Racism in Resident Evil 5

Asking for proof of that is like asking for proof that the sun is bright.  All you have to do is look, stfu.

So now tribal warring and raping virgin girls to cure your self of AIDS is culture? Lolwut? Its a shithole, and there is nothing positive about it. No one from a developed country would want to live there, that should say what it is.

So now every African person does this?  Lolwut...lolwut indeed.

Just to be clear this isn't about shooting Africans in Africa or the fact that everyone should be an individual and shun our fears of racism, right?  Its about certain probably innocent imagery in RE5 on Capcom's part, but that can dredge up discriminatory assertions that do exist in real-life whether we like it or not.   

I guess the reason why some of you guys (dan, zara, emo...) dont see a problem is because its how you actually view people in Africa to be??   I suppose its a little useless arguing the subtleties of these scenes with someone who thinks the whole of Africa is a shithole.

In respect to the game and that scene in particular I am actually really glad its there. Even if it exists for no other reason that to bring about a controversy and arouse discussion on the inherent bigotry of the medium towards different ethnicities, demographics, and genders. We stand at the infancy of games as a storytelling medium and we are seeing the pulp novels of this new art form. This is, however, the modern world and as such brash tales of machismo aren't exactly the at the peak of interest for most people. If we aren't allowing ourselves to be offended by weak scripting and laughably achatypal characterization then how can we expect to receive anything else or have the medium progress?

I relate to this.  Nice first post.   Although its not about being offended by content like this as such, rather how much you would enjoy it.  Its no big deal, but I can't wait until the games industry as a whole moves on to more mature, intelligently directed content, that we tend to get more of in our other forms of entertainment.

choupolo

 I suppose its a little useless arguing the subtleties of these scenes with someone who thinks the whole of Africa is a shithole.

To prove me wrong all you have to do is show me a country in Africa with a less than 50% AIDS rate, a democratically elected gov't, and the people arent uneducated and starving.

I dont want to celebrate, I want to sell you hate.

There you go -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria#Politics

That took me all of ten seconds to find. I'm no expert on the continent, but characterising it as one big steaming cesspool with no redeeming qualities whatsoever is ludicrous.

Edwin


Do you two have some proof for those claims besides a cartoon?

Do you watch the news? I know you britfags have BBC.
http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?p=Zimbabwe&ei=UTF-8&sado=1

I dont want to celebrate, I want to sell you hate.

Again, Zimbabwe =/= Africa.

I'm not denying that the 53 countries that make up the continent have some hefty problems, what I'm objecting to is your attitude that they're all, without exception, beyond redemption. Shitting on the rest of Africa for Zimbabwe's sake is like shitting on Virginia because Wall Street flushed the US economy down the toilet.

Edwin


Again, Zimbabwe =/= Africa.

I'm not denying that the 53 countries that make up the continent have some hefty problems, what I'm objecting to is your attitude that they're all, without exception, beyond redemption. Shitting on the rest of Africa for Zimbabwe's sake is like shitting on Virginia because Wall Street flushed the US economy down the toilet.

But Virginia is pretty shitty. Then again, we dont have a higher than 75% AIDS rate, less than 25% literacy rate, and large famine problems.

I dont want to celebrate, I want to sell you hate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria#Politics

That took me all of ten seconds to find. I'm no expert on the continent, but characterising it as one big steaming cesspool with no redeeming qualities whatsoever is ludicrous.

Find one that isn't named Algeria or Egypt.

Find one that isn't named Algeria or Egypt.

"This is sad. There's no other word for it. The person who invents a way to punch someone in the face over the Internet will make millions from the demand generated by people like this." Youtube comments

Edwin


Do you two have some proof for those claims besides a cartoon?

In any case, Zimbabwe isn't Africa.

The tale of racism in RE5 is about to take yet another twist - keep your eyes on the front page...

Yeah, actually we do. Just google: "White Genocide in Africa". Hell, even youtube: "South Africa Genocide".

blacks bring out the racist in me

Zarathustra

Edwin


Do you two have some proof for those claims besides a cartoon?

In any case, Zimbabwe isn't Africa.

The tale of racism in RE5 is about to take yet another twist - keep your eyes on the front page...

Yeah, actually we do. Just google: "White Genocide in Africa". Hell, even youtube: "South Africa Genocide".

I wasn't asking for proof that Mugabe had orchestrated crackdowns on white farmers, I was asking for proof that the absence of those farmers is the chief cause of the country's present economic problems.

Dan:

I'm not sure where you got that 75% AIDS figure from, but the highest percentages in African countries according to AVERT are 26.1% (Swaziland) and 23.9% (Botswana).

http://www.avert.org/aafrica.htm

I haven't come across an overall figure for literacy, but your 25% figure is pretty dubious too. According to a survey conducted last year, for instance, Zimbabwe has an 85% literacy rate. There seems to be strong variance between countries and sexes.

http://huebler.blogspot.com/2008/05/literacy.aspx

Again, I'm not denying that the continent has serious problems, but let's not write 900,000,000 people off on the strength of a few headlines and two-minute news reports. Africa has supplied the world with Booker Prize winning novelists, a United Nations secretary general and a US President, for starters. It doesn't deserve to be portrayed as a place of formless barbarism.

I guess the reason why some of you guys (dan, zara, emo...) dont see a problem is because its how you actually view people in Africa to be??   I suppose its a little useless arguing the subtleties of these scenes with someone who thinks the whole of Africa is a shithole.

I have to admit that I've misrepresented the scene in question, actually - replayed it just now to check, and the man who drags the woman off the balcony is not, in fact, black. You can expect a news item on the subject next week.

I still think racial and social contrasts are crucial to dramatic impact here - the attacker may be white, but he isn't an eye-catchingly pallid, blonde, English-speaking westerner - but I'm going to retract my argument that the game dips into a history of racist imagery at this stage.

Here's a Famitsu scan which includes a couple of shots of the woman before and after she's infected. Quality isn't good but it should give you some idea:

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm60/XzN-Staff/RE5_Scan_Pics_15.jpg

If anybody wants to call me a hand-wringing PC ****, now's your chance...

that link is broken edwin

Which link?

Google image search "resident evil 5 scans" if you can't open the one in my last post.

Agent Ghost

Find one that isn't named Algeria or Egypt.

You can hardly count a country that was under Portuguese control for the longest time and hasn't controlled itself for very long. Also, didn't they just recently get out of a 30 something year civil war? lol

Edwin

a United Nations secretary general

Please tell me youre kidding? The United Nations is a joke who cant enforce any of their rulings.

I dont want to celebrate, I want to sell you hate.

Africa has supplied the world with Booker Prize winning novelists, a United Nations secretary general and a US President, for starters. It doesn't deserve to be portrayed as a place of formless barbarism.

Lol, president? You mean the same genius who wants to build an black American museum as part of a stimulus plan for a falling economy?

mastachefbkw

Africa has supplied the world with Booker Prize winning novelists, a United Nations secretary general and a US President, for starters. It doesn't deserve to be portrayed as a place of formless barbarism.

Lol, president? You mean the same genius who wants to build an black American museum as part of a stimulus plan for a falling economy?

It'll create a construction job for a couple of months, and hire maybe 100 people. Of course, no white people will be hired, so in a way it'll be the extreme of affirmative action. Either way, there are better things to do with the money, like education, medicare, medicaid, and infrastructure.

EDIT: Also, what is the point in a Black American Museum? When will people get the fuck over what race they are and just be "Americans" (or whatever country you are from).

I dont want to celebrate, I want to sell you hate.

Uh huh, and just how many of you fucks have actually been to Africa?

If anybody wants to call me a hand-wringing PC ****, now's your chance...

We like you anyways...

"This is sad. There's no other word for it. The person who invents a way to punch someone in the face over the Internet will make millions from the demand generated by people like this." Youtube comments

history over the whole world shows that if you are a bad person, you will do bad things , if you are a good person you will do good things. it doesnt take skin colour to do a bad thing, it doesnt take skin colour to do a good thing, why isnt there an option to save the white woman who is being attacked? in the end it all boils down to who you want to be, no one is forced to be a racists, its a choice, even if you are brought up in a racist family. we are all human after all, we dont all look a-like for no reason at all. and how come there isnt racism in the animal kingdom? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha its a mistake to judge by appearence.

Kulu the Zulu has spoken!

my dog is racist, but thats only becuase I thought him well. :)

Edwin


There you go -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria#Politics

That took me all of ten seconds to find. I'm no expert on the continent, but characterising it as one big steaming cesspool with no redeeming qualities whatsoever is ludicrous.

If you ever talked to somebody from Algeria, they would tell you that they were Arabic, not African. As for Egypt, last time I checked, it was part of the middle east. Not even Algerians have pride for their home continent.

mastachefbkw

Agent Ghost

Find one that isn't named Algeria or Egypt.

You can hardly count a country that was under Portuguese control for the longest time and hasn't controlled itself for very long. Also, didn't they just recently get out of a 30 something year civil war? lol

Yeah, it is obvious that she has predominant South-Portuguese traits(Southern Portuguese people look like modern day wetbacks). The thing about Algerians, they don't consider themselves African. If you, in person, ever choose to call an Algerian a African, be prepared to have them go Ape Shit bonanza on your ass.

Agent Ghost

Find one that isn't named Algeria or Egypt.

God you're such a dumb ass. Egypt isn't a part of Africa, it is a part of the Middle East. GB2 Arabic Studies.

Zarathustra

Edwin


There you go -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria#Politics

That took me all of ten seconds to find. I'm no expert on the continent, but characterising it as one big steaming cesspool with no redeeming qualities whatsoever is ludicrous.

If you ever talked to somebody from Algeria, they would tell you that they were Arabic, not African. As for Egypt, last time I checked, it was part of the middle east. Not even Algerians have pride for their home continent.

I didn't mention Egypt, and while the Algerians may prefer to think of themselves as Arabic the fact remains that they're part of the African continent, geographically if not in spirit.

Read the Famished Road - http://www.amazon.com/Famished-Road-Ben-Okri/dp/0385425139 - and then try telling me Africa isn't worth a damn.

Dan: If this - http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.aspx - is a "joke", it's a hell of a lot funnier than the Bush administration's foreign policy.

God you're such a dumb ass. Egypt isn't a part of Africa, it is a part of the Middle East. GB2 Arabic Studies.

You misquoted the wrong person fuck stick.

"This is sad. There's no other word for it. The person who invents a way to punch someone in the face over the Internet will make millions from the demand generated by people like this." Youtube comments

Edwin

Dan: If this - http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.aspx - is a "joke", it's a hell of a lot funnier than the Bush administration's foreign policy.

Sigh, and? A shitty weak government caved in to sanctions, big deal. How do you think it would work if the UN tried to sanction a country in NA, western Europe, or even Russia or China? The UN has no means to back up any rulings except through the Security Council, which happens to be the US, Britain, France, Russia, and China. All those other little shitty countries can bicker and argue over what actions need to be taken, but without the security council the UN is a weak joke. And who cares what Hamas does? They ARE a terrorist funding government that arbitrarily fires missiles at Israeli civilians, they should be forcibly removed from power by any country that feels threatened by them. The UN can bitch and moan about middle eastern violence, and how Israel should quit kicking the shit out of these tiny excuses for countries, but who in the UN can stop them? The US, Britain, and France are all historically close supporters of Israel, and the only other 2 countries with any real power (Russia and China) couldnt give a shit less so long as when the oil is pumped they get their contracts.

And Zara, quit with the racism. I really detest the  term wetback. A lot of my friends in highschool and at basic training were Mexican and Venezuelan.

I dont want to celebrate, I want to sell you hate.

I wasn't referring to the bit at the top of the page, mate, I was referring to the operation as a whole - relief supplies, social and education support, etc. The UN is about more than just military intervention or sanctions.

you guys aren't any better off you don't even have cars to drive ha

No its not racist Its a game now if chris yells out the n word while shooting I would then call it racist.  I really don't care.

God you're such a dumb ass. Egypt isn't a part of Africa, it is a part of the Middle East. GB2 Arabic Studies.

GB2 Geography class, dumbass. Obviously Egypt isn't anything like the rest of Africa, but it's still on the fucking continent.

Edwin

Zarathustra

Edwin


There you go -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria#Politics

That took me all of ten seconds to find. I'm no expert on the continent, but characterising it as one big steaming cesspool with no redeeming qualities whatsoever is ludicrous.

If you ever talked to somebody from Algeria, they would tell you that they were Arabic, not African. As for Egypt, last time I checked, it was part of the middle east. Not even Algerians have pride for their home continent.

I didn't mention Egypt, and while the Algerians may prefer to think of themselves as Arabic the fact remains that they're part of the African continent, geographically if not in spirit.

Read the Famished Road - http://www.amazon.com/Famished-Road-Ben-Okri/dp/0385425139 - and then try telling me Africa isn't worth a damn.

Dan: If this - http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.aspx - is a "joke", it's a hell of a lot funnier than the Bush administration's foreign policy.

I'm still going to say that. They have the best resources on the face of the planet, yet they're the most uncivilized people on this planet- with the execption of South Africa(for the time being), and Algeria.

mastachefbkw

God you're such a dumb ass. Egypt isn't a part of Africa, it is a part of the Middle East. GB2 Arabic Studies.

GB2 Geography class, dumbass. Obviously Egypt isn't anything like the rest of Africa, but it's still on the fucking continent.

Sigh, chef, no. I was talking to Ghost, and no. Egypt is considered part of the Middle East. That's why there is a fair share of sites that will say that it is apart of Africa, then other sites will say that it isn't. Egypt is part of the Middle east, yet it is connected to the continent of Africa, but it is considered the Middle East.

Agent Ghost

God you're such a dumb ass. Egypt isn't a part of Africa, it is a part of the Middle East. GB2 Arabic Studies.

You misquoted the wrong person fuck stick.

I quoted the closest thing I could find without having to scroll up more. Get over it, get dressed, and iron my tie for work.

Angola just proved how backwards and fucked up they are.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=12098432&ch=4226714&src=news

Also, is anyone else having trouble making links appear as text other the URL? For example, I wanted my link to say "Yahoo News Link", but it wouldnt even let me click in the 'text' area, just the 'URL' box.

I dont want to celebrate, I want to sell you hate.

Zarathustra

mastachefbkw

God you're such a dumb ass. Egypt isn't a part of Africa, it is a part of the Middle East. GB2 Arabic Studies.

GB2 Geography class, dumbass. Obviously Egypt isn't anything like the rest of Africa, but it's still on the fucking continent.

Sigh, chef, no. I was talking to Ghost, and no. Egypt is considered part of the Middle East. That's why there is a fair share of sites that will say that it is apart of Africa, then other sites will say that it isn't. Egypt is part of the Middle east, yet it is connected to the continent of Africa, but it is considered the Middle East.

Im sorry you fail at geography!
Africa is a continent.

There are seven continents on earth.

Europe
Asia
Australia
North America
South America
Africa
Antartica
Now do you see a continent called "the middle east?" ofcoure you dont, since its not a continent. Its just a common name for the muslim contries down there. Most of the muslim countries are in Asia, some in Africa, and turkey is half in europe half in Asia.

Go back to middleschool please.

Zarathustra

Edwin

Zarathustra

Edwin


There you go -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria#Politics

That took me all of ten seconds to find. I'm no expert on the continent, but characterising it as one big steaming cesspool with no redeeming qualities whatsoever is ludicrous.

If you ever talked to somebody from Algeria, they would tell you that they were Arabic, not African. As for Egypt, last time I checked, it was part of the middle east. Not even Algerians have pride for their home continent.

I didn't mention Egypt, and while the Algerians may prefer to think of themselves as Arabic the fact remains that they're part of the African continent, geographically if not in spirit.

Read the Famished Road - http://www.amazon.com/Famished-Road-Ben-Okri/dp/0385425139 - and then try telling me Africa isn't worth a damn.

Dan: If this - http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.aspx - is a "joke", it's a hell of a lot funnier than the Bush administration's foreign policy.

I'm still going to say that. They have the best resources on the face of the planet, yet they're the most uncivilized people on this planet- with the execption of South Africa(for the time being), and Algeria.

If by "civilization" you mean capitalist democracy, then yes - though you might also want to consider Mauritus and Botswana, not to mention Morocco. It's also probably worth reminding ourselves that a few decades back most of these nations were under foreign rule, and that foreign intervention - whether on the part of private corporations or national governments - remains a significant part of African politics and economics, if only because it gives fuckheads like Mugabe something to scapegoat when the exchange rate goes through the floor. Africa hasn't exactly been dealt a clean hand, and these things take time. It took the English hundreds of years to put together an accountable parliament, education for all, labour laws, etc, and the US was embroiled in a war over its geographical and legal constitution close to a century after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Did you read the Famished Road? Try Things Fall Apart. The worth of a country and its people can't be measured purely in GDP and voter turn-out.