Square Enix Responds to "Racist" Deus Ex Character

[Ragsnstitches]

I don't remember anyone complaining about racism in the first game over the Chinese accents. I'm Chinese and I didn't see it as a big deal, people need to relax about these kinds of things.

Ha... yeah. That's not going to happen.

OT: If that's racist, then I should to argue every portrayal of Irish people in American Media is racist.

But I, frankly, am too drunk to.

Except Irish isn't a race, it's a nationality. Yes, it would be nice if there were portrayals of Irish people other than Leprechauns and drunkards, but even if you were serious it wouldn't be racism.

Hence my comment... what is depicted in the game is a stereotype of a social class, who happens to be black. It's about as racist as depicting a person who is good at math, who just so happens to be Asian.

For me, its the same as showing a middle-class Irish American in a pub with a pint of guinness on hand.

 

[Olorune]

It's pretty funny, but they could've used a voice and dialect that is less associated with offensiveness/racism.

Offended as a black person? A little. Gonna make a big deal over it? No.

 

[soulfire130]

If every black person in Deus Ex was like her then, yes that is racist. But since its only one black person like that in the game then it actually realistic.

 

[SyphonX]

Why do people like this exist.

Oh, you're offended by something that doesn't matter in the slightest? Oh, well, how about you shove a pineapple up your ass, because no one cares.

You're supposed to take 'offense' to something that matters. For instance, I take 'offense' when a government-payed law enforcement officer assaults a prisoner. I take 'offense' when politicians pass laws that benefit themselves at the great disappointment to the thousands of people that are affected as a result.

What I don't take offense to, are things like this. This person isn't really offended, not at all. What they're doing is latching on to the diluted mindset that makes them 'think' they should express themselves as being offended, because gee whiz 'someone must' or 'there will be no justice in this world'. Some people call it liberalism, but anyone with a modicum of sense knows it's something more than that. Call it manipulated emotions, or a concentrated effort at destroying the fifth estate from within. Whatever it is, I'll just call it bullshit.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

So a black woman with a Southern accent who is not in the best position financially is racist? I mean it's not like there might be black women from the South who are poor right? Nope, can't be, it's just impossible.

Sure, it's a fine line to walk. When does it become racist? When she's singing gospel music for now reason? When she's chowing down on KFC and watermelon? I don't know the whole context of the character, but I don't feel that having a character who makes sense (there are plenty of people of African decent in the US South, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are poor) is racist. Sure it's rather stereotypical, but I don't see that as offensive. Even if I am a white male, I still think people are over-reaching.

 

[Blood Countess]

seems to me someone is just wanting to be offended so they have a story to write. I would bet some people do sound or talk like this in real life so should we exclude them cause it might offend? they wouldn't in a movie or book I bet, why should a game be judged differently then that movie or book? Sorry it's not offensive cause I see it happening in real life, grow up and deal with it

 

[Baresark]

***** *****, whine whine. Why does anyone pay an credence to that moron. The company should do the best thing they can do and not answer any of these people. You give credence to what they say by defending it. You should never end up on the defensive in a situation like this.

Edit: Also, this was not a broad portrayal of black folks, it was a defined character with actual speaking lines and interaction. If the black street walking NPC's were all like this, maybe. But not a single character.

 

[DementedSheep]

*sigh* having one character that fits a stereotype is not racist. There are actually people like that. When every character or most that belong to an ethnic group/religion/gender/whatever are being portrayed a certain way then there may be a problem but one character on its own is not. If you?re going to get in a rage every time a character is stereotypical you?ll be raging all the time.
Also many stereotypes exist for a reason.

 

[ACman]

I'm not sure that it's racist as opposed to utterly, immersion breakingly ridiculous. I've got no problem with the accent just with the amount of inflection placed on it. She's like the black version of the "Yes Guy" from The Simpsons.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Bah!

They didn't include a single painfully fake Aussie accent... You know, the one where the the director has said to the voice actor "Okay, do half-arsed cockney... right... now do it with extra nasal. Perfect."

Are you sure about that?
No one left Deus Ex unscathed.

Fuck, I was only thinking about DEHR and totally forgot that.

Now my ears are bleeding.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

So a black woman with a Southern accent who is not in the best position financially is racist?

With what she charges for information I'd hardly say she was in poor financial shape. Perhaps she's eccentric and likes rifling through bins.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

If every black person in Deus Ex was like her then, yes that is racist.

If you type in 'kkk 14/88' during the end credits after they've finished all the black NPC perform a musical number.

I'm almost certainly lying about that, though.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

You never hear about people getting up in arms about stereotyped white people. Why is that?

You need to troll more right wing forums if you think no one does.

 

[Yoshisummons]

That's not a Black racial stereotype, that originated from the impoverished white people speaking this way and African American's adopted it. Somehow the thing got attached to blacks, oh well. I want bad guy's to not use a British accent, it is racist and stereotypes very pale folk!

 

[agiganticpanda]

I'd say if that was the only black character in the game then it's not very smart on the developer's part. I'm white although I know there are plenty of negative stereotypes that people can drawn on but that doesn't mean people are speaking about me specifically.

Although the character is pretty easy and low brow to write, it's hard to write a gritty drama if you're trying to have all these characters be "civil" and PC.