Resident Evil 5 racism, what do you think?

[renvi]

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Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 hasn’t even got a release date, but it’ s already drawn the ire of a blog devoted to African women.

Black Looks calls into question the game’s setting as depicted in the trailer, first shown at this year’s E3 in Santa Monica:

The new Resident Evil video game depicts a white man in what appears to be Africa killing Black people. The Black people are supposed to be zombies and the white man’s job is to destroy them and save humanity…

This is problematic on so many levels, including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages, the killing of Black people by a white man in military clothing, and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults. Start them young… fearing, hating, and destroying Black people.

The point has been made by some gamers as well. In fact, GamePolitics reader Quad9Damage raised the same point in a letter to GP just the other day.

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Link:
http://gamepolitics.com/2007/08/01/african-womens-blog-critical-of-resident-evil-5-trailer/

Black Looks on RE5:
http://www.blacklooks.org/2007/07/resident_evil_5.html

[Shido]

I've heard about this. It is easily the most foolish thing I've ever heard. So let's see did Mexicans get in an uproar over RE4? NO! I am Mexican and hell I enjoyed the game. It's actually a very racist view to see the enemies only by the color of their skin. Also a look back at other RE's you were a white protaganist killing white zombies. It's in my opinion alot of overblown nonsense.

[Rancid Cheese]

*Face + Palm* :roll: :? :?: :!: :|

What the hell man!
Therefore:
RE1 is sexist for only having male zombies in it.
RE2 is racist for not having Mexican zombies in it.
RE3 is ageist for not having OAP zombies in it.
RECV is discriminatory for depicting a transvestite as psychopathic.
RE4 is racist also for depicting the spanish as parasite carrier murderers

What they'll have to do is have a African character to play as so it's not just a white man trying to keep the black people down (!)

Now I wish to reference South Park of all things in regards to this ridiculousness:

Chef goes Nanner's : http://tv-links.co.uk/video/2/157/416/47666/69768
HOT SHOWER! HOT SHOWER!

"Just because someone kills someone else of a different colour does not make it racist, by drawing attention to this difference in skin colour you are infact the one who is racist. You are making an assessment of the scenario based on colour. Rather than looking at it from the standpoint of one person killing another person you automatically see a white man killing a black man and that is the backward view."

[Scream]

I predicted it would happen (well anyone could)..

But I think we should delete this topic and leave it for another site. I'm curious as to why a low posting user such as yourself would bring this up here. We don't want to hear about it.

[The Dude]

Pretty harsh on the new user don'tcha think dude?
I was actually gonna post this last night but had too much work to do so figured i'd leave it to someone else as this topic was bound to happen.

While I think the topic is immature and naive, I do think some light has to be shed on it , especially due to the western/racial stereotypes upheld by Japanese and asian developers in movies and game content.

[Stu]

I predicted it would happen (well anyone could)..

But I think we should delete this topic and leave it for another site. I'm curious as to why a low posting user such as yourself would bring this up here. We don't want to hear about it.

Ignoring the problem won't make it go away.

[rewak]

I posted this on BF, and funnily enough someone suggested it be deleted from there too. Frankly i'm kinda surprised people want to sweep it under the rug as it were. Has it really become such a touchy subject that even when it gets used in this ridiculous way, no one wants to say that it is, they'd rather just ignore it and let it be? Like Big Stu said, ignoring it isn't going to do a thing.

Oh, and here's a quote from the woman who posted that blog (5th comment down)


5. Kym Platt

Yes… I am more comfortable with the zombies being white. In fact, ALL zombies should be white from this day forth.

She sorta looses all credibility with that one

[griever666]

Man, i hate this kind of shit.
Especially this quote taken from gamespot:
Ruberg wrote. "See all those spooky shots of the villagers before they get infected? It's as if race itself were a disease. The white protagonist has to fight back or be infected."
Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=25817098&sid=6175993&om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;more;14

OK. How the F**K they know if the villagers were infected or not? Did they already played the game or something? There is absolutelly nothing saying when the ppl are infected or not in that trailer. So, at least come with some better statements or SHUT THE F**K UP!

[Stu]

I wrote a pretty lengthy piece about this for my website, but am currently re-writing it. Here's what i posted on a few boards i go on though, it's basically everything you need to know about the woman's views...

Been following the racism thing all day actually, fucking hell...

When this was first mentioned, i was disgusted that humankind could possibly feel there were racist overtones to the game. But overtime, it started to appear on every single (not an exageration, ANY gaming forum you look on will most likely have had it mentioned) gaming website out there.

http://www.blacklooks.org/wp-content/uploads/me2.jpg

Today things have taken a slightly uglier turn. Kym Platt, author of the blog Black Looks (http://www.blacklooks.org), took it upon herself to defend all of "black-kind" by going on the offensive.


The new Resident Evil video game depicts a white man in what appears to be Africa killing Black people. The Black people are supposed to be zombies and the white man’s job is to destroy them and save humanity. “I have a job to do and I’m gonna see it through.”

This is problematic on so many levels, including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages, the killing of Black people by a white man in military clothing, and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults. Start them young… fearing, hating, and destroying Black people.
We ourselves can see how ridiculous and error-ridden the piece is of course, and surely nothing could confound one woman's idiocy? Well how about...

I am more comfortable with the zombies being white. In fact, ALL zombies should be white from this day forth.
You couldn't make this stuff up! How about we throw in...
I would love to play Resident Evil 4. I’ll go borrow it from my 10 year-old nephew.
Excellent!

I would imagine we're all sick of this by now, but ignoring it won't make it go away unfortunately.

Anyways, she's gone one better now! If your blood isn't at boiling point by the time you get there, the last sentence will really send you over the top!


Last night I posted a short piece on the new video game Resident Evil 5. I linked an article in the Village Voice by Bonnie Ruberg, a self-proclaimed white person, who questioned the possibility of racially problematic images (racist?) in the game. I also posted the piece at Blacklooks. Never before have I received more hateful comments by angry gamers who called me everything from a "nigger" to a "black hooker" for agreeing with Ruberg that these images of Black people (Black zombies) are problematic.

The response from gamers around the world was shocking. While I think we could have an intellectual debate about racist imagery in video games, there is no debating the blatant racism from many of Resident Evil 5's supporters. Their comments were hostile and violent...much like the game itself. The ability to post comments, both on ATBW and Blacklooks, had to be disabled. Here's a direct quote from a gamer who disagreed with my post: "Get back into the cotton fields, you filthy nigger."

I am not the first or the only person to question the imagery in Resident Evil 5. Check out this post by blogger Jason Ellis at microscopiq. Ellis' post is an interesting look at the images of Black people throughout modern time.

I confess I don't know much about video games, gamers, etc. I don't play video games, but I occasionally play solitaire on my gf's PC. However, given the response from gamers... I think we should all be very afraid. Many of these folks seem like the type who would try to reenact scenes from Resident Evil 5. Can you say Columbine?

Anyways, comments were closed on the original blog here (http://www.blacklooks.org/), yet someone has DEFENDED the original blogger and started the whole thing again there, whist Kym Platt the original poster, had only brought further attention back on herself here (http://askthisblackwoman.com/2007/08/01/the-anniversary-of-atbw.aspx).

I don't think these two are going to rest until they've got Jack Thompson behind them!

Basically, their point of view NOW is based on the comments of a select minority who chose to be cunts, other than those of us who put across the actual facts.

So yeah, that's it all in a nutshell!

Oh, and on her blog she also says "I knew hip hop was dead when white people started listening to it".

RIDICULOUS.

[Dot50Cal]

Scream mirrors my thoughts on this, I didn't want to post it in the news because its so retarded. Big Stu has pretty much all the bullet points to show that the woman is racist herself so theres no story here except some woman trying to get hits. Lets not feed the hate guys and girls.

Edit: I had locked this but some people complained, so if you guys want to discuss it ok. I just see no redeeming value in discussing something thats this ridiculous.

[randomwab]

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o96/KnuckaWut/resssss.gif

[griever666]

Yeah, well, in any case, bad publicity is still publicity, and might do RE5 more good than bad...

[Stu]

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o96/KnuckaWut/resssss.gif

Did you unlock the thread JUST to post that?

[randomwab]

NO, I urged him to unlock the thread just to post this.......and now.....

http://dot50cal.the-horror.com/bailoutre5.gif

[RE-Hiro]

I don´t think RE5 is racist in any way; there is black people in the game because of where they are (haiti or Africa, don´t remember XD), Chris shot the people beacuse they are infected with something no because he just want to have fun.

Personally i think the one who is being racist is the one who said RE5 is racist, because she is seeing the difference in the color of the people.

As a (future) Psycologist, i can see nothing but a person who has been pursued and bullied and is trying to make the same things to others, this is called Delusional Projection.

And, finally. i feel offended by her comments: just because i play Resident Evil it doesn´t mean that i´m a potential killer like Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold (columbine) and it doesn´t make me less sensitive to violence.

[kevstah2004]

I'm sick of people playing the race card it's just a cry out for attention.

[Stars_g36]

Im not rascist nor do I see it as racism. EDIT* Is it me or does the people who thinks this is racist blaming white people, when Capcom is in Japan which makes Asians who are making this game and trust me I dont find them racist...I don't think its right that white people in general are being blamed on RE5 being racist. I hate the fact that is even a word, I see people as people before color and religion and all of that. In all of what I've said, i hope people can look past the the hatred. Im sure RE5 will have more then just black people for Zombies...im sure there will be mutant creatures infected with whatever.

[Gradon]

Well this means Gaidens racist for having blue and green people! That's discrimination to green and blue people!
From the way they're taking it, it's like what I've just said above.
The point of the word racism was one was degrading a person by the colour of their skin, Capcom merely have Chris going to Africa where most black people live. The people who are seeing the fact they're black are infact being what they so call racist. They're the one's who are seeing the difference between Chris and the people he's trying to defend himself in.
Plus, all the people who call the game racist have no good reason to call it racist.

[nemesis_lover]

God i bet this woman will blame r.e 2 for killing marvin in the police station :o
I'm not saying this because i'm white but i dont in anyway see this game as rascist. When playing GTA San, i didn't mind killing white people. I didn't start the game and go "wait im a black man, i have a gun and see white people here".
The only way this game could be called rascist is if chris called one of the zombies the "N" word or soemthing. Plus sherry might be in it, so we'd have to kill her or maybe poor wesker (btw im not saying poor wesker cos he's white, i'm saying it cos hes cool) ;)