If you want some examples, compare the images on Ghettopoly to these extremely offensive racist cartoons (warning- really ugly racist words and images). It’s just too close. They could have made the concept without getting that ugly.
Thanks for the link JohnM I didnt get that “white” vibe…but I have never been to an actual store so maybe there is one, or im just being stubborn.
I still stand by what I said tho, unless you are the game maker you truly have no idea why he made this game. IMHO im doubting it was so that whitey can sit in their mansions and make fun of black folk.
Even Sven:
I agree it’s in bad taste. For many people, though, that’s what makes it funny. You say you’re not for banning it, but that it"crosses the line". What line other than your and my own personal bad taste barriers? That’s not something that can be debated. It’s purely a matter of personal preference.
It is protected freedom of speech, end of story.
Actually, my last post should’ve been directed at Zenster as much as at Even Sven.
Zen: How can you consider that this might not be protected speech? Ban this, and you’d have to censor half the stand-up comics in this country. Is that something you’d consider as well?
IMO this is simply yet another unpopular thing which is the whole reason why we have freedom of speech. The stuff everybody likes doesn’t need protection, as is frequently pointed out.
But not “Edna Krabappoly”
**
It isn’t uniqe to urban blacks either. Look at how many jokes people say about poor rural southerners. They’re in-bred, live in trailers, have a hard time keeping teeth, are extremely stupid, and the men are apt to rape campers from the city.
**
Sometimes it really does.
Marc
[url=http://www.newwave.org/minis/thugz/index.html
FYI there are games like Warhammer Fantasy, 40,000, and other more historical games where people paint little metal soldiers and send them to win or die in glorious battles. Somebody thought it would be a nice idea to make a little “urban” style game. Unfortunately these are among the few blacks I’ve seen represented in miniatures games. Maybe this one isn’t as bad as Ghettopoly though.
Marc
Can someone lay down the definitive rules here? Who is allowed to make fun of who?
There are no definitive rules so far as I know. I laugh at some jokes and when I do find something offensive I generally try to cut people some slack.
Marc
What part of:
was unclear?
That part. Maybe I focussed too much on “probably”.
All this, reminded me of an episode of Homey the Clown:
I am doing this quote entirely from memory of In Living Color’s Homey the Clown’s Monopoly game sketch:
"Homey the Clown - Let me teach you Monopoly son! You rolled a 6!
Son- [Moves token, lands in Park Place]
Homey the Clown – (sounding like a cop) What is a black kid like you doing walking around in the rich Park Place neighborhood?
Son - I don’t know!
Homey the Clown - That’s why you go to jail!!!"
I say the game creator has the right to do the games; of course, people who are offended by the game have also the right to say how dumb is that creator.
Daisy Cutter: I think is telling that none of the future targets, for the games he is proposing to do next, is Asian, I would go along with his excuses, if he appeared as an equal opportunity offender.
I agree with that. There should definitely be an Asian monopoly also.
If one is first going to offend people, then don’t discriminate, and leave any group out.
On the other hand, if he was going to include every single group in his games, he’d have to make an awful lot of different variations.
Anyhow, maybe somebody else who isn’t Asian should make an Asianopoly. It would make sense, because outsiders are more likely to include certain things, than somebody else who is of the same culture, where they might omit certain details.
The problem that I have with this, is the creator’s admission that he knows nothing of the culture that he’s “poking fun” at. He doesn’t respect or even understand what he’s talking about. You can look at the way he represents the figures, that he has nothing but contempt for the African-American.
As some posters have said, his caricatures, are the same sort that have been used to denigrate African-Americans for years, why would I treat Mr. Chang any different that I would any of those racists and yes I believe he’s a racist.
A racist for pay, but what else is new?
He claims that his game is helping to remove the blame and bitterness, by allowing African-Americans, “to laugh at themselves…?” Well why didn’t he do an asian verison first? Wouldn’t that make sense, you explore your own culture first, then expand upon others?
He didn’t do that, because he might actually have to question what his real moviation is…instead he picked on the easiest culture in the states to “parody”, I mean the US has like what 400 years of material and images to supply him with. Really hard to do.
That’s my problem with it…ghetto people can’t spell Malcolm X or Dr King…? Please, ever been in Harlem? Any half way decent parody would tell you that the one thing you’ll find in the Ghetto, is a MLK blvd, or Malcolm X Ave.
But as Mr. Chang has never been to such a place, all he can rely on is his racist view of African-Americans…yet he feels he can help these people laugh at themselves…?
Mr. Chang is laughing all the way to the bank. Still, i support his right to do it and the rights of those who want to call him and his product exactly what they all.
Racism.
I wonder if Mr. Chang and his supporter would be offended by my “Chinatown”, if it included as a reward the murdering of female infants? You know, you roll at 7, you get to kill your daughter and try again to have boy…is that funny? Would that be parody?
Or if you’re Pakistani (they’re all the same, right?), you get to murder your wife, because she was raped, or she disobeyed you…? How about this one, draw a funeral prye card and your wife has to go on the flames…funny?
Land on the British Isles and you get to chop off of the limps of British and Austrialians POWs…? Is that funny? Is this satire? Would comics worldwide put that it their act? Would it be funny if Chris Rock, put on slanty glasses, buck teeth and pretened to hack of the arms and legs of captured British soldiers?
Or the child prostitution card…Would that be satire? You know, land on “Bangcock”, you get to have sex with a 10 year boy or girl…for a yankee buck! Is that funny…?
Let’s see, you roll a snake eyes and have to have your grandmother’s feet unwrapped and watch her scream. Or you lose and end up in an camp, lose your rights as a U.S citizen or perhaps you die a slow death from radiation posioning…? All fun and games…hey I’m just trying to help us laugh at each other.
Of course all of the “asians” would look alive, something out of the 1930-40’s with bottle bottom eyeglasses and buck teeth. Whoo, boy I crack myself up…!
And of course the winner gets to have their epicanthal folds removed, a nice tall blonde mate and for course either big american breasts or a big american hunk of manbeef…
But of course ** his asian monopoly ** won’t be that, it’ll be full of cool ninjas and such, with the occasional bad driving or lost laundry ticket tossed in.
But I bet they ALL won’t look like Tojo…everything old is new again…
Everyone is allowed to make fun of everyone else; just don’t get all upset when one of your sacred cows gets turned into hamburger.
After all, the folks who make Ghettopoly could just as easily turn around and produce “Bushopoly” or “Christianopoly” the next time around…
Actually, I think he’s playing off the ghetto culture that movies and videos, coincidentally made by black people, are putting out in the theaters and on MTV.
The stuff that comes out used to be explainable by saying “Hey, it’s where I’m from, it’s where I live”. Now it’s done on purpose. Like Snoop Dogg used to be a pimp. Riiiiiiiiight. He’s playing up a lifestyle for kicks. He dresses like Antonio Fargas in blaxploitation movies and talks about pimpin’ out his hos. Give me a break.
This game is just an example of a guy trying to cash in on stuff that black people have popularized, and he’s vilified because he’s not black. Waaaaaaah. The black community has allowed this to happen to themselves by supporting the current popular stereotypical crap that has been put out in the past few years.
Have at it. You can do or say whatever you want to.
Just don’t tell me that I can’t.
Doesn’t this strike anyone as being like a board version of ‘Grand Theft Auto’? I think that there are loads of other games like this about and the popularity of these games is directley proportional to the amount of outraged groups protesting about them. I wouldn’t like to comment on how ‘racist’ this game is as I haven’t played it (playa’d it maybe?) but it doesn’t seem to bad to me, I think there are worse things to be outraged about and seeing as outrage is what these games want in order to sell their product i’m going to keep quiet.
I love your insight.
So if was to create a “Churchtown” in which the object of the game was to have the “Priest” to rape as many underage boys as possible, you would support me and call any religious people who got upset with me “whinners” right? Waaaaaaah, for them too right?
You would of course remind then that they have allowed this to happen to themselves by supporting and allowing the church to hide and protect predator priests. Right?
You would of course remind them that coincidentally, by going to church or donating to it, they are supporting this type of stereotype to exsit. Right?
I mean with all the Movie Studios, T.V , Publishing Houses and Radio Stations that are owned by African-Americans, you’ll think they would put a stop to this.
If we try to change the way we’re stereoptyped we’re a bunch of hypersensitive whiners. If we accept it and move on with our lives, we’re ‘allowing this to happen’.