Sonic Boom Protests
- For the song, see SingStar Challenge Round 1.
| “ | NO!!! WE NEED TO KILL SEGA INTO RECALLING EVERYTHING NOW!!! EVEN IF WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE PUT KNIVES AND BOMBS TO THEIR TROATS!!! | ” |
| A very normal reaction to a video game character having its design changed[1] | ||
The Sonic Boom Protests were a series of protests that Chris initiated in late 2014. While everyone else was posting on Facebook about less important political concerns, Chris decided that the most important cause of the time was protesting Sega's decision to make Sonic's arms blue (as opposed to the usual tan color) in Sonic Boom, a non-canon spin-off series. Chris was so passionate about this supposed defamation of his favorite video game character that he went so far as to write incoherent, rambling letters to Sega, throw tantrums about it on Facebook, threaten the lives of Sega employees, glitterbomb Sega's American HQ, and even physically assault retail staff. His angry, incoherent letters to Sega clearly show that Chris's prolonged estrangement from reality could reach new heights, and that concepts such as civility, moderation and channeling anger in any way that doesn't involve ranting like a child throwing a tantrum are by now completely alien concepts to Chris, or at least go out the window whenever he's annoyed. Unfortunately, unlike previous bouts of anger where Chris would film himself or take to social media to rage at his target, in this instance, he decided to take a hands-on approach to it by vandalizing copies of Sonic Boom wherever he saw them. When GameStop employees rightfully tried to make him leave the store, he agreed to walk out, but only after brandishing his can of mace and spraying it at one poor employee's shirt.
At first, it was unclear whether Chris would boycott Sonic Boom or just buy the games and watch the show like the consumerist lemming he is. Given his irrational hatred and acts of vandalism towards otherwise available games, the former seemed more likely. On 13 January 2015, it was revealed that he owned copies of the games. Chris said that they were sent to him by Catherine.
Why Chris has such a bizarre distaste for such a minor, insignificant detail in the first place is still up for speculation. It could simply be some overly-attached nostalgia to the 'original' Sonic the Hedgehog, or possibly some inner-venting for his own failed franchise. Whatever the reason, it certainly isn't healthy for Chris, given his current state. In other words, this makes the superficial reactions to Godzilla supposedly getting "fatter" in the 2014 movie, or the new designs for the lightsabers in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, seem simple and quaint in comparison. At least he isn't complaining about Sonic's green eyes?
Protests
Blarms Backstory
Chris's hatred for Sonic's blue arms started in February 2014, when the first advertisements for the Sonic Boom TV show appeared on Cartoon Network. In December he offered the following chronology:
| 3 December 2014
I have just received a question from one of my girl friends: "So, I'm curious, where did you hear about this blue-armed Sonic Issue? Is it something you discovered on your own, or is it a bigger issue in the Sonic community?" To best answer this question, and to VERY MUCH my visual dismay and further recollection: I HAVE been feeling this SINCE Last February. I needed to search for the ONE Announcement Trailer Video of the DAMN TV Show. I Remember finding it for myself on either Facebook through SEGA's feed, or on YouTube through the video recommendations, on my laptop, as we were moving into the temporary house. I felt UTTER Shock at the sight of the Blue Arms on Sonic immediately as I watched it for the first time that day in Early February, 2014; This Year. I was too busy and stressed from collecting as much as possible from the burnt house, and bringing them either to our Storage Unit, and this house's basement I had not thought about the issue much, UNTIL Last June or July with the E3 Trailers being presented on the SEGA and Sonic Facebook Pages! Since Then, I have continuously protested the Blue Arms by commenting and messaging them that "Sonic's Arms are NOT Blue!!!" And among which, I have Warned Them that this sort of thing would NOT end well for them, and it was, and still is, a Very Bad Idea!!! So, in short: I watched the damn trailer last February, I felt Pissed Off Then, I relearned about it last June or July: I Still felt Very Pissed Off, and NOW I am continually Growing and GROWING More Angry and PISSED OFF AT SEGA, NINTENDO AND CARTOON NETWORK AND EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED THERE!!! I have Contacted SEGA and Commented NUMEROUSLY with MONTHS worth of time. They ignored me, Not Responded or Done Anything about it at all, and therefore the time for Talk IS LONG DONE AND OVERWITH!!! AND WE NEED ACTION UPON SEGA AND SONIC BOOM NOW MORE THAN EVER!!! Thank you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_A3e2bl334 |
For all the agitation and violence, Chris has never clearly explained exactly why this particular alteration to this particular cartoon character makes him so furious. The closest he came to explaining his confrontational stance was in a June Facebook post:
| “ | I only just heard and seen the ugly change a few weeks ago, and I had too many other stresses going on to act earlier.
Why do I feel this way? The same reason why many people feel Michael Jackson should not have had to change his color. Would you want to change your skin detail, just for a "change of image" or an "insecurity of self-concept"? I would not even commit suicide ever, because of how low in self-confidence and self-esteem I have been feeling for YEARS. I'm going to eventually pass natural. So let's get Sonic's arm color changed back! |
” |
He returned to the Michael Jackson analogy in November, arguing that "this Blue Arm Travesty is as Gosh Awful as Michael Jackson's whiteface thing!" He was careful to add, "Nothing personal against the Pop Star singer....And nothing personal against anyone of any Race or Color either."
While it is difficult to decipher Chris’s garbled sentences, it is clear that his fury is linked to his belief that Sonic, like all cartoon characters, is real and lives in a parallel universe. Like many autistic people, Chris is very resistant to change, especially when it is forced upon him. Chris would not change (“commit suicide”) even in the face of tremendous hardship. Sonic, however, was forced to change for trivial reasons such as appealing to a broader audience. Sonic has been Chris’s lifelong hero with whom he identifies strongly, so he has taken this injustice very personally. Unfortunately, he falsely assumes that countless millions feel the same way.
At other times, however, Chris has latched onto the idea that the blue arms cause him "sensory overload." Sensory overload is a broad term simply meaning that the body reacts to overstimulation of a sense, but in autistics it generally refers to an abstract, specific sensory stimulus (such as blue arms) which the autistic person is simply unable to stand. However, if sensory overload were a real issue, all he would need to do is avoid Sonic Boom. Chris has never before complained about sensory overload, and damningly has gone so far as to draw blue-armed hedgehogs himself such as some depictions of Bubbles Rosechu. The truth is that Chris either believes that Sega is abusing his best friend, or he is using his autism as an attempt to manipulate the intentions of a multi-billion dollar worth company.
Since the change to Sonic's arm color isn't the only element of the redesign, or even the most obvious one, it's anyone's guess as to why that was the aspect Chris chose to focus his ire on. Nor was this the first time Sonic was redesigned: the previous instance was all the way back in the 1990s, where the Blue Blur was given a "more mature" new design during the lead-up to the release of Sonic Adventure. Moreover, unlike the Boom redesign (which was done for an alternate continuity and had no effect on the main canon), the Adventure redesign affected virtually all Sonic media going forward. Yet there's no evidence Chris reacted nearly as badly in this case; indeed, to the contrary, it was the gift of a Sega Dreamcast and a copy of Sonic Adventure that reignited his interest in the franchise. In light of all this, Chris's bizarre hatred of Sonic's blue arms looks even more inexplicable and inconsistent than it already did.
Oh Noes, It's Got a Second Season!
After discovering that the TV series was renewed for a second season, Chris posted on Facebook to complain about it again.
| 5 December 2014
A Second Season of the #SonicBoom show with those, UGH!!!, Blue Arms?!!! Hell No!!! Boycott #CartoonNetwork With Me!!! Refuse to Watch the channel!!! Refuse to go to their Website for Any Reason as well!!! And TELL THEM TO PULL THE DAMN CARTOON FROM THE AIR AND FORCE #SEGA TO RECOLOUR SONIC'S ARMS BACK IMMEDIATELY!!! http://www.gamnesia.com/news/sonic-boom-cartoon-is-very-successful-second-season-confirmed
|
Spreading the Good Word
| 5 December 2014
Also, Spreading the good word around; commenting and messaging others as I have? Copy/Paste the following short-but-direct message, with the link below: SONIC'S ARMS ARE NOT BLUE, AND THEY SERIOUSLY CAUSE SENSORY OVERLOADS IN ME!!! SEGA NEEDS TO RECALL EVERYTHING SONIC BOOM AND CHANGE SONIC'S ARM COLOUR BACK IMMEDIATELY!!! FOLLOW ME IN BOYCOTTING SONIC BOOM, UNTIL SEGA WISES UP, RECALLS EVERYTHING AND CHANGES HIS ARM COLOUR BACK, NOW!!! Join My Group, FIX SONIC'S ARMS IMMEDIATELY, SEGA!!!, and Sign Our Petition NOW!!! https://www.facebook.com/groups/fixSonicsArmsImmediatelySEGA/ |
Greatest Mistake Ever
| 7 December 2014
Follow My Lead to Force SEGA to Wise Up and Fix Their Greatest Mistake Ever!!! |
Chris later on posted a link to this post to his Facebook group:
|
EVERYONE! I am going to hand-write to SEGA about this matter, and I have just called their 1-800 number and left a message last night. I will call again middle of this coming week if they do not call me back. I am urging everyone in the group to write and/or telephone SEGA as well, and INSIST and DEMAND upon them to Recall Everything Sonic Boom, including the cartoon and video games, and Change Sonic's Arm Colour Back Immediately!!! Suggest for them to do the following: -Recall ALL remaining stock of the Sonic Boom Games and Merchandise from ALL of the stores carrying them. -On the eSHOPS, IMMEDIATELY change the initial software to reflect Sonic with his original Tan Colour Arms, as well ALL video and imagery therein on there. -Replace ALL of their imagery and videos on their official websites and pages to reflect Sonic with the original tan colour arms as well. -IMMEDIATELY create NEW game Cards, Discs AND Inserts with Sonic's original tan colour arms. And on the software, the arm colour MUST be there INITIALLY; BEFORE any downloaded Software Updates. -INSTILL downloadable Software Updates for all of the already sold games to reflect Sonic Initially with tan colour arms as well. -REMOVE the Sonic Boom Cartoon from the Television and Internet airwaves, and change ALL of the Season One Episodes for Sonic to have his Original Tan Colour Arms, and Initially make that default in ALL following Seasons of episodes, including the Second Season. -AND They Must Announce this Recall and Update, As well as Apologies to Every Individual Person who Has Found Little to GREATEST Offense in the new Arm Colour, IMMEDIATELY, WORLDWIDE BROADCAST AND IN PRINTED MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS EVERYWHERE!!! Also, copy and paste the following true statement in your letters and telephone conversations: "The very sight of Sonic's Blue Arms makes our ally, Christian Weston Chandler of Ruckersville, VA, suffer from consistent Sensory Overloads. Upon seeing them, his brain immediately shuts down into a momentary to lengthy (depending on how long he is forced to displeasingly endure the horrific sight) state of mental paralysis. Combined with his Autism, he only gets more angry as each day passes with this pair of blue arms still remains. Either the Change back to him having tan colored arms happens IMMEDIATELY, or he and our THOUSANDS to MILLIONS of allies in the Sonic the Hedgehog Loyal Fanbase will only get more Angry and Outraged to the point of coming right over there to your office and doing something Very Bad there." Also, if somehow you have managed to receive a copy of either Sonic Boom game (no questions asked), you should SMASH the Game Disc and or Game Card, and enclose the pieces with your Letter to SEGA of America. To show them that we are Very Serious and Passionate towards Rectifying their mistake in changing Sonic's arm colour. Below is their address, and Customer Support phone number; LET'S GIVE THEM HELL AND BACK IN FORCING THEM TO WISE UP AND CHANGE SONIC'S ARMS BACK IMMEDIATELY!!! [REDACTED] #SEGA #SonicTheHedgehog #SonicBoom #Nintendo #CartoonNetwork #GameStop #ToysRUs #WalMart #Target #BestBuy #WiiU #Wii #3DS #DS #DSi #AmyRose #Tails #Knuckles #Robotnik #Eggman |
Pickle Joke
.jpg)
In Chris's new "FIX SONIC'S ARMS BACK" Facebook group, Chris posted about the pickle joke in the show, surprisingly being "neutral" about it. Naturally, however, he eventually suspects it to be a personal insult from SEGA.
| 10 December 2014
I know well I said not to talk about the show much, or post any spoilers. This time, though, I am willing to make this exception. I have heard that in the show, Sonic ordered a sandwich with no pickles, but is served the sandwich with extra pickles. I feel neutral/indifferent about the joke. But my friend read a bit into it as a possible reference to myself, as well as a possible middle finger gesture to me from SEGA. Being Serious and Sincere, no sarcasm or jokes: what do y'all think/feel from this lame pickled vegetable joke? Answer in the comments of this post. |
For Christ's and God's Sake
Chris shared another of SEGA's Facebook posts, this time about introducing the main character, and Chris as usual complained about his blue arms.
| 12 December 2014
For Christ's and God's Sake, PLEASe CHANGE HIS ARM COLOUR BACK IMMEDIATELY, SEGA!!!
|
E-mail to SEGA
On 11 December 2014, CWCki user FromtheWordsofBR jokingly sent an e-mail to Sega Customer Service under Chris's email, suggesting that they send him free copies of Sonic Boom for the HEXbox - something that would have been impossible for Sega to actually do, as the Sonic Boom games were exclusive to the Wii U and 3DS. Chris discovered this the next day, and proceeded to rage.[2]
| Ticket #137668: SONIC'S ARMS ARE. NOT BLUE!!!:
Hello, Thank you for contacting Sega of America Customer Service. Your request (#137668) has been received, and is being reviewed by our support staff. Response times may vary, but typically you will hear back from us within the same business day. Our agents are on hand from 9AM to 5PM Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday (with the exception of US national holidays). Requests received over the weekend will be answered the following Monday. To review the status of this request and add additional comments, follow the link below: http://help.sega.com/requests/137668 You may also reply via email. |
|
Chrischansonichu, Nov 20 00:07: Listen, I DID NOT contact you initially with the message there. That was a HeXBox -Loving INTERNET TROLL PRETENDING TO BE ME. But since I have your attention now, I will bring it up directly with you now. MONTHS NOW, Sonic's Arms Being Blue has SERIOUSLY BEEN BOTHERING ME! They have caused me sensory overload Every Time I see them! They Have To Be Changed Back Now!!! I have contacted SEGA via their Facebook page, as well as the Sonic the Hedgehog Facebook page. Please see attached screen cap photos. PLEASE RECALL EVERYTHING SONIC BOOM RIGHT NOW AND CHANGE HIS ARM COLOUR BACK!!! Or I will Do Worse!!! I am still Very Pissed Off that no one has Fixed the Monstrosity that is Changing Sonic's Arm Color! I am Boycotting the Sonic Boom Games and TV Show and the Toys, minus the two I bought to illustrate my point, and everything else of it. FIX SONIC'S ARM COLOR NOW, or I CONTINUE TO RANT, RAVE, BOYCOTT AND COMPLAIN!!!! SERIOUSLY!!! IF I FIND EITHER SONIC BOOM GAME ON ANY SHELVES IN THE STORES, WITH SONIC'S ARMS STILL BLUE, I WILL BE GOING SOO FUCKING CRAZY TO PREVENT EVERYONE FROM SEEING THE BLUE ARM MONSTROSITY!!! DO YOU HEAR ME, SEGA?! I WOULD TOTALLY BOYCOTT A N CHANNEL AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE ELSE TO DO THAT AS WELL!!! WISE UP NOW AND RECALL EVERYTHING SONIC BOOM NOW, and maybe I would close the group and the petition and give y'all my money as well.
AND PULL THE CARTOON AND CHANGE THE ARM COLOURS IN EVERY SINGLE EPISODE OF THE N SHOW! AND RECALL ALL OF THE SONIC PLUSHES AND FIGURES FROM THE STORES, AND CHANGE HIS ARM COLOUR ON EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM AS WELL!!! DO IT ALL NOW, OR THERE WILL BE SERIOUS SENSORY DAMAGE AND THEN SOME HELL TO PAY!!! |
The Forces of CWCville Besiege GameStop
- Main article: 26 December 2014
On 26 December, the climax of the entire saga arrived. Chris broke several laws by entering a GameStop from which he had been banned, vandalizing a Sonic Boom display, and macing an employee who was calling security as Chris left the store. All of this was recorded by a presumably bewildered bystander, and was uploaded to Tumblr the next day. Within two days of his attack, Chris was arrested by jerkops and incarcerated in Albemarle Regional Jail, then released on a $2,500 bail, with a hearing scheduled for early 2015.
Sonic Boom for Christmas
Phone chat log:
| 26 December 2014
[MALE VOICE]: It's the uhh-the uhh- Sonic Boom game. [hand game to Chris] CHRIS: Ok, I'll take it as a gift, thank you. [MALE VOICE]: No problem man. I hope you enjoy it. CHRIS: I'm hoping that they come out with an update where they change his arm color back. [MALE VOICE]: Why-Why would they change his arm color? CHRIS: Well, didn't you notice on the cover they did, it's. . . . . . .well, you look on his left arm. . . . .it's blue there. [MALE VOICE]: Ohh. So he has blue arms? CHRIS: Yeah. I really hate that change. [MALE VOICE]: Ohh. What for? CHRIS: Ehh. Just. . . . .too much. Just too drastic. It's like Michael Jackson changing his skin color. [MALE VOICE]: Have, have you asked them, sent them any feedback, asked them to change it. . . CHRIS: Yeah, yeah I did, when I first saw the TV trailer, the TV show trailer right before E3. They just pretty much swept me under the rug and blocked me from their facebook. [MALE VOICE]: Why would they do that? CHRIS: Well, they did. And also, I've been repetitive, like, "Sonic's arms are not freakin' blue". And. . . .yeah, I have threatened them like, you know, if you don't change his arms back. . . . . [MALE VOICE]: What did you say? What did you threaten them with? CHRIS: Life threats. Like you know, I took a- I had bought a plush of the new sonic with the blue arms, and I covered his new arms with flesh colored Crayola Model Magic, and I like took a couple of photographs of me holdin' it, and I'm like pulling his arms off, and I said, you better do it, or I will, parentheses, not, tear his arms off. [MALE VOICE]: So you made life threats against Sega then? CHRIS: Well, ehh, not in the direct sense. [MALE VOICE]: You mean that you threatened to kill them? CHRIS: No. [MALE VOICE]: No? Well, I mean, you said life threats, so. . . . . . . .it sounds like you're really passionate about it. CHRIS: Yes I am. [MALE VOICE]: Well, I mean, Sonic, his arms were uhh, flesh colored before that, right? CHRIS: Yeah. [MALE VOICE]: So, I mean, can't you just ignore the blue armed Sonic? CHRIS: I can- I can- it's just too much. Every time I look at the blue arms, even in anything related to the games which they show on cartoon network, I see the blue arms, I go into sensory overload and get really, really, more pissed off. [MALE VOICE]: Yeah. Chris, when these cyberbullies first started attacking you, and stuff like that, you got pissed off then, right? CHRIS: Yeah. [MALE VOICE]: . . . and it ended up being a bad thing when you reacted, right? CHRIS: Yeah, but except, I'm not reacting to a troll attack, I'm reacting to something which has been done. Like a, like a, presidential decision that has gone really wrong. Like, let's say Obama's. . . . .life-care thing? [MALE VOICE]: Obamacare. The health-care thing. So you're anti-Obamacare then? CHRIS: Well, uhh, I'm not one hundred percent, I have heard about uhh, hmmmm, uhh, I don't remember exactly-but-or how to phrase it, but I have the gist of it. |
Chris (Still) Blames Everyone Else for His Problems (Wait, Did We Say Still? We Meant Always)
| 5 January 2015
I have been on the move, with the heavy listings and transport back to my original house, and still sorting, organizing and all. I also have been at a Lack of WiFi and Internet access since last Wednesday. The only internet I have at home here is on the 3G on my phone. I have been very busy and very stressed. And should anyone give me a difficult time during my outings resulting in turning my day bad with the verbal attacks and threats to my person, I Will Defend Myself, and only retaliate when absolutely necessary. I Would even spray myself. I Sincerely Wish people would positively Like me, yet I am unable to change their minds. And if I Have to defend myself to get any respect as an individual person, then it is THEIR Fault for frightening me into that defensive stance. #SEGA will definitely hear of the Earlier Incident as well. |
Green Irises Are Better Than Blarms
| 6 January 2015
Anyhow, someone SHOULD definitely send word to SEGA of America and Japan of my recent misfortunes resulting from the seed event of Sonic's Arm Colour being changed. Had they Not changed the arm colour, No one would have attacked me they way He had, followed by the warning spray of the pepper from my own fears and paranoia in self-defense. And I would have no reason to Protest the way I have. This series of incidents definitely tops what's-his-name's whatever-he-did when they gave Sonic Green Irises for his eyes. THE green irises were an improvement; the Blue Arms are just Painful and Horrific. |
Sega Forced Chris to Attack
| 8 January 2015
Ugh!!! I Fucking Hate These People for continuing to allow the damn blue arms to exist! And I fucking hate them for changing the arm colour in the first place and ultimately from that damn seed event, force me to be attacked, having to defend myself, and forcing me to spend a weekend in jail!
|
Boycott the Yarms
| 10 January 2015
|
A troll posted this photo on Chris's Facebook group. Chris replied with:
| Fuck You Hell No!!! |
Chris Rages On
Chris posted this in response to an article on Wii U Daily discussing the incident.
| 12 January 2015
Off my rocker?! How Dare She? My Protest was Sound, Valid and Meant to be Good. And she completely ignores that on the day I had to defend myself from that Ass Manager, HE VERBALLY ATTACKED AND OFFENDED ME. And I had no idea of what other pains and stresses He was capable of doing, and I did not want him following me either. You All Do Not Understand my Fragile Mind, nor do Any of You All have Any Caring Nor Understanding to Leave a mentally scarred, damaged and flawed individual like me Be and At Personal Peace of Mind. BUT HELL NO! YOU ALL KEEP ON STRESSING ME MORE AND CAUSING PLEASANT DAYS GONE BAD ON ME. Especially MOST OF EVERY LAST MALE IN THIS WORLD; All of you are nothing but immature, borish, uncouth, and damned Neanderthals. It is no wonder why a lot of Women detest the lot of you, and why I am Most Disgusted and Ashamed to have been forced to be born a damned member of your Male Gender. Hmpf! |
Note that the writer was actually female.
Chris Gives Up and Continues On at the Same Time
| 13 January 2015
This is in response to the post below this one about the so-called list of my purchased Nintendo software. Direct to the point: I have sincerely NEVER purchased either Sonic Boom game. The 3DS game, however, was actually Hand Given to me as a Gift from my ex-girlfriend, Catherine's Cousin, Al, after out bowling outing in Early December, 2014; Last Month. I have registered the 3DS card through my Club Nintendo account, and explicitly told them in the survey that game Was Gifted to me; I Had Not Purchased it, period. And I Had shortly after received a copy of the Wii U Game In the Mail. I had disposed of the envelope, because there was no return address. I Would have registered that as well, but there as NO Club Nintendo code enclosed. I have Never booted or played either game, and I certainly never have inserted either card or disc into any of my handhelds or consoles at all ever. And to spare having it quoted in the comments below this point, or in any future comments and posts in this group or on my page: Being Gifted the thing you are protesting against against your initial will, regardless of acceptance out of being polite or whatever, it does NOT Change my position or aynthing integral of the Protest that I Have personally started and still am working towards the cause, period. SEGA!!! CHANGE SONIC'S ARM COLOUR BACK IMMEDIATELY!!! YOUR BLUE ARMS HAVE HURT NOT ONLY ME IN A NUMBER OF GREAT WAYS, BUT COUNTLESS OTHER PEOPLE (GREATER THAN A THOUSAND INDIVIDUALS) AS WELL!!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR LACK OF RECALL AND CORRECTIONS!!! |
Here, Chris is referencing a CWCki Forums page; apparently, he lurks the forums frequently.
Something Important
| 15 January 2015
I have something important to share of importance. After the incident on the 26th, on the court date on the 29th, the judge had documented that neither I, nor Any local GameStop stores or employees, come near or contact each other. I Have not contacted or visited any of them, but the day after on the 30th, One of them called My Cell Phone, TWICE, on the 30th, the day after that court date. I have Not listened to either of their messages; I had marked both of them "As Read". They both were just automatically removed from my voicemail list. But I screen capped the details from my phone a few days ago. I've had the numbers of the four GameStops, for any inquiries I had to make in the past. Anyhow, They have violated the Court Rules there.
|
Kengle the Troll
Chris found out that Kenneth Erwin Engelhardt purchased a Sonic comic that, despite that incarnation not being its main focus, had a preview of Sonic Boom in it with Sonic's blue arms in view.[3] Enraged, Chris left a comment on a picture of a Portuguese coin that Kenneth posted on Facebook.
| 19 January 2015
A copy of one of the BLUE ARM BANDIT COMICS?!!! (angry face emoji). How Dare You?!!! |
You Dropped a Glitterbomb on Me, Baby
On 30 January 2015, a document was leaked onto the CWCki Forums, revealing that Chris has taken one step above macing employees and is threatening to glitterbomb Sega's American headquarters. Initially thought to be work done by weens, forum member Marvin eventually stood up and confirmed this actually as Chris's doing. The letter reads:
| SEGA of America Inc. 350 Rhode Island St, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94103
For Every Week Sonic the Hedgehog's arms remain blue in the "Sonic Boom" Video Games AND TV Cartoon Show, and that you all at SEGA continue to NOT Public Announce your apology for the change as well as RECALLING Everything of this Sonic Boom to change Sonic's Arm Colour Back Immediately on Television, Newsprint and Internet Posts and Videos, you all will receive a sparkling mess. And to stop this glittery combination from coming in, you WILL Change Sonic the Hedgehogs Arm Colour back immediately in EVERYTHING Sonic Boom, including PULLING the cartoon from Cartoon Network to change the arm colour back in EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of the show. Thank you. |
The document reveals that Chris refuses to stop committing acts of battery unless a multimedia company gives in to a 30-year-old manchild's threats. It also shows his complete lack of knowing what glitterbombing actually is. To glitterbomb someone is to dump or throw glitter on your opponent in public (such as when some guy with a box of Cheez-Its came up to Newt Gingrich and dumped glitter on him), not sending envelopes with glitter inside. To send envelopes with glitter inside is simply known as "shipping enemies glitter".
Weighing In on the Protests
| 2 Febuary 2015
Hey [REDACTED], I saw that video and absolutely agree 100% that Chris was unjustified in his actions. I would have supported the employee whipping his ass to be honest. I think Chris needs to go to jail, he has never been held accountable for his actions. Destruction of property, assault, etc are serious stuff. He needs counseling and professional services that I think without incarceration he will never receive. I'm glad that the Cwiki is no longer what it was in its incarnation, he was using it as an excuse for his behavior, and now can't use it as a fallback on to his issues. I really have little defense for Christian for what hes been doing, but I hope he can come out a better person. |
Chris's Ego Butts In!
After hearing about Sega downsizing to focus on PC and Mobile games, Chris thought that he had a hand in it through his boycott:
| 2 February 2015
Regardless of SEGA downsizing, Which I feel our boycotting has brought into play, we Have made SEGA take notice of their Mistake in changing Sonic's Arm Color among this term of events. And THEY still CAN create and distribute Downloadable Update Data for BOTH Sonic Boom Games to change his Arm Color Back at the very least. |
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice
After the sequel to the first Sonic Boom game was announced, Chris immediately showed his disapproval on Facebook. He even threatened Best Buy to not sell the game unless they change Sonic's arm color back, and still firmly believes that Sega was the one who got him thrown briefly into prison.
| Hell no!!! Still with the blue arms?!!! Ugh! SEGA, Does my Protest and Jail Time And Court Trouble Result NOT Resonate with you at all? Don't Y'all EVER FREAKING LISTEN AND LEARN?!!!! |
Assault threat against Woodley and Frost
Omar Woodley (or, as Chris misspells it, Olmar Woodley) is a male producer at Sega of America Inc. and the producer of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice. Given Chris's hatred for Sonic Boom, it's no surprise that he considers Omar to be a JERK. On 9 June 2015, Chris threatened Woodley with physical violence through a post on Facebook, later editing the post to extend his threat to producer Stephen Frost as well[4].
| Bring to me, in person, the ones called Omar Woodley and Stephen Frost, So I can tell to their faces of my Plights and Troubles I Went and Had to Go Through, Because of the Sensory Overloading Horrific Arm Colour Change that should NEVER HAVE HAPPENED. And then, let me Kick and Beat Them Up upon further refusal to change the arm Colour back to tan in Everything Sonic Boom!
Damn and F*** Olmar Woodley and Stephen Frost!!! |
He linked to a news article.
On the same day, Chris proceeded to post this:
.jpg) I protested peacefully and bold; I get banned from the local Four GameStops, and rebanned from Fashion SquareI ended up in jail for a weekend, along with court troubles; someone got a mild amount of pepper spray. Time healed me some and I was recovering and doing better. Now, ANOTHER BLUE ARMED GAME IS BEING MADE?!!! #SEGA has ruined a peaceful, pleasant life for me again. It is Payback Time! #SonicBoom #FixSonicsArmsImmediatelySEGA |
Give Me 10 Good Reasons, I Need to Know
| 12 June 2015
If SEGA can give me Ten valid Reasons (with at lease One Good Reason) to justify the arm colour change (no less), NOT counting to "Modernize" Sonic or to make Sonic "appealing to the younger generations", I may reconsider. |
The Saga (Mercifully) Ends
In October 2015, Chris found out that Sonic's arms would return to being colored tan in the game Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Even though the Sonic Boom franchise was still ongoing at this point, he decided this was enough for him to declare victory and formally end his protests. He would make one final post for his Facebook group on the 2nd:
| 2 October 2015
This is the Final Update for this Protest Group. Regardless of circumstances and bad outcomes/tidings, it is confirmed that Sonic's arms Will be back to their original colour in the next Sonic Game: Sonic & Mario at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. After this visual confirmation, I have found solace and satisfaction for the ending result. I wish to thank every person who Actually helped in the protest against the blue arms in the Sonic Boom games, cartoon and all of that. We have found success in our protest. It is good. |
On the 15th, after a long series of continuances for his case, Chris was ultimately found guilty for the GameStop incident; he was fined $541 and placed into a 180-day suspended sentence. While his ban from Charlottesville Fashion Square was lifted, he still remained banned from the mall's GameStop store, something he was unhappy about.
See also
- My Little Pony Protests
- ProjectSNT
- Sonic the Hedgehog (film), which features the titular character with blue arms.
References
 Sonic Boom Saga
| ||
| The Players: | The Games: | The Prizes: |
|---|---|---|
| Coinciding Sagas: Catherine | ||
| ||||||||||||||