I'm kind of shocked that no one involved thought that this came across as very tone deaf
It looks like the game's youtube channel responded in the comments
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So the intro video for Tom Clancy's Elite Squad seems to be extremely Anti-BLM
- Thread starter Sibersk Esto
- Start date
I'm kind of shocked that no one involved thought that this came across as very tone deaf
It looks like the game's youtube channel responded in the comments
im reminded of the moment in Wildlands where while escorting one of the targets (i forget which one) he tries to reason with you by saying "Come on, we're not so different! You and I both hate communists!"
Yeah, I don't know how you don't fill a screen up with that black fist but totally don't mean BLM, but this milquetoast corporate response made me chucking, "Tom Clancy's Elite Squad is a work of fiction and does not portray any real world events.".
But yeah, Fuck Tom Clancy.
I am very BLM but I don't see it here.
The generic version of "society is crumbling" is protests and fire
It really happens all the time all over the world. I guess us Americans are still getting used to it.
But these are sensitive times, so I hope you know I'm not judging you OP. Current events inform
everything I'm playing, watching, reading. So I often see analogies even if unintentional.
except the fist, that seems like something they should change ASAP
The generic version of "society is crumbling" is protests and fire
It really happens all the time all over the world. I guess us Americans are still getting used to it.
But these are sensitive times, so I hope you know I'm not judging you OP. Current events inform
everything I'm playing, watching, reading. So I often see analogies even if unintentional.
except the fist, that seems like something they should change ASAP
I'll be honest. I watched it and didn't even without reading the comments and didn't think anything was offensive.
Having a fist doesn't automatically mean black people shit to me. That's just me though.
I don't get a BLM link at all.
Having a fist doesn't automatically mean black people shit to me. That's just me though.
I don't get a BLM link at all.
every dog in my neighborhood had gathered outside my house before the video was even 30 seconds in
Fuck Ubisoft. They might as well have said George Soros was behind it all. This is straight up far right conspiracy theory shit.
Let's see, evil organization is called Umbra, their symbol is is a raised black fist, their MO is pretending to call for systemic upheaval to gain populist support when in truth they're wantonly terrorizing people, governments have to organize in secret because there's too much public pressure on them...
It might not necessarily be extremely anti-BLM, but it is extremely loudly and aggressively anti-Antifa.
It might not necessarily be extremely anti-BLM, but it is extremely loudly and aggressively anti-Antifa.
It's basically a "copyright free" version of the BLM fist though. It's the same style even, in context it's too similar for it to be an accident.
Deary deary me. Your username is very apropos at the moment.BLM not really but that is the Black Panthers Party fist
You're right about that. Its totally just you. The raised black fist is 100% a black civil rights symbol.
Fuck this bullshit. Shame on Ubisoft to allowing this type of shit on their games, fuck them, but fuck the Tom Clancy franchise as well. Can't believe anyone sugarcoating this shit, this is vile and evil propaganda against BLM and antifascist movements at a especially dangerous time.
www.nationalgeographic.com
The history of the raised fist, a global symbol of fighting oppression
The forceful salute is intertwined with some of the 20th century's most tumultuous events, including conflicts with fascism.
www.nationalgeographic.com
That would be old of Ubisoft, and sadly they really do scrape the "politics" out of their games.
Someone is going to have nukes, none of it will make sense. And hooray america! No irony, of course.
Like, wow Far Cry 5 sure didn't try.
It's basically a "copyright free" version of the BLM fist though. It's the same style even, in context it's too similar for it to be an accident.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Somebody took a little too much "reference material"
The sad part is, I bet the hire ups are clueless.
How did this company make Watch Dogs 2 again?
The narrative that the higher ups don't know what they are doing only serves them. They know exactly what they are doing.
They know exactly what they're doing with this messaging
if I can remember division 2 had a ridiculous intro also
if I can remember division 2 had a ridiculous intro also
Big company with many studios. They definitely try to appeal to American gun culture with their Tom Clancy games.
Ima black guy. Extra pro black blm muthafucka. I think the group is just like a 100 other shadow organizations in fiction.
The black fist is a bad look tho. Change it to a white fist.
The black fist is a bad look tho. Change it to a white fist.
I mean, the whole plot is that a bunch of seemingly disorganized anti-corruption protests are actually all covertly organized by a radical cabal bent on ushering in a new world order. It's basically right-wing anti-BLM fan fiction.
The most hilarious part of the trailer is the beginning, where it talks about how people are fed up with the corruption and inequality, and then later sweeps that under the rug like "now let me explain how the corrupt side is the good guys!"
"It's just the raised fist symbol, right"
Well that and the whole setup is that the world is so bad that people are protesting, but the thing that the governments of the world are fighting against isn't the underlying problems of the protests, it's that some shadowy extremists who claim to want "an egalitarian utopia" are actually a front for evil terrorists who want to "destroy our country"
Well that and the whole setup is that the world is so bad that people are protesting, but the thing that the governments of the world are fighting against isn't the underlying problems of the protests, it's that some shadowy extremists who claim to want "an egalitarian utopia" are actually a front for evil terrorists who want to "destroy our country"
Whether or not there's a BLM link, the way Ubisoft markets games like this and The Division is garbage. They don't deserve our support for this and many many other reasons.
The Raised Fist is a political symbol that have been used for over a century: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raised_fist
As someone who's protested with BLM several times in the past few months... I don't think BLM are "hacking social media accounts of world leaders" or an "international terrorist organization." And I don't think that BLM is strongly linked to "wars, corruption, and poverty."
Saying that this trailer is "anti-BLM" feels like quite a stretch when the only thing connecting the two is a commonly-used symbol.
As someone who's protested with BLM several times in the past few months... I don't think BLM are "hacking social media accounts of world leaders" or an "international terrorist organization." And I don't think that BLM is strongly linked to "wars, corruption, and poverty."
Saying that this trailer is "anti-BLM" feels like quite a stretch when the only thing connecting the two is a commonly-used symbol.
I promise, this opinion is specific to Ubisoft and not media in general. But they have an unusual global development. Multiple countries on single projects, and dozens of projects of year.
Remember when they announce that Beyond Good and Evil would feature fan art? Sometimes ubisoft get's lost in the quantity.
So because it involves a lot of people from different studios , I am reluctant to throw everyone out just yet.
The assertion that ongoing protests or riots are funded by very wealthy anti-government extremists which results in a loss of life and property, and should be met with maximum force regardless of what international law says, is at best a far-right power fantasy version of current events and at worst a thing that people actually think of BLM protests
I say that as someone whose family has actually spouted this drivel
Is the faceless Umbra supposed to be their equivalent of the antifa boogeyman?
You may not think that, but alt-right sure seem to. They blame left for all wars/conflict. They blame the left for corruption "swamp". They certainly link social media with liberal agendas despite how stupid that idea is (e.g. cancel culture).
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Yeah and I think this conversation is still forming but the use of the fist feels inappropriate ATM.
So I suppose this is a critique rather than news? But still important to discuss IMO
These responses are quite frustrating. The idea that the people making these games and making the decisions in these games are not affected by the current political climate is something I think we can both agree is silly. So that being said the decision to use that type of symbolism at this current moment is calculated. As is the way they describe the movement which is similar to how huge conservative nut jobs like Rush Limbaugh describe it.
The Tom Clancy games are inherently bootlicking, but this is beyond the pale. Between this and all their harboring of harassers and abusers, it's full-on "Fuck Ubisoft" for me now. I don't buy many Ubisoft games but I definitely won't be now, even if that Scott Pilgrim re-release happens.
Even if they're changing the fist, the story is still inherently antagonistic to anti-fascist movements and the current movement for black lives.
Even if they're changing the fist, the story is still inherently antagonistic to anti-fascist movements and the current movement for black lives.
User Banned (1 month): Dismissing concerns of racism; claiming that BLM is a US movement
Yeah, maybe. Of all the symbols they could chose, this seems like a bad choice.
... but... The game is developed by Ubisoft Owlient in Paris, and published by Ubisoft's NE PR arm. BLM is a distinctly US movement.
I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for a mobile game.
Is it a good trailer that I'll remember? No, certainly not. But is it one that deserves condemnation as anti-BLM? I'm not so sure.
Current political climate in the United States. This isn't a global political climate.
Police brutality, police and criminal justice racism, and BLM is (imo) a distinctly US movement (and one that I'm proud to be a part of).
Maybe not necessarly BLM (I totally think it does), but is clearly referencing social movements as a whole which include BLM as others and feeding into the whole alt-right conspiracy that these groups are inside jobs by 'Communists' to escalate violence, 'radicalize' people and destroy our 'society' as we know.
Which seems basically the plot of the new COD too.