Critical Miss: An Appeal

[taltamir]

An Appeal
But what about that air force symbol... and um... Buddhists.

This is not a Swastika.

Spoiler: This is.

The real Nazis used both versions of the Swastika, as long as it "turns" clockwise it doesn't matter if you tilt it 45° or not.
I don't get why people want to make a distinction between those two, they are the same symbol used by the same people. Which is also why both get banned.

The original Buddhist Swastika on the other hand turns counter-clockwise.
Also, all of them are Swastikas, it doesn't matter who used them or how you arrange them.

You raise some good point, it is worth mentioning that ancient (and I mean REALLY ancient) swastika symbols appeared in both clockwise and counterclockwise fashion. And yes, tilted and untilted.
however, the tilted non stylized clockwise black sastika on a white circle in a red square was the nazi flag. That combination is quite distinct.

I would say it really has to do with context. But:
1. its entirely microsoft's decision.
2. it will indeed be bad press to allow it.
3. the xbox live is really not the place to "take it back" (if you even have an inclination to do so)

 

[Warachia]

Fuck you. Just... Fuck you. There are certain things you should never make fun of or parody, you don't parody them out of a certain amount of respect, you realize that it will be offensive and you understand why the measures were enforced. This is just fucking stupid, insulting, offensive and a new low. You have singlehandedly brought the average maturity and respectability of gamers and escapists, and I hope your're proud.

 

[The Wooster]

Fuck you. Just... Fuck you. There are certain things you should never make fun of or parody, you don't parody them out of a certain amount of respect, you realize that it will be offensive and you understand why the measures were enforced. This is just fucking stupid, insulting, offensive and a new low. You have singlehandedly brought the average maturity and respectability of gamers and escapists, and I hope your're proud.

Sorry could to repeat that? Mel Brooks couldn't hear you.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

"""So, your assertion that "no one else will [laugh]" has failed"""

how did it fail?

Eh, I went back and read all your posts, so I have a clearer reference here.

Just because you CAN laugh at something doesn't mean you SHOULD. Imagine if your dog died, and someone stood of to the side and laughed while pointing for an hour. Would you be good with that?

Hyperbole is a fairly vital part of satire. Obviously being banned is not the same thing as being murdered so drawing a connecting between the two tangentially through a similar phrasing as a famous poem makes the entire thing absurd from the start. It seeks to highlight the absurdity of the complaints that "being a douche bag has repercussions and that's not fair" that are abound every time some group of people is banned for participating in douchebaggery.

 

[lacktheknack]

"""So, your assertion that "no one else will [laugh]" has failed"""

how did it fail?

Eh, I went back and read all your posts, so I have a clearer reference here.

Just because you CAN laugh at something doesn't mean you SHOULD. Imagine if your dog died, and someone stood of to the side and laughed while pointing for an hour. Would you be good with that?

Hyperbole is a fairly vital part of satire. Obviously being banned is not the same thing as being murdered so drawing a connecting between the two tangentially through a similar phrasing as a famous poem makes the entire thing absurd from the start. It seeks to highlight the absurdity of the complaints that "being a douche bag has repercussions and that's not fair" that are abound every time some group of people is banned for participating in douchebaggery.

No, I liked the comic. I understand the satire and ridiculousness of drawing a line between troll bans and concentration camps.

What the guy I was quoting was saying, though, is that people laugh at swastikas, and that's why they shouldn't be banned. That's silly.

 

[Daffy F]

Yes, in my own Scottish way.

Unless your entire comment was sarcastic in a way to mimic the comic, ie. that you felt the ban was stupid and a breach of people's rights.

Thanks, and no I wasn't being sarcastic. It's important to understand why other people are offended by things. Are people really so stuck on the idea that they should be allowed to do what they want with their emblem, that they're willing to seriously offend a whole country? It's really fucking rude.

 

[Denamic]

You get banned for offending people.
Think about that for a moment.

 

[dmcc85]

what is a swastika?

go to wikipedia, type it swastika. it is that simple.

no i WONT!
just tell me da***t!
:-D

 

[Warachia]

Fuck you. Just... Fuck you. There are certain things you should never make fun of or parody, you don't parody them out of a certain amount of respect, you realize that it will be offensive and you understand why the measures were enforced. This is just fucking stupid, insulting, offensive and a new low. You have singlehandedly brought the average maturity and respectability of gamers and escapists, and I hope your're proud.

Sorry could to repeat that? Mel Brooks couldn't hear you.

oh, I'm sorry, I guess that completely justifies everything in the webcomic.

What does it matter if another person does several things offensively, according to you logic, I could make a joke about gamers who swear being put into gas chambers and when people go after me for it say "you should've told that to hitler". This isn't so much of deliberatly being offensive (although that it is) it's hipocritical. You look at one side of the issue, attack it, knowing full well there is a good reason for it being there in the first place, and expect everyone to go along. Haven't we been trying to prevent the media from doing that to these things we call games? Haven't we been trying to prevent lines drawn from games to deviant behavior? This comic is offensive not only because of what it horribly parodies (even on it's own merits there is no end joke) but also because it destroys what we are working towards as an end goal, and drags down the image of the escapist as a whole. I know that you are better than this, you've shown that in the past, and I honestly can't figure out why you thought this would be funny.

 

[Muphin_Mann]

i personally have no issue with the swastika bans on xbox.

thats cuz you dont have fun doign it...
when people like you are givin authority, shit like weed and pedophelia(14+) get outlawed

Dear god! What horrible world do we live in where grown men can no lunger boff preteen girls?!


When people who have a problem with Nazi propaganda are given power, Nazi propaganda gets banned. Thats really all you can be sure of. Certainly i dont have a problem with weed in any inherent way, but i dont like people running around with swastika's. As for your other contradictory statement (pedophelia by medical definition would have to be girls UNDER the point of adolecence) I imagine it runs all across the boards. Their may well be nazi's who dont want people to have sex with young girls and boys. You really cant generalize "dislikes swastika" to "dislikes weed" to "dislikes hebephilia" to "dislikes pedophelia" all in one jump.

what is a swastika?

It's a flag with a black spider on it. *swoosh*

It is a nazi propaganda symbol to the minds of most people. A cross with its ends bent at right angles essentially. Nazi's bend them to the right. The symbol has other meanings that are much more benign in ancient religious context. All of them are currently banned but if you see one that is black on white on red with a right faceing it is almost certainly intended as representative of the Nazi party.