Pewdiepie - Here we go again (More controversy over a word)

[Kolvarg]

No, that doesn't hold up. Words still have meaning, and it's the meaning that is problematic.

I mean, I'm not going to go up to a grieving mother on her own childs funeral and tell her a bunch of dead baby jokes, and then defend myself saying "it's just words". I'm making an extreme example here but the point stands.

What are "just words" for you can be very offensive to some. Have some empathy.

Context and intent do matter. Which is why there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong or racist in this case, no matter how stupid, unpleasant or rude it might have been. Certainly not enough to warrant any controversy.

[Deleted]

Sounds like the progressive future is full of understanding, compassion and empathy

I would say that avoiding using offensive words - I should clarify, words you KNOW are offensive - is perhaps the most understanding, compassionate and empathetic thing to do.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Sounds like the progressive future is full of understanding, compassion and empathy

I don't have empathy for racist

[Deleted]

Context and intent do matter. Which is why there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong or racist in this case, no matter how stupid, unpleasant or rude it might have been. Certainly not enough to warrant any controversy.

I don't believe Pewdiepie is racist either. But I do believe he's setting a very poor example for the huge audience he has, many of whom are young and impressionable, by using an offensive slur casually, despite obviously knowing it's offensive (as evident by his own immediate reaction).

[ramjb]

Eurogamer: Video game developers threaten copyright takedowns of Pewdiepie's youtube videos
"Our game on his channel = endorsement of racism and the N-word" says Firewatch dev.

ORIGINAL STORY 10/09/2017 11.10pm: Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg, owner of the most subscribed-to channel on YouTube, has come under fire for using the N-word on a stream.

During a livestream of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds earlier today, Pewdiepie uttered "What a f***ing n*****! Geez! Oh my god! What the f***? Sorry, but what the f***?"

He then laughed at his choice of words: "I don't mean that in a bad [way]."

For Firewatch developer Sean Vanaman, Pewdiepie's use of the N-word was the last straw and the game creator decided it didn't want the popular streamer profiting off footage of its product.

"We're filing a DMCA takedown of PewDiePie's Firewatch content and any future Campo Santo games," Vanaman stated on Twitter.

"I am sick of this child getting more and more chances to make money off of what we make," the developer continued.

"He's worse than a closeted racist: he's a propagator of despicable garbage that does real damage to the culture around this industry.

[Mister Cheese]

Oh look, a bunch of fat white people trying to justify saying the N word. Interesting.

Which is interesting because it's a bunch of fat white people who are upset over pewdiepie saying it.

[Rooflesstoofless]

Perhaps if you would stop trying to use that bullshit as a fucking excuse you wouldn't be called racist as much as you do or at least worry about saying it.

As much? Um, no one outside of a few meaningless existences on this forum call me a racist. Why white knight for a group of people who don't need your protection? Also, it's not an excuse. I grew up in the ghetto. Black people have been dropping the n word on each other since I was a kid. Not something I see with educated or well-off blacks but cross that poverty line and it's in every fucking conversation.

It's a free country, I can't stop you from saying shit, but if and when you say it, I am taking no concern over your fate or stupidity to use that fucking word.

Huh? As I've stated before I don't go around calling people racial epithets. That is something mostly done to and from one black person to another. Other races don't do this as a part of their daily conversation and music.

And if it's to me and around me, then no I am not going to be OK with it either.

There really isn't much you can do about it.

[Kolvarg]

I would say that avoiding using offensive words - I should clarify, words you KNOW are offensive - is perhaps the most understanding, compassionate and empathetic thing to do.

Sure thing. The thing is for many people nowadays understanding, compassion, empathy and many times the most basic forms of respect and consideration for other human beings seem to be completly put aside as soon as they judge them to not be "good" for whatever reason. Which is funny since it more often than not is a very primitive and baseless form of prejudice and generalization, things they claim to fight.

One either is or isn't reasonable and understanding towards other people. If you only behave like that towards certain people that match your specific criteria, you probably aren't as good of a person as you think you are, and chances are you would fail your own judgement if you analyzed your behaviour unbiasedly.

And by this I don't mean it is not ok to have any "criteria" criteria at all or to in general have different degrees of patience and understanding towards different people. It's only human.

It's just a terrible double-standard with a pinch of hipocrisy when you get offended over what some people might feel because of an offensive word someone uttered without any ill intent, and then claim "whatever happens to this guy I don't care nor have any pity". Because he said a bad word.

[Swalload]

No, that doesn't hold up. Words still have meaning, and it's the meaning that is problematic.

I mean, I'm not going to go up to a grieving mother on her own childs funeral and tell her a bunch of dead baby jokes, and then defend myself saying "it's just words". I'm making an extreme example here but the point stands.

What are "just words" for you can be very offensive to some. Have some empathy.

That's the problem, being offended when there is no reason to be. Someone go up to an african american and straight up call him the N word, sure, that's rude and stupid. But randomly saying that to your friend while playing a game, it makes no difference, no one is supposed to be offended by that. There is a legitimate problem in our society right now with people being too easily offended by things that doesn't concern them.
They are the problem and they need to get their shit together, not everybody else who are able to live without being infuriated by every little things.

You say words have meaning but that meaning changes depending on context.

[Martymark]

I don't think he hates anyone. Calling him racist weakens the term and takes it another step towards being meaningless.

[Deleted]

That's the problem, being offended when there is no reason to be. Someone go up to an african american and straight up call him the N word, sure, that's rude and stupid. But randomly saying that to your friend while playing a game, it makes no difference, no one is supposed to be offended by that. There is a legitimate problem in our society right now with people being too easily offended by things that doesn't concern them.
They are the problem and they need to get their shit together, not everybody else who are able to live without being infuriated by every little things.

You say words have meaning but that meaning changes depending on context.

Oh I would agree. Context does matter, to an extent. If you that know saying the word "chink" is offensive to your asian buddy, you're not gonna say it. If you know he's cool with it, you might say it.

But then again, Pewdiepie streams to quite a lot of people, almost none of whom are his actual friends. Many of them are very young, very impressionable. He has a responsibility as an influencer and by casually saying things that you generally shouldn't say because it's offensive, you're normalizing that sort of behavior which in my opinion, is far more damaging to us as a society.

[Ghazar]

Go out to 100 places with black people and have a white person casually say it in the friendliest way possible. I'll give you a dollar for every friendly retort. You give me a dollar every time that white person catches some hands.

I'm not oblivious to the way things work. What I meant is black people say nigger to the people they find dear all the time, hence the conclusion that the word itself is not a problem, it's who uses it, regardless of the context, which is bullshit.
Therefore I think context should be what matters and nothing else

[Beardless Man]

Funny thing is, that people keep giving it all the power it needs to offend. Pewdiepie can say whatever he wishes, there's no reason for anyone not to say a word. (Only reason why I don't post it because god forbid I'll get another infraction.) I found an excellent video that pin-points everything about The difference of Nigga and Nigger. And how they both mean the same thing and until we stop giving it the power to offend, it will continue to be used.

[Kolvarg]

I don't believe Pewdiepie is racist either. But I do believe he's setting a very poor example for the huge audience he has, many of whom are young and impressionable, by using an offensive slur casually, despite obviously knowing it's offensive (as evident by his own immediate reaction).

I generally believe we are much less in control of society, how it works, and how it evolves than most people realize. I think most changes happen naturally (without anyone's specific intent) from generation to generation, and not because people themselves changed (especially when it comes to adults and older folk). At least the way I see it, at any given point (generalizing, of course) the children and teenagers tend to be the most liberal/progressive, questioning their elders and judging them on their old ways, the parents seem to be "centrist", in between change (might be progressive on some issues and more conservative on others, but generally opinions that are considered the "norm") and the grandparents/elders the most conservative and stuck in the old ways. Of course with this, the understanding of what's progressive and what's conservative also changes.

It's probably been like this for most of humanity, even if not linearly. I always think of this quote by Socrates:
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."


I will agree that as a society we are facing something quite new that could deviate quite a bit from what used to be. The internet in general can be a big game changer for good or for worse.

But generally, I think it goes the way around. Children don't become rude and offensive because they watch PewDiePie. They watch PewDiePie because they think being casually offensive is cool/funny. And if it wasn't PewDiePie, they would probably find someone or something else. Imo the fact that he realizes it's offensive and immediately appologizes just proves it's not a very big deal.

Wether or not it would be good or make any difference if he was a bit more politcally correct, and how much effect that would have on children, I don't know. I don't think anyone can know for sure. But I sure as hell think it is completly possible to be a reasonable, compassionate and understanding human being while finding entertainment in immature and politcally incorrect content. I think with proper parenting that's not much content on youtube that would make any kid a "bad person" in the future.

[Baelic]

Funny thing is, that people keep giving it all the power it needs to offend. Pewdiepie can say whatever he wishes, there's no reason for anyone not to say a word. (Only reason why I don't post it because god forbid I'll get another infraction.) I found an excellent video that pin-points everything about The difference of Nigga and Nigger. And how they both mean the same thing and until we stop giving it the power to offend, it will continue to be used.

1) It's never going to lose the power to offend, don't be so naive
2) African Americans can use the word because it is them taking the power back
3) Us White folk should just shut-up and let them have their power back.

[ItachiZaku]

I'm not oblivious to the way things work. What I meant is black people say nigger to the people they find dear all the time, hence the conclusion that the word itself is not a problem, it's who uses it, regardless of the context, which is bullshit.
Therefore I think context should be what matters and nothing else

Nigger =/= Nigga

Massive different to them. Nigger is hands 99%. Nigga is 99% fine if another brotha says it, 50/50 on some white saying it.

- - - Updated - - -

1) It's never going to lose the power to offend, don't be so naive
2) African Americans can use the word because it is them taking the power back
3) Us White folk should just shut-up and let them have their power back.

Kinda like rape. Women own being raped, so they are the only ones that can be raped.

[Deleted]

Factorio doesn't seem to approve of the dmca takedown method.
https://twitter.com/factoriogame/sta...27263732023297

[Beardless Man]

1) It's never going to lose the power to offend, don't be so naive
2) African Americans can use the word because it is them taking the power back
3) Us White folk should just shut-up and let them have their power back.

Oh how cute. You think that we should just shut up and let black people call each other niggers all they want.
Watch the video, and stop being an ignorant pest for one moment. There is no power to take back if the word remains the same. You don't change the meaning if you just strip it away from one group of people.

Either all of it is okay, or none of it. Nigga and Nigger are the same word, two different pronunciations.

[Deleted]

Don't know what's more laughable, if Pewdiepie being once again retard (and he makes fun with other people's stream fails...) or that Campo Santo is riding the controversy on a clear publicity stunt.

[Segus1992]

When the moon is full and the night sky clear.

To be fair though? This is just people in general. Especially with the advent of social media. So easy to generate a tumultuous sea of constantly churning shit. I agree with the idea that dumb asses like PewDiePie need to just fuck off and shouldn't have the relevancy that they do but on the other hand am not going to jump on the, "This guy is a total Nazi," train.

I can almost guarantee you a huge part of why he says what he does to begin with is DUE to the reaction and outrage.

Of course it is, that much should be obvious. The last scandal was that he made some dudes hold up a sign that said "Death to all jews", and he posted the video fully aware of what that'd cause.

Either way, as far as celebrities go, he's far from the dumbest one people pay heed to, the difference is that the ones that listen to PewDiePie are mostly young children with little power anyway. The whole "vaccines cause autism" retardation was spawned from celebrities, after all.