"The Legend of Zelda" is classist, racist and sexist?
Absolutely, says a new column in the major liberal magazine Salon.com. Normally Salon sticks to pieces demonizing conservatives and praising Obama, but recently they've decided to cover video games. (Actual full title of article: “'The Legend of Zelda' is classist, sexist and racist.
The beloved game takes a dim view of workers, people of color and women.")
Some quick reactions:
Full article here: http://www.salon.com/2013/10/05/the_legend_of_zelda_is_classist_sexist_and_racist/
What say you guys? Do we need to start calling out more games for their supposed sexism, racism and classism? Or is this liberal political correctness gone awry?
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Comments
Why does it say "sunk discussion" next to the title?
Uh oh, Tumblr's leaking out onto the internet again.
Problem #1 - They quote Anita Sarkessian. MINUS 50 INTERNET POINTS.
Problem #2 - The author is trying so hard to find problems with Ocarina that haven't already been discussed, they're literally having to invent some. It's a frankly ludicrous article and the less publicity we can give it the sooner it will disappear into nothingness.
The comments about Sheik make no sense - surely the game is promoting the feminist cause if it's suggesting Zelda can only be a warrior when disguised as a man, and is suggesting that women can go far beyond any 'princess' stereotype.
out of all the video games to single out as sexist, racist, and classicist they focus on The legend of Zelda??? that's so stupid it's hilarious.
Reviewer Ellie Gibson of Eurogamer called the Leisure Suit Larry racist, sexist and basically smeared its creators.
Also, here's the Salon writer again with a follow-up piece decrying video games' negativity towards "the left" and socialism:
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/20/grand_theft_auto_maker_video_games_hate_liberals/
They are doing to game coverage the same thing Noam Chomsky and revisionist and socialist author Howard Zinn do with American history ... look at it in terms of struggle between classes and between the oppressed/oppressors.
Guys, Salon is a very widely read news magazine. This isn't some hole in the wall blog posting this.
Anyway, applying these kinds of critiques to everything is becoming more common and mainstream. Thank the universities. It's only going to get worse.
If only it were that easy. The mindset behind the article is quite prevalent. I think it's best to expose and counter it, rather than try to ignore it.
MtnPeak, stop using this forum for your political soapbox.
I'm sick of your partisan, aggressive attitude toward those whom Rush Limbaugh would deem as non-conservative. Also, "liberal" is not a derogatory term. Stop using it as such.
I merely posted a link to generate discussion. I kind of thought that was the point of a discussion forum. Unlike you, I have never once told anyone not to express their opinion. What's more, this is a subject related to games and is very relevant right now.
It's interesting how in the other "shutdown" discussion there wasn't any name-calling until someone with a different point of view spoke up. Apparently you are okay to exist in your echo chamber, and you don't want to hear anything but views that mirror your own. It appears that people were all too happy to express and hear others express "political" opinions in that thread, for example, so long as they agreed with those opinions. Not okay with that double standard. Sorry.
Judging from the other discussion you're referring to, I believe that description fits you much better. If it's one thing I wish you'd take with you from that discussion it's something called "research" bias. I'm quoting research because I hardly think looking up stuff on right wing blogs qualifies as research.
You don't have to like what I post. It's a free country. :-). I understand hearing the truth at times can be upsetting. :-p
But at least I never told anyone to "shut up," "go away" or to stop expressing their opinions.
And, besides, what does that have to do with this thread and the discussion about political correctness in game design and reporting/reviews?
Granted, the article above is an extreme example, but it's not that far off from what has become a mainstream way of talking about certain game content that some people find offensive. It was a good jumping off point for a discussion.
But unfortunately some wanted to make this about me. This thread wasn't created to be about me. It was to discuss this creeping, insidious political correctness. If you love it and agree with the author, then great! I just thought it should be discussed.
My problem isn't with the article you posted. The article is bullshit and I think it's worthwhile debunking it. But you poisoned the discussion when you start off bashing liberals, which has nothing to do with the article. I consider myself a liberal and it's outrageous that you think the article is expressing my position.
What purpose does it have to identify Salon as liberal? It makes it look like you're trying to frame the discussion as right vs left. The rest of the OP is full of stuff like this.
It's much more useful to consider each issue in a vacuum without making everything so partisan. You'd get a much better discussion if people felt like they could come in without having to defend their ideology or their politics.
It is relevant and worth mentioning that we get these kinds of politically correct complaints from liberal outlets. Some may not like hearing reality, but that's not my problem. Besides, that wasn't even the point of my original post.
You say it would be "useful" to avoid identifying where these complaints come from. Why? Because some self-identified liberals will find the identification off-putting? I bet you'd have no complaint whatsoever about someone providing context before offering a link and saying, "here's an article from a conservative publication attacking the game's morality, etc."
If some liberals disagree with this out-of-control political correctness, then maybe they should spend some time criticizing their fellow liberals for pushing it, instead of going after those who point it out.
Sorry, but I will continue to post my opinion and I will not edit myself or expressed myself in a hushed manner just because some people's delicate sensibilities are offended when they are exposed to different points of view.
Are you really deluded enough to think that these complaints are exclusively from "liberal" sources? Have you forgotten the right's non stop attacks on GTA and other shooters over the past decade? This isn't a right vs left issue. Stop trying to make it one.
Republicans have always been on the forefront of video game censorship. Ask your Supreme Court.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/08-1448
I find this whole discussion disgraceful. The standpoint taken by Mr. Hochschartner is much the same as Anita Sarkeesian's, which is that we have to be aware of what media feeds us, but we can still enjoy it to the fullest. He's criticising this game from the heart of the gamer community - something you seldom experience from the republican quarter, I dare say. He's not asking for censorship. He's not asking that we forget the old school games because they're sexist. He's not asking to change the 90's Japanese game manufactured by a deeply conservative company just to make it politically correct for 2013's US citizens.
Did ANYONE here read what he's actually asking?
Or to answer the original question:
No, it's an attempt to make people think about what they consume.
Ok, this topic has moved off the first page, unfortunately. So it will probably be totally dead soon. Thanks to Vaina and Mosfet for at least having something to offer other than, "look, another post from mtnPeak." Now was that so hard? You know, some people are interested in discussing game-related, relevant topics that matter rather than just engaging in buddy buddy chit chat or discussing cool whip vs cheese whizz. But to each his own.
Stay tuned for my next topic!
Fuck Zelda. It needs to END.