Yesterday Jeremy Hambly, Travis Woo, and a handful of people who made comments on the Pack 1, Pick 1 post in the Magic for Bad group received suspensions from the DCI.
Jeremy received a lifetime ban, while Travis got one year, and the people from the Magic is Bad group got three months each. I guess I’m happy Wizards finally did something, moving past words to action. I expected this big weight off my shoulders, but that feeling just didn’t come. I expected to be cheering, but in reality I’m just pretty numb about this whole thing.
I haven’t really slept much since this started. Everything has been too much. All the stress from this ongoing harassment suddenly balled up and intensified to the point where it felt like every moment, of every day, someone was asking me about it or messaging me about it.
I’ve been targeted. My friends have been targeted. So many people in my life have been walking on tenterhooks since this started, and it isn’t over. I’ve been lucky—when I’ve been targeted it has come in spurts and would eventually die down. But not this time. Even worse I have to watch so many friends who have already been targets become targeted, even more so and worse than ever, whether they spoke up about this issue or not.
I’m not mad all of this happened. I’m happy the community is paying attention and cares. I’ve gotten a lot of wonderful support the past few weeks in the form of tweets, messages, and emails; and I know I’m not the only one on the receiving end of a wonderful outpouring of love. Unfortunately, the deluge of hate has continued unabated; and I’m just scared that the love will stop, thinking that it’s won, while the hate keeps coming. Now that Jeremy has been banned, will we wake up Monday with this issue done and behind us? Jeremy doesn’t even do anything that even needs a DCI number, so what’s going to change in reality for content creators he targets?
If anything I’m scared that things will only get worse, that he and his followers will just double down. Will there be more mornings where I wake up to a wave harassment directed at me? Will the other content creators that I love and support wake up to an inbox full of hate? I would be surprised if I am the only one asking these questions. His favorite targets—Evan Erwin, the Professor, Wedge, and Erin Campbell—are probably asking these questions and more.
So I ask you to do just one thing for me: don’t forget about this Monday morning. Don’t tell yourself this is over—because it isn’t. Jeremy might not be allowed to play in a local game store, but he isn’t gone. Those in the Magic for Bad group will be back in three months. Travis Woo will be back in a year. Making the Magic community a healthy and welcoming place is something that we all have to work at every single day. This pattern of harassment and bullying isn’t something that can just be fixed with a magic wand, a planeswalker ultimate, or an indefinite DCI suspension. So keep talking about this, keep learning, keep standing up against toxic community members—no matter who they are. We all deserve better than this.
Kate hails from Worcester MA and also does a bit of Card Altering. Check her Stuff out on Facebook! She mainly plays legacy and modern though will occasionally find herself playing EDH.