Blizzard President Apologizes for Hateful Blizzcon Video

[Baldr]

People and business make mistakes all the time, and most understand they have made mistakes. This is just my opinion is that true apologies are promises that they have learned from those mistakes so they don't happen again. To me this apology seems hallow, that nothing is promised or even hinted at keeping them from making the same mistakes.

 

[mxfox408]

Yawn......this is stupid, people need to grow the fuck up already, you cant ever say anything nowadays without pissing someone off, people getting butt hurt over words is beyond me.....but I guess thats because I grew up ignoring idiots who spew garbage, perhaps society should do the same. The saying goes, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

 

[Random Argument Man]

I'm happy that they apologize. It was the right thing to do despite the gravity of the matter.

 

[tzimize]

I look forward to the day when words like "******" have no power. That will only happen when people decide to stop giving it power by being extraordinarily offended by it. Insults are thrown around constantly. Insulting peoples' intelligence, social status, physical looks, you name it, it gets insulted.

I may be a white, straight male, but I'm also a redhead, and I have to go through life listening to peoples' tired jokes about how I "have a short temper" or "eat too many carrots" or I get asked "are your pubes red too?" If I were to somehow take offense to this, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it, as the thing that makes ME different isn't a sexual preference or skin color. It's a hair color. (No, I do not get offended by the redhead jokes.)

Sigh, I told myself I wouldn't drop the disclaimers, but here goes. No, I do not "hate gay people." No, I don't use the word "******" in a derogatory manner. No, I do not think Blizzard made a smart move, because they'll unfairly be labelled anti-gay by people who use their emotions, exclusively, rather than careful forethought. Truth be told, I don't give that much of a shit about LGBT issues. Live and let live. By the same token, EVERYONE should live and let live, i.e. don't go out of your way to be offended at words.

I'm loving your post, and I agree.

I sometimes call people (my friends) faggots, but I have nothing against gays. Its just a word. My girlfriends sister is gay, and I have zero problems with her. People are just too sensitive. Especially americans. My god. Taking offense seems to be the national past time :|

Might be just the official side of USA that is easily offended though, I dont know many enough americans to say for sure. Just seems that way to me.

Uff. There is so much crap going on in the world. Take offense that people are being killed every day. Take offense that people are being stoned for being raped. Take offense at something that matters...for crying out loud.

Stupid world.

 

[Ickorus]

Wow, all these offended people should really stop being a tasty meat dish.

But seriously, people using insults like "Don't be a ******" or "Don't be gay" generally don't even mean anything remotely related to homosexuality, it's just an insult and it's an insult based around somebody being annoying, not their sexual preference.

That said, people should really expand their vocabularies a bit beyond such simplistic insults but that's not really the point of this reply.

 

[Mythrignoc]

I look forward to the day when words like "******" have no power. That will only happen when people decide to stop giving it power by being extraordinarily offended by it. Insults are thrown around constantly. Insulting peoples' intelligence, social status, physical looks, you name it, it gets insulted.

I disagree with the idea that words are given power by people being offended by them. Its the whole "If you ignore them, it will go away" myth. It isn't true. If you ignore them, they try harder to get your attention. If some kids are throwing paper balls at the back of your head, ignoring them isn't gonna stop them. They'll just throw bigger and bigger paper balls at you, and eventually start throwing books at you. (Can you tell I'm speaking from personal experience?) To lose its power, it will no longer have to be used to offend the person it is thrown at. Believe it or not, but when someone calls you a ******, chances are they are trying to offend you. So the right response is to be offended. How offended you are, and how you react to the offense is another story, and depends on a number of things.

First off, you cannot proceed to blame the actions of one on the entirety of societies. I am in no way defending a bully for being a bully, but to be perfectly honest, dicks exist in all forms and in every age category, and they'll go off on anyone for any reason.

You are right that some are relentless, in that ignoring them will only fuel their dickness even more, but they are VERY few in number and you just happened to get the unlucky end of the deal.

Secondly, 'the right response is to be offended' is, psychologically speaking from a bully's standpoint, MORE fuel for the fire than ignoring them. If you let them know how much it bothers you, they're more likely to do it again. A bully obtains satisfaction from tormenting others, they're essentially mini-sadists. It makes them feel good when YOU feel bad. So, you have more of a chance of getting them to leave you alone by ignoring them than you do being offended by them.

Finally, words change over time and develop new meanings. Gay was never even a word directly relating to homosexuality until 1956, and Fag isn't even an American word (and yes yes, I am aware of the fact that America's language is based off of dozens of others, but this only applies to building blocks of the language itself, NOT changed meanings).

Could anyone ever guess that the first time the word "******" was used, it was by a drunkard who was simply slurring the word "Negro," an American word used to describe without disparagement a race of people? Since then, Black people have found it to be one of the most offensive words primarily because it's used in an offensive way for 500+ years. But, in the last decade or two, the slur known as "******" has been slurred again as "Nigga" and turned into a positive word.

Words change, and people have the power to diminish their offensiveness. This is fact, and it was proven by the African-American community over the last 20 years or so.

I'd bet anyone money that in 20 or 30 years, the word "******" won't even mean the same thing as it does now. Who knows? It might even be officially changed at some point to refer specifically to loud, obnoxious people on motorcycles instead of gay people.

 

[klausaidon]

You're talking about bullying and harassment. I don't think anyone here is defending that.

The rest of us are talking about nothing more than the use of the word "******."

Yes, and the word is used for bullying, and harassment. I'm not against Blizzard, I don't care about how they used it, it was a simple mistake, however a mistake probably worth a professional apology that they gave. I just disagree with the idea that if you ignore it, it will go away. We've come a long way in gay rights, and equality. That has been gained not by ignoring our harassers, but being loud, and proud in our ways. The same can be said for Woman's rights, and minority rights.

 

[LordFisheh]

You're talking about bullying and harassment. I don't think anyone here is defending that.

The rest of us are talking about nothing more than the use of the word "******."

Yes, and the word is used for bullying, and harassment. I'm not against Blizzard, I don't care about how they used it, it was a simple mistake, however a mistake probably worth a professional apology that they gave. I just disagree with the idea that if you ignore it, it will go away. We've come a long way in gay rights, and equality. That has been gained not by ignoring our harassers, but being loud, and proud in our ways. The same can be said for Woman's rights, and minority rights.

Except his use of the word was as a catch-all slur, not anything with specific homophobia behind it. Words don't have any fixed meaning, and ******, imo, is in the process of transition from a discriminatory insult to a mostly harmless curse. I mean, once the word meant a piece of wood; surely that should factor in if we're going to look at its 'true meaning'. It's the intention that matters as much as the word itself and it looks to me like it was a harmless if rather pathetic attempt by the guy to sound cool.

 

[klausaidon]

First off, you cannot proceed to blame the actions of one on the entirety of societies. I am in no way defending a bully for being a bully, but to be perfectly honest, dicks exist in all forms and in every age category, and they'll go off on anyone for any reason.

You are right that some are relentless, in that ignoring them will only fuel their dickness even more, but they are VERY few in number and you just happened to get the unlucky end of the deal.

Secondly, 'the right response is to be offended' is, psychologically speaking from a bully's standpoint, MORE fuel for the fire than ignoring them. If you let them know how much it bothers you, they're more likely to do it again. A bully obtains satisfaction from tormenting others, they're essentially mini-sadists. It makes them feel good when YOU feel bad. So, you have more of a chance of getting them to leave you alone by ignoring them than you do being offended by them.

Finally, words change over time and develop new meanings. Gay was never even a word directly relating to homosexuality until 1956, and Fag isn't even an American word (and yes yes, I am aware of the fact that America's language is based off of dozens of others, but this only applies to building blocks of the language itself, NOT changed meanings).

Could anyone ever guess that the first time the word "******" was used, it was by a drunkard who was simply slurring the word "Negro," an American word used to describe without disparagement a race of people? Since then, Black people have found it to be one of the most offensive words primarily because it's used in an offensive way for 500+ years. But, in the last decade or two, the slur known as "******" has been slurred again as "Nigga" and turned into a positive word.

Words change, and people have the power to diminish their offensiveness. This is fact, and it was proven by the African-American community over the last 20 years or so.

I'd bet anyone money that in 20 or 30 years, the word "******" won't even mean the same thing as it does now. Who knows? It might even be officially changed at some point to refer specifically to loud, obnoxious people on motorcycles instead of gay people.

I'm only giving a example, and I'm talking a large group of people, not one person. And I specifically pointed out that you don't have to REACT to being offended. Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you have to show your offense. I didn't want to go into to much detail before, but like I said, how you react to your offenders depends heavily on the situation. Some will leave you alone if you ignore them. Most don't. And again, I'm not referring to one bully, I'm referring to a lot of different examples I've seen. It depends on the specific person. Some will buckle under the threat of authority. These are usually the ones that have parents that ignore them completely, and don't scold them for doing things wrong. Some don't give a damn about authority, or the punishment they might receive. A lot are used to being verbally abused themselves, so its something that seems natural to them, in which case you don't need to fuel their aggression, its already being fueled by outside sources. In such case, it depends on who the person is. Stronger bullies aren't scared of threats. Actually hurting them is sadly the only way to get them off of you. I suppose I shouldn't be supporting violence, but sometimes its necessary in extreme cases. Bullies are mini-sadists. But they aren't masochistic. They want to see you hurt, no matter what they do. And if they fail, they just try harder. The only way to stop them, is to turn the tables on them in some way, and show they won't get away with it.

And "Nigga" is a very awkward word. It can still be seen as offensive as "******", even while used positively. Its actually no different then "******" as both can be used positively for the same reasons, and negatively for the same reasons. And yes, you are right about people changing the meanings of words over time. But again, that isn't by ignoring its usage. Although I love the South Park reference, I doubt the meaning of the word will change that drastically. More likely it will go through a similar change as "******" did, becoming a term of endearment.

 

[klausaidon]

Except his use of the word was as a catch-all slur, not anything with specific homophobia behind it. Words don't have any fixed meaning, and ******, imo, is in the process of transition from a discriminatory insult to a mostly harmless curse. I mean, once the word meant a piece of wood; surely that should factor in if we're going to look at its 'true meaning'. It's the intention that matters as much as the word itself and it looks to me like it was a harmless if rather pathetic attempt by the guy to sound cool.

And the gay community doesn't really like the fact that it's being turned into a "harmless curse". Fag did mean a piece of wood at one point. Or rather, a burning piece of wood. It made the transition to homosexual, when they started to burn homosexuals, and calling them fags because they were burning. And like I already said, I don't find it a big deal the way it was used in the song. The gay community isn't really "Up in arms", honestly. Its more in bad taste, then offensive, and was worth a quick professional apology. I'm certainly not going to boycott Blizzard games because of this. However even minor cases like this shouldn't be ignored, if we want to make progress in equal rights. If we have to be a little loud in order to show that Fag isn't just a "Harmless curse", so be it.

 

[EvilScoop]

And the gay community doesn't really like the fact that it's being turned into a "harmless curse". Fag did mean a piece of wood at one point. Or rather, a burning piece of wood. It made the transition to homosexual, when they started to burn homosexuals, and calling them fags because they were burning. And like I already said, I don't find it a big deal the way it was used in the song. The gay community isn't really "Up in arms", honestly. Its more in bad taste, then offensive, and was worth a quick professional apology. I'm certainly not going to boycott Blizzard games because of this. However even minor cases like this shouldn't be ignored, if we want to make progress in equal rights. If we have to be a little loud in order to show that Fag isn't just a "Harmless curse", so be it.

If you don't let it be just a "Harmless Curse" then of course it will cause harm.

 

[klausaidon]

If you don't let it be just a "Harmless Curse" then of course it will cause harm.

Eh, but see now I don't think a curse is suppose the be "Harmless". However, that's just my opinion. It's hard to not see harm, when its something so personal to you. I'm homosexual, so a word that has negative history to homosexuals, is offensive to me. I suppose that concept is hard to comprehend looking from the outside, and its something hard to understand if you aren't homosexual, or else haven't gone through such discrimination.

 

[Cousin_IT]

If there's one thing more predictable than an apology for using the term fagot, it's the internet rushing to argue that the apology should never have had to be made.

Someone caused offense to someone else. They apologized for it. Move along, children.

 

[Wookie 1]

It is still a pity that people have to apologise for everything. People particularly in that community are just too damn touchy.

 

[EvilScoop]

Eh, but see now I don't think a curse is suppose the be "Harmless". However, that's just my opinion. It's hard to not see harm, when its something so personal to you. I'm homosexual, so a word that has negative history to homosexuals, is offensive to me. I suppose that concept is hard to comprehend looking from the outside, and its something hard to understand if you aren't homosexual, or else haven't gone through such discrimination.

If discrimination has only made you weak to the words and whims of others, then it's only done it's job.

 

[WabbitTwacks]

So apologies are no longer acceptable for mistakes that truly didn't "hurt" or "wrong" anyway. No particular person was harmed by this event, so you want millions of dollars to go to someone. Why doesn't someone feel they are always entitled to money. Call them on their mistake, make them own up to it, hope they never do it again. Then let's move on to the bigger issues of the day. I am not saying ignore it. (I don't like it when people think only the biggest issues should be addressed). Just let's fight the real fights with the real bad guys.

Just because it didn't hurt someone, it doesn't mean it was right.

If Blizzard donated even just a few thousand to charity, it would look like they were more serious about not causing offence or perhaps even just serious about apologising.

I don't know what you call a "big issue of the day", but I think teens committing suicide because of people acting like that guy from Cannibal Corpse or the hundreds/thousands of homophobic, insulting, disgusting people in WoW is a pretty big issue.

Blizzard is donating to charities all the time. Please get your facts together.

 

[shadowmagus]

That's the sound of millions of gamers with sand in their under carriage.

 

[mxfox408]

Lol bullies dont go away with rules or laws, lol to think so is plain retarded. My own solution when I was bullied was ignore them, backed by fists or sarcasm. I started to becom satcastic with their insults making them look stupid and eventually when it got physical i cheap shot them(kick to the balls hit them in the nose) bullies stopped fucking with me when i made them feel or look stupid or just ignored them. Just like that big kid who body slammed that asshole kid.

 

[klausaidon]

If discrimination has only made you weak to the words and whims of others, then it's only done it's job.

What exactly is discrimination's "job"? Why are you personifying it?
What you just said makes no logical sense.

 

[Asehujiko]

And really what do you want them to do? What could even satisfy the "hurt" personalities of the offended?

They could stop spewing PR nonsense and perhaps donate some of their millions of dollars to an LGBT charity, or better still a selection of them. That's a better apology than just putting out the same old "We're sorry, it was an oversight" rubbish.

For that he would first have to murder his boss, Bobby Kotick.