You Damn Commies « Broken Toys

14Nov/07Off

You Damn Commies

Via Jeff Freeman, "everyone in the gaming industry is a social liberal". (Crap, I missed the memo.)

Right now, for example, Bioware-Austin is hiring junior-level writers. I'm thinking about applying, because I have a lot of respect for Bioware's consistent blend of strong action and strong stories. But I've read interviews lately in which the guys at Bioware-Canada (who are above Austin in the chain of command, I assume) say the only reason they didn't write a homosexual romance story for Mass Effect is that they were constrained by time. As a faithful Catholic, I'd have to refuse if someone asked me to write a story condoning homosexual behavior (which is different than homosexual impulses). If it came to that, I wouldn't be surprised if I was fired. Even if I wouldn't be expected to write such a story, though, could I choose to be a part of an artistic work which includes advocacy against my own conscience?

Because, clearly, the only way that alternate viewpoints will ever make their way into the entertainment industry is to remain on the sidelines, pure and unsullied, lest you have to actually interact with people you disagree with politically. Then, free of unclean impulses and impure thoughts, you can, indie-style, make your own brave statement.

I eagerly await the Democratic surge of 2008, so conservatives will be forced to regroup in the wilderness out of power and, among many other things, stop being so goddamned whiny.

Filed under: Politics, _ Comments Off

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Caya
November 16th, 2007 - 07:58

Artheos, ‘tolerance’ is ‘you live your life, I live mine’. Meaning ‘you stay the hell out of mine’. The moment you want to mess with someone else’s sexual life you are no longer tolerant and thereby lost the right to expect tolerance in return. And I won’t even start to comment on your equating psychopaths with homos.

Oh, and Amber, Sanya, you rock, if I haven’t said so before .
William Newman
November 16th, 2007 - 09:13

Caya wrote: “Artheos, ‘tolerance’ is ‘you live your life, I live mine’. Meaning ‘you stay the hell out of mine’. The moment you want to mess with someone else’s sexual life you are no longer tolerant and thereby lost the right to expect tolerance in return.”

I hope you believe in such ‘you live your life, I live mine’ tolerance consistently. As in, even for behavior that you find disturbing, not just selectively for behavior that you basically approve of anyway for reasons of taste. (E.g., approve at least at casual levels like “hmm, big gay community there? I bet I’d like living there.”) Tolerance of things they like comes easily to most people, right and left alike.:-| But do you apply your ‘you live your life, I live mine’ principle to prostitution, and to selling and buying kidneys for transplant? If so, cool.
J.
November 16th, 2007 - 12:20

Yes, you have to draw the line somewhere. I draw it at behavior that hurts no one and isn’t forced on me or anyone else. Beyond that, yes, discrimination is appropriate.

But you sound like a jerk, William, so you can go screw in my book.

By the way, Singapore lifted its ban on hot blue alien lesbian action. And yes, this is a video of the encounter.
William Newman
November 16th, 2007 - 14:58

J: Some would say I’m a jerk 24/7. Everyone would say that this is a subject that I’m generally grouchy about.

On the kidney issue alone, I am not particularly troubled by the idea of selling organs, and people are sickening and dying at a rate that I believe would be significantly reduced by legalizing paying for organs, and it makes me really irate. Beyond that, I am troubled by any number of vice-related activities, but I am much more troubled that we’re still jailing people for many of them, and that makes me irate too.

Also, if there’s any chance I might be right that people have been arguing by Macaulay’s standard with the occasional dollop of sneering sarcasm on top, consider how easy it is to address such an argument in a charming diplomatic feather-smoothing way. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it done.

“Buggre Alle this for a Larke. I amme so sick to mye Hart of typefettinge. Master Biltonn if no Gentelmann, and Master Scagges noe more than a tighte fisted Southwarke Knobbefticke. I telle you, onne a daye laike thif Ennywone withe half an oz. of Sense shoulde bee oute in the Sunneshain, ane nott Stucke here alle the liuelong daie inn thif mowldey olde By-Our-Lady Workefhoppe.” — an early knowledge worker, quoted by Gaiman and Pratchett in _Good Omens_
JuJutsu
November 16th, 2007 - 16:08

“Also, if there’s any chance I might be right that people have been arguing by Macaulay’s standard with the occasional dollop of sneering sarcasm on top, consider how easy it is to address such an argument in a charming diplomatic feather-smoothing way. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it done.”

This is the internet, don’t hold your breath. Expect everyone to post like J.
Viz
November 18th, 2007 - 04:28

“I eagerly await the Democratic surge of 2008, so conservatives will be forced to regroup in the wilderness out of power and, among many other things, stop being so goddamned whiny.”

It didn’t work for the Democrats, so why do you think it will do it for Republicans?
kfsone
November 20th, 2007 - 05:48

Careful what you wish for, Scott. By 2012 Communist Workers will own so much of the gold in WoW and EQ2 that China will simply trade Hillary America for her level 120 steed and we’ll spend 40 years living under communist rule before WoW gold finally devalues below real world currency again and Great Britain once again conquers the collonies and the world is finally at peace under the rule of Queen William.
Morgan Ramsay
November 21st, 2007 - 01:04

Whether certain subject matter in entertainment offends your sensibilities should be irrelevant to your employment options. All entertainment, even entertainment that pushes certain messages, fosters discussion. The conversation is where the message evolves, devolves or spawns new messages. If defending or advocating your beliefs is important, the conversation is where you should focus your efforts.

My advice: work in companies developing products with which you have qualms. As an insider, you at least have a chance to make a stand. If you’re unsuccessful there, then your work still eventually contributes to the conversation, which should be viewed as an opportunity for communicating your point of view and disseminating your message.
No.6
November 28th, 2007 - 12:05

I think some have a good point in that if one chooses to make a stand about writing about homosexuality, one should be consistent and refuse to write positively about heterosexual sex outside of marriage, too.

A bit of a side-track: “tolerance” does not mean “allowing others’ opinions to squelch one’s own.” Just because X, a man, —-s men, does not mean that my negative opinion of their choice to indulge that urge is invalid. People make value judgements about others’ choices every day. One person criticizes others’ choice of an SUV as vehicle; another rails about smokers. Nobody seems to think twice about tolerance before trashing Christians (probably because Christians don’t tend to riot or cut throats when offended). *cough*

But, say some, homosexuality is a genetic trait. Well the inclination towards it might be (or might not, it’s very much undetermined), but hey, lots of people are born with addictive personalities and nobody says to the alcoholic, “oh, that’s ok, you’re an alkie, so here’s another fifth. Cheers!” Another is born with pedophiliac urges but we don’t condone it if he acts on them. So not even all inborn tendencies are tolerated and certainly not celebrated, even if they affect nobody but the person himself.

Anyway Christians tolerate homosexuality very well. We voice our opinion. Tolerate it. An example of intolerance can be readily seen over in Iran where they deny there are homosexuals, or in Saudi Arabia where they stone them.

Speaking of terms of use: the old definitions of ‘liberal’ as ‘expanding freedom’ and ‘conservative’ as ‘reactionary’ are long-dead, perished in the ’50s. What has been used above as ‘liberal’ is called ‘classical liberalism’ and what carries the ‘progressive’ or ‘liberal’ name now is merely soclalism, the accretion of power to the State and away from the individual. “Conservative” at least in the U.S. is a fractured name with “social conservatives” and “neo-conservatives” and “paleo-conservatives,” libertarians and many other varieties all fighting bitterly to define the word their way. (Thus the current crop of GOP candidates)

As for writing, I think a writer ought to be willing to write about anything, or else he’s going to be very limited in where he can work. That’s not to say the writer can’t use his values and opinions. OTOH if the assignment is “write about and express it as a positive experience” then, well, there are other jobs. Strong moralists are probably not a good fit as scriptwriters for Rockstar games. Readers’ Digest is not likely to publish any amusing anecdotes about the festival experience from Wiccan writers.