# “The Legend of Zelda” is "classist, sexist and racist"



## Deleted_171835 (Oct 7, 2013)

This _gripping_ analysis can be found below


> The game’s perspective on class issues can best be seen in its portrayal of the Kakariko carpenters and the wealthy family in the House of Skulltulla.
> 
> The relationship between the self-described “boss” of the carpenters and those he calls “my workers,” appears to be one of a guild member and apprentices or journeymen. *The boss refers to himself as a master craftsman, and says the workers were hired by the royal family to improve the village. Karl Marx described this relationship as one of “oppressor and oppressed,” comparing it to that of “freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, (and) lord and serf.”*
> 
> ...


 


> *The racial, ethnic and religious traits of the “good characters” and the “bad characters” within the game also demonstrate a certain xenophobia.* All of the good characters, such as the Hylians and Kokiri, are white. In contrast, all of the bad characters, such as the thieving Gerudo and their king, Ganondorf, have brown skin. The Gerudo live in the desert, and in case it wasn’t clear what real-life group of people they are based on, the original Gerudo symbol is strongly reminiscent of the Islamic star and crescent.


 


> The game’s representation of animals is best displayed in the idyllic Lon Lon Ranch, a small farm operated by a human father-daughter duo. Entering the location, “Epona’s Song,” a tranquil and nostalgic piece by composer Koji Kondo, plays in the background.* The wistful choice in music isn’t surprising, given widespread yearning by industrialized human populations for a recently abandoned, romanticized pastoralism. *
> 
> From the perspective of domesticated animals, agriculture of the past was a gentler prospect than the modern, factory-farm system.* But for non-humans the pre-industrial farm, as symbolized by Lon Lon Ranch, was still a place of exploitation and violence*, where their lives, in general, would be significantly shorter and more circumscribed than those of their nearest, wild cousins.
> 
> But in the game, *domestication is portrayed as a mutually beneficial, voluntary arrangement. The anthropomorphized cows of Hyrule speak to Link, literally saying, “Have some of my refreshing and nutritious milk!”* Of course depicting a relationship as anything like symbiotic when one party kills and eats the other, as well as the latter’s children, would be laughable if it weren’t so appalling.


 
Source

And no this isn't satire.


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## Foxi4 (Oct 7, 2013)

If you want to put a tag on something _really, really badly_, you will succeed. For the same reasons _"Resident Evil 5"_ was branded _"racist"_ because your enemies were mostly_ black_ zombies. Not that the whole story took place in Africa so it was _entirely understandable to see a lot of black people there_, but _noo--_, let's put it down to racism.

I'd also like to add that Mario games objectify women - they put Princess Peach in the position of a constant victim, completely unable to take care of herself without the help of _a man_ to save her_ despite the fact that she's apparently capable of __single-handedly __ruling an entire realm._


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## Ericthegreat (Oct 7, 2013)

This is bullshit. And there are "not bad" dark skinned NPCs.


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## WarMachine77 (Oct 7, 2013)

Talk about looking into something way too much.


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## JoostinOnline (Oct 7, 2013)

I hate this kind of stuff.  Characters in a video games are not meant to be a representation of a race or sex.  They are just single people.  There are lazy wimpy white carpenters.  The game isn't suggesting that all white people are lazy wimpy carpenters.

It was the same thing with Metroid Other M.  Samus was portrayed with *HUMAN* reactions to things as opposed to being a killing machine who never cared if friends died.  She also had a flashback to when her parents were murdered by Ridley during the game.  PTSD is natural.  If you see a giant pterodactyl-like creature who killed you parents appear after you thought you killed him, you're going to get scared.  People then took that and said "The people who made this think that women are sex objects who get scared by everything."

This guy is just upset because the stick up his ass has started to splinter.


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## Blaze163 (Oct 7, 2013)

Oh Christ, it's the Resident Evil 5 trailer bullshit again.


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## Foxi4 (Oct 7, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> I hate this kind of stuff. Characters in a video games are not meant to be a representation of a race or sex. They are just single people. There are lazy wimpy white carpenters. The game isn't suggesting that all white people are lazy wimpy carpenters.
> 
> It was the same thing with Metroid Other M. Samus was portrayed with *HUMAN* reactions to things as opposed to being a killing machine who never cared if friends died. She also had a flashback to when her parents were murdered by Ridley during the game. PTSD is natural. If you see a giant pterodactyl-like creature who killed you parents appear after you thought you killed him, you're going to get scared. People then took that and said "The people who made this think that women are sex objects who get scared by everything."
> 
> This guy is just upset because the stick up his ass has started to splinter.


 
I actually enjoyed Samus's portrayal in _"Other M"_. Sure, it was a tad oversexualized, but Nintendo themselves put in Samus in a swimsuit in the earlier games _(if you finished the game the "right" way  )_ so it was hardly something outside of the norm and sure, she was talking about _"the baby"_ too much, but for once it was attempted to show her as a human being and I personally liked it. People complain about her reliance on Adam, but Adam is not a new character - he was mentioned in Zero mission and we already know that the two had a _"connection"_. All in all, they did a good job - a lot of the criticizm concerning _"Other M"_ is ill-founded.


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## Heran Bago (Oct 7, 2013)

Why is it that movie fans allow for in-depth analyses and the shot-by-shot analysis is encouraged, but it's not okay for games? The author isn't personally insulting you or your tastes, they're just trying a little hard to look at some of the games' themes with a critical eye.

I know games are your favorite toy and when someone says something is wrong with your favorite toy you can take it personally. I don't think that's what the author intended. Maybe gaming as a whole is better off if you can talk about how it handles a subject without the overwhelming majority of responses being dismissive.



Foxi4 said:


> If you want to put a tag on something _really, really badly_, you will succeed. For the same reasons _"Resident Evil 5"_ was branded _"racist"_ because your enemies were mostly_ black_ zombies. Not that the whole story took place in Africa so it was _entirely understandable to see a lot of black people there_, but _noo--_, let's put it down to racism.


I guess you missed Sheva's outfit with the african war paint tribal designs and cheetah spots?
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/471/shevajungle.jpg


Foxi4 said:


> I actually enjoyed Samus's portrayal in _"Other M"_. Sure, it was a tad oversexualized, but Nintendo themselves put in Samus in a swimsuit in the earlier games _(if you finished the game the "right" way  )_ so it was hardly something outside of the norm and sure, she was talking about _"the baby"_ too much, but for once it was attempted to show her as a human being and I personally liked it. People complain about her reliance on Adam, but Adam is not a new character - he was mentioned in Zero mission and we already know that the two had a _"connection"_. All in all, they did a good job - a lot of the criticizm concerning _"Other M"_ is ill-founded.


The "baby" issue in the game isn't just her saying it too much. There are maybe a dozen baby figures and a handful of mothers. Sometimes samus is made to feel like a baby. Ridley turns into a baby. There's Mother Brain responsible for raising the baby monsters on the Bottle Ship. Madeline Burgman (M.B.) is the Other Mother, the Other M if you will. The games' initial spell out MOM. The game bashes you over the head with these themes.
The game did some stuff right but it's so easy to forget. You should give this article a read:
http://moonbase.rydia.net/mental/blog/gaming/metroid-other-m-the-elephant/article.html


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## Foxi4 (Oct 7, 2013)

Heran Bago said:


> I guess you missed Sheva's outfit with the african war paint tribal designs and cheetah spots?
> http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/471/shevajungle.jpg


...and? Are you seriously assuming that there are no tribes in Africa anymore? Because you'd be sorely mistaken - they are on the decline, but some groups choose to live by ancient tribal traditions. Sure, it's not an accurate depiction of their outfits _(since it's not uncommon for'em to walk around topless)_. It's also a game, so give it a rest. This is hardly racist - it would be racist if the game implied that the white characters are in any way _"better"_ than the black ones because they're white - what you're showing is stereotyping at best - don't confuse the two.


> The "baby" issue in the game isn't just her saying it too much. There are maybe a dozen baby figures and a handful of mothers. Sometimes samus is made to feel like a baby. Ridley turns into a baby. There's Mother Brain responsible for raising the baby monsters on the Bottle Ship. Madeline Burgman (M.B.) is the Other Mother, the Other M if you will. The games' initial spell out MOM. The game bashes you over the head with these themes.
> The game did some stuff right but it's so easy to forget. You should give this article a read:
> http://moonbase.rydia.net/mental/blog/gaming/metroid-other-m-the-elephant/article.html


 
Yep, here we agree - the game bashes you with motherly themes in the face... which was the intention.  It gives it a heavy feel and tries to make the game deeper than it really is, but it did not spoil my experience. In a lot of ways, the baby theme is so recurring to underline that Samus too can be helpless _(as a baby would)_ and that's a new, good thing in the series, a _"different"_ take on the characters.


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## Heran Bago (Oct 7, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> ...and? Are you seriously assuming that there are no tribes in Africa anymore? Because you'd be sorely mistaken - they are on the decline, but some groups choose to live by ancient tribal traditions. Sure, it's not an accurate depiction of their outfits _(since it's not uncommon for'em to walk around topless)_. It's also a game, so give it a rest. This is hardly racist - it would be racist if the game implied that the white characters are in any way _"better"_ than the black ones because they're white - what you're showing is stereotyping at best - don't confuse the two.
> 
> 
> Yep, here we agree - the game bashes you with motherly themes in the face... which was the intention.  It gives it a heavy feel and tries to make the game deeper than it really is, but it did not spoil my experience. In a lot of ways, the baby theme is so recurring to underline that Samus too can be helpless _(as a baby would)_ and that's a new, good thing in the series, a _"different"_ take on the characters.


Soldiers and tribal warriors aline don't dress like that. It's reasserting the wild stereotype on a character who wouldn't do that. It's out of character for Sheva and it's exoticization of Africans. Sure this is a thing in Japanese culture but you should expect better of people. Blaming Japan is just another kind of racist.

What does "it's also a game, so give it a rest" mean? Do you think games should be inherently taken less seriously than books or other media?


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## Gahars (Oct 7, 2013)

Link confirmed for cis-male scum.



JoostinOnline said:


> It was the same thing with Metroid Other M. Samus was portrayed with *HUMAN* reactions to things as opposed to being a killing machine who never cared if friends died. She also had a flashback to when her parents were murdered by Ridley during the game. PTSD is natural. If you see a giant pterodactyl-like creature who killed you parents appear after you thought you killed him, you're going to get scared. People then took that and said "The people who made this think that women are sex objects who get scared by everything."


 

lolno


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## the_randomizer (Oct 7, 2013)

You know when people over-analyze videogame characters (which you know, are fake), you know people have no lives. It's just a damn video game, get over it.


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## calmwaters (Oct 7, 2013)

Someone did too much work at journalist school and is now a lazy bum with too much time on his hands. This sounds like those people that do studies on how Call of Duty games inspire violence in real life. It's only for the recognition.


Heran Bago said:


> Why is it that movie fans allow for in-depth analyses and the shot-by-shot analysis is encouraged, but it's not okay for games? The author isn't personally insulting you or your tastes, they're just trying a little hard to look at some of the games' themes with a critical eye.


Because people who star in movies are real; the ones in the games are virtual reality. You don't need to criticize a real person, just the things they portray.


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## emigre (Oct 7, 2013)

As a black man, I totally agree the LoZ is nothing more than an expression of racial hatred.


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## JoostinOnline (Oct 7, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> In a lot of ways, the baby theme is so recurring to underline that Samus too can be helpless _(as a baby would)_ and that's a new, good thing in the series, a _"different"_ take on the characters.


Analyst translation: Fox4 thinks all women are helpless babies.



Gahars said:


> lolno


Please elaborate.


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## Gahars (Oct 7, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> Please elaborate.


 
We've done this song and dance before. (I could've sworn there was another topic where we went over this, but I'm having trouble finding it at the moment).

TL;DR: People aren't mad because Other M "characterized" Samus. People are mad because it did a shitty job of it.


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## ßleck (Oct 7, 2013)

I hate people like this so much. Stop trying to look for subliminal meaning in things and just enjoy the freaking game. I mean do you have absolutely NOTHING else to do with your life? Why would you waste our time by letting us read all this crap. How do you even come up with this? /rage


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## Ryukouki (Oct 7, 2013)

Why do I feel like these are the articles a guy like me would write?


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## JoostinOnline (Oct 7, 2013)

Gahars said:


> We've done this song and dance before.
> 
> TL;DR: People aren't mad because Other M "characterized" Samus. People are mad because it did a shitty job of it.


Yes, I remember your opinion that it was just a bad job.  But a google search will tell you that thousands of people think it's sexist.  The things I mentioned were complaints in many reviews about how the game was sexist.  If it's not too much work for you, take a look at some of the links and you'll see I'm right.

Let's leave it at that.

So back on track.  Whether it's a character in a game, movie, book, or any other type of media, people need to stop acting like the character is supposed to be a representation of an entire group (race/sex/religion/etc.) in real life.


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## Foxi4 (Oct 7, 2013)

Heran Bago said:


> Soldiers and tribal warriors aline don't dress like that. It's reasserting the wild stereotype on a character who wouldn't do that. It's out of character for Sheva and it's exoticization of Africans. Sure this is a thing in Japanese culture but you should expect better of people. Blaming Japan is just another kind of racist.


Exoticization of Africans is hardly a requirement - they're already exotic for the developers in question. She's not wearing these skimpy clothes because on any tactical advantage they might give her - she's wearing them because she was designed to be a cocktease. You could argue that this is sexist, but it's hardly racist - the game doesn't preach about the inferiority of blacks, it's merely using a tribal pattern for the sake of character theming. You could argue about the tactical disadvantages of wearing chainmail bikinis, skimpy outfits or slim-fit jeans as being a sign of treating women as a sexual object _(albeit more often than not, such oversexualized characters have an impact on the story and are very much important, so you can't treat them as pure objects in the background - taking an active role in the plot elevates them from that position)_, sure, but I'd be rather skeptical before I'd write a tribal pattern down as _"racist"_.


> What does "it's also a game, so give it a rest" mean? Do you think games should be inherently taken less seriously than books or other media?


It means that a unless a video game is specifically aimed at depicting reality _(meaning real life events, because there are history-oriented games out there) _accurately, it's to be treated as a work of fiction and fiction is not to be treated seriously by proxy. Sometimes entertainment just has to be taken for what it really is - entertainment. There are no racist undertones in Resident Evil 5 that'd be racist on purpose and it's _"looking into it way too much"_ that leads us to ridiculous conclusions. Like I said, the game does not enforce ideology of racial inferiority or superiority and although it does contain stereotypes, they're hardly used to depict blacks as inferior - they're _(poorly)_ used for the sake of theming. In other words, the use of this outfit...


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## Gahars (Oct 7, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> Yes, I remember your opinion that it was just a bad job. But a google search will tell you that thousands of people think it's sexist. The things I mentioned were complaints in many reviews about how the game was sexist. If it's not too much work for you, take a look at some of the links and you'll see I'm right.


 


Gahars said:


> TL;DR: People aren't mad because Other M "characterized" Samus. People are mad because it did a shitty job of it.


 
...How exactly does that contradict what I said, bub? Or is portraying a character in a bizarrely sexist light not doing a shitty job of characterization?


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## Carnivean (Oct 7, 2013)

This is bad and you should feel bad for giving this type of shit attention.


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## JoostinOnline (Oct 7, 2013)

Gahars said:


> ...How exactly does that contradict what I said, bub? Or is portraying a character in a bizarrely sexist light not doing a shitty job of characterization?


They did a fine job of it.  It was a very accurate interpretation of how someone with a haunted childhood might react if a f*cking monster, who was the cause of such experiences, apparently rose from the dead (that's not actually what happened, but she doesn't know where he came from yet) and tried to kill her.  

But you think a flashback to the day her parents died (when she first met Ridley) means bad characterization.


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## Gahars (Oct 8, 2013)

Hold on there, skipper.



JoostinOnline said:


> They did a fine job of it. It was a very accurate interpretation of how someone with a haunted childhood might react if a f*cking monster, who was the cause of such experiences, apparently rose from the dead (that's not actually what happened, but she doesn't know where he came from yet) and tried to kill her.


 
Oh, please, you're still using this argument?

Samus has faced Ridley countless times by this point if we're counting the Prime trilogy, and even if we're not (since Sakamoto is a bit wishy-washy about its canonicity), she's seen him rise from the dead twice. None of these incidents prompted a complete and total shutdown. Why now all of a sudden? Why wasn't this a problem in Metroid and Super Metroid? I mean, Samus was alone then, so if she could conquer her fears then, what's changed? If this is how she reacts every time, then she'd surely be long dead by this point in time. Why is she only paralyzed and infantilized now?

"Well, it happened in the manga," many a Metroid: Other M apologist has argued. Yes, the scene is taken from the manga (that had an extremely limited run and was never released outside of Japan, mind you), but in the most half-assed way possible. The manga is set before the original Metroid, so it's the first time she's faced Ridley since her childhood, which makes the reaction easier to swallow. Not only that, Samus manages to overcome her fear once and for all (on her own, I might add). So if the manga is canon now, that's another piece of lore that Other M is contradicting. If the manga is no longer canon, then the basis for this apparent character trait is retconned away.



JoostinOnline said:


> and tried to kill her.


 
This part in particular bugs me, too. If Samus can't handle things trying to kill her, you'd think she wouldn't be, you know, a bounty hunter. She's slaughtered space pirates and metroids en masse and even blown up entire planets by this point. _Now_ this is a problem?



JoostinOnline said:


> But you think a flashback to the day her parents died (when she first met Ridley) means bad characterization.


 

Because it's wildly inconsistent and horribly executed, yes.


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## Dork (Oct 8, 2013)

Social justice has no place in video games. Artistic freedom.


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## JoostinOnline (Oct 8, 2013)

Gahars said:


> Samus has faced Ridley countless times by this point if we're counting the Prime trilogy, and even if we're not (since Sakamoto is a bit wishy-washy about its canonicity), she's seen him rise from the dead twice. None of these incidents prompted a complete and total shutdown. Why now all of a sudden? Why wasn't this a problem in Metroid and Super Metroid? I mean, Samus was alone then, so if she could conquer her fears then, what's changed? If this is how she reacts every time, then she'd surely be long dead by this point in time. Why is she only paralyzed and infantilized now?


Actually we've never seen how she reacts.  We've never known what goes through her mind.  It's always been a short cutscene of the boss appearing, then straight back to controlling Samus.  You have apparently been assuming that Samus was a robot who never gets scared and that no emotions are involved.

Being terrified doesn't mean you're dead.  Soldiers talk about being terrified during battle.

Whether it should have been done is definitely debatable.  It's just like whether or not she should start speaking (I say no on that).  Once you get this far into a series, people develop their own ideas about a character.  When we are finally shown an "official" (I use quotes because it was really decided by Team Ninja, but they still set the stone) most people turn out to be "wrong".  It's upsetting.

Anyway, this is getting way off topic.  Back to the splintery stick in the analysts anus.


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## DinohScene (Oct 8, 2013)

I came here just to like emigre his post.


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## Gahars (Oct 8, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> Actually we've never seen how she reacts. We've never known what goes through her mind. It's always been a short cutscene of the boss appearing, then straight back to controlling Samus.


 
1) That _is_ a reaction, conveyed through gameplay/design.
2) That still doesn't answer this question of how the hell Samus survived at least two encounters with Ridley if this is her standard reaction. If it isn't her standard reaction, why exactly is it her reaction this particular time?

If you're going to contradict the past games, you should at least try to have some sensible explanation or justification for it. Metroid: Other M doesn't even bother. 



JoostinOnline said:


> You have apparently been assuming that Samus was a robot who never gets scared and that no emotions are involved.


 
[Citation Needed]

Quick Tip: "Humanizing" a character /= Turning that character into a walking sack of tears.



JoostinOnline said:


> Being terrified doesn't mean you're dead. Soldiers talk about being terrified during battle.


 
Because I said it did? There's a difference between a character having fear or doubt and becoming so paralyzed with fear that they literally regress into a scared little girl before the viewer's eyes (especially when this contradicts everything established about the character beforehand and makes no sense in the context of the series). It's a little thing called subtlety. You might want to read up on it; God knows Sakamoto hasn't. 



JoostinOnline said:


> Whether it should have been done is definitely debatable. It's just like whether or not she should start speaking (I say no on that). Once you get this far into a series, people develop their own ideas about a character. When we are finally shown an "official" (I use quotes because it was really decided by Team Ninja, but they still set the stone) most people turn out to be "wrong". It's upsetting.


 
1) As easy as it would be to just blame Team Ninja and call it a day, this was all Sakamoto. Directed, produced, wrote, etc. TN just did the grunt work. A George Lucas-esque vanity project, through and through.
2) When you blatantly contradict past games and can't even execute it well, yeah, of course people aren't going to be happy. This has to be pointed out?



JoostinOnline said:


> Anyway, this is getting way off topic. Back to the splintery stick in the analysts anus.


 

You're right, Other M's writing and this article are very different. After all, one is an overwrought, shallow, and downright nonsensical narrative that makes no sense when held to any sort of scrutiny. The other is about the Legend of Zelda.


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## mkdms14 (Oct 8, 2013)

Ok I am calling BS on this article.  What you say here is very subjective.  You have to remember who created the game?  And before you ask no it was not made by a bunch a "White Hill Billies" looking for a way to put someone down.  Beside the game was made and release in 1998 standards were different back then. Just enjoy it for what its worth and to everyone out there stop getting soo damn offended over ever little detail out there.  God/Allah/Biology or what ever you believe in did not make us equal.  If you need any proof just open a history book.


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## Deleted_171835 (Oct 8, 2013)

mkdms14 said:


> Just enjoy it for what its worth and to everyone out there stop getting soo damn offended over ever little detail out there. *God/Allah/Biology or what ever you believe in did not make us equal. If you need any proof just open a history book.*


 
Go on.


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## Costello (Oct 8, 2013)

Sending this to the homepage for more visibility. The debate is up!


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## ShadowSoldier (Oct 8, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> If you want to put a tag on something _really, really badly_, you will succeed. For the same reasons _"Resident Evil 5"_ was branded _"racist"_ because your enemies were mostly_ black_ zombies. Not that the whole story took place in Africa so it was _entirely understandable to see a lot of black people there_, but _noo--_, let's put it down to racism.
> 
> I'd also like to add that Mario games objectify women - they put Princess Peach in the position of a constant victim, completely unable to take care of herself without the help of _a man_ to save her_ despite the fact that she's apparently capable of __single-handedly __ruling an entire realm._


 

I'm sorry but I don't care what race it is, even if they're black, asian or mexican, jewish, or white. If they're a fucking zombie, I'm going to wipe out every single one of them.

Also.. wasn't Ganondorf in this game.. you know... green skinned?


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## Maxternal (Oct 8, 2013)

TL;DR

This reminds me of my English 200 class. It's like what would someone would have turned in if the professor would have come out and said "I want all of you to chose a well known media genre and write an analysis of it based off of feminism, Marxism, and racism, due by Friday."


of course, I *completely agree*  because :

DANG, those poor, oppressed, farm animals. Better let them roam free in this undead skeleton infested world instead.

Lies, social classes NEVER existed, ESPECIALLY not in a medieval society.

BAD NINTENDO. Haven't you heard of affirmative action. You need to hire characters in the same racial ratio as your market ... which is the _whole world_.  Even if your excuse is that the game was made in Japan, it needs more Asians  . The fact that the whole game population is (even says so in the game) isolated [genetically] from the rest of the world by mountains, forest and desert is no excuse either because, you know, fiction can't be realistic.



It IS interesting, though, that in later re-released versions of OoT had the Gerudo/Islamic star and moon symbol removed and replaced. Someone noticed THAT one long before this article was written.

even as such ... this article .. umm . . . no.




*EDIT :* oh, almost forgot "veganism" or whatever that's called.


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## Thanatos Telos (Oct 8, 2013)

Costello said:


> Sending this to the homepage for more visibility. The debate is up!


 
No, what have you done? The war of Other: M will never end!

OT: Saw this on Reddit first. All I can say:

OP owes me a few brain cells.


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## DS1 (Oct 8, 2013)

Wake me up when someone does an in-depth analysis about how LoZ is kind of mediocre and doesn't deserve the attention it gets.


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## Guild McCommunist (Oct 8, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> It was a very accurate interpretation of how someone with a haunted childhood might react if a f*cking monster, who was the cause of such experiences, apparently rose from the dead (that's not actually what happened, but she doesn't know where he came from yet) and tried to kill her.


 

Well I'm sure there's plenty of stories of kids who had their parents killed by giant space dragons for comparison.

Also we all know damn well if it was a dude he'd just go "ARRGGGHHHH YOU KILLED MY PARENTS TIME TO MARY SUE YOUR ASS" and fight with rage not cower and cry.

The whole point of "She fought him before" is also REALLY FUCKING GLARING.


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## Ryukouki (Oct 8, 2013)

This is the kind of stuff I like to write about.  *hastily takes notes*


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## MushGuy (Oct 8, 2013)

Why am I not surprised there wasn't a further analysis on whether Sheik was male or just a disguised female, and the implications of each? But yeah, the carpenter stuff was a bit ridiculous.


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## fermio100 (Oct 8, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> If you want to put a tag on something _really, really badly_, you will succeed. For the same reasons _"Resident Evil 5"_ was branded _"racist"_ because your enemies were mostly_ black_ zombies. Not that the whole story took place in Africa so it was _entirely understandable to see a lot of black people there_, but _noo--_, let's put it down to racism.
> 
> I'd also like to add that Mario games objectify women - they put Princess Peach in the position of a constant victim, completely unable to take care of herself without the help of _a man_ to save her_ despite the fact that she's apparently capable of __single-handedly __ruling an entire realm._


 


And let's not forget she's blond.


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## Guild McCommunist (Oct 8, 2013)

MushGuy said:


> Why am I not surprised there wasn't a further analysis on whether Sheik was male or just a disguised female, and the implications of each? But yeah, the carpenter stuff was a bit ridiculous.


 

Actually she's genderqueer you massive bigot.

Check your privilege cis-scum.


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## Carnivean (Oct 8, 2013)

Oh it's on the frontpage now, it's like I'm really on kotaku!


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## MushGuy (Oct 8, 2013)

Guild McCommunist said:


> Actually she's genderqueer you massive bigot.
> 
> Check your privilege cis-scum.


You best be trolling.


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## Guild McCommunist (Oct 8, 2013)

MushGuy said:


> You best be trolling.


 

Truly I am joking, no offense to you at all.


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## Alexrose (Oct 8, 2013)

Haven't read the whole thread, but Gorman is a bad guy and he's white.

The settings just happens to have Gerudo bad guys. Next you'll be saying MM is racist against Skull Kids and masks.

Plus, the Gerudos aren't bad guys. They oppose you at the beginning, as do the gorons (to an extent). Then they become your friends and particularly help you through the last temple.


----------



## JoostinOnline (Oct 8, 2013)

I actually just came across this when looking for a picture for Ganondorf for a completely unrelated discussion on Skype, and I thought it would fit perfectly in this thread:


----------



## frogboy (Oct 8, 2013)

What happened to the source?


----------



## Ryukouki (Oct 8, 2013)

frogboy said:


> What happened to the source?


 

My apologies, fixed.


----------



## Nah3DS (Oct 8, 2013)

front page?


----------



## evandixon (Oct 8, 2013)

I doubt that the designers of the series thought about this.  They probably just combined elements of stereotypical medieval times and magic.

Sounds like the gripes are both coincidental and possibly of the medieval times.

Way to over analyze things...  *slow claps*


----------



## stanleyopar2000 (Oct 8, 2013)

i bet you the _writer_ who found this out has an EPIC sex life 

I can see it now:

gamer Chick: so what do YOU want to play big boi?..how about Zelda 64? one of my faves! 

douche: nah I would rather take apart the founding structure of the game and discredit the most beloved game on the N64 and give _reasonable"_ arguments that prove it's classist and sexist and racist!

gamer Chick: uuhhhmmm....okay  Want to play Mario Bros? :

douche: That game portrays the women demographic as helpless and puts the man in the domineering position and the woman as the helpless and defenseless damsel in dist-

gamer chick: uhhhmmmmm *sighs* Joe and Mac? Caveman Ninja!?-

douche: Portrays women as sex objects and just as a goal for sex and gives women a shallow trophylike role.

gamer Chick: METROID!?

douche: puts the role of the woman as hidden and the game is almost ashamed to let the player know they are playing as a woman. so to be sexist they hide her face under a mask

gamer chick: uhh okay..how about a game with a LEADING female role? PERFECT DARK!?

Douche: sexist towards men. Game shows that females are superior over men and most are evil and out to hurt you ...

Gamer chick: fuck! what DO you want to play then!?

Douche: TETRIS!

gamer Chick: Tetris?? you sexist son of a---uuuggggh! I can't do this. and to THINK I was going to have SEX with you!! *walks away* oh and for the record. Zelda 64 was my favorite game as a child you fucking asshole! *slams door*


----------



## DJPlace (Oct 8, 2013)

fermio100 said:


> And let's not forget she's blond.


 

anyone know any good blonde jokes?


----------



## MarkDarkness (Oct 8, 2013)

Right... and why are we sending them traffic by the way? Fuck this article.


----------



## grossaffe (Oct 8, 2013)

I'm not gonna bother to read the original material as it sounds pretty bad.  Is it as bad as that feminist video on video games and sexism?


----------



## Geren (Oct 8, 2013)

Seems like sensasionalist click-bait article. I dunno if it's a good thing to have it up in the front page, since you know, you give it some more clicks. Thank god adblock exists.

And, HOLY CRAP, there's still people who defend other m?


----------



## MelodieOctavia (Oct 8, 2013)

You can always rely on fair and balanced journalism from Salon dot fucking com.

Edit: But seriously, I love when people have it so good in their lives that they have to FIND things to get their knickers in a twist about. Did the article writer stay up at night after beating OoT, and replay everything over and over until she thought "Goddamn, that was the most racist, classist and sexist piece of shit I have ever played"? I mean come on. You want a sexist game? Play Lollipop chainsaw. I'm sure that you wouldn't just skip over the main point that the game is satire, because you didn't completely skip over the fact that not only is Link likely not human, but neither are any of the other races of the LoZ world. And it likely doesn't take place on Earth, because I don't know about you, but I don't know of any Land of Hyrule that I could just pack my bags up and head off to. It's a fictional game, set in a fictional world inhabited by pixels and polygons. Pull your head out of your ass just long enough to realize that the game devs never intended to flip the middle finger to women, minorities and lower class citizens. It's a game. It's meant to be a place where you can lose yourself and have fun. That whole premise kind of unravels once you start picking shit apart like a first year philosophy major.


----------



## JoostinOnline (Oct 8, 2013)

I keep reading the word "classist" as "classiest"


----------



## dmace81 (Oct 8, 2013)

Mario kills turtles, Pokemon are slaves, and in grand theft auto you steal cars. Its a game for crying outloud!  Its not real life!  This is one of the stupidest posts ive seen on here. Thats all I have to say.


----------



## MarioFanatic64 (Oct 8, 2013)

Yep, sounds like "I'm choosing to interpret this as representative of everyone or everything", which is just as hypocritical in and of itself.


----------



## Auyx (Oct 8, 2013)

The fact that this has been frontpage'd and the quantity of schoolboy level responses has made me a little ashamed of this forum. There is nothing wrong with criticism of art and the questions popping up around video games at the moment are extremely important. I would suggest that you consider these situations as a chance to strengthen and improve our favored medium. Criticism does not equal condemnation.


----------



## stanleyopar2000 (Oct 8, 2013)

*looks at frontpage*

*thinks about Kotaku comparison*

*Thinks about the bajillion tempers who will aggro over comparison*

doesn't do it.


----------



## Black-Ice (Oct 8, 2013)

League of Legends has 2 black champions.
One of them speaks speaks god knows what language when casting spells 
And the other uses guns, 

Let me go burn down Riot buildings for racism, this is a huge problem that deeply affects me as a black man.


----------



## Sicklyboy (Oct 8, 2013)

dmace81 said:


> Mario kills turtles, Pokemon are slaves, and in grand theft auto you steal cars. Its a game for crying outloud! Its not real life! This is one of the stupidest posts ive seen on here. Thats all I have to say.


 

You take that back.  Grand Theft Auto kills people.


----------



## Damian666 (Oct 8, 2013)

this is really stupid... trying to find things in a game that arent even there...

its a game for fuck sake... O.o


----------



## ForteGospel (Oct 8, 2013)

Auyx said:


> The fact that this has been frontpage'd and the quantity of schoolboy level responses has made me a little ashamed of this forum. There is nothing wrong with criticism of art and the questions popping up around video games at the moment are extremely important. I would suggest that you consider these situations as a chance to strengthen and improve our favored medium. Criticism does not equal condemnation.


the problem about the article is not that it criticizes a game, the problem is that it does so in a stupid way.

he even goes to say that cows should not _*talk*_ to link and give him their milk because of the exploitation they go through on lon lon ranch.

he is criticizing the game for the sake of making an article and nothing more.

hell you could even say the gorons are black people on steroids, but then it would not work for his stupid theory because then the game portraits them as a mighty tribe, strong people with big hearts that welcome the hero as one of them right after he is outcasted from his own people...

see? everyone can come up with make up crap twisting ingame events


----------



## BrightNeko (Oct 8, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> I actually enjoyed Samus's portrayal in _"Other M"_. Sure, it was a tad oversexualized, but Nintendo themselves put in Samus in a swimsuit in the earlier games _(if you finished the game the "right" way  )_ so it was hardly something outside of the norm and sure, she was talking about _"the baby"_ too much, but for once it was attempted to show her as a human being and I personally liked it. People complain about her reliance on Adam, but Adam is not a new character - he was mentioned in Zero mission and we already know that the two had a _"connection"_. All in all, they did a good job - a lot of the criticizm concerning _"Other M"_ is ill-founded.


 
I want to add on to this. I know it isn't at the topic on hand though, but around the time fusion came out we saw a canon comic release with it. That goes into samus' past and explains far more than what we see in the games. Further explaining her PTSD, relying on Adam, and why she tends to do things alone. Unfortunately the company that was going to release the comic in english formats held onto the license for it instead not having enough money to print it. An when they did get the money the game was such a far off memory they just didn't feel like it.


As for the actual topic at hand, people read into things far to often even when the subtext isn't there are is completely accidental. If any zelda did come close to anything like this it would have been majora's mask or twilight princess. Which actually do stretch racism, and class to extremes. majora's mask having it littered everywhere in very small portions, and twilight princess making it part of a character arc for midna your supporting character. Who at the very start seems to press the idea of getting help from a human, loves treating you like a dog when you are one, and until her break down is a mighty bitch in general about everything. Really though that is all how you read into it >_>


----------



## Auyx (Oct 8, 2013)

ForteGospel said:


> the problem about the article is not that it criticizes a game, the problem is that it does so in a stupid way.
> 
> he even goes to say that cows should not _*talk*_ to link and give him their milk because of the exploitation they go through on lon lon ranch.
> 
> ...


 

The quality of the original article was not really what got under my skin but the fact that people took it not as an opportunity to dispute the points made and have a debate but to to debase the notion that a discussion is worth having. Rip apart his opinions as much as you want but the  "its just a game, lulz" stuff makes me disappointed. Debates are not witch hunts they only help us to think broadly.


----------



## MelodieOctavia (Oct 8, 2013)

Auyx said:


> The quality of the original article was not really what got under my skin but the fact that people took it not as an opportunity to dispute the points made and have a debate but to to debase the notion that a discussion is worth having. Rip apart his opinions as much as you want but the "its just a game, lulz" stuff makes me disappointed. Debates are not witch hunts they only help us to think broadly.


 

I could debate with you that the moon is made of cheese, and that Obama is a reptilian bent on the destruction of our planet because we shined a laser at one of their space ships in 1987 and have not apologized for it, and present to you bullet points on a 56 page PowerPoint presentation on why I believe it so. To me, the premise of this article is just as silly. There is nothing to debate here. This is clickbait sensationalism at it's finest. Debating the point of this article would be like debating the details of this week's National Inquirer. Debating for the sake of debating may be a fun activity, but let's not fool ourselves into believing it actively helps anyone broaden their views.


----------



## jayjay123 (Oct 8, 2013)

soulx said:


> This _gripping_ analysis can be found below
> Next they're going to be saying that it's too realistic. Given that the world is classist, sexist and racist...
> 
> 
> ...


 
Next they'll be saying that it's too realistic for a fantasy game.
Given that the world is classist, sexist and racist...


----------



## mthrnite (Oct 8, 2013)

Whether something is racist/sexist/x-ist depends on how much power you want to give to the words racist/sexist. If you label slightly racist stuff as racist, then equivocate it with all other racist stuff, then the term racism either loses most of it's power or you move into "systemic racism" where basically everything has racist connotations, and you have to find another term for racism, or use some sort of qualifier like "egregious" to set it apart.

Personally, I like conversations like this, even if the topic is pretty much impossible to flesh out without splitting infinite hairs.


----------



## Gahars (Oct 8, 2013)

Auyx said:


> The fact that this has been frontpage'd and the quantity of schoolboy level responses has made me a little ashamed of this forum. There is nothing wrong with criticism of art and the questions popping up around video games at the moment are extremely important. I would suggest that you consider these situations as a chance to strengthen and improve our favored medium. Criticism does not equal condemnation.


 

I agree with you to a point. We can't claim that video games are an artistic medium one minute and then fall back on, "They're just video games, you can't look into them!" the next without losing some credibility. We can't have it both ways.

The problem isn't that the author of the article criticized a video game. Criticism isn't inherently bad. The problem is that he did it poorly (making sweeping generalizations, ignoring context, getting shit plain wrong, etc.) for the sake of easy controversy and blatant linkbait.

You wouldn't say there's no point in analyzing poetry just because someone talks out of their ass about "The Red Wheelbarrow" actually being about communism or whatever. This is pretty much the same case, except replace "Communism" with "Muh social justice feels!"


----------



## TVL (Oct 8, 2013)

A communist vegan feminist... That just has to be the most miserable person on earth. And surprise, he/she found something to complain about.


----------



## SuzieJoeBob (Oct 8, 2013)

We are talking about the Red Scare and the fear of Communism in my history class. Maybe I should print this shit well-thought and insightful piece and present it to the class.


----------



## Smuff (Oct 8, 2013)

With reference to the source in the OP, if you found Zelda that offensive, for your own sake stay off the internet. !0 mins of random surfing and you'll most probably explode (literally!) with self righteous sanctimonious indignation.



And stay the fuck away from GTA, for the love of Jeebus.


----------



## ForteGospel (Oct 8, 2013)

Smuff said:


> With reference to the source in the OP, if you found Zelda that offensive, for your own sake stay off the internet. !0 mins of random surfing and you'll most probably explode (literally!) with self righteous sanctimonious indignation.
> 
> 
> 
> And stay the fuck away from GTA, for the love of Jeebus.


actually that might give him some proportions....


----------



## AlanJohn (Oct 8, 2013)

I read it at first as "Classiest" and "Sexiest".


----------



## Transdude1996 (Oct 8, 2013)

If you guys want another argument on the same article, go here:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/631516-wii-u/67434100


----------



## ThatDudeWithTheFood (Oct 8, 2013)

Social commentary in video games now being passed off as racism.

I wonder if the person who wrote this played GTA 5 and said the same thing about almost everything in the game.


----------



## Deleted_171835 (Oct 8, 2013)

ThatDudeWithTheFood said:


> Social commentary in video games now being passed off as racism.


 
Social commentary...in a Zelda game?


----------



## Dter ic (Oct 8, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> I'd also like to add that Mario games objectify women - they put Princess Peach in the position of a constant victim, completely unable to take care of herself without the help of _a man_ to save her_ despite the fact that she's apparently capable of __single-handedly __ruling an entire realm._


 
What about Super Princess Peach? For once she stars in her own game and saves Mario herself. Though you could say that the use of emotions itself as a source of power is sexist in itself but that's just a typical feature of females.

Also I like how this person overlooks the simple fact that dark colours often have connotations of being negative overall anyway.


----------



## ThatDudeWithTheFood (Oct 8, 2013)

soulx said:


> Social commentary...in a Zelda game?


It's a reach but I didn't create the game so I can't say for certain it's not.
Video games are supposed to be an art form so we must treat it as such.


----------



## 3bbb7 (Oct 8, 2013)

Seeing that he says “Ocarina” rather than “Ocarina of Time” makes it sound like the author has never touched this game let alone heard of it and has no idea what it is until now when he grabbed these quotes off of the internet and tried to make an article hoping to become heard and to put down a legendary series (which isnt going to happen)

o hey guys i have more bad games here
pikmin is racist because olimar and louie are white
animal crossing is supporting animal cruelity u can hit the animals with nets
mario kart is supporting cruelity against others because you throw shells at each other! it encourages road rage and that can cause accidents irl OMG

I can go on forever, this article is a joke


----------



## Guild McCommunist (Oct 8, 2013)

twillinx said:


> A communist vegan feminist... That just has to be the most miserable person on earth. And surprise, he/she found something to complain about.


 

I'm like half of that though...


----------



## DrOctapu (Oct 8, 2013)

*How this guy's interpreting it: *
Miyamoto: TEZUKA, WE SHOULD MAKE A GAME TO INSTILL THE VALUES OF CAPITALISM IN YOUNG CHILDREN
Tezuka: WAHAHAHAHA, YES MIYAMOTO, EXCELLENT
*Reality:*
Miyamoto: Tezuka, I have an idea for a game. You know how when you're a kid forests and hills and stuff feel bigger and more mystical than they are?
Tezuka: Yeah?
Miyamoto: Let's put that in game form.
Tezuka: Cool.


----------



## Guild McCommunist (Oct 9, 2013)

Well to be fair articles like this never imply that they're making games solely to instill these EVIL values in our kids, but rather they're just continuing a trend of ingrained social norms instead of realizing what's wrong in them and debunking them.

The article is still pretty shit though as are most of these articles.


----------



## sevenstitch (Oct 9, 2013)

you know, i've been lurking this forum for years, much longer than my join date,
and I've got to say this is one of the most pointless front page threads i've read
in a long time.

The fact of whether this guy's debate should have even been posted here to debate is
debatable to me.

In my free time I usually, I don't know, _play_ video games, but I suppose bitching about
the deeply non-existent moral ramifications of them on the internet works too.

I don't agree with most (or any) of the source, but I won't fault it for being written.
If this guy seriously wants to inject over the top social commentary into a game from
15 years ago about an elf boy who fights a pigman to save a lady in a crystal, then he
can go right ahead.


----------



## DJPlace (Oct 9, 2013)

when the hell did this topic turn into a bitch fest? oh well MM was always better then OOT IMO...


----------



## Yepi69 (Oct 9, 2013)

Why do people always find the smallest thing to bitch at?


----------



## RedCoreZero (Oct 9, 2013)

Nintendo does this on other franchises too!
Pokemon is the most twisted introverted game ever. You capture innocent creatures shove them in a poke-ball inside of a baseball. Train then rigorously. Then you make them and other pokemon fight till one knocks the other into submission. And you get money for it. It's just awful I want Obama to outlaw Pokemon hell just outlaw anything or anyone from Asia. Their a bunch of freaky dumbasses.


----------



## tatripp (Oct 9, 2013)

"*But for non-humans the pre-industrial farm, as symbolized by Lon Lon Ranch, was still a place of exploitation and violence"

I agree 100%. Those chickens exploited and violated me like no one's business.*


----------



## Super.Nova (Oct 9, 2013)

Gahar's signature image never made more sense!


Besides, allow me to talk honestly...
Being religious topics are most sensitive, I'm Muslim and I never noticed nor am that offended portraying the Gerudo after Muslims.
One, for being not obvious. Second because they removed the resembling symbols (ir so as Did You Know Gaming pointed out). Third, they may and probably didn't really mean it. And fourth, there, everything is done by women (actually the while populous is women!) which is opposite of reality.

And a bonus piece of info, we're also suppressed (very!) by Islamic governments and, yes, that's wrong in this religion or basic logic.
The only thing keeping us from complaining is their Arms and the anti-violence regulations often forgotten in the recent years.


----------



## DJPlace (Oct 9, 2013)

tatripp said:


> "*But for non-humans the pre-industrial farm, as symbolized by Lon Lon Ranch, was still a place of exploitation and violence"*
> 
> *I agree 100%. Those chickens exploited and violated me like no one's business.*


 

gotta love getting pecked to death for choking the chicken.


----------



## WhiteMaze (Oct 9, 2013)

Gotta love these kind of articles. Target something many know and love (LoZ), badmouth and criticize it, and the ratings for your article go through the roof.

Of course you know your article is still bullshit. But you got rich off it.

-facepalm-


----------



## Zeliga (Oct 9, 2013)

wtf why do people get so upset just because there are ''sexist'' and ''racist'' thing is video game, *ITS JUST A GAME!*


----------



## assassinz (Oct 9, 2013)

Ok, that settles it.  I'm going to do a write-up about how Pokemon games are just as bad as Michael Vick. Maybe even worse! At least he didn't go out looking to catch other animals and train them to fight.

Pokemon games condone animal fighting and it's just not right!!!  I'm tired of Nintendo exploiting cruelty to animals and disguising it in a "Gotta catch 'em all" cutesy/cuddly type of package.

Oh, and I'd better see my review on the front page of GBAtemp too!


----------



## aphirst (Oct 9, 2013)

I am very disappointed that this Kotaku-tier flamebait garbage is being promoted on this site, frontpaged no less. Shame, admins. Shame, moderators.


----------



## Videomanman87 (Oct 9, 2013)

You know what is really funny?  That a person would try to find fault with Zelda, which is one of the cleanest type games around.  Yet doesn't comment on such games as say oh I don't know Grand Theft Auto that has tons of actual racial slurs and extreme violence.  Why not actually USE something that has the content he is describing instead of trying to fabricate it.  *shakes head*


----------



## grindbart (Oct 9, 2013)

never read so much BS in my life as in the startpost -_- zelda is a fantasy redraw of a ancient time where these things was the way they described. THAT WAS REALITY damit! shitty goodpeople verbal diariha!


----------



## Foxi4 (Oct 9, 2013)

grindbart said:


> never read so much BS in my life as in the startpost -_- zelda is a fantasy redraw of a ancient time where these things was the way they described. THAT WAS REALITY damit! shitty goodpeople verbal diariha!


Although many stories tend to say otherwise, there was no such thing as legendary creatures or walking skeletons even in ancient times... I don't think it's a fantasy re-draw of any kind - I think it's _"just"_ fantasy.


----------



## tbgtbg (Oct 9, 2013)

What, no mention that including Epona makes the game broneyist? Trolls be slippin.


----------



## The Milkman (Oct 10, 2013)

Look, I don't know about ANY of you guys. 










But I blame Obama for approving these sorts of games.


----------



## NEO117 (Oct 10, 2013)

Sexism, classism... butthurtism.

WHO GIVES A FAWK?! They're GAMES. MUTHAFUKKEN GAMES!

I miss the 90s... Everything is controversial nowadays.
Argh! Just... FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!


I gotta get back to bed. Bleh.


----------



## Gahars (Oct 10, 2013)

NEO117 said:


> I miss the 90s... Everything is controversial nowadays.
> Argh! Just... FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!.


 

Yeah, man, let's get back to the 90s, when there were no controversies!

...Ignoring Mortal Kombat, Doom, Night Trap, Duke Nukem 3D, etc. and the outrage they sparked, of course.


----------



## Foxi4 (Oct 10, 2013)

Gahars said:


> Yeah, man, let's get back to the 90s, when there were no controversies!
> 
> ...Ignoring Mortal Kombat, Doom, Night Trap, Duke Nukem 3D, etc. and the outrage they sparked, of course.


 
Complaining is well-instilled in human nature and has been with us since the dawn of time. Example:


Spoiler



*The Earth orbiting around the Sun?*​*




*​*Heresy! You know what's orbiting around the Sun?*​​*Ur Mum! ;O;*​


As you can see, media have stired _fiery_ debates long before video games came _into play_.

_//Master_Punster_2013 ;O;_


----------



## NEO117 (Oct 11, 2013)

Gahars said:


> Yeah, man, let's get back to the 90s, when there were no controversies!
> 
> ...Ignoring Mortal Kombat, Doom, Night Trap, Duke Nukem 3D, etc. and the outrage they sparked, of course.


 
Oh snap! You got me there...

But at least I understand why those things are controversial... Showing blood, sex and any of that was rather new to gaming at the time and parents were worried.

But sexism? Social classes?

A DAMN ZELDA GAME!? Really!? My friend you are right, but it does not help me feel any less baffled.


----------



## tbgtbg (Oct 11, 2013)

The Milkman said:


> Look, I don't know about ANY of you guys.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Time to impeach!


----------



## The Milkman (Oct 11, 2013)

tbgtbg said:


> Time to impeach!


 

I was thinking burning at the stake for I guess impeachment is alright.


----------



## XDel (Oct 11, 2013)

Yaaaawwwwnnnn.


----------



## tbgtbg (Oct 11, 2013)

The Milkman said:


> I was thinking burning at the stake for I guess impeachment is alright.



Careful, secret service might interpret that as a threat and pay you a visit. (Crazier things have happened)


----------



## The Milkman (Oct 11, 2013)

tbgtbg said:


> Careful, secret service might interpret that as a threat and pay you a visit. (Crazier things have happened)


 

Pssh, with gas prices these days, who has cash to go around burning presidents!


----------



## RchUncleSkeleton (Oct 11, 2013)

So the Japanese make racist video games in favor of white people? ZUH?! Wouldn't they perhaps make the "GOOD" characters look, well... JAPANESE if this was the case?

I guess Goron's are evil too, cause ya know they have brown skin.


----------



## purupuru (Oct 11, 2013)

At first glance I thought this read Zelda is the sexiest classiest game.  So this is the kind of thing that keeps liberals up at night. Ha.


----------



## Wisenheimer (Oct 15, 2013)

What, no mention of the Islamic chants (removed by Nintendo in the European and Gamecube/Wii version) in the temple that literally looks like hell?


----------



## calmwaters (Oct 15, 2013)

TwinRetro said:


> You can always rely on fair and balanced journalism from Salon dot fucking com.
> 
> *snip*


 
Why do I always smile, laugh, or do both when I read your posts? Maybe it's your profile picture along with the name... 




Wisenheimer said:


> What, no mention of the Islamic chants (removed by Nintendo in the European and Gamecube/Wii version) in the temple that literally looks like hell?


The Legend of Zelda was released on the GameCube and Wii? You mean Wind Waker and Twilight Princess...


----------



## Wisenheimer (Oct 15, 2013)

calmwaters said:


> Why do I always smile, laugh, or do both when I read your posts? Maybe it's your profile picture along with the name...
> 
> 
> The Legend of Zelda was released on the GameCube and Wii? You mean Wind Waker and Twilight Princess...


 
The first five home console _Legend of Zelda _games were released on the Gamecube and then made their way to the Wii Virtual Console.


----------



## calmwaters (Oct 15, 2013)

Wisenheimer said:


> The first five home console _Legend of Zelda _games were released on the Gamecube and then made their way to the Wii Virtual Console.


 
Yeah: LoZ, Zelda II, Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask. You make it sound like the first five Zelda games were released on the GameCube and then made their way over to the Wii. A collection of the games was released on the GameCube, not the actual games. The GameCube didn't exist in '91...


----------



## xwatchmanx (Oct 20, 2013)

I really wish people would stop reporting on this (no offense, SoulX). People claim it's NOT satire, but it very obviously is taking a radical point of view for the sake of popularity. I don't buy for a second that the author genuinely believes the stuff in this article and, if anything, this article was written as a fun study more than a serious point of view.

Tl; dr, it's a troll article, and people need to stop promoting it and, essentially, making the author successful.


----------



## Gahars (Oct 20, 2013)

xwatchmanx said:


> I really wish people would stop reporting on this (no offense, SoulX). People claim it's NOT satire, but it very obviously is taking a radical point of view for the sake of popularity. I don't buy for a second that the author genuinely believes the stuff in this article and, if anything, this article was written as a fun study more than a serious point of view.
> 
> Tl; dr, it's a troll article, and people need to stop promoting it and, essentially, making the author successful.


 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law

We live in an age where people sincerely believe that there is such a thing as "the patriarchy," where people get put to the stake for saying that men have penises and women have vaginas, where people will weave whatever bullshit they can to justify their victim complexes. Universities are banning "Blurred Lines" because it, somehow, perpetuates "rape culture." People have had their careers utterly ruined for making offhand, private jokes about dongles. Shit is crazytown bananapants.

You think this is too extreme to be real? I'm sorry to say, this is par for the course. As far as this sort of thinking goes, there's actually worse out there.

As far as reporting goes... well, this thread has generated 6 pages of discuss (so far), so it definitely seems worthwhile. Besides, soulx quoted the guy in the original post. As long as people don't follow the link over (or do so with adblock), he's not getting any traffic for his writing. It's promotion, sure, but it's microscopic, at best, and really, how many people here actually learned his name? Or care to look it up?

I bet you it's a small, small number. People only care about the viewpoint, not the guy who came up with it.


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## Subtle Demise (Oct 20, 2013)

I'm sick of all these -isms people keep throwing around. Made up words whose meaning is determined by the user to assert their views onto someone else.


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## Smuff (Oct 20, 2013)

Too many people spend too much time actively looking for reasons to be offended, however obscure they might be.

In my opinion, they are all trouble making wankers who should be shot repeatedly in the face, whatever their colour...... or creed....... or gender....... or political bias.


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## NekoKat (Oct 24, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> I'd also like to add that Mario games objectify women - they put Princess Peach in the position of a constant victim, completely unable to take care of herself without the help of _a man_ to save her_ despite the fact that she's apparently capable of __single-handedly __ruling an entire realm._


 
This in particular made me chuckle, people did whine to Nintendo about it. Their response? Super Princess Peach for NDS. Admitedly a VERY fun game (I love it!), it was still "vile sexism".

Why?

Because Peach's super powers don't come from eating mushrooms with faces or touching multi-color flowers. It came from her feelings. That, somehow, is a bad thing, vile, sexist thing. Same thing Sailor Moon is accused of.

Kinda miss the days when people didn't over-analyze videogames and just enjoyed them for what they were after reading this "TLoZ is racist" essay. Oh well!


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## mkdms14 (Oct 24, 2013)

Soo why are people still commenting on this ridiculous article?


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## Gahars (Oct 24, 2013)

mkdms14 said:


> Soo why are people still commenting on this ridiculous article?


 
We all want to get off the ride, but it never ends...


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## ShadowSoldier (Oct 24, 2013)

Smuff said:


> Too many people spend too much time actively looking for reasons to be offended, however obscure they might be.
> 
> In my opinion, they are all trouble making wankers who should be shot repeatedly in the face, whatever their colour...... or creed....... or gender....... or political bias.


 
Sir, I find this post extremely offensive. I take offense to the words "wankers" and the term "shot repeatedly in the face" along with the multiple ".......".

In short. Fuck you sir.


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## RiCK420 (Oct 24, 2013)

soulx said:


> This _gripping_ analysis can be found below
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Whoever wrote this has way too much time on their hands.


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## the_randomizer (Oct 24, 2013)

Did this "journalist" bribe his way to the top in order to become one?  What a douche.


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## xwatchmanx (Oct 24, 2013)

the_randomizer said:


> Did this "journalist" bribe his way to the top in order to become one?  What a douche.


Fun fact: You don't have to be a journalist to publish anything online.


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## the_randomizer (Oct 24, 2013)

xwatchmanx said:


> Fun fact: You don't have to be a journalist to publish anything online.


 

Doesn't make him any less of a douche though


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