Does anyone else find Bioshock Infinite's propaganda posters offensive?

[RelexCryo]

The purpose of Columbia, the flying city in Bioshock Infinite, is to show the greatness Jeffersonian Democracy can achieve, which is an interesting idea, but the propaganda posters scattered around the city misrepresents it's values. Here's the main culprit:

Spoiler

First off most of the United States founders were Freemasons or at least approved of Freemason beliefes, and for the most part Deists. Freemasonry encouraged equality among all groups of people no matter their backround or religion, so having a picture of a founder refusing people entrance into the US simply because they're foreign as well as holding Christianity up as the prefered religion misrepresents American values, both in the 1700s and 1900s.
And to further examplify my point I want to refer to the poem "The New Colossus" which was written in 1883, a point in time very close to when Infinite takes place (basically the guilded age), and was engraved on the Statue of Liberty (which was pretty much a huge welcome sign to foreigners) in 1903.


Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Now take another look at that propaganda poster, does it really represent American views or values? It obviously dosen't, infact it's an insult. It's a perversion of what the US really did stand for. I can understand making a modern political commentary about immigration even if I don't agree with the stance; just don't act like it's our founder's fault.


I also want to point out how inconsistant an idea it is to have a flying city designed to show off and encourage Jeffersonian Democracy to other nations around the globe, but have posters telling those people they're cretans and to stay out. Columbia might as well be a giant flying middle finger.. and posters like this certainly dosn't help:

Spoiler

I understand there was a eugenics movement in the United States some time in the 20s, but it's purpose was to breed out the crippled and mentally ill, basically burdens of the state, not promote a particular race; that was just the Nazies. So once again the game is wrongly portraying the US as racist.

I know the US has been involved in some questionable activities both today and through out history, but to miscontrue us as total bad guys and disregard the strides in equality and humanity America has made is just looking at things in black and white and if anything, it's a sign that the creators of this game are victims of anti-American propaganda themselves.

I agree, it's why I won't be buying this game. Too many Liberals in America have a tendency to ludicrously exaggerate their portrayal of Conservatives into Nazi like Strawmen. I am moderate, and even I am just outright disgusted by how people like Ken Levine tend to portray traditional America and the Average American. It is a problem throughout many fanchises. Marvel comics entire X-men franchise basically runs on the concept that the average American is stupid and bigoted.

You appear to be taking a game premise personally. Bioshock games are supposed to take political concepts to an exaggerated extreme to illustrate how destructive they can be in excess. Infinite isn't saying America is like that, it's giving a vision of what a city could be like if the stereotype you so despise was taken to its extreme.

It's also worth remembering that, if I remember correctly, the game won't just feature exaggerated right-wing racists. The other enemy faction consists consists of a bloody and mindless workers' revolution, so your hated 'Liberals' are hardly immune form criticism themselves.

I am moderate. There is behaviour in both liberals and conservatives I dislike. That said, I was not aware that this game would criticize both extremes. Thank you for telling me.

 

[RelexCryo]

It is a problem throughout many fanchises. Marvel comics entire X-men franchise basically runs on the concept that the average American is stupid and bigoted.

The average human is stupid and bigoted. America is just a popular setting for fiction. And it's a very diverse country, so there's always opportunity for racism.

Doesn't change the fact that eugenics was huge in America pre-WW2. In fact, a lot of Americans (and Europeans) agreed with Hitler's points of view. The reason war broke out was because Hitler was invading other countries, not to stop his evil reign of terror and prevent his Final Solution.

That's not really a political liberal vs conservative thing, that's just history.

A) As the O.P. pointed out, the eugenics had to do with mental retardation, not race.

B) The average American is not bigoted or stupid.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

I always felt that the political/philosophical criticism/satire in Bioshock was always ham fisted, forced, and sledgehammered in. Down to being as stupidly obvious as Andrew Ryan being an anagram for "WE R AYN RAND", I just can't take Bioshock seriously with its clumsy writing personally, I don't expect you to take it seriously either, and as such, not take offence.

 

[42]

i think you're reading into it too much. It is just a game. Nothing more nothing less.

 

[MaxwellEdison]

...Sorry, but I think you need to take a look at social attitudes in the time period this takes place in, because you're missing the point. A lot.

EDIT: Just to your point about how inconsistent their stance is, can you seriously not see their point about America trying to change the world to fit it while also hating immigration? For good examples nearest this time period, America basically forced Japan to trade with it, and around the same time, created a little thing called the "Chinese Exclusion Act." America has a long history of this type of attitude carrying on in certain groups.

 

[Lt. Vinciti]

I...in fact...am very offended!

Gather around so we may sue them!

I was offended I demand compensation!

How dare they point out some of the tidbits and flawed history of such a pure innocent country as sweet apple pie,baseball playing,and virginesque as the United States of America!

 

[Robert Ewing]

Infinite is going for a certain look and feel that surely represents racist America. I wouldn't say the game is racist, just the setting. And I think that's good, it sets the tone very well.

 

[bob-2000]

I know the US has been involved in some questionable activities both today and through out history, but to miscontrue us as total bad guys and disregard the strides in equality and humanity America has made is just looking at things in black and white and if anything, it's a sign that the creators of this game are victims of anti-American propaganda themselves.

Its not making it seem as though the US was pure evil. Columbia was a triumph of American engineering, yet it had some really horrible, oppressive sides. That is a pretty honest representation of America at the time.

 

[Stilkon]

Which part of "Columbia was made to show the best of the American experiment, but went horribly wrong" did you not understand?

I can't believe this even a thought in someone's head, let alone a fucking thread. The whole point is that its this amazing thing to look at, but in reality is rotten to the core - its also based on political movements at the time. And I hate to break it to you (even though you're missing the point so this is rather irrelevant) but America has tonnes of racism now, let alone 100 years ago.

Pretty much what this guy said. One could argue that this is also a bit of a parody of modern political movements (Tea Party, *cough cough*), but I feel like that might be a bit of a stretch.

EDIT: Also, let us not confuse racism (discrimination of people based on their race/ethnicity) with xenophobia (discrimination of people based on their nationality).

 

[gentleben]

i don't find it insulting. the bioshock games as ive seen it seek to represent a philosophy in each game. the first was objectavism. the second communism, this third one is xenophobism (its a thing) its just the next step, the idea of being afraid of new outsiders for fear they will take what we have worked for....sound familiar? =COU-immigration-GH!!!=...excuse me.

hmm, yes. I guess the theme would be xenophobism, just with an Americana backdrop. I just HATE it when the founders are wrongfully vilified. And just as many people have said, it's satire (I probably should have realized that when I saw that Alpha creature lol).

I guess I'll take a lesson from the poor Russians and learn to grow a thicker hide when I play it.

Wait.

So you're upset because a game makes a group of slave owners appear racist?

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Nope, I am not offended by it because its a fictional storyline in a video game. If you are offended by things in a fictional sense then you should probably go hide under a rock because real life is way too harsh for you.

 

[Micalas]

I'll just leave this here...

Spoiler

 

[NightlyNews]

I understand there was a eugenics movement in the United States some time in the 20s, but it's purpose was to breed out the crippled and mentally ill, basically burdens of the state, not promote a particular race; that was just the Nazies. So once again the game is wrongly portraying the US as racist.

On the contrary I was much more offended by what you wrote here than anything else. Maybe it's a mistake in tone or I'm reading into it too much, but it sounds like your advocating eugenics as long as it's only attacking the physically and mentally handicapped.

That's uh ... really fucking ignorant. Not to mention the entire point eugenics doesn't make sense from a objective "advance society at any cost" point of view is it simply doesn't work. Removing the ability to breed or live of what is considered unsatisfactory for a society may be stopping crucial adaptation that could advance a field or physical form.

 

[icame]

Isn't the whole point to make the city a skewed vision of America?

This, This, and This.

It's not supposed to be of accurate American values. Also, offensive? Hardly.

 

[Super Toast]

SNIP

You need to understand how the posters are supposed to be offensive and wrong. BioShock Infinite is portraying the existence and attitude of a morally skewed city.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

Oh my god guys.. Did any of you see V for Vendetta? They totally misrepresented the UK! Our police have strict guidelines against brutality and yet in the film they totally went around mistreating people and putting black bags over their heads, and they implied that the government is racist! It's an insult, I say, an insult!

No, of course I'm not missing the point. It's totally offensive!

I understand there was a eugenics movement in the United States some time in the 20s, but it's purpose was to breed out the crippled and mentally ill, basically burdens of the state, not promote a particular race; that was just the Nazies. So once again the game is wrongly portraying the US as racist.

Are you fucking kidding me?

It's probably not very clear what that picture represents, but it's basically suggesting that looking like a black person is a sign of hereditary criminality.

.

Hey....If i'm ging to be a bad guuy...Can I be a super villian?

In for a penny, in for a pound right?

 

[Android2137]

You know what would really suck? If some media news outlet actually makes an outrage out of this. If that happens, I will facepalm so hard, I risk mashing my brains.

 

[Imat]

Well quick history of discrimination in the US

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.
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1. Blacks beginning in about 1680 when slavery is officially adopted in all colonies.
2. Women beginning with their arrival in 1619 during which time they could not sue, could not own property, and could not start businesses.

Quick point of clarification here: The US didn't exist during either of these times. You can go ahead and blame this all on Europeans until 1776-1777 (Possibly 1783, depending on whether or not you see the US as a country during the American Revolutionary War), when the US was officially created as an entity separate from the Empire.

And not really, to the OP. It is exactly what I would've expected in a Bioshock city.

 

[Laser Priest]

They're supposed to be.

So they're doing their job, I guess.

 

[Bakuryukun]

I think disjointed and flawed reasoning into political values is what the Bioshock series is all about really. The misrepresentation is probably intentional. I don't see any reason to be offended by it at all.