1 post tagged “racism”
So, I read another story on Kotaku about the near constant stream of racial and homophobic slurs on Xbox Live. The majority of the comments ended up being "just use the mute button on your headset, and that solves the problem". Which, as a couple people pointed out, is, not the problem.
The problem is that Xbox Live is a breeding ground for this kind of behavior, not that someone's 8 year old black kids playing Madden are hearing the n-bomb dropped on them by (presumably) white, middle class kids maybe, maybe, twice their age. Yes, the simple solution is to ignore the problem, hitting the mute button, and then suddenly, you don't have to deal with it, which just ignores the problem. It does not mean the issue is solved, but that it is ignored.
Perhaps ashamedly, only a few people suggested leaving feedback, reporting the people who did use language, or speaking out (I think I was a minority there) in game, using the same voice chat, saying that that vocabulary is not cool, and I won't stand for it. Because, so long as there aren't consequences for behavior and use of that vocabulary, the kids will keep saying it. So it's up to everyone on Xbox Live who thinks that kind of behavior is not excuseable, and is offended to not mute their headsets, to (as Strike Anywhere put it) stand up and speak out, in game and out of game. There are community policing systems on Xbox Live that can be used if you want to avoid a confrontation, but don't want to let it go unpunished or unnoticed.
It has to start somewhere. It has to start sometime. What better place than here? What better time than now?
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