EXCLUSIVE: Expert delivers verdict on Resi 5 racism row

By Wesley Yin-Poole - 06/03/2009 - 12:10pm GMT

'It's silly to call it racist', says leading anthropologist.

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Posted at 16:19 on 06 March 2009
Jeff	0 1 In response to Article » Go to 's original post If this 'discussion' doesn't stop, I'm gonna freak the f@ck out. Can someone tell me why African people aren't allowed to be zombies, but Spanish and Americans are in the previous 4 games? Seriously, think about 4. A blonde haired, blue eyed soldier murdering waves of dark skinned, hispanic spaniards? Remember the Spanish civil war, when the Hitler's "aryan nation" gave aid to Franco to help murder countless Spanish natives? You can even take it back further, since everyone in Spain used to have blonde hair and blue eyes until the moors invaded from the south and spent 700 years mixing races, societies and ideas, so you could also say it echoes the Spanish inquisition. But no, for some reason these are too far a stretch for the imagination, probably because it doesn't make sense to run those comparisons within the context of Resident Evil 4. Just like it shouldn't make sense to run these comparisons in the context of Resident Evil 5. Reply

Posted at 16:35 on 06 March 2009
Aguro	0 1 In response to Article » Go to 's original post Wow, that was actually very deep. If anything I think that people seeking to play this game should read this article in order to garner a deeper enjoyment of the theme of the game. Just awesome. Reply

Posted at 16:38 on 06 March 2009
Errol James	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post The game would be racist if the game was set in Africa and there weren't any black people lol.. Sorry it's not racist.. people just need to get over themselves. Reply

Posted at 17:03 on 06 March 2009
eadwin	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post "You think you're simply in some backwater part of Africa where there are infected savages that I'm killing." No, you DON'T. You can see these tentacle things coming out of their necks once you critical-headshot them. I can't understand how the hell can people call Resident Evil 5 racist. It's so dumb and ridiculous. I mean, seriously, it's set in Africa, and it's not like you're being attacked by sane native people; they're all infected, for God's sake! Such people like those who accuse RE of being racist are the reason why racism exists... Reply

Posted at 18:28 on 06 March 2009
Bloodstorm	0 1 In response to Article » Go to 's original post I think it would be more racist if it were just white zombies in Africa. Think about it. Report Reply

Posted at 18:37 on 06 March 2009
Johnson	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post Inverted Racism. The knee-jerk response. Politically correct opinion. Saying those things is enough to point out the problematic entities of this issue. Thank you for this side of the issue. We need both sides before we should say much. Reply

Posted at 20:27 on 06 March 2009
A Ray	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post I think its messed up how we can kill every other race but as soon as black people r zombies its races. U know wat is Races...black people have there own Black History Month,There own TV Channel, and Award Show. Reply

Posted at 21:49 on 06 March 2009
Hernan	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post Inuits...in Finland? -_- facepalm Reply

Posted at 20:15 on 08 March 2009
inuit	0 0 In response to Hernan's post Inuits...in Finland? -_- facepalm » Go to Hernan's original post OK, sorry. I should have referred to Sami wearing masks made of the mutilated heads of reindeer run down by cars. Report Reply

Posted at 17:38 on 13 March 2009
USslacker	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post "Wow, clearly no one black worked on this game," said N'Gai Croal http://forums2.battleon.com/f/interc...5exposesracism I don't even know how to react to his statement. Fool... Report Reply

Posted at 17:17 on 16 March 2009
THMercury	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post Hey Wesley, Sorry dude but you need to do your homework. What makes this guy an expert in his field? Last I checked, Resident Evil 5 is about race and Africa. This guy's specialty is Israel/Palestine and religious imagery. Again, nothing to do with Africa and how blacks are portrayed. If he's an expert on racism solely because he's an anthropologist, then I must be an expert in neuroscience because I took a class in college. We get upset when people talk horribly about videogames and never play them and try to ban them. How can we do the same thing about a topic so delicate? I do hope that you and the staff decide to publish a story talking about his credentials, or at least ask an anthropologist who actually does work in AFRICA on his or her opinion. It's perfectly possible to use Africa as the setting for a powerful and troubling horror story, but when you're applying the concept of people being turned into savage monsters onto an actual ethnic group that has long been misrepresented as savage monsters, it's hard to see how elements of race weren't going to be a factor. I really do hope that you and your staff will publish another story asking real anthropologists in the field of racism on this topic, or will at least post that this guy isn't an "expert." Though the damage has been done and this story has been posted in many blogs worldwide and as seen as gospel by gamers, but you can start ending the nonsense. Report Reply

Posted at 22:35 on 16 March 2009
Gordo01	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post There is always gonna be something about race as usual, Im sure the fact that people can buy this game would mean that the game was never intended to be racist. Its just the press want to get in on the action cause they know its a big franchise. But who cares this nonsense isnt stopping the majority of people buying the game because it is a great game. To a-ray they have this for a reason especially in america it is a touchy subject, and it celebrates the end of days when a Family along with the kids would go and watch a black man being hung from a tree stabbed and set on fire, because he sneezed in public thats the kinda sick *****that would get done. Report Reply

Posted at 10:53 on 17 March 2009
inuit	0 0 In response to THMercury's post Hey Wesley, Sorry dude but you need to do your homework. What makes this guy an expert in his field? Last I checked, Resident Evil 5 is about race and Africa. This guy's specialty is Israel/Palestine and religious imagery. Again, nothing to do with Africa and how blacks are portrayed. If he's an expert on racism solely because he's an anthropologist, then I must be an expert in neuroscience because I took a class in college. We get upset when people talk horribly about videogames and never play them and try to ban them. How can we do the same thing about a topic so delicate? I do hope that you and the staff decide to publish a story talking about his credentials, or at least ask an anthropologist who actually does work in AFRICA on his or her opinion. It's perfectly possible to use Africa as the setting for a powerful and troubling horror story, but when you're applying the concept of people being turned into savage monsters onto an actual ethnic group that has long been misrepresented as savage monsters, it's hard to see how elements of race weren't going to be a factor. I really do hope that you and your staff will publish another story asking real anthropologists in the field of racism on this topic, or will at least post that this guy isn't an "expert." Though the damage has been done and this story has been posted in many blogs worldwide and as seen as gospel by gamers, but you can start ending the nonsense. » Go to THMercury's original post seems a bit racist to assume that the only place that racism occurs is Africa; you don't think the relation of Israelis and Palestinians might have something to do with perceptions of race, and thus of racism? Report Reply

Posted at 11:44 on 17 March 2009
guyderman	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post I wonder if the guy actually played any of Resi 5 before casting accusations of racism. I could understand if you can unlock a KKK suit for Chris or something but for god's sake get a life - these so called 'specialists' and 'protectors of the peace' end up reigniting fires that don't need to be lit! How come COD4 wasn't deemed racist for shooting people in the middle east - A bit more close to home on current race and religion concerns. Report Reply

Posted at 00:08 on 21 March 2009
Raishin	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post They seriously go in there looking for ways to call things racist for their own self satisfaction don't they? If you ask me, most of these racism claims are made by racists. Why the hell else do you go out of your way to try and prove anything that portrays even a single member of a particular race or ethnicity in a "derogatory" manner is racist? It would be different if it was fabricated with the express purpose to make their entire race look bad. "What?! We can't have a black man playing a villain anymore? Then why can we have a white man playing one?" "We have to have a token black man in a key role in our movies/games/etc or else its racist?" Report Reply