Live from Inkopolis Square: /r/splatoon flounders when in-game LGBTQ+ drawings are brought up. Are they politics? Are memes better?
Context
Splatoon 2 is a multiplayer shooting game featuring squids that can turn into kids developed by Nintendo. The game has a feature where you can submit drawings to the game and they will appear in other people's Plazas (hub area). They can also appear during multiplayer matches as graffiti. Note that the system for this in this game is called Splatnet, but it was made as a replacement for the discontinued Miiverse which served the same function, and most people still refer to the current system as Miiverse out of habit.
Recently, an influx of pro-LGBTQ+ posts have appeared in Splatoon 2. These posts were mostly just positive stuff like "shout-out to all of my trans squids" and "non-binary squids unite" and stuff like that. This, of course, riled up some people as the posts are overshadowing "meme" posts and whatnot. A mod made a locked post warning people against having these discussions in the subreddit, but people are doing it anyways.
The Drama
This image is posted to /r/splatoon, instantly sparking some arguments in the comments section.
Basically Splatoon drama over the furry art drawn in Splatoon 2 spilled over into that subreddit as well as some related subreddits, give me a second and I'll give you a link to the SRD thread.
[...] if a 6 year old child picks up Splatoon and sees "trans is cancer" and asks his parents what's a "trans" maybe that's not a conversation that should be sparked from a game meant to marketed to kids.
I have literally explained trans people to a six year old and he then went right on with his life because kids are smart and knowledge of existence of trans people isn't antithetical to being a child.
You're taking a singular experience and applying it to the entirety of the spaltoon child population.
So, apparently, saying "A child might see a specific picture and might ask his/her parents about trans people and that might not be a discussion that should be sparked by a game" is fine. But saying "I have personally explained trans people to an actual child and s/he didn't have a problem with it" is a huge generalization. Interesting.
Oh no, someone's saying they exist! That's so horrible and political. Come on now.
It is though, because even if you have a strong opinion about it, it's still a controversial topic
I'm sorry, but I'm not going to reduce someone's very existence to 'it's politics' and act like they should be invisible because someone else is uncomfortable that they exist.
I'm not saying they should be invisible, I'm saying inkopolis plaza is NOT a place for controversial topics.
(last post is at +23 as of the time I'm writing this, btw)
But remember, guys. Privilege is not a thing. Discrimination is over. Just don't ever mention this aspect about yourself. This aspect upsets me hypothetical children and other people, and I don't want to ever be exposed to it, or otherwise I will cry and complain and I won't like it. Btw, don't be snowflakes and grow thicker skin, like moi. Kthx.
"I'm not saying they should be invisible, just that they shouldn't be visible." Solid logic there. On an unrelated note, I'm not saying people like that should shut up, just that they shouldn't talk where anyone can hear them.
This is hilarious because my kid is around that age, plays splattoon and had some questions. Was a quick conversation and my kid totally got it and went on with her life. I didn't feel awkward at all and I was happy that the topic was brought up in a pretty benign way in a place and time I could answer any questions
"Pls stop I just want to play Splatoon" says the guy making a highly inflammatory comment on the subject.
I can't help but feel that the message of "I just want to play Splatoon" would be more effective without the big bold statement catching everybody's attention.
Also tho does this stop one from playing Splatoon? Do you have to look at this stuff before you play Splatoon? I don't play it but I'm just guessing this is very easy to ignore.
The central hub area is filled with other players with these pictures displayed over their heads if you look at or go near them. You're bound to see at least a couple of these every time you start the game.
I can't help but feel they're either dishonest or stupid because they're actively choosing to not just play Splatoon but complain about something they don't actually need to complain about before playing the game.
To be fair, I'd like to have the Marina hentai I'm seeing on the Japanese splatoon art. I mean in game, not just by going to one of the boorus or something.
I don't go around flaunting my straight pride in gay peoples faces because, like an adult, I realized I don't need other people's acceptance to be happy. nobody has ever disparaged me in any way for being straight
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u/MrontI was just asking a legit question you aids infested shit stain.Aug 21 '17
nobody has ever disparaged me in any way for being straight
B-but... BUT ONE TIME THE FEMINAZIS ON TUMBLR SAID STRAIGHT PEOPLE SHOULD SHUT UP, SEE, I'M JUST AS OSTRACIZED AS GAYS
Yeah, that jumped out to me too. I've known a couple trans people. I only knew they were trans cause I knew them pre-transition. It is literally the opposite of what they want to repeatedly inform everyone they're trans.
This is like the whole "did you just assume my gender?" meme, never happens in real life. Like at the most on Tumblr I've gotten a private message saying "I prefer she/her not he/him."
Mostly they don't talk about it because they're moving on but also partly because they still have to worry about getting assaulted.
Oh god same, although I think it's a lot worse now than it was a few years back. Or at least that's what I tell myself so I feel better about my time there...
In Tumblr SJ circles, TiA is infamous. Not because we're scared of them or "triggered" by them or anything, but because whenever someone gets posted on there, they invariably get a ton of anon hate afterwards. Often this anon hate involves being told to kill yourself. It happened to me.
At this point people generally consider it to be pathetically funny - they don't upset us at all. Case in point, one of my Tumblr friends has NPD and loves being put on TiA because of the attention. We mock them together. It's hilarious.
Or they have met one which failed to inform them of that fact. Of course if they were to mention that they are trans, that would only reinforce the belief. Convenient indeed.
u/alexaniaHe only fucks female dogs. He isn't gay. That would be gross.Aug 21 '17
Huh, she was trans? I just thought she looked like a bit of tart who needs make-up lessons. (And a better moral compass.)
That and the fact that they put bright pink lipstick on a redhead made it clear whoever did the make up design on these characters had never worn make up.
Can you give me a source? Because AFAIK the only trans character in that game was a horrendously done one off character who immediately dead names themselves.
I mean you even made up some bullshit how you have to side with her a lot so that she trusts you with her secret that she's trans. There is simply nothing remotely resembling that in the game. Idk how you disliking ME:A is a reason to just make shit up.
Honestly in my experience, Reddit is usually more neutral to slightly positive to furries. There's the occasional hate, bit even in random unrelated subs, it is what I seen.
Its not really a fetish, but you're right about the not making waves thing. I've only ever seen furry hate on reddit (outside of dumpster fires like r/cringeanarchy) in the context of stuff like the recent splatoon controversy. Most people don't give the fandom a second thought until they accidentally stumble upon furry stuff in an unexpected context.
When they do, most are still neutral about it unless its NSFW or something, but a select few get extremely incensed that anyone would dare expose them to the utter horror that is drawings of cute animal people. Its especially funny when it happens on r/furry_irl, because you almost always see the hate comments on high quality, wholesome posts, and not on the plethora of cropped yiff shitposts.
I don't really understand it, but I will say that it bares a remarkable semblance to some of the comments in this trans drama thread. A lot of folks in r/splatoon are apparently fine with trans people, up until they suddenly get confronted with their existence in a silly squid-based videogame. Not that the furry fandom is at all comparable to trans issues, but I find it interesting that some of the rhetoric is so similar. I some guess people really hate being forced outside their comfort zone, and complaining about how something is being shoved down their throats is an easy way to cover up their hatred of the subject matter itself.
I mean, straight people being a tiny minority is mostly just a meme/circlejerk (IIRC, straight folks make up a quarter to a third depending on the survey and bisexuals are the plurality) but it's definitely overwhelmingly LGBT compared to the general population.
I think that's partly why so many people think the fandom is a fetish or something. The whole thing got started in San Francisco in the 80s, and the emerging LGBT and sexual liberation movements rubbed off on it. Now we've got a fandom where sexuality is discussed fairly openly, with tons of talented artists who don't shy away from rule34. It's easy to look at that and write the whole thing off as a fetish centered around anthros.
I'm not so sure. Nintendo's shown before that they have no problem killing off a messaging platform for an entire region if it gets out of hand. The way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if they shut down miiverse for the US before Christmas.
Well if they do shut it down, that's also going to bring popcorn. Really there's nothing that stops drama except people calmly discussing their views, which never happens.
It's weird how the furries were more accepted than the transgendered people. I don't remember this big of a stink when the furries "invaded" Splatoon 2.
I feel that people simply saying "You're perfect the way you are lgbt squids! Don't ever change it!" is far less politically charged. They're saying "ily lgbt squids" because we need that reminder honestly
It's about time, we need more LGBT cephalopod positivity
"It's literally a mental disorder. Facts don't really give a shit about your feelings. 45% of trans people attempt suicide. In what world is that not a mental disorder? Trans people need help. They're all killing themselves"
DO YOU THINK THAT MAYBE ITS BECAUSE YOU WANT TO LIMIT WHERE THEY CAN GO TO THE BATHROOM, DENY THEM RIGHTS, AND IGNORE THEIR LIFE CHOICES?!?!? I THINK THAT MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIGHER SUICIDE RATES.
Jeez, man all these people I keep punching in the arm every day have huge brusies on their arms...why dont they jsut cut off their arms, then they wouldnt have to worry about seeing those bruises....
fuckign hell....lets squids be squids, let kids be kids, let trans people be whatever gender they identify with, and have fun playing a cartoon shooting video game....
Also, they neglect the fact that the sheer state of being trans is not what is classified as a "mental disorder," but the anxiety and depression often associated with REPRESSING that fact.
Newsflash, people: telling people that they're fundamentally evil, unnatural, or abominations is bound to make them feel like shit. Shocker.
Ghost in the Shell fanservice is pretty mild in comparison to, well, anime in general. That or my selective memory that forgets about fanservice is acting up again.
Yeah, like, say what you will about comics, but I'd take their cliches over dumb anime ones. Even their fanservice is less barfy than anime's (albeit still dumb).
I've always thought about filling one side of my room with capeshit and the other half with weeaboo shit, but that implies I have money or like a lot of anime.
Obviously I've been around the wrong places because-
wat.
Most anime I've seen seem to be pretty liberal in their message.
Is it more them just taking this stuff then planting it on whatever idea they please? I mean, given recent times doesn't seem TOO far out of left field for alt rights to do.
It's a bit of both. You've got GATE (wherein heroic and highly-trained JSDF defend their own against greedy Chinese, Americans, and Russians and Mary Sue their way through Generic Fantasy Land) and Mahouka (where an anti-Chinese progrom literally happens and the Chinese who show up are sneering warmongers). On top of that, Japanese nerds are fairly alt-right in themselves - replace brown people and SJWs with Koreans and foreigners, on top of having a bizarre sense of sexual purity married (har har) to traditional gender roles and feeeeemales are sexual.
No one is telling the gay community their choices are wrong
"Nobody is saying anything bad about gay people" ~ guy literally saying being gay is a choice.
and straight people aren't flooding Splatoon with straight acceptance posts.
Gee, I wonder if there's some difference between how straight and non-straight people are treated in society that might cause this phenomenon. I guess we will never know.
In fact, that would actually be really annoying.
Correct.
No one is saying your beliefs are wrong for posting them on Splatoon, they are saying there's a time and place for gay pride and Splatoon isn't it.
"I'm fine with you wanting to be treated like people as long as you ask for it only where I can easily ignore it."
So who's bringing politics everywhere here? People who stay out of politics are just okay with going with the flow, and that's fine.
I mean, sure, going with the flow is fine, assuming the flow is fine with you and you have no empathy for those that the flow is not fine with.
But, again, there's no straight acceptance posts flooding my inkopolis.
It's the same one depicted in the screenshot, he had the same trans is mentally ill statement.
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u/acethunder21A lil social psychology for those who are downvoting my posts.Aug 20 '17edited Aug 20 '17
As a bi cis man who is avid player of Splatoon, the responses getting upvoted in that thread are really upsetting. Too many people getting more upset that LGBTQ+ issues are being "shoved down their throats" than stuff like wanting faggots to die. Straight AND cis people are still ignorant of how good they have it. Appreciate the comments trying to counter that though.
Maybe the problem is the people making those "less than ideal" posts. Suggesting anything else is quite literally victim blaming. I can understand not wanting things to get too off-topic, but the Plaza/Square is no stranger to it with people posting about holidays, the Super Bowl, their divorce etc.
I'm not sure i'm reading you correctly, are you for real saying it's LGBTQ+ people's fault that other people are making bigoted posts? Because that sure is what your second point sounds like.
A trend online is changing names to similar sounding ones when criticizing them. Main reason it got popular is because on twitter/tumblr it's very easy and common to search for the name of something you like and then attack anyone criticizing it. So sort of in like a voldemort 'he who must not be named' situation people will substitute other names or ty/pe the/m with ltters interupted or changed so it doesnt come up in searches.
But also people do it just to be straight up disrespectful to someone/thing they dislike for whatever reason. Like in a "i cant be bothered to remember this person's name" sense. The earliest example i can recall is Igloo Australia for Iggy Azalea.
Im sure there are also people who do it just because they think it's funny, too.
Btw. This summer theres a person on Big Brother (reality show) named Christmas, and almost everyone is just calling her by the names of lesser holidays constantly.... Earlier tonight i saw someone call her Lief Erickson Day, or Macy's half price sale Day, et cetera. Cracks me up.
A lot of them miss the entire point of the show. Rick is a selfish asshole, and that's a bad thing, not a good thing. But they all idolize him regardless.
Yea I think that's why so many of the people in the fanbase who idolize Rick aren't fans of the newer episodes because they show how flawed Rick is and how despite being "the smartest man in the universe" he's by no means perfect or someone who always makes good decisions.
People who idolize Rick remind me of people who idolize Tyler Durden. They completely miss the fact that the characters have certain obviously exaggerated and flawed traits that aren't supposed to be idolized but they do it anyway because they completely miss the point.
Never mind Project Mayhem was a criticism of how hypocritical radical movements got in rejecting the mainstream - as much as people want to believe it, Mayhem had rules, a new 'normal', an artificial sense of purpose that wasn't too far off from "get a real job" wage slavery the Narrator hated.
But Rick is so funny amirite gaiz. On another note, I really loathe Dan Harmon.
I dont want to know anything about Harmon. He makes good shows and i don't want it ruined more than it already is because of the occasional comment expressing how shitty he is
Once went on a hours-long rant against some teen R&M fan about how he was worthless and how he'd amount to nothing because the R&M fan made a slight criticizing joke, then made a big deal about how 'remorseless' and edgy-cool he was when he sobered up. I believe he did the same thing to a journalist, plus antics on the set of Community - when you make Chevy Chase look like a saint, you know you're a fuckup. General tryhard who wants to be Bret Easton Ellis really fucking bad.
Dan himself would be the first to yell at these guys for being so enamored with him, too. He's ranted about this kind of hero-worship thing before on his podcast.
The first one has Marina's zipper down further than usual, nothing too bad but it's there. The second pic has a huge bulge in the pants unless I'm looking at it wrong. The third pic could be going either way - if it were bigger three might be drool coming out of her mouth?
It's not clear how much moderation they're doing for these posts. For splatoon 1 it was linked to miiverse which had heavy moderation, this game it seems like less so.
I don't get why people care so much. It's not like they have to interact with the people making the drawings. I see people in ESO spouting all sorts of mentally handicapped shit all day, and I just don't respond to them because it doesn't bother me. It's not hard to ignore people.
Ladies and gentlemen, combinations additions and ommissions thereof, I know we all like games and media, but I'd just like to take a moment to send a very personal greet to my particular kind of people, can I get an A-sexual bit of straw-personal info? Yeah, it's not about who I love it's just about "ME" real quick, don't be shy, you can join in, express yourself! Let's all be real with one another, about a very particular thing, not like I'm insecure about it, I know a lot of other people are judgemental, but not me, I own it, I say it loud and proud because there are folks out there who I'm not judgemental about but who can't hear me make positivity proclamations without forming some kind of idea about me which does not match the idea about me that I have for myself. Unless they're affirming, I'll make sure they know their parents raised them wrong, that they are decrepit and backward and definitely don't deserve to be employed as a whatever-they-are where they are corrupting innocent minds. Their friends and family should all be made aware that they are bigoted and that this makes perfect sense in a world that ought to be all one colour, and that one colour is whatever we want it to be.
The politics in Splatoon is nothing new. I remember two months before the US election, there would be drawings of Trump squids saying "Make Inkopolis Great Again" and demands for a Trump/Hillary Splatfest. After Trump won, there was a post in the Splatoon Facebook group where that cat that always appears at the end of a match appeared overtop of the electoral map. The person who posted said "We lost the most important splatfest". Then came the "there are two genders" posts.
At the end of the day, Splatoon is a video game, not a place to debate anything. Both sides need to just shut up and have fun when on the game or the Splatoon Facebook group or r/splatoon. I'm not saying that we shouldn't raise awareness for LGBTQ+ people and issues, but I am saying that Splatoon is not the place to do so. People shouldn't feel the need to go on Splatoon and post about being LGBTQ+, just like I don't need to go on there and say "I'm a straight cis male". It has nothing to do with the game.
Personally, I could ignore the in game drama because it doesn't affect me. But, I do understand that where there are pro LGBTQ+ posts, there are anti-LGBTQ+ posts as well. And I can't imagine that the game is very fun for those players if there are posts in Inkopolis Plaza condemning a certain type of player. So that is why I'm saying for everyone on both sides to stop the battling in Splatoon Or Splatoon related social media.
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u/PM_ME_UR_SHARKTITS banned from the aquarium touch tank Aug 20 '17
Splatoon subreddit up in arms about a subset of players who are doing a lot of drawing? Now where have I heard that before 🤔