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Infinity Ward attached coded homophobic slur to wrong video
On first glance, the biggest sin of the above viral video for Modern Warfare 2 is that it isn't really funny. But consider how the California governor has made coded messages fashionable by flipping the state assembly the bird in a letter whose first lines spell out something I won't write here (it begins with an "F" and ends with a "you"). Enter Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward, who seems to think it's funny to proclaim something about "fags" at the end of that video. But it's not clear what they're saying. Are they using that term to insult people who rely on grenades? Are they showing their solidarity with gay players? Are they hoping to join some sort of coded pile-on against the California state assembly? Or are they just like a bunch of children giggling because they said a bad word?
Whatever their motivation, they got called out for it over the weekend. So community manager Robert Bowling used his Tweet account to point out that he thinks calling out "fags" is too far from the core joke.I agree. I think the core gag is great, the end is a bit too far from the intent of the joke & can appreciate the concerns. Pulled.
Not "inappropriate", not "tasteless", not "offensive". Not even "an error". Just "too far from the intent of the joke". As if slapping some sort of coded reference to fags would be fine so long as it was on a viral video that was already making a joke about gays. Bowling might as well have taken a cue from the California governor's office and just played coy.
Of course, pulling a viral video is like closing the doors of a barn once the horses have all left.
By Thrishmal at 3:34 PM ON 11/02/09
That video is full of win. As for the fags thing, I don't think it really matters. I think the people it was aimed at got the joke and really that is all that matters.
By Anonymous at 4:10 PM ON 11/02/09
good god i hate political correctness, i think its pretty funny. its a ripoff joke from team america, the Film Actors Guild, FAGs.
By Neuromancer at 4:27 PM ON 11/02/09
I agree with the above 2 commenters. Personally I don't feel there are enough anti-gay ephithets in current video game advertising.
By the dude at 5:05 PM ON 11/02/09
you hear "fag" all the time on the internet and on game mics, i don't see what the hub bub is all about. you know that infinity ward obviously has nothing against homosexuality, don't make mountains out of mole hills. i thought it was great and showed what many gamers feel when playing cod or for that matter any other game with grenades (valve caught on and pulled them out of tf2 all together)
By Cubit at 5:57 PM ON 11/02/09
^ I'm so glad the internet is tolerant of casual gay slurs. You people are so full of win. Hell, might as well throw in a couple niggers and chinks as well, amirite?!
By josh m at 6:12 PM ON 11/02/09
baaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Pretty much every homosexual I socialize with uses the word fag more than most 13 year old gamers and wouldn't be offended by this.
It seems the people that are most offended by some slur are the ones it doesn't even effect.
It's the same people that bitch about it are the people moving into low income neighborhoods and then complaining about all the gentrification.
By Neuromancer at 9:00 PM ON 11/02/09
I would just like to add that I would in no way expect more tact and sensitivity from one of the premier video game developers in the world, than the average 14 year old bigot on Xbox Live. Also if gay people say "fag," then that means it's totally OK. This is why I use the term "nigger" so much during my daily activities- at home, and at the office.
By Anon at 10:14 PM ON 11/02/09
I'm not offended by this, therefore no one else has the right to be offended by it.
By Bahimion at 11:00 PM ON 11/02/09
@thedude: "you hear "fag" all the time on the internet and on game mics,"
Perhaps you do. And that's a problem.
By Rob Zacny at 8:28 AM ON 11/03/09
Every time someone points out the casual bigotry that surrounds us, a bunch of "reasonable" people descend from the mountain to teach us about the evils of political correctness. It's getting so that nobody can say anything, and these communities say use far more offensive language amongst themselves, so we should all just lay off.
Which is just to say that empathy and understanding are in short supply, and wisdom is ever more scarce. "Political correctness" is an easy concept to deride until you realize that should be a basic courtesy shown to those who are different in some fashion. It doesn't matter if homosexuals call each other fag (many of them don't, by the way, and dislike hearing the word from straights or gays). What matters is that it's a loaded word, and using it as a casual slur is implicitly endorsing the sentiments behind it.
You call someone a fag, you're implicitly saying that homosexuality makes someone a lesser person. You may not want to say that, but that's the baggage the word brings with it. When a company uses the word as the punchline to a weak joke about online multiplayer, where prejudice is embarrassingly prevalent, it's even worse. It's pandering to the ignorant, the bigoted, and the privileged.
So it is inappropriate, and if you think it's funny or if you think this video has been the victim of the PC police, then I have news for you: you're not one of the good guys on this issue.
By Joshua at 11:53 AM ON 11/03/09
Kotaku was a gold mine of stupidity on this, but I guess you can say that about any topic.
One guy actually said that it's okay because they were using "fag" as a putdown in the same way people use "gay" as "lame"... like that makes it okay.
A few other people pointed out that a similar acronym was used in Team America World Police, like Infinity Ward is in the business of pissing off people in the same way Stone & Parker are.
Pathetic.
By Marty B. at 12:02 PM ON 11/03/09
Well said, Rob. The tag at the end also wastes what I saw as an awesome Cole Hamels comeuppance for Game 4.
Of course no one seems to get all bent out of shape over the use of "pussy" as a pejorative in the main joke, you know, because that's how gamers and ballplayers talk.
By josh m at 2:10 PM ON 11/03/09
Again... the only people bitching are the ones it doesn't affect.
By Lord Shitzu at 2:31 PM ON 11/03/09
Of course, if you're not gay, you should just shut up and ignore other people gay-bashing, "it doesn't affect you" and is "none of your business."
What a bunch of bullshit. And your argument that gay people you know use it means nothing, like someone pointed out, there's a big difference between black people using the word "nigger" amongst their friends, and white people using it.
By Lord Shitzu at 2:31 PM ON 11/03/09
Of course, if you're not gay, you should just shut up and ignore other people gay-bashing, "it doesn't affect you" and is "none of your business."
What a bunch of crap. And your argument that gay people you know use it means nothing, like someone pointed out, there's a big difference between black people using the word "nigger" amongst their friends, and white people using it.
By FoxyBoxy at 10:27 PM ON 11/05/09
And about the "if you're not gay, you should just shut up and ignore other people gay-bashing, "it doesn't affect you" and is "none of your business."" I agree with Lord Shitzu. WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP.
That's like witnessing a man stab a little girl, and not doing anything about it because "it doesn't affect you" or because she's "not related to you".
Grow a heart, people.
By Mi'kmaq at 3:17 PM ON 11/06/09
I didnt see one word or allusion to gay people in that video so why dont you take a slack jack with those 'homophobic' statement.
By anonymous at 2:54 PM ON 11/14/09
@Mi'kmaq: Fight Against Grenade Spam. FAGS.
By Immortal Ping at 9:59 AM ON 11/15/09
By jrrwired at 10:56 AM ON 11/15/09
Only an idiot would believe that was attached by mistake.
By Anonymous at 4:05 PM ON 11/18/09
I feel like Infinity Ward should be more sensitive to obnoxious Harley-Davidson riders!!!
Anonymous:
I feel like Infinity Ward should be more sensitive to obnoxious Harley-Davidson riders!!!...More »