If you thought Doug Tennapel was an asshole...

[Cyrus]

...check out Paul Trowe of Replay.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/12/13/the-messy-saga-of-replays-paul-trowe-as-al-lowe-quits/

The (openly gay and advocate of gay marriage) Trowe became the center of a scandal which involved sending gay sex video to an underage girl, and received a probation. As a result, Al Lowe and Josh Mandel left Replay.

Unfortunately, this means we won't see any more Larry installments (because, as we know from previous experience, Al-less Larry is no Larry at all). But I cannot blame Al for his decision, since Trowe had a long history of nasty behavior (like sabotaging fellow projects or writing spiteful comments about former colleagues). I just wish Al and Josh gave us some sort of a farewell gift before Al finally returns to retirement. Maybe an all-new independent single-installment game, like Torin's Passage. Because Al is capable of much more than just remaking his own old stuff.

[Vince Twelve]

Not sure what him being openly gay or an advocate of gay marriage has to do with it.  There are dick bags of all sexualities and political leanings.

[Cyrus]

There are dick bags of all sexualities and political leanings.

Exactly my point. Some people just tend to vilify Doug and other conservatives only because of their views.

[qptain Nemo]

Not sure about what context you're framing it all in, but I'm glad to comment specifically on the mention of Trowe and the RPS article. Trowe is an utter fucking dickwad and it's nice to see that all of his awful behaviour is now publicly documented with attention drawn to it so people can at least know who they're dealing with.

Unfortunately, this means we won't see any more Larry installments

Personally, I'm not saddened by that at all~

[Monsieur OUXX]

I was trying to make sense of that long and intricate article, but my not-so-smart comment is just this :

What's with their names? Trowe, Lowe, Crowe... Is it a requirement to work on Sierra licences or what?

[Vince Twelve]

There are dick bags of all sexualities and political leanings.

Exactly my point. Some people just tend to vilify Doug and other conservatives only because of their views.

Oh, ok.  I didn't know who Doug was and had to Google him.  I glossed over the title of your post.  I still don't really get the comparison unless it's that Doug's views on homosexuality may be on the wrong side of history, but at least he didn't send porn to a kid.  But whatevs.  Nobody's defending Trowe's actions.

[Ghost]

I didn't know who Doug was and had to Google him.

Pfew, that really reassures me. I thought I was the only one living under a rock without internet.

[Snarky]

There was a thread about Tennapel here on the forums, though it quickly turned into a general "are gays sinful perverts who will burn in hell, or are gay marriage opponents Nazis?" discussion. Good times.

I still don't really get the comparison unless it's that Doug's views on homosexuality may be on the wrong side of history, but at least he didn't send porn to a kid.  But whatevs.  Nobody's defending Trowe's actions.

Actually, I'm going to cautiously defend Trowe on that point. According to that article, one version of the story is that the girl (fifteen years old) was dating one of the men in the video. In that case, it seems like it's perhaps less a matter of perverting a minor than proving to her that her boyfriend was cheating on her. (The intention behind it might even have been good, if it was meant to make her realize that this wasn't a smart relationship to be in. OTOH, given that it was Trowe, it was more likely just him being an asshole as usual.) While illegal in general and inappropriate in most cases, I'd also say the context makes some difference in how outrageous it is to show porn to a fifteen-year-old. Though since it became a court case, I guess the girl wasn't too happy about it.

[Igor Hardy]

I didn't think Doug Tennapel was an asshole...

But Trowe qualifies to be described by that term perfectly.

[Vince Twelve]

Actually, I'm going to cautiously defend Trowe on that point. According to that article, one version of the story is that the girl (fifteen years old) was dating one of the men in the video. In that case, it seems like it's perhaps less a matter of perverting a minor than proving to her that her boyfriend was cheating on her. (The intention behind it might even have been good, if it was meant to make her realize that this wasn't a smart relationship to be in.

Ooh, look at you. Investigating the context before damning someone outright.  Get lost, Snarky. You act like there is some kind of "moral grey area" when we all know full well that everything is black and white. (It's just easier that way.)

[Monsieur OUXX]

Actually, I'm going to cautiously defend Trowe on that point. According to that article, one version of the story is that the girl (fifteen years old) was dating one of the men in the video.

Even if he had no good reason to do it, I hate the expression "pervert the young girl". What does that even mean?  Did he "show her the way to perversion"? Either you sexually assault someone, or you don't. You don't "pervert them".

I think that the most likely scenario is that this guy is a dick, and just wanted to shock her by showing her something he knew would disgust her in some way. Especially if he has an opposite sexuality to hers (he's gay and she's heterosexual). Conservatives seem to believe that seeing gay images will have some sort of sexual effect on the girl. Nope, that doesn't exist in reality (real reality from true life). The girl will just be unsettled by what she seens (most likely outraged due to her young age) and that jerk will just be happy and that's all. Just some old-fashioned unacceptable bullying.

[Snarky]

Even if he had no good reason to do it, I hate the expression "pervert the young girl". What does that even mean?  Did he "show her the way to perversion"? Either you sexually assault someone, or you don't. You don't "pervert them".

In American legal jargon, offenses regarding children are usually formulated as "[verb]ing a minor". I was trying to remember the term that would cover this, but couldn't recall it, and since I was tired I just went with the approximate word that came to mind. In fact, the term I was trying to think of was "corrupting a minor", which legally refers to sexual activity but in casual use has been extended to more general inappropriate behavior/bad influence.

The actual misdemeanor Trowe pled no contest to was "displaying harmful material to a minor", according to Kotaku (which also includes more detail that addresses the question of his motivation, so instead of us speculating let's just refer to that).

The question of whether this ought to be a crime (or rather, misdemeanor) if not part of a sexual assault or harassment is a separate matter. I think there are good reasons to make it illegal, even if in this case it doesn't seem like there was any particular risk of harm, and the prosecution does seem malicious.

[Monsieur OUXX]

I was trying to remember the term that would cover this, but couldn't recall it, and since I was tired I just went with the approximate word that came to mind.

Thanks for clarifying; I didn't think one second you were to blame.