So in this instance RE4 falls into the same paradigm as your complaint regarding RE5, White man Saves the Minorities from themselves.

Sorry for the confusion; I’m not actually in disagreement with that point.

Would it be possible to garner good from this game in the sense that it brings to light American Corporate involvement in other countries affairs?

Yes, of course. We obviously don’t know the content of the game, and no one here is saying that it is irredeemably racist and can never be anything beyond the trailer. Most games, in fact, have both good and bad in them. And, frankly, if games were only racist, misogynist, homophobic, etc. drivel then I wouldn’t waste my time with them, and I certainly wouldn’t be preparing to study how to design them.

But, no matter what they do or don’t do in the game, it can’t change the racist imagery they used in the trailer. Footage that, unless they take it out, will appear in the game as well.

While we’re making assumptions that the game is racist, which I feel takes a conscious effort when working on a piece of fiction,

That, I think, is where most of your problem is coming from. Most racism isn’t, in fact, intentionally done. Especially, from what I’ve observed, the racism that thrives in Japan. Most people don’t sit up and say, “I think I’ll oppress [x group] today!” But when we live in a culture of privilege (please see my Privilege 101 link list on the right and my privilege in action category for more information), we end up doing oppressive things without meaning to. Lack of intent, however, doesn’t make those actions any less oppressive. And our lack of knowledge about the oppressive nature of those acts doesn’t make us bad, or evil, or whatever, but it does mean that we have a responsibility to educate ourselves and be as aware of these issues as possible.

No one is claiming that Capcom has made this game in an effort to keep black people down. That would, indeed, be a far-fetched and unsupportable claim. In all likelihood, however, Capcom made this game without being fully aware of the race relations, history, and current events at work in the setting and characters that they chose. And, in doing so, utilized racist imagery in a way that has hit home with many of their fanbase.

Do you really think that a Japanese game developer is promoting a white American global supremacy as you claimed in response 5 to Great Daitokuji.

If you’re asking do I think that the developers were like, “Let’s create a game where we exalt whiteness as the ideal state of being, and imply that white people should be everyone’s overlords!” then the answer is no.

If you’re asking do you think that the developers accidentally invoked tropes that are tied into a history of cultural imperialism and white supremacy, most likely because they didn’t do their homework well enough, then the answer is yes.

I do feel we are jumping the gun and basing assumptions on a short clip that does not encompass the goals of the writer, director, producer, or staff working on the project or even the rest of the game experience.

And expressed like that, it is you airing a concern and not dismissing the statements of others. The way that we phrase things does matter, and it can be the difference between someone writing you off — and tossing out anything important that you might have to say — and someone listening to you even when they disagree. Sometimes it’s a crap shoot either way, but on this blog at least if you voice things the way that you did in this post, you will at the very least be heard.

And, as for the content of your concern, I would just like to point out that my assertion of intent not being linked to racism applies here: none of us are assuming anything about developer intent, nor are we saying that the clip is the sum of what the game can be. We’re only saying that, as the current representation of the game, it paints a racist picture that will most likely lose Capcom some of its otherwise loyal fanbase.

1) In reference to your response to Great Daitokuji you said that that RE4 was located in Spain when in fact that distinction was never made. It is implied because they speak Spanish but it is not in fact ever stated. If you were to ask an individual from the Basque region of Spain if they were Spanish they would tell you no, they are Basque. So in this instance RE4 falls into the same paradigm as your complaint regarding RE5, White man Saves the Minorities from themselves.

2) Would it be possible to garner good from this game in the sense that it brings to light American Corporate involvement in other countries affairs? American Oil companies in Africa and the Middle East or Diamond Mines in Africa? How about some good from the fact that it could (although not necessarily from the trailer) show the plight of African’s in a region where AIDS is claimed to be cured by garlic and the governments of the region respond slow and poorly to the epidemic?

While we’re looking for flaws I think it’s equally plausible that the creaters are attempting to increase awareness of a serious problem and hope that their median, Resident Evil, will help? While we’re making assumptions that the game is racist, which I feel takes a conscious effort when working on a piece of fiction, we should check and see if there’s any good to find in it and if that isnt’t their goal.

3) Do you really think that a Japanese game developer is promoting a white American global supremacy as you claimed in response 5 to Great Daitokuji.

I apologize for my statement on your other post claiming it was a stretch but I do feel we are jumping the gun and basing assumptions on a short clip that does not encompass the goals of the writer, director, producer, or staff working on the project or even the rest of the game experience.

Now if it were an African guy killing white Americans, would… hmmm, no, that probably wouldn’t be that good, either. It’d be a different message, yet so much the same.

Agreed. Simple turnabout is not the way to combat -isms like racism. It doesn’t bring any useful insights onto the table, doesn’t challenge the racism inherent in the original message, and just adds fuel to the fire of racists who say, “Look you have the reverse now, so shut up and stop complaining!”

If you think that this game is about a White man Killing Black Zombies and that’s all that it is there is something definitely wrong with your thinking.

Well, then it’s a good thing that no one here is thinking that!

Seriously, let’s look at the incorrect assumptions you made about the discussion here:

1. We claim that this game is about a White man Killing Black Zombies

Nope. I specifically mentioned that, by having an American protagonist battling primarily black zombies, it uses the “White Man Saves the Savages From Themselves” trope. Pointing out that a game is using a trope isn’t the same as asserting that the trope is the main theme, or thrust, of a work.

2. We claim that the game can’t/shouldn’t be set in Africa

The problem with it being set in Africa is twofold. 1) See above; 2) Godless Heathen was pointing out that the other games are set in a specific place (“USA”, “Spain”), but RE5, at current, is “Africa” as if a continent is the same as a specific country. No one is saying that a game can’t be set in Africa, but rather that if a game is set somewhere in Africa that it needs to be handled properly.

3. We claim that black people can’t people become infected with a virus that has been attacking White people for the last 4 games*

First off, it’s been a while since I’ve played through the games, but I’m pretty sure that not all of the zombies were white. Secondly, no one is saying that black people can’t be zombies, but rather pointing out the problematic way that Capcom has handled it, as discussed in #1 and #2.

4. If it was set in Japan and there was a White guy killing Japanese people we wouldn’t thing twice about it

If you had read any of my other articles, you’ll see that nothing is outside of the scope of criticism. If a game came to my attention that was a white guy killing Japanese people — or people of any nationality/ethnicity/race — I would, in fact, comment on it.

5. A White guy killing White people (in America) is an analogous situation

A white American killing white Americans is not remotely the same as a white American killing the natives in another country. The racial dynamics in the first case are equal, whereas in the second instance they come with a continued history of racism, imperialism, and a global discourse of white supremacy. There are even less issues that overlap there than there are for the other popular related argument where a white American killing the natives in another country is analogous to a a non-white American killing other white and non-white Americans.

6. Being non-white means that you can’t employ a racist argument

Sorry, I don’t accept the “I’m a woman and I don’t think that’s sexist” argument as valid, and I’m not going to accept the “I’m non-white and I don’t think that’s racist” as valid. A racist argument/statement employed by white people against non-white people becomes no less racist if people from the targeted non-white race adopt it for their own use. This applies to both the use of it on one’s own race as well as other non-white races.

* Just a note, but RE4 wasn’t Umbrella’s zombie virus. It was a parasite.

Now, I’ll give you (and everyone else reading here) a piece of advice: don’t insult the critical thinking skills of a person if you aren’t 100% sure that the place you’re arguing from is stable. It doesn’t do a thing to help your credibility.