Sqrl said: I don't think people shouldn't get offended (zomg double negative), I think when they see something that offends them they should examine the issue. If they honestly believe the motivations behind the acts are race and/or sex then they should absolutely be offended. But if they find that the motivations seem to be something different they should introspect on their own baises in their initial reaction. It's self-correction...it's ok to form an early opinion and then refine the opinion with new information as it comes. It's not ok to form an early opinion and refuse to examine new information and stick to your first impression. Maybe you find that the motivations were innocent but you're still offended....that's legitimate too, but you don't call them racist or sexist and you should recognize that your position is highly subjective. As for Capcom avoiding the issue by going to Canada...I couldn't disagree more, I'm glad they made this choice because it brings the issue front and center for people to discuss. Which as I said is the only way we are ever going to make progress on this as a society. Ok now I'm out =P 4 rly. |
Again, I think we're saying very similar things but with different words.
The reason I jumped into this thread was because it bothered me that people so briskly brushed off the idea that people found some of the imagery in RE5 offensive, as though this isn't a legitimate concern.
We live in a world of images. And video games are a visual medium. If we don't acknowledge that images have the power to incite joy, sadness, anger, and outrage, then we're doing a disservice to the medium that we all enjoy so much.
Racism doesn't have to come in the form of lynching or refusing to give a cab ride to someone. Racism can simply be images or words that perpetuate tired and outdated ideas about other cultures and peoples.
Example: My grandmother still refers to black people as Negroes. She doesn't mean it to be offensive. She doesn't hate anyone based on the colour of their skin. Is this still offensive? To many people it absolutely, and justifiably, is. Is it innappropriate? Definitely.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is, the imagery in Resident Evil 5 is my grandmother.
