McCree Renamed to Cole Cassidy

[Claymore]

To their credit, "Cole" is a cool name, as is "Cassidy". I think combining them, though, gives off a cheesy, comic-book vibe.

I can understand the situation. I mean, naming a character after an employee was kind of a dumb move to begin with. I WILL point out that, to my knowledge, there haven't been any allegations against the person and former employee, Jesse McCree; I've only heard Alex Afrasiabi named personally (and one other, whose name eludes me). Even if some people didn't like him, I still think they should've just stuck with the original name.

Personally, here's how *I* would've handled it, if absolutely necessary:

A new character shows up -- maybe a human-hating Omnic (just to mix things up) -- and they have a bone to pick with McCree. They're a SUPER old -- ancient, even -- which begs the question "Why would they have a bone to pick with this relatively young guy?". He hunts McCree down, only to discover it isn't the real McCree at all. Turns out, the REAL Jesse McCree was a ruthless outlaw and stone-cold killer, some 50 years or so back. Eventually, his way of life caught up with him, crippling him, and costing the life of his daughter -- but not before she had a son.

The real Jesse McCree was a tough old man, forcing the young boy into back-breaking work in the fields, from dawn until dusk. But one day, the McCree farm was attacked by Omnics. The young boy was too scared to do anything but hide in his room, while his grandfather -- wheelchair-bound with nothing but a rifle and a revolver -- protected the farmstead.

Once the gunfire finally dies down, the young boy goes to survey the damage, only to find his grandfather had made his last stand right outside the boy's room, committed to protect his grandson even if the rest of the homestead burned. Wracked with guilt -- and a whirlpool of emotions, from love, to hate, to respect -- he takes up the old man's gun and name, vowing to never be a scared child, but instead a feared vagabond.

Something happens, and -- perhaps with an emotional reassurance from Ashe -- he is able to come to terms with who his grandfather was; a man who was deeply flawed, but in the end realized there were people were fighting and dying for. And also forgive himself for not having been stronger. He then takes up his real name, the one given to him by his mother. I would personally KEEP the name "McCree" -- actually "Cole McCree" sounds kind of cool, too -- OR you could double as a MAJOR plot-twist, and reveal that his mother originally gave him the *FATHER'S* surname, which could potentially be linked with another Overwatch character (ie. maybe McCree's mother hooked up with Reaper in his youth, or perhaps a brother or something sharing the name Reyes?).

[qwerty123456]

[/I]
And what about when you're actively warned about oing to HR because those that would deal with the complaint are friends with the people you'd accuse? One of the complaints in the lawsuit is Employees were allegedly “discouraged from complaining as human resource personnel were known to be close to alleged harassers.”

Also worth pointing out that clearly they did speak out, otherwise the lawsuit wouldn't exist. Who do you think the authorities were talking to for two years?

And you know they went to Jesse? Did anyone mention him when they were name dropping people like that fuzzy haired cm dude like the one woman did on twitter for people who knew but didn't do shit?

And if the HR people were close to the harassers that doesn't mean Jesse or who ever told people not to go to HR it could have been other employees saying "don't bother they aint gonna do shit." The fact that Alex was fired shows that speaking out does get shit done even if they dragged their asses in doing so.

[Goatfish]

Actually, it would be more like if John Wayne Gacy was an uncle or very good family friend that the actor John Wayne was named after. AND THEN the secret came out that Gacy was a serial killer and "Oh shit, better change the actor's name!"

But good try.

- - - Updated - - -



A point you keep skipping over is that the character was NAMED AFTER the person. Not that they simply and by total coinkydink share a name.

No, it still doesn't matter. My middle name is named after an uncle who is currently in prison for conning people. Does this mean that I should change my middle name because an uncle who happens to share the same name that was arbitrarily picked at some point? What matters is the things that I do, my own personal record, not what my name shares attachments to.

Your entire argument is dog shit because it assumes that names are more important than peoples actions.

[Oozlz]

I don't even play Overwatch so this isn't really a big deal for me.

What a fancy way to get +1 post count.

[Zuben]

To their credit, "Cole" is a cool name, as is "Cassidy". I think combining them, though, gives off a cheesy, comic-book vibe.

I can understand the situation. I mean, naming a character after an employee was kind of a dumb move to begin with. I WILL point out that, to my knowledge, there haven't been any allegations against the person and former employee, Jesse McCree; I've only heard Alex Afrasiabi named personally (and one other, whose name eludes me). Even if some people didn't like him, I still think they should've just stuck with the original name.

Personally, here's how *I* would've handled it, if absolutely necessary:

A new character shows up -- maybe a human-hating Omnic (just to mix things up) -- and they have a bone to pick with McCree. They're a SUPER old -- ancient, even -- which begs the question "Why would they have a bone to pick with this relatively young guy?". He hunts McCree down, only to discover it isn't the real McCree at all. Turns out, the REAL Jesse McCree was a ruthless outlaw and stone-cold killer, some 50 years or so back. Eventually, his way of life caught up with him, crippling him, and costing the life of his daughter -- but not before she had a son.

The real Jesse McCree was a tough old man, forcing the young boy into back-breaking work in the fields, from dawn until dusk. But one day, the McCree farm was attacked by Omnics. The young boy was too scared to do anything but hide in his room, while his grandfather -- wheelchair-bound with nothing but a rifle and a revolver -- protected the farmstead.

Once the gunfire finally dies down, the young boy goes to survey the damage, only to find his grandfather had made his last stand right outside the boy's room, committed to protect his grandson even if the rest of the homestead burned. Wracked with guilt -- and a whirlpool of emotions, from love, to hate, to respect -- he takes up the old man's gun and name, vowing to never be a scared child, but instead a feared vagabond.

Something happens, and -- perhaps with an emotional reassurance from Ashe -- he is able to come to terms with who his grandfather was; a man who was deeply flawed, but in the end realized there were people were fighting and dying for. And also forgive himself for not having been stronger. He then takes up his real name, the one given to him by his mother. I would personally KEEP the name "McCree" -- actually "Cole McCree" sounds kind of cool, too -- OR you could double as a MAJOR plot-twist, and reveal that his mother originally gave him the *FATHER'S* surname, which could potentially be linked with another Overwatch character (ie. maybe McCree's mother hooked up with Reaper in his youth, or perhaps a brother or something sharing the name Reyes?).

McCree's come off as an always certain, always sure of himself man of action, so such a backstory would sure add some welcome vulnerability to him. I never read the story about his and Ashe's youth, so maybe there's something there, but I digress.

[Martymark]

Gay pornstar Cole Cassidy?

[Dead Moose Fandango]

No, it still doesn't matter. My middle name is named after an uncle who is currently in prison for conning people. Does this mean that I should change my middle name because an uncle who happens to share the same name that was arbitrarily picked at some point? What matters is the things that I do, my own personal record, not what my name shares attachments to.

Your entire argument is dog shit because it assumes that names are more important than peoples actions.

It sure as shit matters. If my parents named me "Peter" after an uncle who ended up going prison for raping little girls, I'd sure as hell get a legal name change. The name was NOT arbitrarily picked. The character was specifically named after that person.

That you continue to try and argue otherwise just shows how blatantly dishonest and/or deluded you are.

[Goatfish]

It sure as shit matters. If my parents named me "Peter" after an uncle who ended up going prison for raping little girls, I'd sure as hell get a legal name change. The name was NOT arbitrarily picked. The character was specifically named after that person.

That you continue to try and argue otherwise just shows how blatantly dishonest and/or deluded you are.

Good argument tactic, just claim that everyone who disagrees with your world view is dishonest and deluded. It's like the grown up version of "I know you are so what am I?"

I'm just telling you how the world works. You're the one claiming that naming anything after something imparts some sort of "uncleanness" to whatever you name. Maybe you should stop getting offended at little shit that doesn't matter at the end of the day. Maybe instead of getting a name change because "Peter" is unclean, you live your life as a good person so other people named "Peter" don't suffer? I've known Atheists named after saints, and dogs named after people who have committed genocide. A name is just a name, and you making it out to be more than that is highly discouraging to the intellectual state of society.

[Dead Moose Fandango]

Good argument tactic, just claim that everyone who disagrees with your world view is dishonest and deluded. It's like the grown up version of "I know you are so what am I?"

I'm just telling you how the world works. You're the one claiming that naming anything after something imparts some sort of "uncleanness" to whatever you name. Maybe you should stop getting offended at little shit that doesn't matter at the end of the day. Maybe instead of getting a name change because "Peter" is unclean, you live your life as a good person so other people named "Peter" don't suffer? I've known Atheists named after saints, and dogs named after people who have committed genocide. A name is just a name, and you making it out to be more than that is highly discouraging to the intellectual state of society.

See, here's the problem. Someone named their dog after a prick who committed genocide? That's fucked up and not something to be "Oh well, a name is just a name." If I adopted a dog named Mengele after Josef Mengele, I sure as hell wouldn't keep calling the dog that.

Now, an atheist named after a saint? That's just apples to oranges and really doesn't apply here unless the atheist is one of those "If anyone believes in God, they're idiots and horrible people."

McCree is a taint in Blizzard's eyes, however. And for all we know was named to be a big problem. That's why Blizzard scrubbed references of him from the game. References. Not credits, references.

And that's the way the world works. Not your bizarro way.

[Dellis0991]

What a fancy way to get +1 post count.

Dope ass move right?

[Goatfish]

See, here's the problem. Someone named their dog after a prick who committed genocide? That's fucked up and not something to be "Oh well, a name is just a name." If I adopted a dog named Mengele after Josef Mengele, I sure as hell wouldn't keep calling the dog that.

Now, an atheist named after a saint? That's just apples to oranges and really doesn't apply here unless the atheist is one of those "If anyone believes in God, they're idiots and horrible people."

McCree is a taint in Blizzard's eyes, however. And for all we know was named to be a big problem. That's why Blizzard scrubbed references of him from the game. References. Not credits, references.

And that's the way the world works. Not your bizarro way.

I should point out, my bizarro way is how the world actually works and not how people treat the world. I understand that if someone named Hitler created the cure for cancer that there would be people outraged. I personally believe in hylomorphism from Aristotle which practically states that the form something takes is what generates the thing. People are stuck in thinking that the name IS the thing instead of realizing that a thing is all aspects of its form/function and not the name ascribed to it. So where someone like you thinks in the sense that a McCree is a concept that needs to be erased, other people understand that a character in a video game (even if named after someone else) is not that person and does not represent them.

To put it the most simply, you are advocating destruction of symbology of ideology you disagree with. I'm not saying it's a rare thought, I'm just pointing out its uselessness which stems from a self-centered world view. You even claimed already that any disagreement with your view must be delusional or dishonest, which means you aren't even willing to entertain ideas that conflict with your current world view.

[Dead Moose Fandango]

I should point out, my bizarro way is how the world actually works and not how people treat the world. I understand that if someone named Hitler created the cure for cancer that there would be people outraged. I personally believe in hylomorphism from Aristotle which practically states that the form something takes is what generates the thing. People are stuck in thinking that the name IS the thing instead of realizing that a thing is all aspects of its form/function and not the name ascribed to it. So where someone like you thinks in the sense that a McCree is a concept that needs to be erased, other people understand that a character in a video game (even if named after someone else) is not that person and does not represent them.

To put it the most simply, you are advocating destruction of symbology of ideology you disagree with. I'm not saying it's a rare thought, I'm just pointing out its uselessness which stems from a self-centered world view. You even claimed already that any disagreement with your view must be delusional or dishonest, which means you aren't even willing to entertain ideas that conflict with your current world view.

Now you're just trying too hard.

The argument is "Hey, Blizzard is wrong for deciding to rename a character in their game who was named in honor of a former member of their staff who they fired for some stuff that hasn't been made public." They have every right to do that, especially if what the real McCree did was really bad which is what can be assumed from the on-going lawsuit.

Your side finds it wrong and that the video game character has nothing to do with the real McCree, which I am calling bullshit rightly so. And now you're claiming I'm the delusional/dishonest one for not entertaining your idea that I'm wrong? Your opinion is that the character shouldn't be renamed. Sure, that's okay. But it's a fact that the character is specifically being renamed because it has EVERYTHING to do with who it was named after; A person who has been fired because of their troubling behavior within Blizzard.

Enough is enough. You can dislike it, but there's a reason it's happening. And it makes sense in context. Context you apparently cannot grasp in your dement viewing of this world. Stop being a snowflake.

[Goatfish]

Now you're just trying too hard.

The argument is "Hey, Blizzard is wrong for deciding to rename a character in their game who was named in honor of a former member of their staff who they fired for some stuff that hasn't been made public." They have every right to do that, especially if what the real McCree did was really bad which is what can be assumed from the on-going lawsuit.

Your side finds it wrong and that the video game character has nothing to do with the real McCree, which I am calling bullshit rightly so. And now you're claiming I'm the delusional/dishonest one for not entertaining your idea that I'm wrong? Your opinion is that the character shouldn't be renamed. Sure, that's okay. But it's a fact that the character is specifically being renamed because it has EVERYTHING to do with who it was named after; A person who has been fired because of their troubling behavior within Blizzard.

Enough is enough. You can dislike it, but there's a reason it's happening. And it makes sense in context. Context you apparently cannot grasp in your dement viewing of this world. Stop being a snowflake.

I mean I explained your context in completion, so I think I understand it. You claim it is righteous to destroy symbology of something you disagree with. There is already many examples of great things named after horrible people, and it's only an easy google search away.

The Dewey Decimal system was named after a man also famous for his sexual misconduct.
Hans Asperger who invented the term Asperger's sent 'unfit' children to nazi camps.

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion pushers are the ones trying to erase names from history, and get rid of any reference of someone whose ideology they disagree with. There is another group that did something similar in history... I wonder who they could be? Direct quote from the article linked:

Experts in diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM regularly discuss how lots of things that members of a majority demographic take for granted signal to historically underrepresented minority groups that they’re not welcome in the academy. What message does it send to prospective scientists from a Native American background that we honor people like Stansbury by naming a species after him? What message does it send to prospective scientists of African-American descent that we so honor people like McCown? It certainly isn’t a message of inclusivity and welcome. (This is hardly the worst thing to ever happen to Native Americans or African Americans, which doesn’t mean that it’s not a problem worth discussing and trying to fix; “death by a thousand cuts” and “the straw that broke the camels back” are clichés for a reason).

As for how it's bad, there are plenty of studies showing how those who perceive themselves as victims of micro-aggressions have worse mental health including a lack of emotional/behavioral control. This really shouldn't be surprising, and I personally think it's the other way around. Those without emotional/behavioral control are going to be more likely to perceive micro-aggressions and therefore develop things like depression. This naming issue falls squarely under the micro-aggression definition.

[Keyblader]

And everyone will still call him McCree

[ey b0ss]

Still calling him mcREEEE anyway , no matter what anyone says in-game.

[Varodoc]

Everyone still calls him McCree, and the people who call him """"Cassidy"""" do so to mock him.

Who would have thought that the community doesn't care about a stupid change made solely to look good in front of the woke Twitter crowd.

Everyone will still call him McCree until the end of time. After 5+ years of him being called McCree, that's not changing ever.

[Beet]

yes, they have always hinted mccree not being his real name, so now they are just revealing his real name

Wow. Now I’ve seen it all. That’s some extreme mental gymnastics to try to make this change sound as if it was done as a lore thing. Oh well the games on life support so these changes just piss off people rather than bring any back. Gotta love how modern Blizz keeps shooting themselves in the foot. Puts a smile on my face in a way. No longer can they glide by on the work of the old teams. Also lemme see a source saying Jesse named all these things himself. Because from what I’ve read in the Warcraft Diaries book it’s been coworkers who choose to honor their fellow coworkers when they name things after them.

- - - Updated - - -

Everyone still calls him McCree, and the people who call him """"Cassidy"""" do so to mock him.

Who would have thought that the community doesn't care about a stupid change made solely to look good in front of the woke Twitter crowd.

Everyone will still call him McCree until the end of time. After 5+ years of him being called McCree, that's not changing ever.

Yep exactly. I’ll never call him anything but McCree.

[chitanblue]

I still call him mcree so who cares

[TheWorkingTitle]

Everyone will still call him McCree until the end of time. After 5+ years of him being called McCree, that's not changing ever.

Yep. Been in dozens of game since the change and have not heard the word Cassidy uttered once. Always McCree.

[Graeham]

Yep. Been in dozens of game since the change and have not heard the word Cassidy uttered once. Always McCree.

I've seen a couple of people on Twitter seeking to correct the use of McCree in comment strings only to be laughed off. The new name may or may not stick in due time but Overwatch is in itself dwindling in relevance and has for a while now.

I played it at launch and enjoyed it for the most part, though after a certain point I realised that it wasn't really adding stuff in a timely fashion. That Overwatch 2 has been delayed doesn't help and I'm not convinced that it needed to even be a thing in the first place.

About the only relevance the game has for me now is that I like a few of the character designs such as Hanzo, Genji, Soldier 76 and McCree. Some of the artists I follow draw them from time to time and if they happen to draw McCree? Well, I'm saving it in my art folder as 'McCree' because that's what the existing stuff is labelled as.