Is the 9/11 Pokemon offensive?

[rancher of monsters]

So I don't know if there was already a post about this, but I guess in the new Pokemon games Unova is modeled after New York City, complete with it's own Ground Zero. This is caused by a meteor which then leaves a pokemon who happens to 9 feet 11 inches tall. Obviously, I doubt that the Pokemon team had any serious negative intentions here, but it does seem a bit insensitive (EDIT: IF THEY meant to do it which it seems like they didn't).

Found out about it on Cracked.com

http://www.cracked.com/article_19087_the-9-most-offensive-911-references-in-pop-culture.html

It's #5 on the list.

EDIT: HO-LY CRAP. I did not expect all of this. I honsetly wasn't trying to start a flame war. All I wanted to know is if whether people thought it was in bad taste or not. Hell, I live in New York and I'm not genuinely offdended. I just heard about it and wanted to see what people thought.

 

[Chibz]

Or people can stop being little babies and crying about everything.

I honestly don't see how it's THAT offensive. Then again, I have hobbies besides complaining so I wouldn't know.

 

[ZombieGenesis]

I look at the map of the city and despite all the "OH GODS" and "LOOK AT THIS" in the text, I'm not actually seeing anything of importance or concern...

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Psh, you'd think people would realise that the twin towers are not the end all of 'big buildings that were destroyed with explosions'.

The only people who are offended are the kind of people who look for things to be offended by.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

10 fucking years ago.

Honestly, the reference completely passed my mind until you brought up just now. I still don't really care, however. Seriously, I can understand the emotions around 9/11, but you American's seem to treat it as though Al Qaeda nuked half your country away when the Twin Towers fell, and seem to want everyone else to care just as excessively about it when we have no reason or care to.

Stop bringing it the fuck up. Please.

 

[TheUnchosenOne]

Seeing as how the Pokemon are all designed with heights and weights in metric units, it's nothing but a coincidence.

 

[SodaDew]

That's total bull in my opinion! What it looks like is a old desert which once had a city, now if you where walking down the street and there was a area you could enter called WTC ground zero then that's a different story.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

That cracked article has it's info wrong. Kyurem is 9'10' and nowhere in the Pokedex does it mention it coming from space as a meteor. Also, the desert area in the middle of the map looks different in-game than in the article. In the article, you can kind of see 2 square patches of dirty rock which don't appear in the game.

 

[Artirian]

Well as someone who has actually played the game, lets set some things right. In the American version his height is 9feet 10inches. That desert area to the north of the city has nothing to do with the actual city and really is... just a desert. Not to mention the pokemon in question is found no where near where they say. He's actually closer to where you start the game if your gonna look at the map. Besides... its cracked... I'm not really gonna take anything from them at face value anyway.

 

[Korak the Mad]

I actually have no idea what your talking about, even though I own both games. Quite frankly, I really don't give a damn about it, coincidence or not. WHO THE HELL CARES!!!

 

[Irridium]

Really? I just thought it was a normal desert. Also, I don't remember anyone saying a meteor fell there. In fact, the town map just has it described as road-construction thats been stalled due to a sandstorm.

And nowhere around it has anything related to a meteor. The route and green dot to the left are the Desert Resort(where trainers gather) and Relic Castle. None of them have anything to do with meteors.

Also, the pokemon they mention, is nowhere near there. It is in a place called "Giant Chasm", which is all the way in the upper part of the map, right to the right of the Pokemon League.

So yeah, unless I completely missed something, the only reference to 9/11 is the height of the pokemon, which is completely coincidental.

EDIT: Actually, let me just copy/paste the description of the route from Bulbapedia, the same place they linked to in that section of the article.

Route 4 starts off with a paved road from Castelia City which ends abruptly another fifty steps. Along the paved road are abandoned construction sites. To the west of the paved road by Castelia City's exit, there is a large cliff with the sea at the bottom. To the north of the cliff-lined sea, there is an another abandoned construction site, which looks like a planned community project that got scrapped due to the harsh and arid environment. In the middle of the route, there are two paved routes; one that goes north towards Nimbasa City and the other facing west and eventually north, towards Desert Resort. By this corrupted intersection, there is an overhead highway going east and west. Trucks can be seen passing through the highway.

Source so you can see for yourself [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Unova_Route_4]

Nowhere does it mention anything relating to any meteor.

 

[Bluesclues]

since 9/11 is not a big deal (unless you are an American with your head stuck up your own ass) then it is impossible to get offended by it
America kills triple the amount that died in the towers every year and while it is sad for the people who died then USA as a nation did deserve it

Yep, because the best way to balance out being responsible for innocent deaths is by causing more innocent deaths....

You might want to consider that before saying "America deserved it".

OT: I'm an American and I find the butthurt over this to be a little exaggerated. Sure, I think it's a little too coincidental, but I don't see the reason to be offended. Especially when 9/11 is over and done with. I get it, we won't forget, but that doesn't mean we have to cry foul every time someone even thinks about it.

 

[Reincarnatedwolfgod]

how the hell is that offensive. But then again i am not overly sensitives what am i suppose to know.

 

[Thaluikhain]

That's very "WTF"? but not actually offensive. A fictional NYC having a fictional WTC site...fair enoguh...the 9'11 thing is very odd though.

Spoiler: Now, this is WTF and offensive

On the other hand, every time their's a crash, we hear the same "What was that last thing through ____'s mind?" jokes, and people laugh at those.

Depends when, though, by now passions have cooled quite a bit, it's increasingly safe to mention.

 

[oppp7]

That cracked article has it's info wrong. Kyurem is 9'10' and nowhere in the Pokedex does it mention it coming from space as a meteor. Also, the desert area in the middle of the map looks different in-game than in the article. In the article, you can kind of see 2 square patches of dirty rock which don't appear in the game.

Spoiler: Legendaries spoiler

The people in the city next to where it's found say that it came in a meteor.

OT: I think people want to remind us about the dangers of no security? As a memorium 9/11 is overshadowed by the tsunami in 2004 and the wars and earthquakes everywhere. Just about no one cares about 9/11.

Edit: Also, as people said, it's not even found by the desert.

 

[mowinckel107]

no the best way to balance out being responsible for innocent deaths are to take responsibility and review your politics and take the past experiences on board for a better future... but America is as likely to do this as the gravity turning upside down...
and the eye for an eye is more your style anyway... why did you attack Irak again?

 

[fenrizz]

I don't find it offensive at all, but then again I'm not that easily offended.

 

[Lord Devius]

I find this entire thing stupid. Taking offense at such a thing, I mean.

Also, this:

10 fucking years ago.

Honestly, the reference completely passed my mind until you brought up just now. I still don't really care, however. Seriously, I can understand the emotions around 9/11, but you American's seem to treat it as though Al Qaeda nuked half your country away when the Twin Towers fell, and seem to want everyone else to care just as excessively about it when we have no reason or care to.

Stop bringing it the fuck up. Please.

I'm an American and I completely agree with this.

Yes, it was a tragedy. Yes, lots of people died. No, we shouldn't get offended by STUPID stuff like this. Get over it.