About
The use of “-gate” as a suffix can refer to any number of political, entertainment, journalistic, or sports related scandals since 1972[1].
History
On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested in the Watergate Hotel[2]. The FBI was able to connect the five to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President[3], an organization that was responsible for fundraisers for the Nixon Administration[4]. Nixon denied allegations of having any knowledge of the break in at Watergate. Later it was revealed through recorded tapes that Nixon did in fact have knowledge of the plot[5]. In order to avoid facing the embarrassment of impeachment[6], Nixon resigned his presidency[7]. Since then “-gate” has become synonymous with political scandals in the United States, and, more recently, online in several entertainment and journalistic fields.
Notable Uses of “-gate” Online
Doritosgate
Doritosgate refers to the controversy surrounding Geoff Keighley’s[8] interview with Levelsave.com’s[9] Xbox 360 Editor, Austin Griffith[10], in which he appears surrounded by bags of Doritos[11] and Mountain Dew[12]. The controversy later expanded to include talks about the apparent lack of ethics of video game journalism as a whole.
Elevatorgate
Elevatorgate refers to the scandal involving American feminist and atheist blogger Rebecca Watson[13] and her shaming of a man who asked her to join him for coffee in his hotel room while they shared an elevator ride together at the World Atheist Convention in June 2011. The scandal resulted in the formation of a new type of atheism known as Atheism+[14].
iPhone 6 Bendgate
Bendgate refers to the rumors surrounding the durability of the iPhone 6[15], most notably the rumor that the device would bend slightly when placed in one’s jeans.
Gamergate
Gamergate refers to the ongoing allegations of both an alleged lack of ethics video game journalism, much like Doritosgate, as well as alleged sexism and misogyny within video games and the people who play them. Since the term #gamergate was first used by actor Adam Baldwin[16][17] the hashtag has been used over 1.8 million times[18].
Celebgate
Celebgate, better known as The Fappening, refers to the controversy surrounding the hacking and subsequent release of hundreds of nude celebrity photos on the internet. It was purportedly carried about by users of 4chan, who managed to hack into the database of Apple’s iCloud[19] service.
Weinergate
Weinergate refers to the media scrutiny and controversy resulting from a tweet by New York representative Anthony Weiner[20] which included a photo showing what appeared to be an erection under a pair of boxer briefs.
External Links
[1]Wikipedia – List of scandals with “-gate” suffix
[2]Wikipedia – Watergate Hotel
[3]Wikipedia – Committee for the Re-Election of the President
[4]Wikipedia – Richard Nixon’s Presidency
[5]Worldcat – The Watergate Hearings
[6]Wikipedia – Impeachment
[7]Wikipedia – Nixon’s Resignation
[8]Wikipedia – Geoff Keighley
[10]Level Save – Austin Griffith
[12]Wikipedia – Mountain Dew
[13]Wikipedia – Rebecca Watson
[14]Rational Wiki – Atheism Plus
[16]Wikipedia – Adam Baldwin
[17]Twitter – Adam Baldwin’s Twitter
[18]Topsy – #Gamergate Analytics
[20]Wikipedia – Anthony Weiner