The Trouble With Teabagging
Teabagging has been a gaming staple for at least two decades, but it's back in the news again. That's after Dilly was Apex Legends tournament organiser Fate Legion threatened to disqualify and permanently ban from Apex Legends Fate Legion tournaments for teabagging his own teammate. This was swiftly followed by what I can only describe as a Twitter rant from FPS streamer Gladd, whipping up the debate around teabagging - which has always swirled for as long as it has been a thing - back up again. There's usually very little nuance to these debates, but I think in this specific instance, I stand in the middle and can offer a more measured view. The disqualification was silly and unnecessary, but I also feel Gladd's tweet, which speaks to the loudest and most obnoxious attitudes in esports/online shooters, was equally silly and unnecessary. Sometimes teabagging is fine, and sometimes it's bad, and it's in this 'sometimes' where all logic and balance gets lost.
I think of teabagging as being similar to pulling someone's pants down. If you're all in a group of mates having a laugh, it's basically fine. The victim might get embarrassed or upset, but they're always a chance for them to get their own back next time. Even in a group of lads who don't really know each other but are all having a laugh, if you pull down someone's pants, chances are you get a big cheer and there's a nice team bonding thing going on. If you pull down a woman's pants, you know you've crossed a line. I don't want to hear any egalitarian bullshit about how if women truly want equal rights, they should simply allow men to pull down their jeans so everyone can have a big laugh. We all know, from living in the real world, that pulling down your best mate's
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