After @elizhargrave posted a screenshot of a comment written by a man claiming she has hate in her heart, I decided to continue reading the other comments to a blog post detailing #inclusion, #diversity, and minority representation in the board game industry.

Here's one of them.

First, a link to the blog post, which was based on her recent Twitter posts and thread on #BIPOC, women, and #LGBTQ representation in board games: https://stonemaiergames.com/inclusion-diversity-and-representation-in-board-games-and-beyond-guest-post-by-elizabeth-hargrave/#comment-40308

In the comments of the post, "Stuart," who says he's a "professional data analyst" goes on to show that he's not even an amateur marketer, economist, sociologist, or all-around decent human.

Here's a portion of his post:

As a professional data analyst myself, I spend 40+ hours a week helping others make sound business decisions for the company in which I work. Also, working in the Innovation & Growth department, I'm always working on new projects and ideas - many of which never leave our desks.

One thing in the I&G world you constantly have to worry about is saturation. How many people can we reasonably provide our service to, and what happens if we go past that? Can our new idea support an influx of new clients, while still providing support for our older stuff?

You typically find this in service-based industries: construction, lawn care, hair salon, etc.

You don't typically find this in product-based industries, though you can argue the supply chain might slow with an influx of products. But there's always room for more "things".

This is where "Stuart"'s post goes badly. He takes a service-based idea and tries to compare that to a product-based industry, then uses this comparison to make assumptions about the industry that end up falling flat.

The board game industry isn't service-based.

Yes, the industry *is* predominantly middle- to upper-class, straight, white, middle-aged men. There's no dispute in that.

But that doesn't mean it shouldn't support #BIPOC, #women, or #LGBTQ designers, manufacturers, or players.

There's always room in the industry for others.

"Stuart" is the epitome of those with a 'scarcity mentality' (thanks @ElayneIsMe!) - they feel many aspects of life lose their meaning when more are involved. It's what you find in the mind of sexists, racists, and homopobes - inclusion of others equals exclusion of themselves.

The real fact is the industry is very capable of allowing all minorities to be involved, without pushing away or punishing those already here.

However, if you want to continue to be discriminatory toward minorities, you should and will be pushed away. That's what hate deserves.

To answer your question, "Stuart": Yes. Businesses should operate with social justice ideals.

But, no - it would lead to an increase of net sales revenue, as you're now bringing more people to the hobby, thereby more money.

Stop thinking the hobby's reached capacity - it's not.