MikeMcD

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Xbox Live enforcement faced some heat this weekend over its policy on the use of swastikas as personal logos in Call of Duty: Black Ops. In response to a fan on Twitter, Enforcement manager Stephen Toulouse said the team would ban anyone using the symbol as their Black Ops icon. The backlash reached such a level that Toulouse had to address it on his personal blog.
Calling the symbol's defenders "contrarians," Toulouse says the symbol has been too corrupted by its history to be interpreted in any other way. "Let's be clear: no educated human on the planet looks at the swastika symbol on a video game service... 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.
"It's not political correctness, it's fundamental respect," he continues. "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."

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OzballO

Whilst I believe in free speech, I agree with this.

mattv2099

Swastikas now? Whats next? Are they going to ban all the erect penis emblems??? Whats the world coming to.

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OzballO

Actually, all the erect penis emblems are illegal.

TheHunter360

1. The first amendment only applies to the United States
2. The Swastika is banned in european countries such as Germany and Austria.
3. MS doesn't want to have to go through the trouble defending the game from political groups.

/argument.

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pantstofry

It's a good idea. My emblem atm is inappropro (but not politically incorrect) and im gonna change it. I'm sick of seeing a penis every game, or a swastika. It's already really old.

Pyro

Are they? I'm not so sure about this. I don't think they are detailed enough to be considered as such, especially in an M rated game.

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snootworks

Right on. It's refreshing to see someone with the testicular fortitude to stand their ground and make a call on something based on, as Toulouse refers to it, "fundamental respect."

Personally what's frustrating for me is the fact that in all likelyhood, the asshats that are using the swastika emblem don't have a fucking clue about what it is known to represent, World War II, or give a flying fuck about how it might make someone feel who does.

Kudos Xbox Live.

mattv2099

I live close to a place called Idaho. This place is full of skinheads and nazi wanabes who play COD. These guys are definitely rocking the swastikas in their emblems. Although I haven't seen a swastika in a couple days.

First they came for the swastikas. Then they came for the dicks. Next they come for you!

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OzballO

Anything that is found obviously offensive is illegal really. Obviously you have yet to see the very detailed obvious dicks. Just ask Pants or Hunter about the one we saw the other day.

pantstofry

Yep, I can confirm, it was nothing other than a male penis. It may or may not have been ejaculating, I do not remember.


*oh fuck, out of context thread, just realized*

Dante

^Thought of it myself and posted there before I had even scrolled to you post.

On topic: I studied WW2 and the Holocaust in great detail last year in college. I'm neither ignorant of it's history nor a Nazi sympathiser but I still don't really find it that offensive, especially in this context. I mean sure, i'd have a problem of someone spray painted it on the wall of a synagogue but really, it's in a video game, who cares?

They should just add an option to hide ALL emblems for carebears who think they might get offended by 6 connected lines or what is essentially 2 pink circles adjoining a pink oval.

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TheHunter360

Yeah pants is right, it isn't the worst I've seen on BO but it was at least in the top 10 most vulgar.

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OzballO

It was so veinee.

Megika

Well thank god.

@topic: hardly newsworthy in my opinion. So Microsoft don't want people on their service promoting a practice which resulted in attempted genocide - can anyone blame them?

Pyro

A think a simulated penis, even if it does look pretty close to being real, is still alright. The difference is whether or not it is an actual penis or not. Like, a dildo isn't an actual penis and can actually be shown, all by itself, on things like Youtube because they're not actually considered to be pornographic.

Oh, and and sort of something funny to add on from earlier. When I was first looking at this thread, my mom actually came upstairs (this is a rare occurrence you see) and was like "why is there a swastika on your screen?" I had some 'splaining to do. :/

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mattv2099

I don't mind the nudity emblems. Especially all the tits. Even the ones with jizz splatters on them.

It kind of reminds me of counterstrike. That place was infested with pr0n sprays on the walls.

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beasTer

I have to say that while I believe in free speech, and typically do not get all hung up on being politically correct... I do feel they made the right move here. There is a very distinct line in society that no lobbyist needs to address. It refers directly to common sense, or some people's lack thereof.

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Dante

I don't think it was the use of the swastika which resulted in the genocide.

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Megika

Nazism did, and the swastika was the symbol of that movement.

Platy

I reported a guy for having an emblem of someone jizzing over the incredible hulk today. The fact that he killed me 4 times in the previous game had nothing to do with my actions.

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Voodoo

So I can have a flaccid one?

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SgtJoo

Yeah, erect was totally the key word in the sentence.

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beasTer

Using that logic one could say that flags do not properly represent their countries. People tend to stand behind symbols for whatever they believe in (be it God, government or even just social/political views). As a result of this, those exposed to said symbols begin to associate the symbol with the party it represents. That is the entire point symbols.


Thus, we can clearly see that thanks to the depravity and horrors that occurred under Hitler's regime, a once religious icon has been forever tainted in the eyes of mankind.

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SgtJoo

Btw, as a Jew I couldn't give less fucks about the swastika.

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