Miburi & Teburi definitely offends in a number of ways -- the backgrounds, the premise, the use of blue-screened full-motion video, the full price -- but is it racist? We never even thought hard enough about the game to consider it, but Insert Credit's Brandon Sheffield did. He sees a particularly ugly style of casual racism in the big, dumb American characters. He may be on to something.The bearded, shirtless American guy (along with the other silly characters who perform charades in the game) is identified as a "hint-giving American" who says things like "I love Japan. I love Japanese people." in poor, broken Japanese. It's certainly a broad performance, and it would certainly be insulting to be compared to this guy. Sheffield said "I honestly think I'd have less of a problem with it if they were truly playing with American conventions and American Japanese fetishism - but they're just unconsciously making fun of a group of people. And I'm not sure anyone will tell Sega this isn't appropriate."
What a serious issue to have show up in Miburi & Teburi!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-18-2008 @ 12:35PM
Nigeria said...
He looks some guy I know. He went to Italy to see a volcano and came back with a tan. But unfortunately lacking in moobs...
Is this how the Japanese portray Anglo-Saxon Americans? Are their Americans offended by this?
When it comes to black people, I know some aspects their culture feature remnants of the past. The easiest example I can think of is Mr Popo: even when I young, I always felt an unease with the character. The original King Dedede is another.
It's probably due to them being an island nation. Their culture has been so insulated that they haven't learned the rules of acceptable racism the rest of the world tolerates.
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2-18-2008 @ 1:47PM
Nigeria said...
Typos FTW
2-18-2008 @ 2:22PM
Mr Khan said...
See i'd swear that Mr Popo isn't racist because he isn't human
Commander Black (or Adjutant Black before he killed Commander Red) could totally be, though, from both looks and name (although, sans Lieutenant Blue, and Colonel Silver, all the Red Ribbon guys had color-based names)
Danved/Devdan (of Fire Emblems 9 & 10) could be another example, the only black guy in the two games, who is semi-retarded and lives to fight.
2-18-2008 @ 2:30PM
JC Fletcher said...
Mr Khan, I think you accidentally said the most racist thing possible.
2-18-2008 @ 2:48PM
Mr Khan said...
lol, i didn't catch that, but seriously. Popo looked the same in Dragonball as he did in GT (while Bulma went from teenager to old woman), aside from the pointy ears and allusions to other planets
2-18-2008 @ 3:03PM
JC Fletcher said...
Yeah, but that's WAY too easy of a way to get by with obvious racism. What if I created a lazy character in a sombrero (or some other over-the-top stereotype), but said he was a robot?
2-18-2008 @ 4:44PM
Mr Khan said...
True. I guess i just never really saw it in Mr. Popo, even though i was quick enough to notice it elsewhere (like Adjutant Black)
I suppose if you look at it, he is the manservant to the Guardians of Earth, and he does have exaggerated African features, but it just never got to me
Probably just because he was a positive character, or something, idk
2-18-2008 @ 3:06PM
Perverted said...
I don't think it's racist but then I think racism is a bunch of crap in the first place, it's basically just someone taking the piss but made 10x worse bscause their slightly different from you.....
I mean how do you yanks feel when I call you yanks? or when your portrayed as hill-billy inbreeders? Some(most) people take things to seriously......
Also why are people brining up this when we can all type/moan about how bad the game will be? I mean it's something drunken 40+ crowd may find appealing....
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2-18-2008 @ 4:46PM
Mr Khan said...
Because it is now part of the American culture to be very sensitive towards racial stereotyping, which comes from an effort to guard against a regression into casual racism
2-18-2008 @ 6:45PM
Tom said...
Okay, I'm an american. So CALL me a Yank!!! I really could care less! It actually sounds kinda cool. And as for the hillbilly inbreeders part, I guess that some of those queers exist, but I'm not one of them, so whatever.
In relation to this "game"....I'm confused! Who would spend 50 bucks on a game based on racism? Just watch Family Guy! ( I love Family Guy!)
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