Why the FUCK was Oliver North in Call of Duty?

[DorkLord54]

He wasn't in Ghosts though.

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No, but the chat naturally started talking about everything problematic about the CoD series that culminated in Ghosts being the most jingoistic and tone-deaf of all them, with Blops II and its involvement of Oliver North being a major talking point (not to mention the generally reactionary tone of the first two Blops games).

A man whose convictions were reversed and whose charges against him were dismissed. So I don't really see your point.

And public opinion at the time was VERY favourable to North.

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Bro, we know he committed actual war crimes and covered it up, and then got away scot-free. There are poor people who get life for far less than what Oliver North did, him getting acquitted doesn't change that fact.

 

[Str0ngStyle]

Well, his theme song is banging.

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God how could I forget about Ollie's Gold?

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I'm just mad that this clip started after Francine bugged out over Stan digging up the front yard. Like "OH HELL NO WE ARE NOT DOING THIS SHIT AGAIN!" Sorry, I love this show.

On topic though, what did you expect after 9/11 RahRah patriotism kicked into overdrive. I'm personally shocked they didn't do a mission directly referencing this. Not a huge Call of Duty fan so maybe they did.

 

[It’s Reyn Time!]

You can tell this casting backfired for them. They had to get more beloved and squeaky clean celebrities for future games like Kevin Spacey so they wouldnt have to deal with cringey problematic stunt casting blowback

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Fucking hell lol

 

[Hawkster]

Because AAA gaming is fundamentally beholden to conservative interests.

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So.... I'm supposed to stop playing AAA games for good because of that? If I understand this correctly?

 

[Legacy]

Always reminds me of that Drake verse from Stay Schemin:

"Me and my man Oliver North that's how I roll around"

 

[Gentlemen]

So.... I'm supposed to stop playing AAA games for good because of that? If I understand this correctly?

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play whatever you want. I'm not even trying to judge people by what they like in this thread.

I'm explaining the facade of the uselessly inert 'apolitical' public face put on by AAA studios while they clearly reinforce a conservative worldview throughout their products. It's exactly these circumstances that put Olliver North in video games.

 

[LogN-]

You have to remember, he was the fall guy for the Iran Contra deal. Obviously he participated and facilitated the arms trade, but he was far from the mastermind or intelligence lead. He was a hired gun and thrown out to rot when it all broke. As a result of that, he was still seen very favorably during the time and even now in some circles.

This isn't me defending him, it's just shedding light on a completely different view of what this thread has given him. Also, CoD is propaganda :)

 

[massivekettle]

Hi Olllie!

Committed anymore crimes lately?

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That's all you have to say?

 

[Deleted member 31817]

That's all you have to say?

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Sometimes absurd takes aren't worth serious responses 🤷‍♀️

 

[Deleted member 30544]

I am (becoming) a left wing "radical".
I also hate guns I hate the NRA and the right wing way of thinking.

Nevertheless I find call of duty very exciting and entertaining. I'm speaking about the story not the MP, this is one of the reasons I skipped BO4.

I must feel like an hypocrite?

 

[Mekanos]

I am (becoming) a left wing "radical".
I also hate guns I hate the NRA and the right wing way of thinking.

Nevertheless I find call of duty very exciting and entertaining. I'm speaking about the story not the MP, this is one of the reasons I skipped BO4.

I must feel like an hypocrite?

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It's fine to enjoy stuff that contains elements you don't like, though it's always good to check in and ask yourself if what it does to make you happy or if it's feeding something inside you that you don't like.

I generally stay away from military games because they are almost always blatant propaganda, but there's plenty of things I like with subtext that rub me the wrong way. Just depends what you're comfortable with.

 

[BossAttack]

That's all you have to say?

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You're response was ridiculous. So, either you're ol' Ollie North himself or are so deluded as to not warrant a proper response.

 

[massivekettle]

You're response was ridiculous. So, either you're ol' Ollie North himself or are so deluded as to not warrant a proper response.

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I'm sticking with the facts here. You're saying he's an "actual criminal"... well the facts don't stack up against that allegation (as all convictions were reverses, and charges dismissed), do they?

 

[Katten]

Because modern military shooters are among the most effective form of modern war propaganda we have in the western world, hiding their absolute soldier worship behind the theoretical evils of the Elite - and even if a higher up general ever steps out, you can be sure it will be American Soldiers who stop him. Also, remember this?
EA removes links to weapon companies from Medal of Honor Warfighter website

Thanks for calling this out and putting it back into people's mind, though. It's totally fine to have fun with these games, but you should always be aware of who makes them and who profits from them.

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There was a bit more to it than that. I was at a press trip for this, way back when they only had one level to show.

The multiplayer was still at the design phase and nothing was shown, but they were talking a lot. They described is Fifa-like, with the tier 1 operators from various countries pitting off against each other. Upgrades were all modeled on real life upgrades, and they showed of a shitload of companies already on board for it. Which from their description was pretty much every weapon (and weapon mod) manufacturer you could think of.

They day after showing the game and having all the interviews done, they drove us to a gun range and had two Delta Force guys and a Seal Team fella teaching us how to shoot.

Now remember all the hubbub about a Seal Team Six member writing a book that got cancelled? Well if you go back and read the articles surrounding that, you will find that the very same fella was an advisor for that game. So yeah... I have received gun training from one of the Seal Team Six members O_o

 

[Katten]

Some of the hardware in question, with some Danger Close shirts around.

 

[closer]

literally one of the more on-brand things CoD can do

 

[Deleted member 48897]

Because AAA gaming is fundamentally beholden to conservative interests.

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Zero lies detected.
It's all about the production of capital at the expense of all else, baybeee!! Not to mention that the military and the various security agencies were perfectly happy to pay that $$$ to use games as a source of propaganda.

 

[Swiggins]

Oliver North.

Traitor.

War Criminal.

Call of Duty Icon.

 

[ArjanN]

I'm sticking with the facts here. You're saying he's an "actual criminal"... well the facts don't stack up against that allegation (as all convictions were reverses, and charges dismissed), do they?

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lol

 

[BossAttack]

I'm sticking with the facts here. You're saying he's an "actual criminal"... well the facts don't stack up against that allegation (as all convictions were reverses, and charges dismissed), do they?

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I bet you can't even tell me what happened at North's trial. You have no idea the reality of that case and what the court actually found or did.

But, let's skip all that and get to the heart of the matter, you realize there is a big difference between being found "Not Guilty" and whether or not you actually committed a crime? One can admit to lying to Congress, breaking the law, and illegally destroying documents but never actually be convicted for said crimes due to a variety of complex legal matters. That doesn't mean they didn't do what they did.

An individual can be a killer with concrete video proof they killed someone, but ultimately have the case thrown out because the evidence was obtained unlawfully or any number of defects that occurred at trial. That doesn't change the fact that they are a killer.

 

[Deleted member 48897]

(also oh wow there really IS a defense force for everything)

 

[JimJamJones]

Well, his theme song is banging.

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I would've been disappointed if this wasn't posted. So good.

 

[Inuhanyou]

call of duty has propaganda for the US military? i never would have guessed.

it was a big controversy back then too

 

[WrenchNinja]

I remember Jeff Gerstmann and the Giant Bomb crew being pretty pissed about this back on the Bombcast back then. They still ended up having to cover the game though.