# Actually It S About Ethics

"Actually it's about ethics in gaming journalism" is a catchphrase that mocks Gamergate supporters by pasting the line onto stills from horror movies and video games. The joke took off in October 2014 after a Twitter user captioned a scene from the film It, and single-topic Tumblr blogs pushed it into wider circulation within days.

## Overview
"Actually It's About Ethics" is short for "Actually it's about ethics in gaming journalism," a line Gamergate supporters used so often in 2014 that critics turned it into a joke by pasting it onto screenshots from horror films and video games[1]. The gag treats the phrase as an all-purpose excuse, framing menacing images of clowns, killers, and monsters as if they too were only concerned with press ethics[2].

The format is simple. Take a still that clearly depicts something horrifying, add the sentence in plain white caption text, and let the mismatch do the work[3]. That gap between the sinister image and the earnest talking point is the whole punchline, which is why the meme reads instantly even to people who never followed the Gamergate arguments themselves[1].

## How It Spread
On October 24th, 2014, two single-topic Tumblr blogs, itsaboutethicsingamesjournalism and actuallyethics, launched to collect more entries in the same format[1]. The same day, BoingBoing covered the meme, and Buzzfeed followed with its own writeup the next day[2].

Also on October 24th, The Washington Post ran an interview with Gamergate supporters who insisted the movement really was about journalism ethics, giving the parody even more raw material to work with[3]. That same day, Twitter user zpxlng introduced the hashtag #germergoat with a tweet that pulled in more than 700 retweets in under 24 hours, which became a common tag for posting new captioned stills[1].

From there, the phrase settled in as shorthand well beyond image macros. People still drop "actually it's about ethics in gaming journalism" into unrelated arguments as a punchline whenever someone offers an obviously bad-faith justification[2].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Actually It S About Ethics?
It's a catchphrase, short for "Actually it's about ethics in gaming journalism," typically pasted onto horror movie or video game screenshots to mock Gamergate supporters who overused the line[1].

### Where did Actually It S About Ethics come from?
Twitter user Alejandrobot posted the first horror-still version on October 15th, 2014, using a shot from the film It, and the tweet racked up thousands of retweets within two weeks[2].

### What does Actually It S About Ethics mean?
It's a sarcastic jab at Gamergate's stated motive, treating the "ethics in gaming journalism" line as a flimsy excuse by attaching it to menacing or absurd images[1].

### How do you use Actually It S About Ethics?
The common convention is to caption a horror movie still or unsettling video game screenshot with the phrase in plain text, letting the mismatch between image and words carry the joke[3].

### Is Actually It S About Ethics still popular?
The image-macro wave peaked in late October 2014 alongside Gamergate coverage from BoingBoing, Buzzfeed, and The Washington Post, and the phrase is still quoted as a punchline in online arguments[2].

## References
1. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/24/how-some-gamergate-supporters-say-the-controversy-could-stop/](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/24/how-some-gamergate-supporters-say-the-controversy-could-stop/>)
2. [https://boingboing.net/2014/10/24/actually-its-about-ethics-in.html](<https://boingboing.net/2014/10/24/actually-its-about-ethics-in.html>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/actually-its-about-ethics-in-gaming-journalism](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/actually-its-about-ethics-in-gaming-journalism>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/actually-it-s-about-ethics
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