Warner Bros: "Celebrate Pride... By Repeatedly Beating Up a Gay Character!"

[Shagger]

This is as out of touch and stupid as I have ever seen.

 

We live in a word that is less than ideal for members of the LGBTQIA+ community with so many countries, cooperations and people threatening their safety, livelihoods, rights and even thier very existence every day. However, whilst protecting thier rights and standing up for that community is something we should all do all year round, extra emphasis is put on these issues every June for Pride Month. This is the month people, politics and companies put LGBTQIA+ relatable issues more in the spotlight and celebrate queer people and the progress we have made as a society. It isn't much, but it's still a good thing and a tradition well worth maintaining.

 

There are problems with it, though, mostly in relation to cooperations who use pride to peddle rainbow coloured nik nacks and worthless, soulless junk. Most cooperations can at least take pride (no pun intended) in the fact that they cannot possibly be worse than Warner Brothers this year because of what has to be the dumbest, most insensitive and out of touch gimmicks I have ever seen.

 

In "celebration" of pride month, they hosted an event on thier Injustice 2 mobile game called Love Conquers All, an ironic title as you'll see in a few moments. The idea was to beat up Poison Ivy, a cannoned bisexual character, as much and as often as possible. I kid you not.

 

As aforementioned, members of the LGBTQIA+ community face violence every day just for being who that are, so why WB thought this was a good idea is beyond comprehension. They could have hosted an event where playing as Poison Ivy offers extra themed rewards, LGBTQIA+ themed skins, anything would have been better than this. Maybe we shouldn't be that surprised as WB are happy to line the pockets of infamous transphobe JK Rowling for the Harry Potter license, or maybe this was just one incredibly dumb idea.

 

As you could imagine, the backlash was swift and merciless, forcing WB to take down the event and apologize. Full story here;

 

 https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/injustice-2-mobile-dev-apologises-for-misguided-pride-event-2957814

 

This is actually amazing. It goes beyond belief. Before anyone says it, this is not "SJWs" trying to cancel WB or anything like that, WB fully deserved this backlash. What they should have done, but clearly didn't, is bringing in somebody from the LGBTQIA+ to consult with them on this. Let's just hope WB and other cooperations learn from this.

Edited June 8, 2021 by Shagger

[The Blackangel]

As someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, this doesn't surprise me. I think it was intentional, not a fuckup. I seriously believe that they did it to appeal to the republiKKKlans and other anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. They have a greater reach and more chance to fatten their wallets that way. THey probably also wanted to give us as much of a slap in the face as they could.

[Shagger]

15 hours ago, The Blackangel said:

As someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, this doesn't surprise me. I think it was intentional, not a fuckup. I seriously believe that they did it to appeal to the republiKKKlans and other anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. They have a greater reach and more chance to fatten their wallets that way. THey probably also wanted to give us as much of a slap in the face as they could.

 

I hear you and there is logic to your statement, but I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. It is more likely that this was just a very dumb idea that they just didn't think through. That isn't much better, though, because that would mean that they didn't care enough about the LGBTQIA+ to dedicate the time to carefully put the idea together in the first place. So yeah, another day, another colossal blunder. Welcome to the video game's industry.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Shagger

[Withywarlock]

Warner Bros. being tone deaf is nothing new. I recall one time, and I apologise for sensationalising it but it's a reflex when talking of WB Games at this point, when they tried to monetise the death of one of their employees. The idea was to immortalise Michael Forgey who had passed away from cancer by adding a half-uruk character that would aid the players in Middle-Earth: Shadow of War.... at a cost. The funds were supposed to go to charity but only those in the US (or most US states) would send the money to charity. Those outside of those US areas would be putting money directly into WB's pockets. The family offered a fundraiser which many (myself included) went to donate. It was nice to see donations greater than the DLC was asking for. And after all that the DLC was made free in the end.

Like that disaster I could believe this is more incompetence than malice, but that doesn't really absolve them of anything. Malice takes intelligence, for one thing.

Edited June 8, 2021 by Withywarlock

[Reality vs Adventure]

When you are that out of touch with whoever your target audience is, that is really bad business and they should take a re-evaluation on their marketing department and all who approved it. How can you not have known this will cause negative feedback? Innocent demonization? That happens all too often and repetitively to be considered innocent at this point. Lack of sympathy? Unable to predict consequences? I get that it’s a fighting game, but stay out of it if you feel that victimization is honored by making the victimized a challenge to fight. New ivy gear  or something would have been appropriate, or play Ivy with super strength and abilities. These mistakes are a pattern that needs to be shattered. A pattern with no end because it is an illness. It’s a mental illness to not be able to sympathize. It’s degradation of humanity to not know if something this obvious would be offensive. And I do believe they tried to balance advocate and business, and sorely fucked it up. Lack of common sense? Maybe. Things I have seen in this pattern of unsympathetic behavior from those at the top, borders on negligence. And deniers will of course say it’s just a video game. And that pattern lives on in society till it all crumbles into tyranny. And when we go back to witches getting burned at the stake, and slobbering fools throwing bread, then the realization sets in; that is who these deniers are. 

[Crazycrab]

1 hour ago, The Blackangel said:

As someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, this doesn't surprise me. I think it was intentional, not a fuckup. I seriously believe that they did it to appeal to the republiKKKlans and other anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. They have a greater reach and more chance to fatten their wallets that way. THey probably also wanted to give us as much of a slap in the face as they could.

 

Some years ago I might have believed that might be the case, but not now.  These day's it's better in terms of marketing strategy to be pro LGBTQ+ (or at the least look like you are), especially during pride month.  It doesn't really make great them great bedfellows with anti LGBTQ+ organisations either since they will still object to the bi character being in the game in the first place!

 

Microsoft have a pride sale going on right now on XBox and PC and are even giving away Tell Me Why, a games heavy on Trans gender themes for free.  I'm not saying these companies necessary care about LGBTQ+ rights or the community (the almost certainly don't) but it's better to look you do because if you didn't your the only one that's ignoring the giant rainbow coloured elephant in the room and that's a very bad look. 

 

With that in mind I can see what WB were trying to do.  Shine a torch on an bisexual character that they have in their game which itself isn't really a bad thing...  BUT HOLY SHIT did they not think it through!  I don't believe they had any anti LGBTQ+ messages or intentions in mind, I was just a very stupid idea that they didn't properly think out.

[Reality vs Adventure]

4 minutes ago, Crazycrab said:

 

Some years ago I might have believed that might be the case, but not now.  These day's it's better in terms of marketing strategy to be pro LGBTQ+ (or at the least look like you are), especially during pride month.  It doesn't really make great them great bedfellows with anti LGBTQ+ organisations either since they will still object to the bi character being in the game in the first place!

 

Microsoft have a pride sale going on right now on XBox and PC and are even giving away Tell Me Why, a games heavy on Trans gender themes for free.  I'm not saying these companies necessary care about LGBTQ+ rights or the community (the almost certainly don't) but it's better to look you do because if you didn't your the only one that's ignoring the giant rainbow coloured elephant in the room and that's a very bad look. 

 

With that in mind I can see what WB were trying to do.  Shine a torch on an bisexual character that they have in their game which itself isn't really a bad thing...  BUT HOLY SHIT did they not think it through!  I don't believe they had any anti LGBTQ+ messages or intentions in mind, I was just a very stupid idea that they didn't properly think out.

It is good marketing to support that community, but always consider where their money trail goes. McDonalds, Walmart, and Amazon are in hot water for showing support for LGBTQ+ and yet, they have donated to politicians actively working against that very community. 

[Heatman]

On 6/8/2021 at 9:01 PM, Reality vs Adventure said:

It is good marketing to support that community, but always consider where their money trail goes. McDonalds, Walmart, and Amazon are in hot water for showing support for LGBTQ+ and yet, they have donated to politicians actively working against that very community. 

I actually believe that they are all interconnected one way or another. You can't really cut off one from another because they actually work hand in hand.