Stop Making Racist Issues

[Arsenioh]

I’ve been playing nationstates for years and I just feel the need to speak about this.

There are some nations on this game that embrace white supremacy and anti-semitism and other discriminatory doctrines. Given these exist in real life, and some peoples’ nations and games are based on realism, I don’t feel it is my place to tell people to stop creating these nations altogether.

However, I will say, please do not submit racist issues. Some issues are very obviously racially coded, and seem to play on harmful racist stereotypes in order to get points across. While some of you may not see the problem with it, the reality is that the nationstates players are a diverse group of people. It is very frustrating to log into a game as an escape from the reality of discrimination and trying to subvert / ignore racial stereotypes, only to have them written as “jokes” to make issues “funnier”.

I haven’t seen this very often — but it has happened more than once. Please consider whether or not your issue plays on racial stereotypes, and if it is absolutely necessary to use racial stereotypes in your issue.

[Perm the Great]

1. Stereotypes didn't come out of nowhere. Yes, they almost always distort the true picture, but nevertheless, they have reasons for their appearance.
2. Why not play as those who really exist? Do you want to ban playing for the Third Reich in WWII games? You want to prohibit playing as anyone other than the most democratic indigenous tribes in games that take place between 7.000 BC and1789 AD?

[USS Monitor]

Characters in issues can be racist because, well, there are some political dilemmas that involve racist people.

If you see any issues where you feel like the narrator or the whole framing of the issue is racist (not just a particular character), please give us some more specific information about which issue it was and what the problem is. We can take a look and see if it's something we want to update.

[Arsenioh]

1. Stereotypes didn't come out of nowhere. Yes, they almost always distort the true picture, but nevertheless, they have reasons for their appearance.
2. Why not play as those who really exist? Do you want to ban playing for the Third Reich in WWII games? You want to prohibit playing as anyone other than the most democratic indigenous tribes in games that take place between 7.000 BC and1789 AD?

I did not advocate for anyone to stop playing as those who already exist.

[Arsenioh]

Characters in issues can be racist because, well, there are some political dilemmas that involve racist people.

If you see any issues where you feel like the narrator or the whole framing of the issue is racist (not just a particular character), please give us some more specific information about which issue it was and what the problem is. We can take a look and see if it's something we want to update.

The issue is called Unreal and it was created by The Petrifying Procrastinations of The Free Joy State and edited by Candlewhisper archive.

Also, would it not be possible to simply create tags for issues that center / emphasize racism? I don’t see why people of color playing the game should be forced to deal with it if they don’t want to.

[Shwe Tu Colony]

The issue is called Unreal and it was created by The Petrifying Procrastinations of The Free Joy State and edited by Candlewhisper archive.

Also, would it not be possible to simply create tags for issues that center / emphasize racism? I don’t see why people of color playing the game should be forced to deal with it if they don’t want to.

I don't see anything racial in "Unreal," did you mean "Minorities Demand Representation In TV Soaps?"

[Y3K Earth]

This sounds like a you problem

[The Trump Country]

Complete the sentence
"Despite being 13% of the population [removed] commit...."

[The Trump Country]

Characters in issues can be racist because, well, there are some political dilemmas that involve racist people.

If you see any issues where you feel like the narrator or the whole framing of the issue is racist (not just a particular character), please give us some more specific information about which issue it was and what the problem is. We can take a look and see if it's something we want to update.

The issue is called Unreal and it was created by The Petrifying Procrastinations of The Free Joy State and edited by Candlewhisper archive.

Also, would it not be possible to simply create tags for issues that center / emphasize racism? I don’t see why people of color playing the game should be forced to deal with it if they don’t want to.

I am brown and I'm laughing at your stupidity right now. Just be done with the "they will have to deal with it" BS. None of us want you a white SJW as our savior(don't know about blacks though).

[Reploid Productions]

Complete the sentence
"Despite being 13% of the population [removed] commit...."

I am brown and I'm laughing at your stupidity right now. Just be done with the "they will have to deal with it" BS. None of us want you a white SJW as our savior(don't know about blacks though).

*** The Trump Country, 1-day ban for trolling/flaming. *** Again, emulating the guy you named your country after will not serve you well here. Acting like the former president is a good way to fast-track yourself to being banned from the site. Review the site rules again, and adjust your conduct accordingly.

[Imperial States of Duotona]

I hate to say this, but racism is very much real. You would, as the leader of a nation, hear the voices of those people who do believe a race is superior or inferior to another. Sometimes politicians agree with that.

Despite most people thinking racism is bad, the game would feel as if something was missing without it.

[DeSanta Peradino]

Read what the Imperial States of Duotona said. They got a good point

[Christian Confederation]

I've been here a good 5/6 years and have not once came across a racist issue. All the issues are is realish events to change your national policies. Sure the topics can get a little close to home or too real but otherwise it's all in good fun, pop culture references and good writing.

[Arsenioh]

I've been here a good 5/6 years and have not once came across a racist issue. All the issues are is realish events to change your national policies. Sure the topics can get a little close to home or too real but otherwise it's all in good fun, pop culture references and good writing.

That has been my experience mostly as well! But I have seen a few that I think reinforce racial stereotypes unnecessarily and inadvertently. I think when the issues themselves are very obviously addressing racism anyway, then it doesn’t have the same harmful effect because all the readers are able to, at the very least, identify the bigotry and everyone has the ability to decide whether they endorse or condone it in their nation. Those are not the issues that I am focusing on. I am speaking about the ones that are inadvertently racist, and, therefore, are simply insensitive with no purpose of enhancing gameplay.

[Arsenioh]

I hate to say this, but racism is very much real. You would, as the leader of a nation, hear the voices of those people who do believe a race is superior or inferior to another. Sometimes politicians agree with that.

Despite most people thinking racism is bad, the game would feel as if something was missing without it.

Racism is definitely real, I agree. I don’t think that racism is a given in “every” world considering race is a social construct and therefore it does not HAVE to exist unless there are white supremacists who MAKE it exist. For example, in my own nation, race does not exist. So racism cannot exist.

Anyway though, I respect the fact that other people, for whatever reason, enjoy keeping racism in their game. I’m only advocating for issues/legislation that is NOT supposed to be about race and racism to be more careful not to reinforce racial stereotypes / be inadvertently racist.

Perhaps, the better question for you to answer so that I can understand you better is: what is the purpose of reinforcing/including racial stereotypes and racism in gameplay if the issue isn’t explicitly about racism? If the issue is about dogs being allowed to bark in a building, for example, what do we gain from having racist stereotypes intertwined in the issue writing?

[Arsenioh]

The issue is called Unreal and it was created by The Petrifying Procrastinations of The Free Joy State and edited by Candlewhisper archive.

Also, would it not be possible to simply create tags for issues that center / emphasize racism? I don’t see why people of color playing the game should be forced to deal with it if they don’t want to.

I don't see anything racial in "Unreal," did you mean "Minorities Demand Representation In TV Soaps?"

“Like my sister Chrissie says: don’t be haters just ‘cuz you ain’t us,” natters Christina Cholmondeley, of popular reality show Crashing Out with the Cholmondeleys, as she flicks her hair. “Reality TV is, like... what’s the word? Not Alsatian... aspirational. We aspire kids to be better than they are. If they’re fat and stupid, we make them want to be pretty and clever, like us. By acting like us, they can hope to be like us. Then they’ll have their own brand of perfume, like Chrissie C’s Pong of Class, which is on sale now, babe. Rather than oppress us, you should show your fans how awesome you are by being on our show... like, lots. Arsenioh needs our brand of style way more than political speeches.”

The issue seems to be racially coded / reinforcing the stereotype of the ghetto Black woman (as depicted on some American reality television shows). There is an (improper) use of Ebonics, and the Ebonics is immediately followed by problems speaking fluent General American English. There is also the (random) use of “oppress” which seems to reminiscent of when trolls/conservatives make fun of leftists/Black people for “saying that everything is oppressive”.


I am not sure which part of the issue you linked is racist. Care to elaborate?

[Arsenioh]

Read what the Imperial States of Duotona said. They got a good point

They did! Please refer to my response to them.

[USS Monitor]

I don't see anything racial in "Unreal," did you mean "Minorities Demand Representation In TV Soaps?"

“Like my sister Chrissie says: don’t be haters just ‘cuz you ain’t us,” natters Christina Cholmondeley, of popular reality show Crashing Out with the Cholmondeleys, as she flicks her hair. “Reality TV is, like... what’s the word? Not Alsatian... aspirational. We aspire kids to be better than they are. If they’re fat and stupid, we make them want to be pretty and clever, like us. By acting like us, they can hope to be like us. Then they’ll have their own brand of perfume, like Chrissie C’s Pong of Class, which is on sale now, babe. Rather than oppress us, you should show your fans how awesome you are by being on our show... like, lots. Arsenioh needs our brand of style way more than political speeches.”

The issue seems to be racially coded / reinforcing the stereotype of the ghetto Black woman (as depicted on some American reality television shows). There is an (improper) use of Ebonics, and the Ebonics is immediately followed by problems speaking fluent General American English. There is also the (random) use of “oppress” which seems to reminiscent of when trolls/conservatives make fun of leftists/Black people for “saying that everything is oppressive”.


I am not sure which part of the issue you linked is racist. Care to elaborate?

She's supposed to be a Kardashian.

[Arsenioh]

“Like my sister Chrissie says: don’t be haters just ‘cuz you ain’t us,” natters Christina Cholmondeley, of popular reality show Crashing Out with the Cholmondeleys, as she flicks her hair. “Reality TV is, like... what’s the word? Not Alsatian... aspirational. We aspire kids to be better than they are. If they’re fat and stupid, we make them want to be pretty and clever, like us. By acting like us, they can hope to be like us. Then they’ll have their own brand of perfume, like Chrissie C’s Pong of Class, which is on sale now, babe. Rather than oppress us, you should show your fans how awesome you are by being on our show... like, lots. Arsenioh needs our brand of style way more than political speeches.”

The issue seems to be racially coded / reinforcing the stereotype of the ghetto Black woman (as depicted on some American reality television shows). There is an (improper) use of Ebonics, and the Ebonics is immediately followed by problems speaking fluent General American English. There is also the (random) use of “oppress” which seems to reminiscent of when trolls/conservatives make fun of leftists/Black people for “saying that everything is oppressive”.


I am not sure which part of the issue you linked is racist. Care to elaborate?

She's supposed to be a Kardashian.

Do you think that that could have been communicated better? Like, what was the purpose of the Ebonics?

[Ankuran]

She's supposed to be a Kardashian.

Do you think that that could have been communicated better? Like, what was the purpose of the Ebonics?

I also immediately understood she was supposed to be a Kardashian, so this might just be a "you" issue as someone else said. There's even a parody of Keeping Up with the Kardashians in the very first line (Crashing Out with the Cholmondeleys).

[All Wild Things]

“Like my sister Chrissie says: don’t be haters just ‘cuz you ain’t us,” natters Christina Cholmondeley, of popular reality show Crashing Out with the Cholmondeleys, as she flicks her hair. “Reality TV is, like... what’s the word? Not Alsatian... aspirational. We aspire kids to be better than they are. If they’re fat and stupid, we make them want to be pretty and clever, like us. By acting like us, they can hope to be like us. Then they’ll have their own brand of perfume, like Chrissie C’s Pong of Class, which is on sale now, babe. Rather than oppress us, you should show your fans how awesome you are by being on our show... like, lots. Arsenioh needs our brand of style way more than political speeches.”

The issue seems to be racially coded / reinforcing the stereotype of the ghetto Black woman (as depicted on some American reality television shows). There is an (improper) use of Ebonics, and the Ebonics is immediately followed by problems speaking fluent General American English. There is also the (random) use of “oppress” which seems to reminiscent of when trolls/conservatives make fun of leftists/Black people for “saying that everything is oppressive”.

That's interesting that you interpret the character that way. I had thought this was supposed to be one of the Kardashians - the TV show name "Crashing Out with the Cholmondeleys" reminded me of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians".
To me, this was reinforced by the character appearing to be stupid, and the way she plugs her sister's perfume brand - at least one of the Kardashians has their own perfume brand.

Edit: Lol! I got ninja'd twice. I'm a slow typer!

[Ikania]

She's supposed to be a Kardashian.

Do you think that that could have been communicated better? Like, what was the purpose of the Ebonics?

"They hate us cuz they ain't us" is from The Interview, released in 2014 and spoken by famous white man James Franco. You just saw a phrase that, to you, read as Ebonics, and so you assumed it was -- it's not. It's actually funny to me that you read that line and, since it kind of sounds like Ebonics to you, concluded that it was actually Ebonics and thus a problem.

[Arsenioh]

“Like my sister Chrissie says: don’t be haters just ‘cuz you ain’t us,” natters Christina Cholmondeley, of popular reality show Crashing Out with the Cholmondeleys, as she flicks her hair. “Reality TV is, like... what’s the word? Not Alsatian... aspirational. We aspire kids to be better than they are. If they’re fat and stupid, we make them want to be pretty and clever, like us. By acting like us, they can hope to be like us. Then they’ll have their own brand of perfume, like Chrissie C’s Pong of Class, which is on sale now, babe. Rather than oppress us, you should show your fans how awesome you are by being on our show... like, lots. Arsenioh needs our brand of style way more than political speeches.”

The issue seems to be racially coded / reinforcing the stereotype of the ghetto Black woman (as depicted on some American reality television shows). There is an (improper) use of Ebonics, and the Ebonics is immediately followed by problems speaking fluent General American English. There is also the (random) use of “oppress” which seems to reminiscent of when trolls/conservatives make fun of leftists/Black people for “saying that everything is oppressive”.

That's interesting that you interpret the character that way. I had thought this was supposed to be one of the Kardashians - the TV show name "Crashing Out with the Cholmondeleys" reminded me of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians".
To me, this was reinforced by the character appearing to be stupid, and the way she plugs her sister's perfume brand - at least one of the Kardashians has their own perfume brand.

Edit: Lol! I got ninja'd twice. I'm a slow typer!

Ah! I see! That is definitely an interesting interpretation too, thank you for making the intent of the issue creator more clear to me. Well I’m honestly glad to hear that my interpretation may just be due to the fact that I have never seen that show! Haha.

[Rick Perry]

The issue is called Unreal and it was created by The Petrifying Procrastinations of The Free Joy State and edited by Candlewhisper archive.

Also, would it not be possible to simply create tags for issues that center / emphasize racism? I don’t see why people of color playing the game should be forced to deal with it if they don’t want to.

I am brown and I'm laughing at your stupidity right now. Just be done with the "they will have to deal with it" BS. None of us want you a white SJW as our savior(don't know about blacks though).

This seems racist ngl

[Arsenioh]

Do you think that that could have been communicated better? Like, what was the purpose of the Ebonics?

"They hate us cuz they ain't us" is from The Interview, released in 2014 and spoken by famous white man James Franco. You just saw a phrase that, to you, read as Ebonics, and so you assumed it was -- it's not. It's actually funny to me that you read that line and, since it kind of sounds like Ebonics to you, concluded that it was actually Ebonics and thus a problem.

I actually agree that the statement that you quoted is not Ebonics.

This is very interesting though. I’m a native speaker of Ebonics, so I interpreted it as poorly written Ebonics. Are you arguing that it is actually a poorly worded “remix” of the original statement that you quoted?