About
#FullMcIntosh is a Twitter hashtag primarily used by the pro-GamerGate camp to mock various arguments put forth by pop culture critic Jonathan McIntosh and other social justice bloggers in the gaming world that they perceive as being illogical and absurd.
Origin
The term #FullMcIntosh was coined on October 16th, 2014, after Jonathan McIntosh retweeted an article posted by Badass Digest author Devin Faraci.[2] That same day, Twitter user @Sargon_Of_Akkad took a screencap of the tweets and criticized both McIntosh and Faraci, while coining the hashtag #FullMcIntosh in the process,[3] possibly in reference to the expression “You Just Went Full Retard”. The message was favorited 92 times and was retweeted 85 times.
This is why you never go #FullMcIntosh, compadres. #GamerGate#NotYourShieldpic.twitter.com/YJ4vbYQImO
— Sargon of Akkad (@Sargon_of_Akkad) October 16, 2014
Jonathan McIntosh
Jonathan McIntosh, the subject of the hashtag, is a producer and writer of the divisive “Tropes VS Women” video series hosted by Anita Sarkeesian. His presence on Twitter[1] exploded during the events of the GamerGate controversy, which he became involved in.
Spread
On October 23rd, Twitter user @BasedWeasel posted a line chart illustrating the range of the so-called McIntosh Scale, which garnered over 190 retweets and more than 200 favorites in less than a week.
In the following days, the usage of the hashtag increased exponentially when McIntosh compared the colors on Vivian James’s t-shirt to Piccolo Dick, implicitly equating the color scheme to rape.[4] In response, many detractors began mocking his statement by indiscriminately labeling characters that are drawn in green-and-purple color scheme as rapists.
#BeyondMcIntosh
In addition to #FullMcIntosh, similar hashtag #BeyondMcIntosh is used for particularly extreme statements.[5] The hashtag spread to Tumblr shortly afterward, where one post that explained the significance of the term gained 12 notes.[6] The hashtag eventually caught Jonathan McIntosh’s attention on October 27, 2014, at which point he objected to the criticism.
Amusingly they’ve made several hashtags for me designed to paint non-controversial points like this as ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/cDKjoZFDBP
— Jonathan McIntosh (@radicalbytes) October 27, 2014
Search Interest
External References
[1]Twitter – @RadicalBytes
[2]Twitter – Why #GamerGate Already Lost
[3]Twitter – #FullMcIntosh
[4]Twitter – #StopGamerGate2014 because the purple/green color scheme of #GamerGate and their mascot Vivian James is a reference to a 4chan rape joke
[5]Twitter – #BeyondMcIntosh
[6]Tumblr – The Spectacular Spider-Girl Explains #FullMcIntosh
[7]Topsy – Tweets Per Day for #FullMcIntosh
[8]Reddit – Full McIntosh Scale