Midrange Weekly May 24
Your Weekly Round Up On What’s Got The Midrange Staff’s Attention
Midrange Staff @midrangeyvr
Hello and welcome back to Midrange Weekly. As we reach the tale end of May and look back on the last week, it’s become agonizingly clear as to what institution is the true villain of our pandemic. It’s not the CDC, nor the disorienting restrictions coming from Bonnie Henry, nor even the callous ineptitude of our varying provincial and federal governments. It’s the goddamn weather people. Day after day, week after week our weather apps threaten an unforgiving deluge of seasonal depression and torrential downpours. Instead it just keeps being very nice out, almost consistently. These meteorologists are emotional terrorists and they need to be stopped. It’s almost as if they are up to something. While you chew on that bit of conspiratorial epiphany, let’s take a look at what the Midrange Staff has been taking a look at this week.
The Palestinian Crisis Was A Test For The Gaming Community. It Failed.
There are many dimensions and contexts in which to view the current Palestinian tragedy- too innumerable to document in a proper taxonomy. While the most important vectors of impact are obvious- the humanitarian crisis, the political response or lack thereof, etc., the less integral avenues of observation still provide salient insight into how the developed world understands perhaps the most intractable conflict of our lifetime. In this case that insight comes from the friction between the various activist wings of videogame journalism & stardom with the administrators and corporations that facilitate their inclusion into the conversation. That friction has laid bare an imbalance between growing calls for advocacy for vulnerable global communities and draconian forms of censorship and corporate malfeasance. That imbalance has proven untenable, leading to a number of embarrassments for the leaders within the industry, as well as more concerning implications relating to the autonomy of its journalistic wing.
While it may seem egregious or overly granular to fixate on the response to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict within the games industry, the ever growing and fluctuating ecosystem has actually become increasingly political for over half a decade by now. Ever since Gamer Gate- the nadir of the medium’s legitimacy as a serious industry- in which a calculated and concentrated effort by misogynists and bigots embedded within all layers of the community tried to force out, harass, and threaten anyone they didn’t consider a true gamer of suitably pure standards (i.e., women, minorities, anyone that wasn’t a white male), the gaming world has been forced to reconcile with and evolve their positions on a litany of social issues. In attempting to excise the most virulent and malignant purveyors of racism and sexism from their ranks, the games industry has become much more interested in their increasingly public and interactive role in highlighting and advocating for issues relating to social justice, human rights, inclusivity, and representation.
Noble as many of these intentions and endeavours have been in recent years- the push for more representation and equitability in regards to the LGBTQ+ community and those with disabilities have been particularly high profile focuses- the urgency of the Palestinian crises has struggled to proliferate within the community. Notably there is a dearth of Twitch streams raising awareness for or promoting charitable options in support of Palestinian solidarity. While there are some, such as prominent Twitch steamer Badlinu or Lebanese game developer and streamer Nazih Fares who are promoting charitable contributions, raising awareness, or committing their Twitch revenue towards Palestinian medical aid, they seem few and far between overall. This is endemic of a culture that was raised with a one sided sense of awareness and explicit biases towards the Israeli/Palestinian crisis. A great deal of the Twitch community, itself the most vocal offshoot of modern gamer-dom, is based in North America and Europe, whose governments have been complicit at best in Palestinian ethnic cleansing, and at worst actively funded it. Our cultural narratives on the Middle East have been partly centered on either Palestinian erasure or demonization. The growing sense of awareness of these injustices is not accelerating at the rate of other recent social movements like Me Too or Black Lives Matter.
Worse than the idea that high profile individuals or publications aren’t paying attention is that external factors, normally no more than the bureaucratic machinery that the gaming world is structured around, have exerted their influence in unusual and problematically aggressive ways. This relates to the recent IGN debacle, and what a shit show that turned into. As the conflict escalated out of control and occupied the attention of mainstream media outlets, IGN –the largest gaming site in the world- followed suit, or at least attempted to. They changed their masthead to include the Palestine flag in support and solidarity and posted a sub space with links to multiple charities and organizations focused on alleviating Palestinian suffering. Then all of that just disappeared, replaced with an innocuous 404 page not found redirect. No explanation or comment of any kind was offered to as to why the content was removed.
Over at Kotaku, with their ever rigorous and dogged investigative team, they started to do some digging and inquiring as to just what the heck happened. As this in itself raised some awareness over what exactly was going on over at IGN, the publication likely felt the onus to respond to these developments and released an official statement. Their phrasing seemed characteristically sanitized and guarded. In the statement the IGN team said the following:
In the instance of our recent post regarding how to help civilians in the Israel-Palestine conflict, our philanthropic instincts to help those in need was not in line with our intent of trying to show support for all people impacted by tragic events. By highlighting only one population, the post mistakenly left the impression we were politically aligned with one side.
That such a statement includes barely veiled allusions to prosaic both-sides style rhetoric already calls into question the credulity of their intentions here. Trying to re-contextualize the terms of this conflict as being comprised of two equally capable aggressors with citizens on both sides caught in their wake is a distortion of the facts. The Israeli military is one of the most powerful in the world, certainly in the region, and completely dwarfs that of Palestinian capabilities. Furthermore the death toll of this conflict has skewed far more on the side of Palestine- nearly 10-1- and yet Israel receives far more international aide. This is not a situation where both sides are experiencing the same realties of this conflict.
The IGN editorial staff had opened themselves up to a fair bit of scrutiny with this tone death deflection, but here’s the thing: It wasn’t the IGN editorial staff that posted this statement. The post was put up not by the team of writers but by IGN management, itself a subsidiary of the publication firm Ziff Davis. The statement was disseminated without consultation or approval from the IGN editorial staff yet ostensibly spoke with their own voice. This is unacceptable subversion of IGN’s editorial autonomy, a point they specifically made when 60 members of the team signed an open letter to management, signalling their disgust in such conduct, and posted it to Medium:
The statement inaccurately ascribes the retraction to those “across IGN” rather than to the members of our upper management team who made the decision, giving a public impression that the decision was made by the editorial staff, despite this being a choice we did not make collectively and which many of us do not agree with.
Importantly, we feel the latest statement dangerously turns what was a matter of supporting innocent civilians facing a humanitarian crisis into a harmful case of “both sides”-ism.
What could have been an influential statement of intent and support that could have galvanized the broader gaming community became an embarrassing episode of corporate overreach. Journalists across the gaming industry deserve to know that their political opinions are subject to editorial purview, not the interests of boardroom specters they will likely never meet. And the Palestinian families, the people that were supposed to be at the heart of this matter, deserve more than having their plight reduced to little more than hackneyed political theatre. We should all expect and demand better. -Tristan
Thoughts On The Restaurant Industry
I’ve been writing and reporting on the restaurant industry for over five years now. I’ve been working in it for over twenty. This past year has been brutal to say the least. The pandemic has been merciless with this sector. Here in British Columbia, two lockdowns have caused numerous operators to close, multitudes to leave the industry outright and thousands in lost revenue, wages and profits. Those who’ve survived have done so by the skin of their teeth. Can you imagine if the wage subsidy hadn’t been allocated? This might have been way worse.
Nevertheless, with leaked information coming out this past weekend that indoor dining is set to resume this Tuesday, it’s looking as if the tide has finally gone out on the damage caused to this field. The horizon is upon us. This should be the last lockdown. Finally!
But what’s the new reality?
What type of industry have restaurants become?
Patios are a thing more than ever, which is good. Extra seating and exposure to sunlight during the summer months should always have been the dominant form of dining in this and any city. The fact that it took a pandemic for Vancouver to open up licensing of patios for most operators is shameful. But, as I learned when I spoke with BC Attorney General David Eby last summer, “we were a low priority beforehand”, so I guess it’s better late than never to be complaining about the ineptitude of our local government. At least change happened.
But patios are just one part of the legacy of this pandemic. The shift towards take out services forced restaurateurs to learn on the fly how to staff, manage and build businesses for this type of model, some more successfully than others. It hasn’t been easy. I spoke with Phil Scarfone on my podcast a few weeks back. He’s the Culinary Director for Savio Volpe, Pepino’s Spaghetti House and Cafe LaTana. His thoughts on take out were on point with my own, that it is what it is — at least there’s business of some sort.
Learning what works with regards to how certain dishes travel isn’t why he loves cooking. Food is meant to be hot on a plate in a dining room, arriving within seconds of being finished.
This new reality has been in the works for years with the advent of the smart phone and the growth of the third-party delivery sector. Consumers want options and convenience, even if it means poorer quality. Restaurants have had to adapt and learn new skills. This isn’t new, restaurants have always had to be on their toes with regards to changing with the times, but it’s not what most owners set out for when they dreamed of becoming restaurateurs.
But again, business is business.
When faced with lockdowns and uncertainty, you’ll accept what you can get. A prominent restaurateur friend of mine recently revealed to me that one of his five restaurants won’t be returning to indoor dining. Sales of takeout are so good he’s accepted this new reality and enjoyed the lower labour costs. Going back just doesn’t make sense economically.
We’re going to see more of this. I wrote about it a few years back. Counter service is here to stay. Speed and convenience are profitable if you have a great business model. Superbaba on Main Street opened during the pandemic. I go there often. It’s delicious. They’re always busy. The space is built for indoor dining. They’ve yet to offer this service. They’re waiting for things to return to normal before they do. I’m skeptical they ever will. Why would you? Labour costs are considerably lower and this works.
A new reality means a scary truth for service employees.
Which brings me to another wrinkle in the new way of life for restaurants.
Tipping.
Just this past week, Eater SF and Vox posted features on tipping, one detailing how a prominent San Francisco chain was suspending their no tipping model (ironically because they changed their business concept from sit down to counter service) while the Vox piece argued that patrons should tip more and view those who work in this field as vital to our society. There’s plenty to unpack here and I’ve straddled both sides numerous times in the past. Tips are great when they’re great and they do provide income stability in a field which is arduous, stressful and tiring, both physically and mentally. If tips didn’t exist, NO ONE would do this job. But, if tipping was already included in the price, then businesses could allocate accordingly. Good for everyone involved. However, this would mean prices would go up and the job would be viewed differently. Other countries operate this way. Most business sectors are like this. It should in theory be this way but it never will be. Honestly, I don’t have an answer here on what to do or how to fix this issue, except for this.
Running a restaurant properly where the owners make a normal profit margin (15–20%) and all staff are compensated accordingly would make this industry a hell of a lot more expensive. Diners are not ready or willing to accept this. There’d be less restaurants overall and poor people would have limited options for dining out. Going out would become more of a treat or special occasion versus a daily ritual. Good for some, bad for others.
But maybe it should be this way? The status quo isn’t working for most. Restaurants barely scrape by in normal times. The future for many who work in this field is often uncertain, hence the exodus of countless workers during this pandemic. COVID-19 shook this industry to it’s core. It exposed all it’s flaws and weaknesses. Some fixes have emerged, but overall, it won’t be the same. Where things ultimately land only time will tell.
It’s ironic that it took a pandemic for us to realize that those who we deem essential are the one’s we pay the least too. Captialism. You gotta love it.
Now who’s excited to work counter service for minimium wage and not get tipped? - Jamie
Things From The Internet We Liked
Hell Yes The Nasa Engineer/ Squirrel Guy Is Back
Last summer, during the still fresh minutia of pandemic lockdowns, our lives were briefly uplifted by Nasa Engineer Mark Robber’s near herculean attempts to thwart the neighbourhood squirrels in his yard. Having taken a turn towards amateur ornithology, Robber was annoyed at the local squirrels constantly stealing his bird food. So he did what any engieenering expert with too much time on his hands would do and built an excessively elaborate obstabtacle course. After developing a begrudging level of respect for the offending critters the story ended in unlikely friendship and detenté. Well it’s a new year and Robber is back with an even more insane series of trials for his furry frenimies to steel themselves against. Check it out.
A Quick Primer From The Wall Street Journal On Why The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict Will Continue
Think Netanyahu and Iran.
These LA Preteen Punk Rockers Are Your New Favourite Band
Running the gamut of 10-14 year olds, LA punk band the Linda Lindas (cool name) were already, unbelievably, pretty popular in their local rock scene. This is their real breakout moment though. Their new song, written after 10 year member Mila was harassed at school (what the fuck is wrong with people) and evokes their idols Bikini Kills. The song, succinctly titled Racist Sexist Boys is the baddest thing you’ll hear all week. Also they played it in a library which is pretty cool. Go hard Linda Lindas.
This band is called “The Linda Lindas” and I’m a fan now. They got the vibes right. They’re gonna go far. pic.twitter.com/nhudSmoBXs
— Lana Del Tarot (@lanadeltarot) May 20, 2021