Social Justice Warriors have deemed the decade old meme “PC Master Race” as inappropriate and offensive. It was a term coined during the heat of the seventh gen console wars as PC gamers would butt into flaming discussions about which console was better between the PS3 and the Xbox 360. While the Sony and Microsoft camps would claim that the Wii didn’t count because it was too weak, PC gamers would explain that all three consoles were peasants compared to the godly power of the glorious PC Master Race. This became a widespread meme thanks to critic Yahtzee using it in one of his videos.
Since then, PC gamers have joked around that real gaming is done on a high-end rig, and that by building a decent PC (it doesn’t even have to be expensive) you will have joined the Glorious PC Master Race, having access to higher resolutions, uncapped frame-rates and the oh-so-glorious mods. It even spawned a parody sub-Reddit called /r/PCMasterRace/.
Terry Crews and his son ended up joining the PC Master Race when they built a high-end gaming rig together, chronicling their journey through the process of a father-son bonding experience. Crews even did a video explaining why he joined the PCMR.
Despite most well-adjusted people understanding the decade old console war meme, there are Social Justice Warriors who hate the term… just as they hate many things in life.
When GOG.com tweeted out a gif from the video above of Terry Crews and his son being part of the PC Master Race, there were people angered and offended at the gesture from the GOG.com Twitter account that was posted on December 25th, 2017.
GLORIOUS pic.twitter.com/kobndYcaif
— ❄️ GOG.com ❄️ (@GOGcom) December 25, 2017
A variety of Social Justice Warriors hopped into the thread to chastise GOG.com’s community manager for attempting to have some fun on the holidays and spread mirth and good cheer with the Crews image. They told the social media manager not to use “white supremacist language”, and they were angered that GOG.com would use an image that they felt showed a black man embracing white supremacy.
Y’all thought about not using white supremacist language?
— ☃️ Yuletide Bitch ☃️ (@AtheneAllen) December 25, 2017
Poor form having a meme of Terry Crews talking about the Master Race.
You guys should really know better.
— James (@jayc4life) December 25, 2017
As much as I like PC gaming, how about no….
— Alex Cohen (@ThePhantomGamer) December 26, 2017
GOG.com’s community manager folded under the lightweight criticism. Thankfully the original tweet is still around, but less than an hour after making that tweet, the GOG.com community manager posted up an apology, addressing the SJWs that complained about the offensiveness of the tweet both publicly and privately.
Folks, I (the person tweeting this) want to apologize about the tone-deaf phrasing.@OfficialPCMR is a community of awesome gamers, and it was never an intention to be hurtful. But we should absolutely be more considerate, regardless of intentions.
— ❄️ GOG.com ❄️ (@GOGcom) December 25, 2017
Others chided GOG.com on “language” being used during this “climate”, stating that due to the media’s insistence on pushing toward a race war by raising racial tensions, we have to “give up” humor and fun in our daily lives.
It’s a tough spot. There’s no harm in supporting a positive community, but some language (even fun language) in this climate starts to chafe. Sometimes we have to give up good-humor jokes for foot-sure messaging.
Thank you, good luck, Merry Christmas. <3
— Jeremy LaMont (@Jeremy_LaMont) December 25, 2017
Even with the apology, some people were still offended that the meme of the PC Master Race was used, claiming that dank memes make their life much “harder” and “vulnerable” to extremists.
[Correction: According to Bokhari, he was actually criticizing SJWs who trivialize discussions about racism and extremism and later clarified in a tweet that he did not support GOG.com apologizing for the meme]
Do you know how much HARDER you make it for people who are vulnerable to extremists & radicals being in their midst when you trivialise it?
— Shahbaz Bokhari (@shahbaz_bokhari) December 26, 2017
I want to clarify that I think the Outrage is asinine btw, there’s nothing wrong with the term PCMR.
I loathe non issue outrage.— Shahbaz Bokhari (@shahbaz_bokhari) December 27, 2017
Thankfully, real gamers were there to support GOG.com.
A lot of people were actually against Social Justice Warriors attempting to meme-police the GOG.com Twitter account, saying that there was nothing wrong with tweeting out a gif of Terry Crews and his son.
Hmm a perfect example of @neontasters Law . Um @GOGcom you just gave a apology over nothing, to people who do not even buy games. but play social media as one tho. Not a net positive as the likes vs replies show.
— Marshal_Victory (@Marshal_Victory) December 26, 2017
No, don’t apologize
— Frost (@FrostBitttn) December 26, 2017
Please GOG dont apologize to these idiots. Dont listen to those hundreds who dont buy your games and instead listen to the millions, myself included, who DONT find it offensive. Dont bow down to these snowflakes.
— Kevin (@SilentRampage_) December 25, 2017
Nothing to apologize for. Seriously, those people are overreacting to nothing. PCMR is a good community >_>
— Scorcher24 (@GothSeiDank) December 25, 2017
PCMR is a MEME .. i dont see the issue here .. those in the know are aware that its tongue and cheek and those that dont show their lack of ability to use the internet and should get rid of all electronics they own .. because they are morons
— Negro Champloo (@ADHDVidjaGaming) December 26, 2017
Journalist Ian Miles Cheong had some harsh words for GOG.com’s social media manager, essentially telling them to man up or step out.
Quit your job if you’re going to be this pathetic by pandering to complainers and throwing your buyers under the bus.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 26, 2017
This is just further indication that the culture war has zapped all sense of fun and entertainment out of simple things like memes.
There was a time when you could type “PCMR” into a discussion thread and the only people who would be offended were those who were stuck playing their games at sub-30fps at upscaled 720i because their peasant box didn’t have Terry Crews’ level of processing muscles pumping through the circuit boards like silicon pythons flexing for that glorious 8K UHD output at an unbridled 120 frames per second.
