Is the Punch-Out!! series the most racist ever?

[nate1749]

Am I the only one who love stereotypes and prejudices? Nowadays, everyone is so overly frightened to be offended by almost everything. What a bunch of pu**ies!

Like someone else mentioned, if you haven't seen it already I think you would like the David Chappelle show.



For some reason people are VERY easy to offend no adays. I don't think I personally would be offended by anything at all.

actually, they aren't really offended. They call you out and say OMG i am like soooooooooo offended because then other people look at you like you are a jerk and at them like the savior for pointing it out. This way for 5 min they give themselves a little ego boost for having saved the day and go back to their pathetic lives.

That is exactly what the original poster wanted....some attention and he sure got it.

I noticed that too. I guess they think that they're supposed to be offended, but they're really not.

This is also a boxing game though where the objective is to punch the person's face in as much as you can. Granted the graphics are exactly detailed, but if you were attempting to purchase kid-friendly games I'd assume you put it back as soon as you read "punch-out."

Nate

[tony_good]

I also don't know why Dora is on that little list either. I assume she's a Latina due to how she looks and that she also speaks (and teaches) Spanish words. If that's who she is, how is she a "stereotype" or a product of "racism"? Would it be better if she was pale white and teaching Spanish, French, German, Japanese....?



It is incredibly insulting when people walk up to me and just start asking me questions in Spanish. I have no reason nor any desire to speak nor learn that language.

Dora reinforces the notion that just because someone has a dark complexion or is Latin that they will speak Spanish, which is an offensive racial stereotype.

Yes, it would certainly be less offensive if she were Latin and spoke French or caucasian and spoke Spanish. Why not make her a Latin girl who speaks English only? That so many places now cater to non-English speakers is one of the most divisive trends ever. Assimilation should be the ultimate goal of immigrants, but here is one example where political correctness has certainly gone awry. Look here for more on the subject:

http://www.us-english.org/

Stereotypes may exist for a reason, but they are still harmful.

The Punch-Out!! series is not considered racist because it, like Dora, is "family friendly", with no swearing, blood, and only comic, cartoony violence. That and the fact that Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! features a sociopathic monster make it insidiously harmful.

[The Manimal]

I know you're just joking, but anybody who thinks the French are pussies needs to read up on some WWI history. ;) The French have had bigger balls as far as their history goes than most countries.


Not to be totally political and all, but those "balls" led to WWII/Holocaust/etc. France was so overly determined to punish Germany severely politically/economically (even though the war was not particularly their fault), that all it did was breed resentment and anger within the people...enough so to allow a leader like Hitler to take power. Cancel out whiny French hatred of that era, and cancel out support for Nazi Germany... :)

[YoshiM]

I also don't know why Dora is on that little list either. I assume she's a Latina due to how she looks and that she also speaks (and teaches) Spanish words. If that's who she is, how is she a "stereotype" or a product of "racism"? Would it be better if she was pale white and teaching Spanish, French, German, Japanese....?



It is incredibly insulting when people walk up to me and just start asking me questions in Spanish. I have no reason nor any desire to speak nor learn that language.

Now I have no clue what nationality you hail from nor what you look like, plus I have no idea of the circumstances revolving around people walking up to you and asking questions in Spanish. What pops in my mind is that you either A) have a dark complexion/are Latin in origin, B)were in areas populated by a majority of people who speak Spanish instead of English or C) someone taped an "I know Spanish" sign on your back. I'm just guessing but for some reason I'm guessing A because I can't imagine anyone just walking up to you and start spouting off Spanish and having it be insulting, but I could be wrong in that guess.

So, what are people supposed to do when they want to interact with strangers? Carry a clipboard with that asks you to "check mark the language you primarily speak" that is written in the popular languages of the nation and hold it out to others to make their selection?


Dora reinforces the notion that just because someone has a dark complexion or is Latin that they will speak Spanish, which is an offensive racial stereotype.
Of all the things to be offensive, I would never ever think that a person assuming you know a language based on your appearance would be a negative thing. A stereotype, yes but offensive? C'mon. Take it a bit further: if a school has a Spanish class and it's being taught by a Latino, would that be a "racially offensive stereotype"?



Yes, it would certainly be less offensive if she were Latin and spoke French or caucasian and spoke Spanish. Why not make her a Latin girl who speaks English only?

Okay, so we make Dora English speaking only and we piss off the Spanish speaking Latinos who feel that having Dora *not* speak their native language is "racially insensitive" by denying her the ability to celebrate here native roots. I think one of the ideas behind Dora is that the program shows kids that our world IS racially diverse and it should be embraced. With this line of thinking you're having I wonder if you found Sesame Street racially offensive.


That so many places now cater to non-English speakers is one of the most divisive trends ever.
Wait, wait...I think I'm starting to see some true colors here. So basically you're saying that in order to "unify" everyone should just speak English in America? How is this not racially or culturally offensive to people whose primary language isn't English? Or do we not care about such things?


Stereotypes may exist for a reason, but they are still harmful.

Depending on how a stereotype is generated, I disagree. If an black African (gotta specify, they're not all the same color in Africa) comes to America for the first time, which stranger would they gravitate towards: the pasty white dude or the black African American? I'd have to say the latter as that's what the person is familiar with. Humans are a visual creature and we identify many things on site. If you are in a tavern and a man walks in, bangs a bloody machete on the bar says "I'm gonna kill the next mo'fo that walks in here", are you going to say "hello" and buy him a drink or are you going to avoid him but feel evil because you've labeled a nasty stereotype on him that he's a psychopathic killer?



The Punch-Out!! series is not considered racist because it, like Dora, is "family friendly", with no swearing, blood, and only comic, cartoony violence. That and the fact that Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! features a sociopathic monster make it insidiously harmful.

I'm gonna stop here. I think you have more underlying issues and demons you need to deal with.

[Daria]

We'll just reinvent Dora as a Spanish speaking Japanese girl who lives with her two culturally ambigous lesbian mothers and likes to wear lederhosen and clogs. Of course no child on earth will actually identify with the character but at least no one will ever accuse her of being sterotypical.

[anagrama]

Not to be totally political and all, but those "balls" led to WWII/Holocaust/etc. France was so overly determined to punish Germany severely politically/economically (even though the war was not particularly their fault), that all it did was breed resentment and anger within the people...enough so to allow a leader like Hitler to take power. Cancel out whiny French hatred of that era, and cancel out support for Nazi Germany... :)

Riiiiiiiight.... :roll:

Are anti-French classes part of the US curriculam or something?

[Push Upstairs]

No, they are elective :P

[CartCollector]

Well, if the stereotypes in Punch-Out!! are so horrible, who here is offended by a character that potrays their ethnic group? I've lived in the U.S. my whole life, and found Super Macho Man quite amusing. I mean, who in the U.S. hasn't seen someone on T.V. hawking some excercize equipment that acts like him? He's not representative of the whole U.S. population, much like the other Punch-Out!! characters.

[Ed Oscuro]

It is incredibly insulting when people walk up to me and just start asking me questions in Spanish. I have no reason nor any desire to speak nor learn that language.

Dora reinforces the notion that just because someone has a dark complexion or is Latin that they will speak Spanish, which is an offensive racial stereotype.
Where do you get off putting those two sentences together? The first paragraph I'd as soon expect to hear from the mouth of a 90-something year old KKK member (I swore you had the word "disgusting" in there), and the second is the stupidest thing I've read all day.

[Ed Oscuro]

Not to be totally political and all, but those "balls" led to WWII/Holocaust/etc. France was so overly determined to punish Germany severely politically/economically (even though the war was not particularly their fault), that all it did was breed resentment and anger within the people...enough so to allow a leader like Hitler to take power. Cancel out whiny French hatred of that era, and cancel out support for Nazi Germany... :)

Riiiiiiiight.... :roll:

Are anti-French classes part of the US curriculam or something?
I'm surprised you don't see the truth behind that statement, anagrama! France was so incredibly ballsy that, for example, there was a GIGANTIC to-do about their bright-ass red pantaloons in World War I. Smart people backed getting real uniforms that wouldn't make every soldier's shanks a huge target, whereas ultranationals decried any attempt at reforming military dress as being a betrayal of ideas like Elan Vital.

France and the Versailles Treaty perhaps overshadow other politics in Germany after the first war, but it was definitely an overriding factor towards leading Germany into a second war. The shame of Versailles was part of Hitler's platform, always was; the economic ramifications of refusing to pay reparations probably were the reason he enjoyed his popularity as it promised a better life for everyone. It was also the right thing to do - just look at how we managed to rebuild nations and profit after WWII.

I really admire the French for their self-image, sense of justice, but then you still have the ramifications of the whole Dreyfuss Affair playing out in small ways today. Vichy French were actually anti-Dreyfussard holdouts (another time the ultraconservatives in France lead the country into trouble).

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, if the stereotypes in Punch-Out!! are so horrible, who here is offended by a character that potrays their ethnic group?
Oh man, I know this is a third post but I have to respond to this. I've tracked along with the use (and misuse) of Native American/"Indian" mascots and logos at schools; the main issue for me is that it's bad history. I think it's important for people to have thick skin.

I look at a game like Blood Brothers and I know lots of people would be insulted by the stereotypical Injuns running about with the canned "war whoops," but the funny thing is that this dates the game for me in a pleasant way. I don't feel that the much-revilled '50s Hollywood image of native peoples is as bad as people make it out to be, and what's more it's a part of our culture. We know that it's wrong to assume that the Indians are bad guys (note that the second player in Blood Brothers is in a sort of Plains-style war dress/bonnet), but if there was any malice there, it's mostly dissipated now.

What I truly can't stand are popular movies that strive to insult and paint large groups from our history as bad - take that Cruise vehicle "The Last Samurai." Good from the standpoint of a film and fun to watch (and I don't much care for Cruise as a human being), but the alteration of history in that movie makes it incredibly offensive in my eyes.

[Zap!]

It is incredibly insulting when people walk up to me and just start asking me questions in Spanish. I have no reason nor any desire to speak nor learn that language.

Dora reinforces the notion that just because someone has a dark complexion or is Latin that they will speak Spanish, which is an offensive racial stereotype.
Where do you get off putting those two sentences together? The first paragraph I'd as soon expect to hear from the mouth of a 90-something year old KKK member (I swore you had the word "disgusting" in there), and the second is the stupidest thing I've read all day.

I totally disagree. You don't have to be a Klansmen to want English-only laws. That's where I stand. I feel the poster in question is not a far-right KKKer, but a far-left PC poster boy (or girl).

[Griking]

Does anyone remember the older Seinfeld episode where he asks a postman who was turned around if he knew where the closest Chinese restaurant was? The postman turns around and happens to be Chinese and flipped out on Seinfeld accusing him of being racist. "Sure, a Chinese person HAS to know where all of the Chinese restaurants are". Jerry responded that he didn't even realize that he was Chinese and the only reason he asked him was because he was a postman and probably knew where everything was in the area. It was a funny bit but at the same time it was sad because it was clear that it wasn't meant to be racist but the postman just took it that way. It also showed how thin skinned people can be and how quickly people assume things.

[Griking]

It is incredibly insulting when people walk up to me and just start asking me questions in Spanish.

I know what you mean. I'm a white person and I get extremely offended when people walk up to me and ask me questions in English. :roll:

[Ed Oscuro]

I totally disagree. You don't have to be a Klansmen to want English-only laws. That's where I stand. I feel the poster in question is not a far-right KKKer, but a far-left PC poster boy (or girl).
You disagree because you don't know the truth (let's put that more directly - you are ignorant). Language and culture are intertwined tighter than Windows and IE ;D Forcibly separating people from their ancestral language would destroy cultural distinction. There's a reason we talk about "amae" when discussing Japan, or "elan vital" when discussing France. These are terms that don't translate to English very well, and the very structure of our language doesn't allow us to directly translate or emphasize a lot of ideas and ideologies from other culture.

Frankly, we talk a lot about the "melting pot" here in the U.S., but the American dream is about classic cars, baseball, and apple pie, not, say, potstickers, buddha statues and landscapes (moving right from one stereotype to another there). "Culture" is by its very nature a pretty insular force, and it's hard to give and take between cultures. You certainly won't have that happening if you strip people's language away from them.

[Griking]

I totally disagree. You don't have to be a Klansmen to want English-only laws. That's where I stand. I feel the poster in question is not a far-right KKKer, but a far-left PC poster boy (or girl).

I'm not trying to insinuate anything by saying this but this sounds a bit funny coming from someone who's handle is "White Knight LOL