Far Cry 3's Citra Is Straight From the Freakshow

[rbstewart7263]

So, I'm going to guess, based on the comments I've read here, that there is not a single person attacking Mr. Rath here who has ever even been to, much less lived in or even bothered to learn anything about, the South Pacific. As someone who actually spent a considerable chunk of his life in the South Pacific and has befriended and spoken with quite a few Polynesians from quite a few cultures (in other words, someone who actually knows what he's talking about), I'm just going to say that Mr. Rath is absolutely, 100% correct in what he says here.

One of the problems with Polynesian stereotypes is that the world at large knows so little about the South Pacific and its cultures that people don't even know the stereotypes when they see them. To claim that Polynesians sacrifice virgins to volcanoes, dress in grass skirts and coconut bikinis while living in grass huts and forcibly tattooing white men is about as ignorant and racist as claiming that black people are related to chimpanzees, are all drug dealers and love to rape white women, but because most people have probably never even met or spoken with a Polynesian they don't know how problematic these stereotypes are. That Far Cry 3 missed the opportunity to truthfully portray the South Pacific is an unfortunate missed opportunity because it is so extremely rare to ever see the South Pacific done justice in any kind of popular media (the only case I can think of that even came close was The Descendants, and even that was a pretty white-washed portrayal of Hawaii).

I know it sucks to have to admit that something you didn't know was a stereotype is in fact a stereotype, but the truth is, whether you want to accept it or not, that the Citra narrative in Far Cry 3 does uphold an extremely backwards portrayal of the South Pacific, and if you think I'm wrong, why don't you try, I don't know, doing something crazy like actually bothering to learn something about the South Pacific or speak to some people out there to learn why these kinds of narratives bother them so much (and if you're going to tell me they shouldn't be bothered by it, then why don't you also go tell all the black people and Latinos in this country that they shouldn't be bothered by the fact that they always get portrayed as gangsters and drug dealers, and go tell Muslims that they shouldn't be bothered by the fact that they're always being portrayed as terrorists, because whether or not you think they should be bothered by it counts for pretty much fuck-all to them).

Now, let all the complaints about how I'm a whiny, liberal douchebag who can't appreciate how bad white people got it in this country begin...

Actually what would you say some of the differences are between the rakyat and real polynesians?

On a side note since this was an attempt at satire and thus critique of certain stereotypes I think we should really give the devs a pass. Just cause someone fails dont mean there bad right.

 

[rbstewart7263]

No one who has Puritan ancestors complains when we all agree that the Salem Witch Trials were horrible and we show that in media. And I'm sure Germans aren't too happy with all the Nazi killing we do in video games. The only way we can ever move past things is if we just get over it and stop getting so defensive whenever someone or something hurts our fragile sensibilities.

This difference is that decendants of Puritans don't exclusively get characterized as witch burners. Germans don't get exclusively characterized as Nazis. Because we're familiar with them. Can you name the last time you saw a South Pacific Islander portrayed without stereotype? Would you even know the stereotype if you saw it?

For another thing, I think you (and a lot of people) are missing the point of Rath's post. These Critical Intel articles are not calls to hate popular games, they're attempts to inform players about real-world things they might not know about. I'd venture that a great deal of Far Cry 3's players didn't know how much stereotyping based on manufactured myths are in the game.

To be fair as far as stereotypes go it was definitely blink and you miss it.

 

[Abomination]

Considering my exposure to many Pacific Island cultures living in the Pacific's gateway to the Western World (New Zealand) the game did not portray the inhabitants of Rook Island in any stereotypical manner. They did share both language and certain culture types of MANY Pacific Island cultures - both good and bad.

Essentially I know better than to think it was attempting to paint Pacific Islanders in any particular way. Anyone who lives or has knowledge of the Pacific realises that the cultures here all share some similarities but also have some incredible differences. The only 'catch all' Pacific Islander trait is they live in the Pacific Islands.

The familiar British-Maori accent of the inhabitants, general body types, face tattoos and features reminded me of Maori, Tongan and Samoan folk. The crazy-kill-things aspects of the culture do not remind me of any particular Pacific Island culture - rather I would attribute it to the environment of a slaver-plagued island fraught with danger and hallucinogenic drugs... not because they people living there are Pacific Islanders. They had those issues because of WHERE they lived, not because of WHO they were. You will notice the non-natives also go crazy, Jason is a primary example of this... when he arrives he's the typical rich kid douchebag and before the end he's laughing like mad as he destroys gunboats and punches sharks to death. Jason didn't "go native", he "went crazy" - it was the place, not the people.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I, for one, found Rook Island totally unbelievable as a Polynesian island. Where the hell were all the Mormons?

Imagine crouching in the bushes, ready to make red slaughter on a pirate base when you suddenly hear from behind "Excuse me, sir, would you care to take a few minutes to hear about our Lord?"


Also.. wrapping up your Asia tour by going skydiving onto a Polynesian island is like finishing off your tour of the US by doing the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona (New York to Madrid is roughly the same distance as Bangkok to the western most edge of Polynesia).

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Wait, THAT'S what that stupid fucking ending was supposed to be about?

Yohalem actually said that shit?!?!

Mother. Fucker.

Some arrogant asshole writer wants to "subvert stereotype", so I get a shitty, unsatisfying ending ON TOP OF THE FACT THAT APPARENTLY HE COMPLETELY FAILED.

I mean come the fuck on. Citra was NEVER a fucking damsel. You're not subverting shit, Yohalem.

AND REALLY? The guy who, not 1 hour prior, killed an entire building full of armed mercs, while wielding nothing but a knife and hullucinations doesn't have the reflexes to stop or dodge one ***** with a machete whispering OBVIOUS fucking death threats in your ear?

Fuck you Yohalem. Never write for the rest of your life.

.........

(Can you tell I finished the game about 5 minutes ago?)

 

[maninahat]

How could would a better use of these tropes look like?...I don't see any way you can tell a story that involves a native population without stepping in anyone of the dozens trope-traps.

My god, there is no satisfying political correctness obsessives like you... You may as well link to TV Tropes and list the hundreds of ways you will never, ever be satisfied.

I described a case wherein I liked the depiction of natives. Check the first comment on the thread. Basically, you can offset negative stereotypes by showing a greater range of native characters over-all. Have other Rakyat characters offering contrasting perspectives - ones that show Rakyat as being something other than blood thirsty savages who like to ritually screw foreigners for their magic babies.

 

[Saxnot]

This is one of the most absurd accusations of insesitivity to racial stereotypes i have ever heard. you're claiming the game is racist or racially insensitive because of 19th century freak show tattooed men narratives? do you have any idea how obscure that is? This stuff isn't relevant to modern culture anymore. It's like somone getting insulted because you called him 'dude', since dude is originally a 19th - century racist term for immigrants.

in these things, context is everything. The author expressed the intention, and there is no overt racism in the game itself. The one interpretation that could be described as racist is the noble savage vs. evil savage. there are two problems with this interpretation:
1. the Rakyat are not savages: i never got the idea the rakyat are supposed to be savages. they are relatively passive in gameplay terms, sure, but no more so than most NPC factions in games like these are. they are passive in the same way the Saints are passive. you interact with them like you interact with most allied NPC factions in games. those interactions are coloured by cultural context, of course, which brings me to

2. there is no way to do it right: if you make the rakyat to passive, they are simple natives being rescued by the white man. if you mkae them too agressive, they are dangerous savages. the only way to portray them positiveky is by making them the protagonists. which would be interesting, but isn't the narrative of the game.

there is neither the intention of racism, nor racial insensetivity here. Rather, the rakyat are shown as having their own goals and methods to get what they want. That seems a welcome change for a group that is too frequently portrayed as passive and weak.

 

[Thyunda]

This entire article made no sense!

Made sense to me.

I never saw the Rakyat as even close to any of the stereotypical tribesmen - neither barbarians nor helpless - I just saw them as thugs. Just like the pirates. Y'know the total lack of difference between Rakyat warriors and Vaas' pirates.

How you see the pirates doesn't really have much bearing on the false notions of Pacific Island culture that form the basis of the game's mythology.

But this research? This isn't research. This is "I read an article about tattooed men and it reminded me of Far Cry".

That doesn't preclude it being research.

Look, you're welcome to dispute Rath's opinion. But he presented some facts. Information. Things I'll wager a great deal of us didn't know before.

This. Is. A. Good. Thing.

Of course. I didn't know anything about Victorian freakshows till now. However, I still think it's a major stretch to claim Citra is in any way relevant to the Tattooed Man or to racist perceptions of Pacific Islanders at all. Y'know, with all the lack of forced tattooing she does. Given that it was a Liberian immigrant to the US and THEN to the island that you wake up to, and not a tribesman at all.

Overthink games if you like. Thinking is good. But don't make silly claims like this and then have people dismiss any criticism as "We should think about games more." Portray Islanders as warlike tribesmen, and that's racist. Portray them as peaceful, oppressed folk and that's also racist. Portray them as mostly civilised traditionalists and you're now even more racist.

I don't understand this. At all.

 

[Mr F.]

I find this whole "You found racism because you looked for it" trend and many of the responses to be a mixture of laughable, revolting and ultimately dangerous. This article simply seeks to point out why this plot was chosen and why its bad that it was chosen whilst simultaneously declaring that there was no deliberate harm and that the game is still good overall.

Its not saying the game should be banned, its not saying the game was a bad game, its not saying any harm was deliberate, it is merely pointing out several issues with the narrative.

Can we please, as a species, stop hating intellectuals and knowledge.

Good article overall.

Quick heads up, if someone quotes me to respond, for some reason my computer is freaking and I cannot directly quote people. Its why this was a generic response and not a specific response to some of the claims in this thread. The quote button just refuses to work.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

Great article. If There's ever an argument for the inclusion of different peoples with different cultural perspectives in the video game industry this is certainly it. Far Cry 3 could have been used as a very interesting tool to teach us more about an under-represented culture but instead they perpetuated a tired stereotype.

 

[jmarquiso]

This is one of the most absurd accusations of insesitivity to racial stereotypes i have ever heard. you're claiming the game is racist or racially insensitive because of 19th century freak show tattooed men narratives? do you have any idea how obscure that is? This stuff isn't relevant to modern culture anymore. It's like somone getting insulted because you called him 'dude', since dude is originally a 19th - century racist term for immigrants.

You seem to have missed the part where this isn't about overt racism at all, but institutional. These stereotypes - based on complete fabrication - wove their way into the narrative of a game attempting to subvert different racist stereotypes. It's an interesting tidbit of information behind the surface of the game.

You probably don't know that the word "Hot Dog" has a racist origin? It does. Does it take away enjoyment of Hot Dogs? No.

It doesn't mean that anymore.

But it's interesting to know where it comes from if you take a closer look.

 

[Robert Rath]

I, for one, found Rook Island totally unbelievable as a Polynesian island. Where the hell were all the Mormons?

Imagine crouching in the bushes, ready to make red slaughter on a pirate base when you suddenly hear from behind "Excuse me, sir, would you care to take a few minutes to hear about our Lord?"

Alternate ending where Jason leaves Rook Island and works at the Polynesian Cultural Center to put himself through BYU Hawaii.

Dude, you are officially my favorite person today. I cannot stop laughing at this.

 

[Xyebane]

Just goes to show you, try to be clever on the internet and someone will point out how stupid you are.

 

[Saxnot]

You seem to have missed the part where this isn't about overt racism at all, but institutional. These stereotypes - based on complete fabrication - wove their way into the narrative of a game attempting to subvert different racist stereotypes. It's an interesting tidbit of information behind the surface of the game.

You probably don't know that the word "Hot Dog" has a racist origin? It does. Does it take away enjoyment of Hot Dogs? No.

It doesn't mean that anymore.

But it's interesting to know where it comes from if you take a closer look.

Right, I agree with you. But the tone of the article seems more accusatory than interested to me. I got the idea the writers of Far Cry 3 were being critisised for not knowing about this and taking it into account, rather than giving a cultural and historical perspective. There is no racism intended and no racism propagated by this game, is my point. If there are obscure racist undertones that are only relevant if you know about 19th century tattooed men in freakshows, that is too obscure to make valid critisism out of.

 

[Axolotl]

Taking that into account, it always seems kind of unfair to me to criticise this kind of media for racist tropes.
I mean really, what choice is there? If you display natives as in any way positive, you are playing into the noble savage trope. If you are displaying them as in any way bad, you are promoting the idea of the superior white man. If they are just kind of there, you are doing that Joseph-Conrad-Thing, where the natives are just the colorful backdrop for whities joyfull adventures.

You could, and I realize this is a radical thing that might be untested... portray them as a collection of individuals with a different culture, some of whom are good, some of whom are bad.

I know, right. It's just a game. Who has time for characterization, there's hang-gliding to do?

Well having some of them be good would somewhat undermine the whole point of Far Cry 3. Everyone in the game is a negative stereotype. I get where the article comes from but it ignores how everyone else in the game is portrayed. Yes the natives are a riff of various negative cliches but so are the all the non-natives. For example all the Americans are either moronic tourists far out of their depth or are psychotic imperialistic spies.

I'm not saying the games not problematic but that's part of the story it's telling. Quite frankly if it's offensive to anyone it's South Africans, not the inhabitants of a fictional country.

 

[rbstewart7263]

Wait, THAT'S what that stupid fucking ending was supposed to be about?

Yohalem actually said that shit?!?!

Mother. Fucker.

Some arrogant asshole writer wants to "subvert stereotype", so I get a shitty, unsatisfying ending ON TOP OF THE FACT THAT APPARENTLY HE COMPLETELY FAILED.

I mean come the fuck on. Citra was NEVER a fucking damsel. You're not subverting shit, Yohalem.

AND REALLY? The guy who, not 1 hour prior, killed an entire building full of armed mercs, while wielding nothing but a knife and hullucinations doesn't have the reflexes to stop or dodge one ***** with a machete whispering OBVIOUS fucking death threats in your ear?

Fuck you Yohalem. Never write for the rest of your life.

.........

(Can you tell I finished the game about 5 minutes ago?)

Noooo she was NOT a damsel. THAT was the point. read again.