Re: Why are these packages in Debian?
On Mon, Apr 07, 2003 at 09:21:00PM +0200, Nikos wrote:
> >> Are the ideas in these packages xenophobic?
> >
> > Heh, if we were going to reject packages with xenophobic ideas, we'd
> > lose most of the games. xgalaga, anyone?
>
> I don't agree. Xenophobia is a too unfortunate and serious subject to laugh
> with it: we can't say that galaga is xenophobic, because it doesn't harm
> anyone (supposing that E.T. exist, they should laugh at our vision of
> them!).
Hmm, you seem to be using some strange new definition of xenophobia.
Xenophobia is simply the fear of strangers, or fear of the strange.
In science fiction, it often refers specifically to fear of aliens,
which is why I brought up xgalaga. I didn't mean it frivolously.
Nearly all games that involve aliens portray them as evil invaders
that intend to molest our women[1]. This is no accident -- it links
directly to the general view of foreigners in nearly all human
cultures before the age of mass media and globalization. (I'll note
that this view was often accurate :-)
So, in that sense, many games contain xenophobic ideas. They
consistently reinforce the idea that beings who are strange or
ugly are automatically evil and hostile. This doesn't bother me,
though. A game can present ideas but it can't force them on people.[2]
Like a wise man said[3], if the games we played when we were kids
affected us, we'd now be running around in dark rooms, eating pills
and listening to repetitive music.
Richard Braakman
[1] Ur-Quan Masters is a refreshing change from this perspective.
I highly recommend it. Or I will, once it releases a stable version.
[2] This is my intellectual pride speaking. No one can control my mind!
[3] This phrase means that I didn't find the source when I googled for it.
Reply to: