictures, and you saw the reaction, both positive and negative.  Did the public reaction change how you felt about the post?

SB: Well, from the start I understood why people felt the way they did. I didn't understand why people thought I was making fun of people for their appearance (other than the obvious part) or why they thought I was "fat-shaming" but I did get why people thought it was bad. It was crazy when I saw people start to call me a bully or accusing me of harassment. 

Another thing that I didn't expect was how the media made me look. A lot of the headlines on the popular websites called me a "rapper" instead of me clearly explaining in the thread that I played Magic. Making music is my creative outlet, but I never have called myself a rapper. They made me look like an outsider that came in to pick on people, which was obviously not the case. I think that that skewed a lot of the public opinion when it comes to the pictures I posted.. There was a lot of missing context that made me look like a bad dude.

MS: That does seem like an important distinction.  I saw a few people point out that you were a Magic player having fun at a tournament, not showing up just to take these pictures.  The response from the other side was that as a Magic player, you should want to portray the game in a positive way and make other players feel comfortable.  Is that a fair point?

SB: That's a very fair point. I didn't mean to portray the community in a bad way. On the other hand, people coming into events and seeing this type of thing isn't very inviting and comfortable either. The community of Magic is largely an amazing group of people. However, within every group of people is a much smaller group of people that present the community in a bad way as well. Whether it be the guys that make fun of new players for using Lava Axe which makes them not want to come back to a LGS, the guys who have naked anime characters on their sleeves/playmat that make women not want to play or the dudes that smell badly and make people not want to go to a certain store. I think that vilifying me is easier for a lot of people than realizing that they might have something to improve about themselves for the community. Not to take the blame away from myself, but that's how I feel. It's much easier to criticize someone else than yourself.

MS: I hear what you're saying about representing the community.  I think that's a valid way to approach how to avoid situations like this.  And yes, people tend to point the finger really quickly, but not so quickly when they're looking into the mirror.

Part of me wants to condemn the guy with anime tits on his deck box, and I have condemned those guys, but another part of me is like wait a minute, Magic has always made me feel like I could be myself and have fun the way I like having fun.  I wouldn't want to play if people couldn't express themselves, joke around, and take chances you maybe can't take at school or at the office.  If someone's 8 year old isn't ready to hang out in a diverse crowd of gamers, then they aren't ready to hang out among a diverse crowd of gamers.  I really detest the idea of all of us becoming overprotective-mom approved.

Wizards of the Coast, which would like everyone to play, probably feels differently. That leads us into our next topic.  But before we go there, I have to remind people that just because something aligns with the profit motive of the game producer, doesn't mean that thing is good for the game or a just outcome or serves the community of players.  

On the topic of Magic protecting its own interests, how did you react when you learned you had been suspended from participating in Magic tournaments for 18 months? 

SB: You bring up an interesting point. This theoretical dude with anime tits on his deck box, for example, gets a pass because he is expressing himself. I don't think it's okay for the community at large to be cool with this guy having pseudo-nudity on his MTG paraphernalia, but not cool with my controversial way of expressing myself. I'm not saying what I did was right; in retrospect, it wasn't. Just because these guys were exposing their ass doesn't make it okay for me to take pictures of them, in the same way that Anime Dude shouldn't be able to get away with having that shit because he's expressing himself. I think the line should be a bit more clearly drawn.

On the topic of WotC banning me for 18 months? At first, I was blown away. When I posted these pictures, I never would have guessed that it would end with me being "internet famous" and getting banned. I laughed when I read the email because I couldn't even believe it. A lot of people believe that it's a publicity move to ban me for as long as they did. A lot of people believe I should be banned for life. I was reading about players being banned for 6/12 months for intentionally cheating, and also another player who was also banned for the same time period for tweeting pictures of people and captioning them with really rude comments, as well as allegedly "trolling" everyone who tweeted back at him. I didn't caption these pictures with anything  derogatory, nor did I antagonize anyone when they replied to me on Reddit. A lot of people were making the comparison and I felt insulted. Furthermore, I understand the position that WotC keeps. I understand why they decided to make an example of me, even though I don't agree with it. At the time of this conversation, I have appealed my ban to WotC and am awaiting a reply.

MS: Did you have any prior history of discipline from the DCI?   I've seen people stating you had a discipline history, but at this point people have said all kinds of things.

I agree it's strange to see cheating get a 6-12 month ban and you get 18 months.  If anything it really underscores who the DCI serves.  Cheating terrifies players.  Your post terrified Wizards' marketing team.

When your 18 months is up, assuming your appeal is not successful, will you come back to sanctioned magic you think, or are you over it?   Any final thoughts you want people to know?

SB: I've never had any prior discipline with the DCI. I had read that the precedent set by Gerald Freas (the man I mentioned earlier) took into account his prior offenses of bullying/disrespectful conduct, of which I have none.

If my appeal is not successful, I'll have to wait it out. Magic is still going to be an important part of my life. I hope that I never see a reason to stop playing. Sanctioned Magic is only a part of the Magic I play, but it's significant to me. I have been disciplined in a political manner and I have to understand my role in the big picture. I look forward to the next 18 months, sanctioned Magic or not.


30 comments:

  1. I had no prior history with the dci (no previous interactions or history of "bullying" or impropriety) before my suspension

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sperling Grove: Conversation With Crackstyle Creator Sid Blair >>>>> Download Now

      >>>>> Download Full

      Sperling Grove: Conversation With Crackstyle Creator Sid Blair >>>>> Download LINK

      >>>>> Download Now

      Sperling Grove: Conversation With Crackstyle Creator Sid Blair >>>>> Download Full

      >>>>> Download LINK UJ

      Delete
  2. Maybe they should invest in backs for their chairs

    ReplyDelete
  3. Why didn't Sperling use the example that his teammate, David Williams, was banned for only six months for cheating in the T8 of Worlds. That seems like a fair comparison, and Sperling could have interviewed Dave about it. Odd.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe you should read into that? First off it was like 13 years ago or something. Second, they did not use sleeves back then. 3rd his opponent was playing a R/B deck that was fast and aggressive. Williams was DQed for having marked copies Accumulated Knowledge. But the card was not good against the RB deck that won fast. The HJ even said that it was unfortunate. I dont think that this is not news nor does it apply here. Its odd that you would say something like that for no reason unless you have a vendetta vs sperling or DW.

      Delete
  4. Yet another lame ass term made up by the useless female crowd. Go sew something and leave the bullying to the men.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ^Yet another lame ass example of the stereotypical sexist gamebro representing the butthurt neckbeard crowd. Go shake off the cheeto dust and leave the discussion to the actual human beings

      Delete
  5. Wizards almost certainly took each incident as a separate form of harassment as they should. Its large because its multiple incidents. He got the right suspension for the crime. If I go and punch multiple people cops are not going to charge me with one incident of assault.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Many double standards from wotc here. Give the guy a warning perhaps but this is just political b.s. at its finest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As a sanctioned official for the DCI, I disagree. The approach to rules enforcement is as objective as possible. In this case, the intent of Mr. Blair is not in issue; the effect of his actions upon the affected individuals and the community at large is the heart of matter. Perhaps if he was caught in the act, he may have received a warning, or just have been disqualified from the event, in either case with a caution to not distribute any of the pictures he took. Unfortunately, for everyone involved, that's not what happened.

      I was not at the event, nor am I involved in any way with any of the disciplinary actions taken in this matter, so I cannot comment on the precise reasoning that was used. What I can say is that what you term "political b.s.", I would consider to be protecting the integrity of organized events, and the rights of its players.

      Furthermore, I'd be awfully surprised if Mr. Blair doesn't end up facing law suits by one or more of the subjects in his pictures; naturally, WOTC has no intention of opening itself up to liability by appearing to condone his actions, but more importantly, his actions were careless, and the repercussions should come as no surprise. An 18-month ban should be the least of his concerns.

      Delete
    2. Please explain to me how a punishment 3 times the amount of a person caught cheating is fair? The affect on the integrity of events? Come on how did taking a picture of buttcracks affect the integrity of the tournament? What rights do you speak of? Last time I checked, rights were for individuals to assert, not a faceless monolithic corporation to make assertions FOR individuals without their consent. Did wizards even ask the guys in the photos if they cared?

      Also I would be willing to bet that any lawsuit would be tossed out because A. No faces are able to be seen therefore no positive identification can be made, B. the copyright of any photograph belongs to the taker of the photo, not the subject. and C. When you are in what is considered a public place, you have no expectation of privacy.

      Delete
    3. One of the players is an easily recognized regular at my store. He is very embarrassed about this and wishes he had never gone. But at the end of the day people need to pull their pants up.
      That being said, 18 months? Intentionally cheating gets a year... taking pictures of people with an issue with belts gets 18 months? Bullshit.

      Delete
    4. I, for one, am glad that the DCI is as unreasonably vindictive as it is unreasonably sanctimonious.

      Delete
    5. Sanctioned Official For the DCI:

      Law suit? What law are you referring to? Could you point me to the jurisprudence on asscrack photos?

      For anyone who knows anything about the law, this clearly does not raise any spectre of liability. Shoulda consulted the oracle text on that one.

      Delete
    6. Level 1 judges are considered "sanctioned officials" so most likely he is just full of shit.

      Delete
    7. Isn't prioritizing focus on effect over intent unethical?

      Delete
  7. "Part of me wants to condemn the guy with anime tits on his deck box, and I have condemned those guys, but another part of me is like wait a minute, Magic has always made me feel like I could be myself and have fun the way I like having fun. I wouldn't want to play if people couldn't express themselves, joke around, and take chances you maybe can't take at school or at the office. If someone's 8 year old isn't ready to hang out in a diverse crowd of gamers, then they aren't ready to hang out among a diverse crowd of gamers. I really detest the idea of all of us becoming overprotective-mom approved."

    The counterpoint to this is, at what point does "expressing yourself" become harmful to others? This quote reminds me of the big hubbub about sexism in the fighting game community a while back, where someone came out and said "hey, sometimes we're sexist / demeaning, but the community is just about having fun and being comfortable with friends," etc. Certainly, we're (mostly) all adults and I'm not the type of person to just shut something down if it's remotely offensive, but if that "expression" interferes with someone else's ability to be themselves and have fun (like, I would argue, the Crackstyle business would), then that's bad for the community and shouldn't really be condoned.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nothing about any of these photos is grounds for a lawsuit. No lawyer with any sense would pursue it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. These slobs come to events that are supposed to showcase the game in a positive light but when people show up what do they see? If I were a parent taking my child to an event and I walked in and saw majority 20 to 30 year old males with their cracks hanging out, smelling like they slept in a septic tank for the past three nights I'd be out in a heartbeat. Look at some of the Pro Tour players, they show up in pajamas and beanies with porno staches and greasy hair to match. When I started playing Magic it was for the strategy, I learned from real upstanding, self valuing individuals who didn't show up to FNM's and GP's or even a Prerelease (large scale like there used to be) without looking like they were ready for an occasion. Any and all envoys of the DCI, if you think that this guy was banned because of unsportsmanlike conduct and what ever effed up form of "harassment" you have in your heads.... your blind, naive and stay the hell away from me and all events I play at in the future. THE DCI AND WIZARDS PUT THE BAN HAMMER DOWN BEACAUSE THIS GUY JUST GITAXIAN PROBED THE HELL OUT OF THE GAMES PROBLEMS. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one PR person from Wizards had a panic attack seeing this go live on Time.com. This is a joke, the game has gotten too big for it's own good and now were banning people for freedom of speech? What next? I'm glad Mr. Blair did this, I'm GLAD he hurt peoples feelings. (Intentionally or not) Maybe now they'll be a little more conscious of the public indecency that they put everyone through.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By you saying the major of males having their crack hanging out you are continuing this false image portrayed by these photos. Sure, there are ass cracks hanging out. Go to a bar or restaurant with chairs like this and you will see the same thing. There are smelling people everywhere, but as a community this is how we have been portrayed this way and this perpetuates this portrayal. Even he realizes it was wrong to post! If he had kept it between himself and his friends or if we had gotten consent from the people photographed there would have been no issue. Because he didn't think it through he had to deal with the repercussions. That is life.

      Delete
  10. I think everyone needs to quit being such whiny little bitches. Have a sense of humor and stop being so damn sensitive.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Most bullies don't think of themselves as bullies; they just treat others poorly because it is funny and to fit in socially.

    Blair is a bully.

    He did something "funny" at the expense of those around him, and his community. In his own words:

    "It's much easier to criticize someone else than yourself."

    Take some time and criticize yourself, dude. Admit you screwed up and stop making excuses for your behavior that basically was shaming people on the internet. Stop being a bully that desribes himself a victim.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "I'm not saying what I did was right; in retrospect, it wasn't. Just because these guys were exposing their ass doesn't make it okay for me to take pictures of them"

      he said he knew what he did is wrong!

      Delete
  12. Even if the intent was to be funny, it's still at some one else's expense. Being disrespectful to anyone race/gender/sex at an event is bad. Why is it so hard to just be nicer at events?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He was being disrespectful to an individual's race/gender/sex? Are we just making shit up now?

      Delete
  13. It was and is hilarious. Anyone who got mad is fat.

    ReplyDelete
  14. No one wants to see peoples dirty ass cracks and Wizards need to handle that situation. Were in public and there are kids that play this game. If I was a parent and I walked into anyplace hosting a Magic tournament and I saw 3 big guys with there asses hanging out I would not leave my kid there to play. Showing your ass in public is against the law in nearly every state its indecent exposure. Pull your pants up and stop being slobs.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi my loved one! I wish to say that this post is awesome, nice written and include almost all important infos. I'd like to see more posts like this .

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sperling Grove: Conversation With Crackstyle Creator Sid Blair >>>>> Download Now

    >>>>> Download Full

    Sperling Grove: Conversation With Crackstyle Creator Sid Blair >>>>> Download LINK

    >>>>> Download Now

    Sperling Grove: Conversation With Crackstyle Creator Sid Blair >>>>> Download Full

    >>>>> Download LINK oo

    ReplyDelete