Kotaku UK Accused of Racism After Trying to Accuse Nintendo, Super Smash Bros., and Persona 5 of Insulting Disabled People

[Slurs Gang]

Source: https://boundingintocomics.com/2019/04/19/kotaku-uk-accused-of-racism-after-trying-to-accuse-nintendo-super-smash-bros-and-persona-5-of-insulting-disabled-people/

 

Quote

Kotaku UK has been accused of racism after publishing an article accusing Nintendo, Super Smash Bros., and Persona 5 of insulting disabled people.

Kotaku UK published an article by Laura Kate Dale on April 18th claiming that Nintendo’s “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Persona 5 DLC includes a disability slur.”

Dale noted in her article that she believes she heard the word “retarded” on the record ‘Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There.’ The song is part of the Persona 5 sound track and was included on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC which allows Joker, the main protagonist in Persona 5, to be a playable character.

Quote

After being accused of racism, Dale would indicate that she had been prevented from commenting on the article on Twitter. She also noted that her article had been altered without her permission by her editor. She indicates this editing removed her doubt about the claims that the song included the word “retarded.”

 

 

Here is the song

 

This is the reason why we can't have nice things because people are easily get offended for stuff like this. Seriously though, what the fuck is this bullsh*t accusation to Nintendo, Super Smash Bros, and Persona 5?! It just a game and a music and yet people are easily get offended. People need to chill the fuck out and stop making themselves look completely asshoe over stuff like this. Sure, they might included some offended slurs but that doesn't mean it is racism. If you don't like it than don't play it, simple as that.

[looking for a keyboard]

clown world

[Curious Pineapple]

That whole thing sounds retarded.

[r2724r16]

Just now, Curious Pineapple said:

That whole thing sounds retarded.

That summarizes the world these days.

[Drak3]

 

[Guest]

Disabled people aren’t a race of people. 

[Andreas Lilja]

I'm not sure what's worse here.

 

The ableism or racism accusation. 

[Trik'Stari]

It's almost as if the media, who decries sexism/racism/bigotry at anything and everything they don't like, are in fact guilty of those same things in their accusations. They do not take the time to investigate and find the truth, but rather run with what will grab the most attention and later retract their claims or "correct" themselves, when no on is paying attention.

 

*cough*CNN*cough*

[Trik'Stari]

10 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

 

I cannot agree more with that sentiment.

[duncannah]

Who's accusing?

[Drak3]

Just now, duncannah said:

Who's accusing?

Probably some sexist.

 

/s

[matrix07012]

*cough* ethics in *cough* video game journalism *cough*

 

I don't think this belongs here.

[duncannah]

1 minute ago, Drak3 said:

Probably some sexist.

 

/s

Wow aren't you funny

[JZStudios]

This just in, Engrish pronunciations are now racist against disableds.

[TetraSky]

Wow... I swear so much shit like this keeps happening to Laura K. All this flack could frankly just be from the ones who already hated her, for being transgender and having opinions. (Lord knows you can't have those on the Internet, even more so if you happen to not be "normal")

 

I've listened to the entire song without reading the lyrics and once more by reading the lyrics.

Never heard the word "retarded". 

But IMO, this sort of crap is common in songs. Many times did I think a song's lyric said one thing when listening to it but then I go and read the actual lyrics and I'm like "wait what? doesn't sound like that at all".

It all boils down to bad pronunciation, rhythm of the song, loudness of the music itself, etc...

Nothing racist here. Or what, is it classified as racist just because the singer happens to be Japanese? That doesn't change anything, just go listen to some of the most popular English songs right now and you'll find parts that are hard to understand/easily misunderstood just as much.

[Nowak]

People. The OP isn't implying that disabled people are a race. The OP is implying that Kotaku UK was accused of racism because a Japanese singer mangled pronunciation of an English word and they turned it into something about the song intentionally insulting disabled people because of the mangled pronunciation. Reading comprehension helps, yo.

[Sakkura]

1 hour ago, Slurs Gang said:

This is the reason why we can't have nice things because people are easily get offended for stuff like this. Seriously though, what the fuck is this bullsh*t accusation to Nintendo, Super Smash Bros, and Persona 5?! It just a game and a music and yet people are easily get offended. People need to chill the fuck out and stop making themselves look completely asshoe over stuff like this. Sure, they might included some offended slurs but that doesn't mean it is racism. If you don't like it than don't play it, simple as that.

You seem to be confused. Nintendo etc. are not being accused of racism, they're being accused of ableism for using the disability slur 'retarded'.

55 minutes ago, floofer said:

Disabled people aren’t a race of people. 

Nobody claimed they were.

[Sakkura]

18 minutes ago, valdyrgramr said:

Ya hating someone for being Japanese would be ethnic bigotry which =/= racist.  Hating the singer for being Asian would be.   The only part of the song I heard where they might have misheard that was during some instrumental part, but even at that part you'd really have to be after it to even hear it.  It sounds like either a synth or someone plucking at strings.  There's no lyric that could be misheard and kotaku got the lyrics completely wrong, not just that line.  The part in question is around 1:31 I believe into the song, but to me that sounds more like string plucking.

No, it's at 1:57...

 

 

I won't say it's 100% clear they're singing "retarded" but it certainly sounds like it. It's corroborated by the following lyrics being "I can say it" - referring to the controversial nature of the word.

[ravenshrike]

26 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

Wow... I swear so much shit like this keeps happening to Laura K. All this flack could frankly just be from the ones who already hated her, for being transgender and having opinions. (Lord knows you can't have those on the Internet, even more so if you happen to not be "normal")

Yes. It "keeps happening" to her. Let's go with that. Not that she's a complete and total pathological liar. Rather that newsworthy stuff "keeps happening" to her.

[Sakkura]

Just now, valdyrgramr said:

That part is played at 1:31, a few times in the 1:40s, and again there.

Not with the (same) lyrics.

[Nowak]

2 minutes ago, valdyrgramr said:

I'm offended that you won't let us be offended how we want.  I'll have you know my father was an OP!

[Sakkura]

1 minute ago, valdyrgramr said:

I meant the string plucking which is the only thing I could hear that even sounds remotely closes to what the journalist implied.

Listen to the voice rather than the strings...

[IWolfieI]

It's another case of poeple getting offended for a someone else. It sounds more like the Japanses singer is trying to say "Restart it", but people will be overly offended for others that they feel could be hurt and can't accept that they themselves are ableist/racist/sexist/etc.

[Stefan Payne]

1 hour ago, Slurs Gang said:

Seriously though, what the fuck is this bullsh*t accusation to Nintendo, Super Smash Bros, and Persona 5?!

She's a very bad person who lies to get clicks/advance her carrer.

Here more Information of what she's done in the past:

https://nichegamer.com/2019/04/19/opinion-the-questionable-ethics-of-laura-kate-dale/

 

Quote

In 2013 Laura K claimed she was “completely dehumanized” on stage during a live Xbox One event in London. Claiming that comedian Fraser Millward referred to her as “he,” “this one,” “it,” and “thing,” or as Laura phrased it in a Tweet: 

Source above.
That shows what a bad person she was/is...

Well, I hope they get rid of her.

 

 

But Its good to see that Kotaku is credibly accused of racism! 

What goes around comes around...

[Stefan Payne]

22 minutes ago, Sakkura said:

Listen to the voice rather than the strings...

You mean that Japanese people often suck with the use of the english language (German as well but IMO not as much since its not that much used these days).

We don't even know what was really said, nobody bothered to ask...

 

Just give them a break and don't assume ill intend from someone whose mother's tounge is as far from english as the moon is from Earth.

We would have the same Problems with Asian languages as they have with our languages as they are completely different and work in a completely different way.

Learning English as a German or Danish is like learning a different dialect compared to Japanese or Mandarin, Cantonese and so on.

 

 

A japanese person wouldn't get instantly offended when you botched "kawaii" and said something in the direction of "kowai".

Or rather "Onii-Chan" (big brother, young adult" vs. Oni-Chan (Demon)....

They might correct you though and tell you the difference.

Why can't we do the same and just ignore it and think "oh well, a non native speaker botched a word". And go on with our lives?