Adoptive Parents Call Portal 2 Jokes Offensive to Orphans

[Gigano]

...What an utterly insignificant thing to get upset about.

It's a joke made by a petty machine which it is made abundantly clear is actively trying to be cruel to the protagonist. If that ruffles the feathers of this father - I'm guessing the kid herself didn't get offended - then by god must one hope that Chell doesn't get riddled by bullets by a turret on one of their playthroughs, as then he'll (feel like he's going to) have to explain death.

That father must himself have been taken in by humans as the biological offspring of a couple of Jellyfish, or some similar organism without any hide or spine.

 

[Vrach]

Oh for fuck's sake, are people that retarded to get offended at anything? How hard is it to realise that every single fucking plight on Earth is personal to someone and never making fun out of any of them is a ridiculous notion to ask for?!

If it hits too close to home, don't play the game and shove off or better yet, grow a spine or something to not get irked at every single thing that could possibly offend you. Honestly, it's like these people have nothing better to do than to wait at something to be offended by.

Not to mention, in the context, it's absolutely downright silly, Glados firing obviously ineffective jarring at you. If you think that's the worst thing you can ever hear, try Stephen Lynch for a fucking size:

 

[Bob the frantic]

NB: E for everyone? American rating system I take it?

My portal 2 box says 12+. I guess we Brits have the right idea in terms of age restrictions (in this situation).

Please, that's nothing. The winner is definitely Australia, the most overprotective country for games. It's PG 15+ here. (Technically, it's the second lowest rating in the system, but I've never understood why it jumps to 15 like that)

 

[Vrach]

Responses here are so typical, you're all gamers that aggressively defend video games to the death. I don't even need to click the comments anymore to know what responses are going to be like.

While it's true that there's nothing really offensive in it save for a few people, I understand that the dad was shocked to hear the remark out of the blue. He didn't say he was hiding it from his daughter, he said it just never came up. He was waiting for an opportune time to sit down and have a talk about her being adopted.

That's why it probably came to such an offensive shock, because now they're going to have to tackle the issue right away since shes heard that, rather than wait for whatever time they might have felt appropriate.

Yeah and you know what, that's fine. Being shocked by a joke that hits close to home. You know what's not fine? Phoning the fucking media and making a story about it pretending it's someone's fault that you got offended.

 

[EgonCom]

Oh, so I guess Pokemon is 'E' for everybody except people who think that putting animals in cages is cruel. And Minecraft is 'E' for everybody except people who are easily reminded of the suicide bomber that killed their friend/relative/etc. Mario Kart is 'E' for everybody except people who became paraplegics in go-karting accidents.

Come to think of this, how did it even make the news?

This...

I remember that quote, I also remember that a second later it got a replay "and... is there anything wrong with that?"

...and this.

Nothing more to say.

 

[Snax]

I've noticed a lot of people here are managing to misquote GlaDos. After Wheatley fails to insult you for calling you adopted and retarded GlaDOS seems to say "for the record, you are retarded and thats terrible". Retarded not adopted. I might be wrong though. Anyway, the entire section is about Wheatley trying and failing to insult you with GlaDOS shooting down his illogical insults so it's not like anyone should care. After all Wheatley is ...well he's Wheatley.
I found a video of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SUWirDGJZc

 

[The_Yeti]

OMGz I adopt child, hear joke, get offended, attempt to claim compensation for self-inflicted mental anguish.

Moral of the Story:

People who put their children up for adoption don't make cereal killers, stupid over-sensitive mentally-abusive parents that adopt them do.

~~~~Time to put common sense on the list of adoption prerequisites.

 

[anthony87]

Responses here are so typical, you're all gamers that aggressively defend video games to the death. I don't even need to click the comments anymore to know what responses are going to be like.

While it's true that there's nothing really offensive in it save for a few people, I understand that the dad was shocked to hear the remark out of the blue. He didn't say he was hiding it from his daughter, he said it just never came up. He was waiting for an opportune time to sit down and have a talk about her being adopted.

That's why it probably came to such an offensive shock, because now they're going to have to tackle the issue right away since shes heard that, rather than wait for whatever time they might have felt appropriate.

I won't deny that you make a very good argument, but the problem that most people here have is that he had to go bitching and whining to the goddamn news about it.

As far as I'm concerned that's an over-reaction to put it lightly.

EDIT: Cock.....someone made the same point a few posts up. Oh well, at least my one doesn't seem as aggressive ^_^

 

[CrazyGirl17]

(Face palm) Wow... just... WOW

NEWSFLASH: It's just a game, get over it! *SIGH*

Some people will do anything for attention...

 

[B.U.C.K]

My Neighbour is a freaking orphan (that was adopted Ofc) and we just finished the Co-op. He loves this game and found it hilarious.

 

[SamElliot'sMustache]

Huh, this guy threw a fit over a joke that, in context, should have been seen as the desperate act of an incompetent villain? Meanwhile, nerds and geeks have had to put up with jokes from movies, books, television, and even games for decades that, in context, actually do mock them and put them down as second class citizens (and yes, there's actually quite a few, almost as many as nerd-fantasies that tell them they are somehow 'better' and that's why people hate them)? Where's the bleeding heart for them, huh? Where's the outrage about these offensive jokes?

Oh, right, they were too busy realizing that it's just fiction.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

This really doesn't seem like that big of a deal, in other words, I'm sure Fox News would love a story like this...

 

[BloodSquirrel]

Stapel said that while he and his wife had never hidden from his Chinese daughter Zoey the fact that she was adopted, it had never come up, and they were waiting for her to be ready to talk about it.

"So, yeah, we were just going to wait until kids at school started making fun of her for it. But learning from a video game? How dare it bring up the issue first in a situation where we could pause and have a conversation about it!"

I mean, really, these parents are morons. If you don't bring something like this up yourself, you can NOT expect to be in control of the circumstances in which it is brought up.

 

[Kingsnake661]

I can see why this Father and Daughter could be jarred a bit by the comment. Not everyone has the same since of humor, and some people are just more sensitive then others. What gets me is why this is "news". The artical didn't say the father was sueing did it? I didn't get that impression. And they'er still playing the game... cause they like it... sooooo... why is this news? A Dad was mildly offended and that's newsworthy? And i'm not even talking so much as to why the escapiest had it here, it's game realated, i'm wondering why this was a big enough story for a local news outlet to pick up. LOL.

 

[Proteus214]

I like how the feelings of the child aren't even considered here and this article is based solely on the outrage of one person being offended ON BEHALF of their child. I swear to christ this is why I refuse to have children.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Stapel is aware that it isn't really going to rile up most people who play the game, saying "If you're not an adoptive parent it's probably not that big a deal to you." He also said that he and his daughter actually really liked the game and will continue playing it, making sure to avoid the part they take offense to.

Then why complain about being offended? If your that easily offended by the game and continue playing aren't you just setting yourself up to get offended more.

Also I notieced in the article that the parent is complaining about the part in the game where Wheatly is insulting you for being adopted. However he seems to have no reaction to the insults Glados said to the pc earlier in the game regarding her parents i.e. "the parents you are trying to reach do not love you". This just sounds like attention seeking to me.

Also kids are smarted than most give them credit for and I imagine the kids at the daughter's school have managed to put to together that white parents + chinese kid = adopted and believe me they will probably say a lot more hurtful things on the matter than a video game.

 

[Dr Jones]

I'm an adopted child watch now as I build an enormous mountain out of this molehill. this is taken completely out of context and this man should be ashamed.

Plus newsflash mate if your white your wife is white and your daughter is Chinese? Yeah she knows shes adopted shes ten, not an idiot.

When one is raised like that she doesent just SUDDENLY come to a realization that she is adopted. When all of her life she has been told that she was their child, she'd prolly think it. I mean if you raised your child as a stern Santa Claus believer, he might actually just believe it, even when hes 10.

 

[mwrichar]

And that's what he did. He's not starting some campaign or seeking any action. He's even continuing on with the game happily with his daughter. He's certainly welcome to say he finds it offensive -- out of context or not, his kid could understandably take it as a shot at her worth -- and move on. Although I guess he must have put in the effort to contact a news outlet. Anyway, his complaint was gentle and doesn't bother me.

Edit: meant this as a reply to a specific comment that's burried somewhere in the thread.