WHITE GUY DEFENSE FORCE GO!

[viranimus]

Priceless... and fairly depressingly sad.

I would say though, I would have switched the codenames of Beta and Omega because as is it just does not really feel quite right.

 

[Moth_Monk]

There's a difference between satire and parody. When you parody something, you simply mock and ridicule it by presenting the thing in a laughable way. Satire is more subtle. A piece of satire is when you parody something but do so to make a point about something else. The idea is that when someone sees satire, one can intuit the subtle point being made (which is usually subverting or deconstructing a convention so that one re-evaluates one's own preconceptions about said thing).

Spoiler: For example, this satire from the oatmeal

The point here is: The public's reaction to the crisis in Syria is being parodied so as to point out a potential moral double-standard.

Spoiler: On the other hand this...

THIS:

Is mere parody. Simply mocking someone; nothing more substantive than that.

As far as I can tell, the Critical Miss strip today is just parody.

 

[Ipsen]

The author bites his own hands.

Spoiler

Asking the question isn't the same as demanding a change, and the mere fact of the character being (in this case)white isn't racist but trying to justify it with (He's like "Well then maybe people won't be able to identify with him")
as a defense to keep a charter a certain way without the choice being about setting/time period or even just the creators decision. Then saying that everyone(male/female white/Hispanic/black/Asian/Indian/Middle Eastern/Etc Gay/Straight Short/Averge/Tall Obese/Skinny/etc. etc. etc etc. ) who would seek to play it is or should be okay with playing as a white male guy character which implies anything other than a white guy would be an inferior choice to have as the character.

Again this isn't just about if the character is X but rather why it can only be X.

I'd like to ask, why ask the question of why not make a character black if you aren't fishing for a shitstorm? There's no way to answer a loaded question like that without looking like a racist.

The comic wins because it highlights the very knee-jerk response that shouldn't happen if we were actually wanting creative progress in our games. Look at this fantastic spread of comments. The flames against this comic REEK of self-consciousness and ego defense. The dissenters pretty much sign themselves up for the 'Wonderful 100' squad for the WKDF. You're not defending 'against' the black guy, in this instance, but you're defending against...something -shrug-. And its so predictable, the same general attitude displayed in the comic manifests in these comments. The comic wasn't about offended/ing black people. It's about white people defending themselves (in quite a few of the wrong ways). The reaction, which is by no means novel, is...subtle (in a loud way; I'm totally making sense here!), but it has become more and more of an issue. Enough for a comic about it, I think.

Black dude wasn't asking some question that would solve the gaming industries problems. Hell, it might even cause more problems. But the reaction, in comic and comments, was terrible (+hilarious). I would say the way you do respond to black dude's dilemma is to nod, and move on. If you're a game developer, hopefully you'll get the inspiration to create a both fleshed-out AND non-white character someday. But this is one situation where self-control and silence kind of helps. Or at least find a way to constructively make the demand for more ethnicity known.

...I'm actually going to say that maybe we WON'T get an increase in diversity among our main characters for a while. I mean, game developers have been working from mostly tropes for the past 7 eternities, and I'd be remiss not to mention the push for more serious study into character and story craft has only happened in the past couple of years. Really, who's the most modern game character that you can think of? They'd at least be a closer milestone/model to what we're screaming about recently.

 

[Hazy]

Following a suspicious person is "provoking a confrontation" now? Come on, Funk, The guy was Captain of the neighborhood watch - it was his job to follow people he suspected were up to no good.

No. It really isn't. It's his job to report suspicious people to the police.

As it stands, he didn't do anything unlawful by following him around. In addition, he was trying to find the address he was going to, and give to the police.

harassment, intimidation, stalking. Yes actually, following someone around can be classed as a couple of different crimes.

Harassment? The guy didn't say a goddamn word to him.
Intimidation? Are you serious? Martin was 6 foot something and jacked from playing Football. If you think he was intimidated by a middle-aged man, you're delusional.
Stalking? Again, splitting hairs. If following someone down the street is stalking, I should be in handcuffs by the time I finish my neighborhood walks.

There's a difference between between "going the same direction as someone" and following them. I know this, you know this, don't play dumb.

And what is it, pray tell? I'm dying to know.

Again you don't have to say anything to anyone to harass them, following them is harassment.

Do you mean following them when they don't know you're there? Say I'm following someone in the hallways of school, and they don't realize I'm behind them - is that harassment too?

And intimidation doesn't require the target actually be intimidated. If a guy half my size threatens me, whether I feel threatened or not, his intent is still to threaten me, it's still harassment, it's still a crime.

How do we know his intent was the threaten him at all? He didn't say a single word to him. Typically when someone trys to threaten another, they make their presence known.

Really? You actually don't know the difference between following someone and going in the same direction as them? One's a coincidence the other is fucking following a person. It can be considered intimidation, yes it is harassment if you follow somebody. It's called stalking, it's illegal. Didn't the police tell him not to follow the kid?

So, it's a law based around splitting hairs is what you're saying? That doesn't sound very effective. By that logic, I can stalk someone and just throw it up under the guise of "oh, it was a coincidence, I was visiting a friend who lives in that direction!"

My understanding is that they told him not to follow as soon as the confrontation started.

If anything, given that Martin has a history of selling narcotics and other drugs, Zimmerman was correct in assuming he was a potential threat. And given the average police response time, that would have been enough time for a crime to committed and then some.

I think he meant well, and if any more evidence of that needs to be shown, the fact that he came out of hiding to help four people out of an overturned SUV should be indicative enough of that. [http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/22/us/florida-zimmerman-vehicle/index.html?hpt=hp_t1]

 

[Movitz]

If the beta, alpha and omega thing is supposed to be a reference to PUA-terminology, shouldn't Omega be handling the pony?

 

[sky14kemea]

Spoiler

http://i.imgur.com/TqYBaSr.png

Welp, this thread has turned out exactly as I expected it to. Grey, I recommend you send the mods a personal apology, they sure deserve it.

I'll take my apology in the form of some kind of edible candy, please.

I'll need the sugar rush to keep up with the pace of the thread.

OT: Seriously though, you kids try to stay out of trouble please.

 

[jmarquiso]

It's the argument trotted out most frequently actually. Why are videogame protagonists largely white heterosexual males? Because gamers are supposedly largely white heterosexual males.

How many games does the sexual preference of the protagonist actually come up? A player might infer one, but usually it's left ambiguous.

Every game in which you save a princess.

 

[DugMachine]

Looks like Trilligan is back as well. The tag team duo has returned for round 2. Getting my pop corn ready

Are you being derisive on purpose?

If you don't like me you can put me on ignore, you don't have to be snide.

Oh no I enjoy your posts actually. I just find it peculiar that this new poster who very much seems like her has appeared out of the blue around the same time you started posting again after the whole situation last year.

Don't mind me, did not mean to cause offense.

 

[RJ Dalton]

Why does the black guy always die?

 

[madwarper]

yes it is harassment if you follow somebody.

Spoiler

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/harassment
harassment (either harris-meant or huh-rass-meant) n. the act of systematic and/or continued unwanted and annoying actions of one party or a group, including threats and demands.

As far as I'm aware, Zimmerman had no contact with Martin prior to that night. So, I fail to see how Zimmerman's following Martin is a systematic or continued action from previous encounters.

It's the argument trotted out most frequently actually. Why are videogame protagonists largely white heterosexual males? Because gamers are supposedly largely white heterosexual males.

How many games does the sexual preference of the protagonist actually come up? A player might infer one, but usually it's left ambiguous.

Every game in which you save a princess.

So, you're saying that the desire to bone the princess is their ONLY motivation to save her? You sure you're not projecting?

 

[shoreleave]

Why does Grey Carter hate being funny anymore?

 

[Hagi]

Wait?

This is the first Critical Miss to feature a black guy? And it's a comic making fun of those who choose to make their characters white?

Am I missing something here? Are they ridiculing themselves? I'm confused...

 

[Ukomba]

It's the argument trotted out most frequently actually. Why are videogame protagonists largely white heterosexual males? Because gamers are supposedly largely white heterosexual males.

How many games does the sexual preference of the protagonist actually come up? A player might infer one, but usually it's left ambiguous.

Every game in which you save a princess.

So, Gay men and straight women can't save princesses? That's absurd. So it isn't the monarchy or just that someone is in trouble, heroes ONLY go on quests because they are attracted to the abducted person? What does that say about games where your trying to save a child, or animal, or object?

There's nothing in Mario, for example, that states he has any romantic interests in Peach. He gets nothing more than a friendly kiss on the nose and food from her as a reward. Link tends to get less than that.

 

[Ticklefist]

Wait?

This is the first Critical Miss to feature a black guy? And it's a comic making fun of those who choose to make their characters white?

Am I missing something here? Are they ridiculing themselves? I'm confused...

Well that's one way to call people on their bullshit. I'm looking forward to the follow up strip that justifies equating forum posting with murder.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

The most interesting part of the comic for me was the fact that most of us DO relate better to a stereotypical white protagonist and a bright orange anthropomorphic fox than a black protagonist. I haven't quite worked out why that is but I'd say it has something to do with such a incredibly big deal made out of race, as if people of different races are worlds apart. The black guy's attitude of wanting all generic protagonists black by default is so obnoxious because it makes an issue of what was not an issue before (meaning it wasn't given any thought). We (including me) even talk about 'blacks' and 'whites' as if they are significantly different groups. When we do that we can't help relating to "our" group and distinguishing it from "them", even when we don't want to and acknowledge the absurdity of doing so.

 

[verdant monkai]

I understand this is aimed primarily at racists, but why does this comic hate its audience so much?