However I am always amused at the “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” comment, because invariably the people doing the hating hate both (the game that allows the player to exist, and the player for perpetuating it). It’s always been a funny comment to me.
Like when you complain about a particular type of corruption in a politician (which is technically not illegal) and you get “Don’t hate the player, hate the game,” when the whole point is we should change the system so that politician can’t be corrupt. I feel like people get lost in this idea that a person working within a bad system is inherently blameless because the system allows the bad thing (it’s not wrong if it’s allowed), any criticisms made must inevitably be directed at the person doing the bad thing in that system (undeservedly, hence the “don’t hate the player”), and that since it’s in that person’s self interest to perpetuate that system it is also in their interest to treat the system as immutable.
Like, you can’t have it both ways. Either you recognize the system is bad, even if you benefit from it, and it should be changed, OR you are the system and deserve to be criticized for it.
I get what you’re saying, and I’m not arguing it.
However I am always amused at the “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” comment, because invariably the people doing the hating hate both (the game that allows the player to exist, and the player for perpetuating it). It’s always been a funny comment to me.
Like when you complain about a particular type of corruption in a politician (which is technically not illegal) and you get “Don’t hate the player, hate the game,” when the whole point is we should change the system so that politician can’t be corrupt. I feel like people get lost in this idea that a person working within a bad system is inherently blameless because the system allows the bad thing (it’s not wrong if it’s allowed), any criticisms made must inevitably be directed at the person doing the bad thing in that system (undeservedly, hence the “don’t hate the player”), and that since it’s in that person’s self interest to perpetuate that system it is also in their interest to treat the system as immutable.
Like, you can’t have it both ways. Either you recognize the system is bad, even if you benefit from it, and it should be changed, OR you are the system and deserve to be criticized for it.