Is it racist to tease/mock players from Ragnaros, Quelthalas, Azgalor, etc.?

[Chanches]

I am an experienced player from Ragnaros. Have played since BC, raided endgame through most patches since WOTLK, and always been active on rated PVP and heroic/mythic PVE. I have plenty of alts and have played at least 8 different classes at high-end content at different points in time.

Spanish is my mother tongue, I live in Canada and play the game in English (just because I was used to it before the Spanish version came out). I got a free transfer to Rag when the server first came out as I was excited to connect with Latin American players and re-experience Latin American culture.

I understand that a language barrier can make it difficult to coordinate with other players, especially in high-end content. But the level of rejection, mockery, and downright hatred we encounter lately from North American players is like nothing I've seen before. It's hurtful on many levels being North American myself.

We get auto rejected in LFG, constantly get harassed with "taco taco burrito burrito" comments, we get blamed for wipes all the time.. Sometimes I'll join discord channels and people will call me names even knowing I'm there. When I call people out for their racism THEY get offended. By far the biggest issue is people who find it funny, laugh along or think its no big deal. It's taken a serious toll on my enjoyment of the game. I fell in love with the community years ago, but now feel actively rejected.

I know I can transfer realms to NA (very expensive for 8 alts) and I can also just only play with people in my server, but this wouldn't solve anything. I would like to see players take a stronger stance against senseless discrimination. Honestly it just sucks to come home after work, sit down to play a game I care a lot about and deal with loud explicit racism constantly.

Sorry for the rant, just want to know if people have had similar experiences and what y'all recommend.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

Objectively, yes it is. There certainly is stigma about players from those realms and I'm sure a vast majority of players on this forum have had bad experiences. And we've also had great experiences. This is a topic of discussion about the game that supports confirmation bias and it's not going to end well.

But to answer your question, yes it is racist to subject every subsquent player from Spanish/Portuguese-speaking realms to mockery or any other form of negative treatment solely based on a bad experience with a previous player from said Spanish/Portugese-speaking realms.

[Nasuuna]

I invite people from any server as long as they speak English and aren't bad. Most people I know don't invite from lax servers simply because it's a coin flip on if we can understand you.

It'd be weird geographically, but Spain and Portugal servers should be linked to Latin and south American servers because of this language barrier

[prwraith]

My guild leader has a bad habit of putting "no taco bell" in group finder descriptions.

Which is ironic considering how self deprecating his humor about his own middle eastern race is. I mean the taco bell servers are arguably worse players so to heck with em.

[wysimdnwyg]

When did Azgalor get a heavy Latin presence? Granted, I haven't played on that server since MoP, but I don't recall that at all.

Anyway, I don't care what server you're on, if you use racist tropes or comments to disparage someone, that's by definition racist. If you auto-kick anyone from your group who does not speak English as their primary language, that is racist. I understand why some may prefer to have people who speak the same language in their groups, but if what you're doing is that important, why are you picking up random people to fill out the group? And if it's not that important, then kicking someone for not speaking your language is wrong. Don't be that guy. (Not speaking to you with that last comment, Chanches, but to the people who might kick you from the group.)

[Nefarious Tea]

Generally speaking I don't pug content that would require communication, but on the off chance I get someone from Ragnaros or Quel'thalas for anything quick I can just google translate.

It also helps that I'm fluent in French and Latin, and if push comes to shove, I play a lot with a guy in my guild from the Dominican Republic who speaks fluent English and Spanish so he can translate.

EDIT: In regards to OP's original question, yeah it's pretty racist. Consider the US president though... are you surprised?

[wysimdnwyg]

I mean the taco bell servers are arguably worse players so to heck with em.

Did you really need to include that bit?

[Chanches]

I mean the taco bell servers are arguably worse players so to heck with em.

Why are they arguably worse? Did you really join this thread to support generalizations?

[Briselody]

If you auto-kick anyone from your group who does not speak English as their primary language, that is racist.

I'm gonna disagree with you there. This is a cooperative game, if you invite someone to your group and it turns out you can't communicate with them I feel like you're well within your rights to kick them from the group for that.

edit* I will add that this should be after they've demonstrated a lack of responsiveness

[TheFirstOnes]

No.

>Was originally a player from Destromath, Azgalor, etc

[Heladys]

If they're being teased for racist reasons, absolutely. The cases you displayed for instance fit the bill.

But if they're being teased for generally sucking, absent any racial/origin bias then that's just plain old fashioned reputation unfairness.

[Ghostile]

Is it racist to mock player from specific realms? No.

Is it racist to mock players of specific race with racial slurs? Yes.

[discofleshpot]

My guild leader has a bad habit of putting "no taco bell" in group finder descriptions.

Which is ironic considering how self deprecating his humor about his own middle eastern race is. I mean the taco bell servers are arguably worse players so to heck with em.

I'm asking this knowing damn good and well it's not him, but is your guild leader Varun? lol

[xayid]

Your definition of racism is extremely skewed, likely due to the extremist leftist media we have today. Racism is when you believe your race is superior to anyone else and they should have different rights suited to their race.

Criticising or discriminating a group of people in a damn video game isn't against any law, neither is it racist. It's like saying it's discriminating for pro football teams to only pick good players. We discriminate all the time, as long as it is within the possible laws for discrimination it's fine. I have a zero tolerance policy towards playing with russians, regardless of which game it is. Reason being they literally never have been able to behave like a normal person nor are they able to use english. Is that racist? It's not like the reason is based on race, it's based on behavior and other unrelated issues. No it's not racist to discriminate in a video game where you have free choice.

[prwraith]

I'm asking this knowing damn good and well it's not him, but is your guild leader Varun? lol

Lmao no!

Now I feel like I need to find Varun

[discofleshpot]

Lmao no!

Now I feel like I need to find Varun

He was my guild leader back in Wrath on Eonar. I think he still plays. Just from how you talked about yours, they sound a lot alike.

[guisadop]

might be xenophobic but not racist, "person that lives in south america" is not a race

[Nefarious Tea]

Is it racist to mock player from specific realms? No.

Is it racist to mock players of specific race with racial slurs? Yes.

The issue is that people from Ragnaros and Quel'thalas are being mocked BECAUSE those are the BR servers. And that very much is racist.

[Misuteri]

I have never played with a good Brazilian player. I have run across them in group finder and while leveling a tank queued and was tanking in whites..... Sure, may have been a troll but he was with two others and they were all just horribad. Fortunately I was in full BOA’s and just needed a slot holder...

[OriginalName]

lol how is any of what you described racist?