Messages

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis w/ M+ bundled in

« on: June 09, 2009, 03:34:11 AM »

So, Eurogamer's review is actual saying "God i suck at this game, must be something wrong with the game and not me being bad at tennis, that can't be, i'm a gamejournalist!"

Much like a lot of bad WiiMusic review really

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General Gaming / Re: Empire: Total War

« on: March 03, 2009, 04:00:47 AM »

Me like Total War too! Only, it's getting a bit stale. You just upgrade your settlements with all the money-making buildings and a few others with the military ones and boom, you win game. I wished they took some ques from the Paradox strategy games and added some actual depth to the overview map.

on the other side, i'm really stoked to see if you can pull of the Swedish tactics which were actually Macedonian tactics (Alexander the Great time) but with guns...and beating the French, there's always some satisfaction in beating that huge big blue blob.

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TalkBack / Re: Accidental Racism

« on: March 03, 2009, 03:41:04 AM »

And to compare the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, and American War of Independence to WWII in terms of cultural relevance is absurd.  We're still chasing war criminals from WWII for crying out loud...the effects are still being felt.  Culturally, all of those other wars now have negligible impact besides their effect on laws, which we aren't even talking about in this discussion.  It's not like people are using slang terms against an ethnic group that were used during the Napoleonic Wars.  Not unless you have a time machine.

It's not absurd in the argument that Jap is still a negative word because of the relevance of the cultural significance of WWII to this day. I countered this by using all those 19th century events because the cultural significance they still have (even laws have cultural significnace because they inderectly determine social norms and cultural behavior). The French Revolution opened the floodgates of democracy in the whole of Europe and later the world...that is less of a cultural significance today then chasing after WWII-criminals? France as a country is so drenched in the values of the French Revolution in such a way that if you mention that Europe is based on christian values to a french person, they will punch you in the face (this is not a attempt to make the discussion religious or political, just an example of the major cultural significiance of the French Revolution to this day).

It's just to show that these negative slurs are constructs to fullfill a certain function for the ones using it. When that function goes away, in the case of Jap, it just becomes a handy abbreviation with no negative meaning whatsoever. Despite so-called significance of WWII to this day (using the chasing of war-criminals and the banning of swastika's in germany is kind of superficial, you should have said the enormous guilt feeling that germans still have today towards WWII). I can imagine that Japanese in Japan don't really care, but that migrant Japanese do (the best patriots of a country don't live in it) as a kind of nationalist reflex.

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TalkBack / Re: Accidental Racism

« on: March 02, 2009, 03:00:08 AM »

The context of WWII is still with us today.  I mean, it's still a relevant context.  We aren't talking about the big band era here.  We're talking about a war that still effects policy and feelings.  Why do you think swastikas are outlawed in Germany?  Because the context of WWII was so powerful that that symbol is still meaningful.  So is the word "Jap" to a lot of people that lived through that.  It doesn't get as much play in the West, that's for sure, but in the East I'm sure it's still a big no-no.

Irrelevant argument, the French Revolution, the American War of Independence or the Napoleonic wars also still have effects on policy to this day. And even bigger then WWII (some European countries still use the Code Napoleon in their city-policy and such, the American constitution has been unaltered to this day). But I don't think the negative slurs then are still being seen as insults now.
Sure don't use the word Jap to a actual japanese you just met, but really, using it in casual talking with friends, it's completely harmless. And there's nothing wrong with being courteous about mentioning "we don't use the word as an insult anymore, it's just a handy abbreviation". Hell, using the word in neutral or even positive connotations is a sign of social acceptance.
Also comparing it to putting other ethnics in the back of the bus is just wrong. That was a forced undemocratic practice, using Jap actually has a neutral function of abbreviation. It's more like file-sharing programs, yeah sure it can do harm (by supporting piracy) if used in that intent but it also has a major neutral and positive function if used as it was meant to be used (sharing free- and shareware).

So in a democratic rational sense, the use of the word jap is just an handy abbrevation as long as that is the intended use. Unless you're a WWII-veteran, that's probably the only use for it. If you get mentioned by a Japanese person that the word is offensive to them, mentioning the neutral function and use should be enough to keep using it as such. Trying to prohibit the neutral use is actually violating the right of free speech in a way.

Now offcourse, you do have a social cultural aspect on the other side and should that be ignored? It is offcourse the emotional irrational laden side and I always believe that if the intent is well explained (the neutral function of abbreviation) that should be that. If you get mad over me then using it in that function, the problem is mostly in your own camp. All that social cultural crap is a layer of varnish anyway that gets reapplied by every passing generation. What type of varnish depends on what functions we need fullfilled by our social cultural behavior.

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General Gaming / Re: Apparently theres a new bannable offense on Xbox Live...

« on: February 26, 2009, 06:57:25 AM »

As a European I can only say...typical american. In Europe this kind of anti-holebi practice is almost unthinkable and goverments will sue you hell the EU will sue you if you ever discriminate holebi's because it's against free market policy (everyone has acces to goods). You see, companies always advocate to work in free markets which abhores that everyone should have acces to your services/products on equal terms with the only criteria being able to pay it. The hypocrsie of these companies comes forth when there is suddenly a huge politcal institution that goes enforcing that. The EU is very strict in that regard, much more-so then the US. Locking out customers who use your service and product the wrong way is legitimate, locking out customers because of their sexual background...big no-no.

I mean, in Europe there quite a lot of kid-shows who's actors have openly admitted homosexuality and none of those countries had any kind of fit about it (maybe a harsh word from the Pope in Italy and also maybe Spain and Poland). If this would happen in the US, you can be certain that some Parent grouping will go bonkers over it.

It seems havng a constitution based on the Enlightement does bring more social acceptance then one with references to a christian-esque deity.