So my post about the racist CEO of S2 Games grabbed the attention of a lot of people in /r/Heroesofnewerth. Unfortunately, the reactionaries had by far the upper hand in the comments, forcing most of my comments to be downvoted to oblivion. The amount of racist and sexist apologia there was stupefying and betrays the classic shitty consistency of the HoN community. Below I’ve gathered some choice comments of the ShitRedditSaid for your enjoyment. I’ve compiled comments from the three threads on the subject. [1], [2], [3]



First of all, the argument that was repeated in some form over 9000 times: “He didn’t really mean it!”

EDIT: I also think maybe it’s worth acknowledging that using a racial slur, and being a racist, are two entirely different things altogether. Using a racial slur in a derogatory way is something entirely dependent upon context, that is, it must be used with intent and directed at somebody who can be demeaned by it, to be an act of hatred. Saying nigger, or kike, or spic, or any of these words, without context, and without this intent, is not a locutionary act worthy of being called a racist act, I think.

Now you know people, feel free to start calling black people “niggers”. If you really really don’t mean that they are an inferior race, it’s OK.

Racist? What has he done to suggest he’s racist? NIGGER NIGGER NIGGER There, I said that, does that automatically mean I think black people are genetically inferior to white people? This is sensationalist bullshit. People on the internet say shit like queer, nigger, fag, cunt, whatever; all the time. It doesn’t mean they’re homophobes, racists, or misogynists.

Ooh, that reminds me…

b.) Are you a minority or something man? I’m Hispanic too, and apparently we were raised differently. Everyone calls us spics and wetbacks all the time dude, they’re just words man. Half of the time, they don’t even mean what they say. Maliken calls this guy a nigger, does he really think that dude’s black? Or has nigger just become another insult in videogames like faggot and cocksucker.

Ah, another topic I need to write about. Apparently some think that because the insult has been trivialised by bigots, it’s not bigoted to use it anymore. And this is so frustratingly common too…

So when fighting the war against racism, fight the war against actual prejudice and actual discrimination. Don’t fight the war against people using words they don’t actually mean… fight a war against people using racist words when they do mean them.

Because, we all know that intent is fucking magic. (Funny trivia, the last comment was an actual response to the post I just linked)

And then, there is the “don’t you have more important things to talk about?” derailment.

As long as they dont fund or support gay bashing or hate crimes then who fucking cares? Chik Fil A funds groups who are anti-gay so I don’t eat there. S2 has an employee who is a nerd rager. Big difference.

Because racism is just about curbstomping PoC (or funding curbstomping groups) amirite?

Besides, the company could be doing much worse things, as I’m sure you know dbzer0. I prefer minor racism from the founder to Valve’s destruction of the concept of owning your games.

The comparison of implicit support for systematic racial oppression with questionable business practices is what really got me.

Precisely! These are the real concerns, not bullshit like him being a racist or homophobe.

That was in reply to someone reminding them that Maliken also abused his powers. That’s the big issue here people, not racism!

That’s true, I guess you and ysondre are both right. Raging is fine, racial slurs..meh internet. But banning someone to cover it up afterwards is just dirty. And I guess you’re right that it does drive people away from S2, and thus the success of S2. Mali’s a lil bitch.

Same as above, but more cringe-worthy (emphasis mine).

There’s the all too favourite: “We’re all racists anyway”

It’s not a false dichotomy. We are all racists in some way, but I don’t shun you because you’re not a perfect person. Obviously Maliken’s behavior is inexcusable in polite society, but out of all the bad things he could be doing, calling someone a few objectionable names in a game famous, rightly or wrongly, for its rage levels, is not really that severe.

Fuck you, speak for yourself.

Everybody on this planet is racist in some minor way or subconsciously, sorry you can’t defy human nature and you weren’t born color blind.

Fuck you, speak for yourself!

Right. So let me ask you this. In the middle of the night would you be more afraid if a black man in a hoodie and sweatpants came walking down a dark alley you were in or a White man/Asian man? Yeah…I thought so.

FUCK YOU, SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!

Of course, many were stumped on why we cared so much about racism.

Some asshole was being a douche so he was trolled by Maliken? Unprofessional but I don’t really care. It’s their game, their servers. Be an asshole in the presence of the developers, what a great idea. It’s like hating a band because the lead singer punched out a drunk that got on stage. As if a single player can have any affect on my overall gaming experience.

Yep, like hating on a band alright…

99% of the HoN community is like this. Why do we care if Maliken does it?

Why indeed.

I’m pretty aware, i don’t care and i also find it amusing. I’d rather have a game developer that plays his game and is on the same mindset as 99% of the community.

Racism is amusing y’all!

Like… what does it even matter… It seems like all people really want is for each member of the S2 staff to have a secret subaccount

Yes. That’s why people are annoyed. Damn those smurf accounts… Racism happens ALL THE TIME, it’s just that people are making a huge deal about it because it’s S2. I really don’t see the rage about this, their job is to make video games, what they say in games is their own business. That being said, stay classy, S2. Racism is normal, people, why do you make such a big deal out of it? I agree. People care way too much about this. I’m all for equal rights for everybody regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, etc, but damn if you can’t have some fun. Wait, wat? And finally, honorary mention for the “But they make good games, so it’s OK” argument. You are trying to take down an indie video game company. 😐 Because we all know that being indie absolves one from all bigotry. I don’t really care. S2, founded by Maliken, makes good games. Having an abusive founder is pretty minor. He misuses his power once and there’s this huge of a furor? If he’s going to mismanage his company he can do it himself. I don’t need to help him along in his demise, which I don’t actually think will be coming; he must be somehow competent, considering that S2 has released three very good games. Combining the “I don’t care” for a two hit combo. He proceeds to make a “Don’t you have more important things to talk about?”, and later on a “we’re all racists anyway” argument. Bingo! It “doesn’t matter” because I don’t pay these people to not be racist. It’s like how I don’t pay actors to not be against jews. It’s similar to how I don’t care that Britney Spears got married to whoever and is now pregnant. If these S2 staffers were my personal friends, I’d care. If they were people who I paid to keep a good public image, I’d care. In this case, as far as I’m concerned, it’s just a bunch of random guys talking shit online. It doesn’t prevent them from making video games, and I don’t care what their personal beliefs are. So unless we personally know the one being a bigot, we shouldn’t really mind. Got it. Depressing ain’t it. Fortunately I wasn’t alone in the storm this time and there a few other voices speaking with me, but you just can’t get through the privilege denying white dudes like that. However this is a good example of the strong correlation between a game company with bigoted tendencies and the attitude of the people who play their games. PS; Do make some privilege denying dudes out of these quotes and distribute them. Do it for the lulz.

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