That reply was in direct response to me, so I’ll give some more context.
They said “No, I really don't see the problem with gibberish in games. When I see English-like gibberish or scribbles in a game or other media set in my country (a real place, with real culture!), it doesn't bother me. I don't feel that my language is being devalued or disrespected.”
And. Huh??
So I replied “You don’t see the difference between butchering the language of people of color and butchering the language of white people?” And they went off on me with… this.
I might have not articulated it perfectly, but I don’t know how they read anything about multilingualism into it, there’s a difference between learning a language, and not bothering to learn a language and instead writing it as nonsense. And I feel the connection between English and whiteness is obvious? Like it’s not the only language originating from a white ethnic group and there are people of color who speak English, but did they just forget England’s long history of colonialism?
I’m bad at explaining things and afraid of confrontation so I didn’t say anything yesterday, but I just wanted to air out my frustrations with how weird this reply was.
Tally ho!
- they/them
- renkotsuban.com/
tally ho!
in reply to @renkotsuban's post:
this fucking guy has been shotgunning dogshit takes all throughout the comments of people talking about this like "hmm nothing to examine here about why I feel the need to do this!"
(Rubs eyes) I can’t even work out what to say to this :( I’m sorry renkon
ok i have one thing : i feel like in an alternate timeline they’d have made the connection that “commodification of culture negatively impacts individuals of that culture” in an empathic way rather than whatever this is.
This chronic inability to keep one's mouth shut about stuff they clearly know nothing about is baffling
that "people of color" segment.
the only reason why "people of color" is "anyone that is non-white" is because that's exactly how white people are defined ! White people is whatever the current ruling class thinks is white enough, and that has changed a ton through history, as countries that we today perceive as containing mostly white people were poor and immigrants to the US.
irish, spanish, italian people would have all been qualified as "people of color" just a few decades back. This is so stupid
And in Europe, the Spaniards, Italians, French, Russians and Swedes, are generally of what we call a swarthy Complexion; as are the Germans also, the Saxons only excepted.
- Good old Ben Franklin Turtle.
this one sucked so bad since it seemed at first like they did genuinely want to learn but then they pulled this shit 💀
I think something in my brain broke at "Civ Culture Victory" and then it got worse
That reply was in direct response to me, so I’ll give some additional context.
They said “No, I really don't see the problem with gibberish in games. When I see English-like gibberish or scribbles in a game or other media set in my country (a real place, with real culture!), it doesn't bother me. I don't feel that my language is being devalued or disrespected.”
And. Huh??
So I replied “You don’t see the difference between butchering the language of people of color and butchering the language of white people?” And they went off on me with… this.
I might have not articulated it perfectly, but I don’t know how they read anything about multilingualism into it, there’s a difference between learning a language, and not bothering to learn a language and instead writing it as nonsense. And I feel the connection between English and whiteness is obvious? Like it’s not the only language originating from a white ethnic group and there are people of color who speak English, but did they just forget England’s long history of colonialism?
I’m bad at explaining things and afraid of confrontation so I didn’t say anything yesterday, but I just wanted to air out my frustrations with how weird this reply was.
This reply from them does read like a massive defensive pushback against your attempt to challenge their belief. I am having a flashback to the time I tried to explain to an internet stranger (for 2 hours!!) why they as a non-Japanese person shouldn't use a Japanese honorific to refer to their white partner.
It is a kind of fundamental disrespect to a language to use it simply as gibberish set dressing and it's alienating to the people who speak it. It's a symptom of the othering that has come with centuries of white hegemony, and people who refuse to grasp that (or at least believe us when we say it feels shitty) are some of the most frustrating people I've ever had to talk to.
oh wow, we've gone full circle back to "nintendo is trying to brainwash your children" crap from the late 80s (I mean for that matter the idea of "civ cultural victory" belies a certain 'end of history' implicit argument here too. as in something happened, maybe this guy thinks it's the manufacturing of VCRs as a commodity, who knows, and Japan won game over. hrmmmmmmm)
in reply to @renkotsuban's post:
I don't understand having a special interest in a place and being completely incurious about their history outside of 'cartoon i want to consume'. You can just watch and enjoy cartoon without feeling a need to spew paragraphs justifying dehumanizing art choices.
i continue to be absolutely floored by the sort of response this conversation has shaken out of some people.
I’m so sorry you’re still having to deal with this Discourse. This is fucked.
I'd say "wow I can't believe the gentlest and most patient explanation that some western-made games have pretty tired tropes in them and maybe we should reconsider the way we use those got this exhausting and outrageous level of pushback", but no I fully believe it because it happens. Every. Single. Time.
I'm really sorry that this is happening. It's bullshit on every level.
wow, classic "actually you're the racist!" move... I'm so sorry that anyone has to deal with such asinine comments. this person seems to approach conversations to prove themselves right in particular 😵
The speed at which white Western nerds start spewing overt racism once a Japanese person doesn't act like a submissive, agreeable little doormat is... something.
This Just In: Japan has won a Civ Culture Victory, something which exists and is achievable in the real world. The rest of us can go home now.
in reply to @wyverewings's post:
Sorry for cutting you out of the reply thread, I didn't wanna like put you on the spot or anything. But yeah I saw your comment and this fuckin reply and wow oh boy oh no
remembering when everyone was like 'oh yeah cohost is the Nice Website where everyone is Nice, it's a Retirement Home for Posters,' and it was like yeah man just wait until somebody says 'no' to a white person