Mon, Nov 22, 2010 | 12:36 GMT
Microsoft bans swastika-using Live users, move is “not political correctness”
Microsoft has defended its decision to ban anyone from Xbox Live using a swastika as an avatar in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Live police boss Stephen Tolouse said the move isn’t meant to be “political correctness”.
“It’s not political correctness, it’s fundamental respect,” he said in a post on his blog.
“If you think the swastika symbol should be re-evaluated by societies all over the earth, I think that’s great.
“Your Xbox LIVE profile or in game logo, which doesn’t have the context to explain your goal, is not the right place to do that. And by the way, that doesn’t just go for the swastika, it applies to many other symbols as well that my team does indeed take action on when we see it.”
He continued: “Let’s be clear: no educated human on the planet looks at the swastika symbol on a video game service in ‘the year we make contact’ and says ‘Oh, that symbol has nothing at all in any way to do with global genocide of an entire race and, even if it did, one should totally and reasonably ignore that because it’s a symbol that was stolen or coop-ted from religions.’
“Indeed, my twitter stream was filled with people stating that Xbox LIVE should equally ban the star of David, the Christian cross, and yes I am not kidding, the infinity symbol because under various niche interpretations of those symbols, they are as evil as the swastika symbol and I should apply ethical relativism to all symbols on Xbox LIVE to respect all viewpoints because of the United States First Amendment.”
“Yes we can have the discussion in other venues about the double meaning of various terms, something my team does every day. But for many topics, its kind of a no-brainer.”
61 comments
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#51
DarkElfa
22/11/10, 10:39 pm
@39, Actually it wasn’t. Genocide is the complete extermination of an entire race. 1/3 isn’t complete, it’s 1/3. IOW, it was attempted Genocide, not completed Genocide.
It may be apples and oranges but I’m still correct. If your friend slashed his wrists and was sent to the hospital where he was saved, he didn’t commit suicide did he? No, he attempted suicide and failed.
Hitler attempted Genocide and he failed. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t a bastard, just incompetent.
#52
OrbitMonkey
22/11/10, 11:12 pm
@51 As well as being a incompetent bastard, apparently Hitler only had one ball, the other was in the Albert Hall…
#53
obviouslyme
23/11/10, 12:05 am
@51
“Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group.”
It was genocide. Get your head out of your ass. The word was created at the end of the second world war to refer to the atrocities committed against jews.
#54
lexph3re
23/11/10, 12:12 am
@callum you maybe able to edit it because information is always changing due to surfacing facts. But, it doesn’t change the fact your edit will be more then likely changed back to what is in turn fact. And, the swastika is the swastika as for the other interpretations of the symbol are just that. As the cross is a symbol to christians for jesus’s sacrifice. To the romans it was a symbol for punishment to offenders.
The symbols relevance is only to the eye of the beholder. And, an uneducated(as well as educated) eye will see it for what is relevant to them. I see the cross I see the punishment not the sacrifice even though I’m sort’ve a christian.(I also, see it as a form of idolotry though). In the end though it should be left to the people to decide the meaning of the symbol as opposed to the corporation(microsoft).
#55
Callum
23/11/10, 1:08 am
Lex, you are right, and what ever I change will be reviewed by a trusted source and changed back. However, my point is still valid, wikipedia is not a valid source!
#56
KingCancer
23/11/10, 3:27 am
hmm who has the bigger penis hitler or jesus? I think the answer is clear and with that I have solved the whole problem.
#57
expose the core
23/11/10, 10:08 am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Presidential_Standard_of_Finland.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Finland_Air_force.gif
Finland has been using the swastika long before the Germans made it notorious and still do, i bet someone will use the finnish swastika and get banned. I eagerly await the whining it would cause here.
#58
BillyBatts
23/11/10, 10:50 am
@52 This fanciful theory was discredited some time ago. The latest modern studies have show that it was in fact consumed by fishes, along with some scallops.
#59
OrbitMonkey
23/11/10, 3:06 pm
@57,58 Well you learn something new everyday :b
#60
albo88
23/11/10, 5:14 pm
why did they put it them?
wow how retards this jews are first they make all this ww2 games then they band swastika
#61
OrbitMonkey
23/11/10, 5:34 pm
@60 Well done!! Against stiff competition YOU have posted the most stoopid comment on this thread!! Way to go champ
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