Square Enix Responds to "Racist" Deus Ex Character

[GiglameshSoulEater]

Whoever thought this was racist is either an idiot or someone looking to make a quick buck from publicity.

Either way, they can bugger off, and the game developers should tell them aas such.

 

[McMullen]

One slum-dwelling black character does not a racist game make. I've met black people like that, and I've met black people who have got their shit more together than I do and will probably go much farther in life than I will, and I've met black people who are just plain people. It would be racist to claim that categories 2 and 3 don't exist, but it's not racist to include an example of the first category.

People are putting so much effort and time into finding things to get offended about that I imagine the time and energy lost to this ridiculousness is causing more harm to humanity than the things they are getting offended by.

To be honest, I'm more shocked at how bad the lip-synching and character movement is. I think 1998 was the last time I saw animation like this, in the original Half-Life. The voice acting is probably meant to be a parody of the action genre but it fails as hard or harder than that of Just Cause 2.

And it's one of the brownest games I've ever seen.

Why was there so much interest in this game?

 

[thedoclc]

F.A.T. Larry's last line perfectly say my sentiment toward what this guy is saying.

Ha! Forgot this one!

The IP this was based on stumbled over backwards trying to be progressive, then went with flat out Hollywood versions of so many cultures it included in its games. I really like VtM: Bloodlines and WW - and I still can't think of any non-white characters who aren't a cookie-cutter stereotype. Lessee, there was that one black guy in Nines' bar, oh, and Nines himself.

Other than that, there was the Japanese schoolgirl demonhunter who used gratuitous Japanese even when she spoke English, the crazy Chinese soldier who ran a "herb store" and sold guns, the half-assed Asian mystic, the mysterious Asian businessman working for the zaibatsu, and Ming Xiao, who could have been the Dragon Lady in any given bad pulp bit from the 30's. And LA had, well, one Hispanic character who had a speaking role?

...at least it wasn't a worthless, throw-away character.

 

[duchaked]

I almost burst out out laughing when I first played the video

but like Greg, I hear that accent from different ethnicities (okay maybe not always so strong but still)

 

[castlewise]

I'm more offended from the fact that she sounds like she's voiced by a man.

"Well SHEEEEEEEET"

Word. Her character is a trope, but not a negative one.

 

[kajinking]

I have someone I work with who comes from South Carolina who sounds just like her! It's a called a accent, not racism! Someone could claim "but why is the homeless person black?" and someone could just as easily point out the 30+ white hobos found throughout the same damn level.

 

[Undeadpool]

Being a professional troll must pay AMAZINGLY well.

 

[Faux Furry]

It's more sexually discriminatory than racist. How so? That voice acting job could have gone to a woman.
Voice acting gigs,even for bit parts and supporting roles, are just one way to bring more women into the video game industry.

 

[Gather]

It was racist? I always just through she sounded like that because she's an uneducated homeless bum. You know, one of these days calling things out like that should be racist on itself. You know, like that episode on south Park where Chief noticed the problem but the kids didn't.

It's only racist till you point it out; until then no-one will notice.

 

[gphjr14]

The voice acting if anything is more offensive.

 

[dexxyoto]

I personally coming from Canada figured that she did sound a bit stereotypical for sure, but that's mainly because i'm not living in the south where that is more common in terms of a speech pattern.

To claim she represents centuries of racism though is turn your eyes away from the fact that many folks still speak in this fashion normally and like the OP says it's not entirely uncommon.

 

[Lilani]

I'm more offended from the fact that she sounds like she's voiced by a man.

"Well SHEEEEEEEET"

Word. Her character is a trope, but not a negative one.

Thank you! Finally. Stereotype is not the right way to describe this character. She is a caricature--a woman who has parts of her personality skewed and emphasized for the sake of making a more entertaining character. Just like a caricature you can get at a carnival, it's the most extreme version of a person. The result, which takes the little quirks about the way you look and puts them in their most extreme form, is entertaining.

 

[TokenRupee]

I'd be more offended by the people saying "This woman is an african-american stereotype" than by the actual character itself. You must be pretty darn racist to see something that over the top and say "Yup, that's what black people sound like."

Exactly. Like someone else posted in his comments, why does he see every person as a symbol of their race? That is what will actually lead to more racism.

I might also add, she's a trash lady, would it sell the character better if she spoke like an ivy-league graduate?

It would if this were Oblivion.

When is the last time a GERMAN was in a name and NOT a nazi? Hmmmm?

Red Dead Redemption. Then again, the guy was a jerk. Oh no! I'm part German so I should be offended by this portrayal. And while I'm at it, since I'm part Irish, I should be offended by Irish for making us all look like drunks!