Where should Patreon draw the line?
Patreon is a great platform for creators, especially those with strong, loyal fanbases that want to directly support artists. Musician Jack Conte and developer Sam Yam are the founders of Patreon, and the concept was created because creators were getting stiffed by low-paying platforms like YouTube.
But they’re also getting censored, de-monetized, or de-emphasized if they don’t comply with the rules of YouTube, Facebook, or any other platform. Now, Patreon is being asked to issue its own set of policies around certain kinds of content.
Patreon’s creators are extremely varied. YouTube videographers, writers, webcomic artists, podcasters, musicians, and many other creative types connect with targeted audiences through Patreon. And the system is simple: the creators can receive funding directly from their fans, or patrons. They can be paid on a recurring basis or per work of art.
The result? Many artists and creators feel that they are able better express themselves and get paid while doing so. In fact, more than a million active users and 50,000 monthly active creators make Patreon a seriously popular solution for artists. At present, Patreon estimates a staggering $150,000,000 is earned by artists on their platform annually.
Sounds great, except some fringe artists are attracting a lot of negative attention. Journalist Vonny Leclerc first discovered something disturbing: a ‘no pornography’ policy by the company wasn’t being enforced. That started the ball rolling.
+ Sorry, You Can’t Fund Your Fetish Porn Site on Patreon Anymore
Patreon has already clamped down on fetish porn site creators, though shocked onlookers are noticing something far more extreme.
Horrific acts of child rape depicted in animation.
Many of these artists are defending their right to create animations depicting child rape, torture, and other activities. Of course, actually doing these acts is completely illegal, but what about drawing it?
These artists also say they’re creating works for patrons that are demanding it. And it turns out that patrons have been requesting all sorts of pervasive acts from creators. These now include horrific acts of child rape, personalized abuse fantasies, and acts of violence.
Lecler says it’s gone too far. “There are more and more violent, hyper-realistic animations being uploaded all the time,” he shared. “I wondered who had the time, now I can see people are making a living out of creating animated rape and snuff films.”
Lecler says Patreon is not only ignoring these activities, they are encouraging them.
More than 37,000 thousand people have signed the petition demanding that Patreon stop people from selling child abuse animations through their platform.
The petition has been gaining steam, with more than 10,000 signatures arriving in the past 24 hours. Care2Petitions is hosting this particular protest.
According to the petition, this actually goes way beyond child rape illustrations. It also includes artwork of brutal killings, eye-gouging, other forms of rape… the list goes on. Lecler says one prominent artist is earning over $20,000 a month depicting extreme violence.
Here’s a quick excerpt of the petition page:
This is so many levels of disturbing: that these men can make it without caring, and that others buy it. Patreon is helping facilitate the creation of personalised abuse fantasies. One person [I found] is making $20,000 plus a month making adult games. Many making serious bucks.
What does it tell us about society, about sex and capitalism, that the most lucrative animation careers can come from made-to-order pornography? If you want to understand the things men wish they could do to us, look at the porn they create when they don’t have to use real women.
Patreon is being used to fund realistic animations of rape, eye-gouging, torture. Home-invasion when young women are shot in the face and then raped. @Patreon know about this. What’s being done? I can find hundreds of accounts making this kind of content.”
So where should Patreon draw the line?
Technically, this artwork isn’t illegal — at least in the United States. A picture depicting extreme violence may be extremely distasteful, but an artist has the right to create it. Once that crosses into depicted child pornography, however, a judge may have to decide.
Another legal counter-argument relates to the actual harm done. If patrons and artists exist in an insular environment, one free of actual crime, it’s possible this group is merely acting out gruesome fantasies without dragging people into them. Some of the artwork in question violates Patreon’s pornography policy, though not all of it does.
+ Less Than 2% of Content Creators on Patreon Earn Monthly Minimum Wage
If that artwork is connected to actual crimes — or worse, if it’s depicting real events — then there’s a much different level of enforcement that’s needed.
Now, Patreon is undoubtedly going to be forced to respond — and make tough decisions that balance the broader interests of the community.
More as this develops.
“It also includes artwork of brutal killings, eye-gouging, other forms of rape… the list goes on”
Puritans have published lists like that for centuries.
And respected publishers, media and museums have always ignored them.
Patreon is doing the right thing, banning projects or people who harm or intend to harm other people in real life.
But you don’t ban fiction and art, no matter how disgusting it is.
if censorship is truly necessary for a society to exist in harmony than perhaps they have a little too much freedom on there hands
You just know some dude who got denied a comission because it was too gross is behind this rally. Here’s hoping the response given to this does not help trolls to keep issuing raids against artist they dislike. You really think there’s something so unlawful going on that the respective authorities have not taken into consideration?
“What does it tell us about society, about sex and capitalism, that the most lucrative animation careers can come from made-to-order pornography? If you want to understand the things men wish they could do to us, look at the porn they create when they don’t have to use real women.
The harm of pornographic depictions of rape is recognised by the United Nations: “Images in the media of violence against women, in particular those that depict rape or sexual slavery as well as the use of women and girls as sex objects.” -Petition”
Kettle calling the pot black. Hypocritical sexist biased views considering that Women enjoy movies, books, and films like Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey. They have suggested themes of bondage, force sex/rape, necrophilia, beastiality, etc. If you want to understand the things “women” wish they could do to us, look at the porn they desire.
On Pornhub data shows women often search up themes of gang bang, rape, and other unspeakable things they insist they are against. If you want to talk about real child abuse. Women have one of highest rates of child abuse/rape at schools. Real child abuse is wrong, so is crying wolf over video games or animations to distract from real legitimate cases in real life.
And where have they seen childs being raped? They may be the young anime characters but they are not childs they just does not look like if they were 28 years old that is the age that many actors has when they play 17 characters. In pacific rim 2 i thought that the girl was minor but she is 19