Is this racist?

[The_ModeRazor]

No.
Whenever I play online, and people on my team talk in some language I don't know, I tell them to switch to English.
And I am Hungarian.

 

[Redratson]

Hmmm... maybe not racist, seeing as it has little to nothing to do with race, but just picking on people who don't know a common language.
Not so different from French-speaking only servers, or Spanish, Russian, or any other.
People just like to have people who they can speak to, or at least think that they might understand their insults.

Prrreeeeety sure Racism isn't just about race, it's about the color of your skin (race) religion and the country you come from and I could have sworn it was language too

No its prejudice sir, racism, in my opinion, is about race hench it is called racism. And its not racist at all if it is a certain kind of language. Now if it had said "no blacks allowed" , God knows why that would be on a game server, then sure totally agree with it being racist.

 

[Geekosaurus]

I love how anything that might offend a certain type of person is branded immediately as racist. Racism is a pretty specific type of prejudice yet it gets applied to everything.

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

i read the OP, then immediately searched the thread for a response written in a different language.

I did not find one, i am disappoint.

Anyway, if they're speaking a different language on the english speaking server then no one will understand them anyway.

If i'm playing on a different language server i just don't say anything usually (though i never like using my mic anyway), so i suppose same goes for people coming onto an english server.

You can't communicate anyway, so all you're doing is spamming if no one understands you.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

No, no it isn't. A common language is useful if you want to talk to people on the server. English only servers aren't racist.

Besides, The Escapist is English language only. You callin' this place racist, foo?

 

[MgsTheFury]

No, not at all.

 

[nick_knack]

You're worried about online servers suppressing freedom of speech - freedom to be a tool - online?

I think they have that covered already.

Plus, how are supposed to moderate on someone if neither of you understands the other?

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

I'm sure we've all seen online servers that say "Speak English or you will be kicked" or "English only" This to me seems racist because it takes away freedom of speech (or SOME right I'm sure, not that online people care about your rights) so do you think this is racist? Even a little?

Yeah but that's not really impending on someone's right to free speech, really...

 

[XJ-0461]

Demanding that everything must be in english could be kinda racist, but I don't see any problems with asking politely for stuff to be in english.

 

[Jester00]

No, not at all.

Language is a tool and to want all players to be able to communicate with each other. I don't think it has anything to do with racism.

What he said.

what they said. i am not racist, but i cringe when i have to call India-based tech support services, simply because between their thick accents and my partial hearing loss, i cannot understand a word they are saying. do i have a problem with people from India? not at all. but if i am trying to communicate, and can't do so, it's a problem. (the preceding is an illustration; i realize we're talking entire different languages, not accents, but i'm pointing out that the issue is communication, not race/nationality/ethnicity)

i'm soo happy nobody speaks german aside from germans.
...
what they said.

 

[DuplicateValue]

Prrreeeeety sure Racism isn't just about race, it's about the color of your skin (race) religion and the country you come from and I could have sworn it was language too

Racism is purely about your race - it's sort of the namesake, in case you didn't notice.
The colour of your skin is an indication of race, as people of the same race tend to have the same skin colour.

Everything else is just other types of discrimination - religious discrimination, sexism, etc.

 

[jamradar]

Language has nothing to do with racism.
Just imagine if people on this site were speaking different languages a lot people wouldn't know what people were saying.

 

[Xanadu84]

I see the concern, but the issue is not a dislike of non-english speakers. It's that if you don't speak English, you are not physically capable of communicating with your team, the mods, etc. If you kicked someone with an accent, that would have a tinge of racism to it, but not allowing someone into a game filled with communication and teamwork because they can't communicate is not racist. It's practical.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

Prrreeeeety sure Racism isn't just about race, it's about the color of your skin (race) religion and the country you come from and I could have sworn it was language too

Racism is purely about your race - it's sort of the namesake, in case you didn't notice.
The colour of your skin is an indication of race, as people of the same race tend to have the same skin colour.

Everything else is just other types of discrimination - religious discrimination, sexism, etc.

yeah someone once told me (maybe in a class or something) that racism doesn't discriminate....or maybe that was a quote im thinking of.....well they said that racism is religion, skin, and country of origin

 

[Johnny Reb]

well i don't speak Portuguese or Spanish or French and neither does anyone i know on my TW server. so how am i suppose to play with some dude who doesn't speak the same language as the rest of us? just go to the server where they speak your language and it'll all be gravy.

 

[Acier]

Discrimination=/= Rascism, and in this case it is appropriate discrimination

 

[guardian001]

This to me seems racist because it takes away freedom of speech

I don't think you understand what freedom of speech is (or racism, for that matter...)
Freedom of speech is the concept that the government can't censor your ability to say things. Private entities can do whatever the fuck they want (Likewise, freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say whatever you want without fear of retaliation from private entities or citizens.)

An English speaking server host has every right to say "English only," just as a German server host has every right to say "German Only."