Am I overreacting? RE: being called a "maricon" by an NPC in a game

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Vestal said:
So were does it end though? The game is trying to emulate real life. In real life people call each other maricon at times and at times much worse. Either you want a utopia in a game or you want realism you can't have both.
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It is not about using offensive words. But offensive slurs that are attached to minorities and other groups. You can offend the player without the need to use a homophobic derogatory slur that is used freely with no social commentary at all. (If the word was used on a arch involving a gay character and the prejudice the character faces, for example, it is fine because it serves a purpose. The thing is using it without the commentary. Just as an offence to the player).

That word carries more meaning than just a "asshole" or "motherfucker" or whatever you want to use. It degrades a group of people based on their sexual orientation and it is completely unnecessary for the realism of the game, let us be honest. I doubt anyone would complain because their "real world" simulator doesn't have anyone using that word. So, isn't it to a certain degree normalising the use of the word?

I don't think anyone here will open a petition to boycott Ubisoft based on this alone, but the fact that, apparently, no one can be uncomfortable or no one can have a discussion about it because it is used somewhere in Latin America or because it is just a video game is still a little bit unsettling, if I'm allowed to be honest.
 
At least here in Chile, maricón is used a lot but most of the time not against homosexuals. Some of its meanings is to refer to a guy that hits women, or someone that do something shitty/disloyal (like snitching to a teacher or not giving you money in a time of need).

The closest we have to your homosexual slurs are: maraco = equivalent to fag, maraca=equivalent to cunt or slut, hueco/a (queer)... but many times you'll hear close friends using them jokingly among themselves *shrugs

IMO this is kind of cool. The day a game call me a conchetumadre, I'm buying it inmediatelly haha.
 
When I was an adolescent in Caracas we used marico as adjective, substantive, advert, and proposition. It is that common, like in once of every five sentences, and we were middle class, crank that up with lower income kids.

it could mean everything from "man", "ridiculous", "easy', "wealthy' to "feminine", "prideful", "difficult", "annoying", etc, and obviously "faggot"
 
The Omega Man said:
The face when I had to explain my Mexican friend that Puto meant a totally different thing in Venezuela
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http://www.asihablamos.com/word/palabra/Puto.php looks like us mexican people love the word puto.

Melkr_ said:
Are you gay? Do you identify as a Homosexual? Have you endured your whole life with the burden of being called a "maricon", "joto", "puto"? With hearing those words as a questioning of your masculinity, even your worth as a human being?

Of course the privileged will come in droves to defend this and be oh so offended because someone else may feel upset at a word. They don't have to deal with the consequences of this application of language.

I am not crucifying the game tho. Just this outrage at legitimate outrage.
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I have been called that, lot of times. And where did I say i was offended? I mean, if the op, or anyone, feels offended well whatever,

A Fish Aficionado said:
They mean that shit. it's an excuse.
Mexican culture is highly anti LGBT.
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Yup mexico is super anti LGBT and dont see it changing it anytime soon. I mean, I think mexico have far bigger problems than being anti LGBT. But im a white (pearl?) straight male im privileged i guess *shrug*

Hollywood Duo said:
You guys are ridiculous. You guys are saying "don't act like a gay person". Just because your culture is super anti-gay doesn't make it acceptable. Lots of people in South Africa were cool with Apartheid too.
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Actually I dont think mexico is anti lgbt, more like most people dont care about that.

d00d3n said:
Can pendejo be used in a friendly way as well?
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Yea, all the time.
 
NPCs use that word in GTA as well, I think. Yes, when used derogatively, it translates exactly to calling someone a "faggot".

Regardless: let it go.
 
Frodo said:
Would you guys feel the same thing if the game was calling the player a hard ER N word?


I honestly don't think it is acceptable to use homophobic slurs any more. It's 2016, in case you guys haven't noticed.
The "trying to convey realism" excuse doesn't work either, for reasons that have been discussed to death in this forum.

Edit: in case I'm not clear enough, you don't need a slur that diminishes a group of people based sorely on their sexual orientation to offend the player. That are hundreds of other slurs that do not convey a homophobic message.
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It's been a while since I've played GTA San Andreas... the game is quite old (so this may defend your point of "it's 2016" But anyone can correct me if I'm wrong (My memory is off) but don't black NPC and other characters in that game call your character the "N" word constantly?

In the same spirit, I am currently playing Red Dead Redemption for the first time.

The General store shop keeper in the town of Armadillo constantly says anti-Semtic slurs. "Welcome to my store, we do not sell anything made by Jews here" (parhaprasing)
He also says something about "Jews are responsible for this and that and for ruining this country"

I also think there is a section in the game where an American NPC (a friend of the main character) is in Mexico and goes on a winded racist rant about the Mexicans. (The locals)

I could be wrong though, for all I know that could've been a line from Westworld. (The Man in Black) Been watching Westworld and playing Red Dead simultaneously lately. So it's all a Wild Wild West blur to me. Haha!

Having said all this, I think the racism in Red Dead is inconsistent. It's 1911, Wild West USA full of white cowboys, outlaws, bandits, just all around bad bad hombres and gringos, surrounded by Chinese railroad workers and Mexicans. I'd imagine for Authenticity's sake, the NPC would be belching out lot more racist slurs than the game allows them to.

So long story short, just like film, video games are trying to tell us the gamer/viewer a story about time and place, populated by certain type of people. So (even loosely speaking)within context, I believe it's fine.
 
Days like these... said:
Native spanish speaker here. Would you guys be ok with an npc calling someone a 'faggot'? I don't think that's cool regardless of the language.
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I would personally be fine with that. I mean, some people in the real world are fucking assholes.
Videogame worlds should be able to reflect that just as much as TV shows, books or movies can. Just slap it with a proper age restriction for harsh language.
 
I don't know why people are acting as if there is something special about the world maricon, is basically just faggot, friends in the United States call themselves fag all the time too and society has steered in a way that is considered a nasty thing to do.

If you would have the same reaction to an NPC calling you a fag in game then you are not overreacting.

i ain't no saint, i do use the words with my friends (more specifically joto) but if someone were to tell me that is wrong i wouldn't try to defend its use, is an awful habit
 
Yes, you are. Nor the game nor Ubisoft are glorifying, accepting, or normalizing the usage of the slur by having a character use it. As a brazilian gay guy who's had to deal with all this crap I actually appreciate that they're not hiding the fact that homophobes and ignorant people do exist in a game that tries to emulate the real world.
 
Pinche maricon...

Used among friends it can be a term of endearment. Depends on how comfortable your social circle is with profanity.
 
You're overreacting OP. It's a derogatory term used by a bigoted NPC character in game that takes place in LA. Don't take it so seriously.

"Maricon" is a pretty standard insult anyway. It means so many things by now that it's practically ignorable. Just laugh at it and move on.
 
Frodo said:
It is not about using offensive words. But offensive slurs that are attached to minorities and other groups. You can offend the player without the need to use a homophobic derogatory slur that is used freely with no social commentary at all. (If the word was used on a arch involving a gay character and the prejudice the character faces, for example, it is fine because it serves a purpose. The thing is using it without the commentary. Just as an offence to the player).

That word carries more meaning than just a "asshole" or "motherfucker" or whatever you want to use. It degrades a group of people based on their sexual orientation and it is completely unnecessary for the realism of the game, let us be honest. I doubt anyone would complain because their "real world" simulator doesn't have anyone using that word. So, isn't it to a certain degree normalising the use of the word?

I don't think anyone here will open a petition to boycott Ubisoft based on this alone, but the fact that, apparently, no one can be uncomfortable or no one can have a discussion about it because it is used somewhere in Latin America or because it is just a video game is still a little bit unsettling, if I'm allowed to be honest.
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The only "real world" sim is the real world. That's hyperbolic. Fiction attempts to emulate not fully represent.

Normalization ≠ acceptance. If the narrative is using that language harmfully, it's presenting why it's not okay and shouldn't be normal. As far as I'm concerned, not only are people allowed to feel uncomfortable with content like this—they absolutely should be. Of course you can hurt the player other ways but in a game set in a real city—or to be extremely specific: a game attempting to emulate a real city—why shy away from tried-and-true methods? Does the game need a narrator to give an exact play-by-play in order for it be social commentary or can it just be?
 
And when I say "using the language harmfully," I mean towards characters the player, reader, or watcher are designed to empathize with or in the case of games—inhabit.
 
xtrasauce said:
You weren't called a maricon, OP. Marcus Holloway was called a maricon.
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This. Very important everyone can at least agree on this. Just because you play a character unlike a movie where you just watch still doesn't mean you are that character. Escapism has to be acknowledged for what it is, not doubled down on. You aren't in Watchdogs.

Individuals tolerance levels to consume media vary though. That's up to you to navigate though OP. I'm not going to put you down for making this topic, but pay attention to content ratings. WD2 even states nudity in relation to the madness in that other topic, as well as obviously mentioning the language.
 
Hollywood Duo said:
You guys are ridiculous. You guys are saying "don't act like a gay person". Just because your culture is super anti-gay doesn't make it acceptable. Lots of people in South Africa were cool with Apartheid too.
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As if the usage of 'faggot' wasn't still commonplace in English-speaking cultures.

Anyway, as a Spanish speaker myself I never use those words, not even with friends, because I find them distasteful, but again "maricón" and "puto" aren't as common in Spain as they are in Mexico and Latin America. Maricón is sometimes used among friends in an affectionate way though.

andythinkpad said:
What is it, Cocksucker or something?
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It's a superlative, it is the same word (maricón) but with a suffix that makes the effect and meaning of the word greater, there is no accurate translation to English.
 
Hollywood Duo said:
You guys are ridiculous. You guys are saying "don't act like a gay person". Just because your culture is super anti-gay doesn't make it acceptable. Lots of people in South Africa were cool with Apartheid too.
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This is the bullshit I've been talking about this week. A slur that is used convivially in south america warrants you calling a whole culture anti-gay. Put on your breaks, accept a deep, layered reality and become stronger for it. If you don't like this media, don't consume it. Asking entire cultures to apologize for their language (language that is used jovially) because it offends you is exactly the reason why some people in this country hate progressives. If someone insults you in real life for being homosexual, denies you service or basic rights I'll be right there to defend you. But this? This is nothing. This is less than nothing, it demeans the actual horrible things we are seeing in our society.

Vulcano's assistant said:
When I was an adolescent in Caracas we used marico as adjective, substantive, advert, and proposition. It is that common, like in once of every five sentences, and we were middle class, crank that up with lower income kids.

it could mean everything from "man", "ridiculous", "easy', "wealthy' to "feminine", "prideful", "difficult", "annoying", etc, and obviously "faggot"
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And best friend.
I miss my best friend, we called each other Marico constantly
 
I haven't played the game, but I'm pretty sure it's not set in a utopia where everyone is always super-nice to each other. It's set in a city with a certain number of assholes in it. And assholes use slurs.
 
RE lover said:
Actually I have no idea where the term originated from...

mariquita in fact means ladybug too
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I always thought Marica was a girl name, so calling a guy a marica would be calling him girly. Maricon obviously is the superlative of that.

I'm Brazilian, and here people would either use "maricas" or "mariquinha", though I'd say it's really not been used in the last couple of decades.
 
It can definitely be used as "faggot", but also as a don't be stupid, pussy, sissy, etc.

Or just as a curse word like "Cabrón".

I'd filed it under overreaction.
 
Man, this forum sometimes lol

Altered Juice said:
18 hours ago


large.jpg
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AHAHAHAHAHHA

rubes7844 said:
Yep
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Maybe where you're from but where I live Maricon = Faggot. Anyways it doesn't matter, how far will PC go? Can't wait for all insults to be banned from every single media.
 
Waylon Drums said:
Watch Dogs 2 came out recently and as I was playing it, I was called a "maricon" by a character on the street. That's essentially the same as calling someone a "faggot". I posted about it twice in the OT for the game and received 0 responses.

Doesn't this strike anyone else as odd?
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no

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I was playing by Resident Evil 4 on my GameCube, and those Los Ganados yelled "coño", "cabron", and "hijo de puta" at my in-game Leon character.

So GAF, should I be outraged on behalf of Leon?
 
While it is true that "maricon" has a meaning equivalent to that of "faggot" (in that it is supposed to be an insult against either gay or effeminate men, usually the latter in my experience), at least in Spain this is such an inoffensive non-insult that people would either ignore it or laugh it off in anything that isn't a very formal environment, and the people using it are most likely doing it in a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek manner. It's almost like calling someone a big fat meanie or a dummy. If you just said it to a random stranger they'd be more likely to be shocked at the stupidity of the situation than offended in any way.

Not sure if this applies outside of Spain.
 
At first, I thought this was some variation of 'merican, in another accent or something. If it fits something the NPC would say to suit the environment, then I think its fine.
 
This is fine op the. N Word gets used in games as other slurs too ... It's a game it lets you shoot ppl for fucks sake
 
I think because it is a Spanish slur and not necessarily the equivalent of "faggot" (I've seen it used casually by friends), it's not that odd.
However, you seem legit bothered by it and I'm in no position to speak for others.
 
Of course it's OK because it fits in the context of that game world that ubi has created.

I'd be OK if some asshole NPC called people "faggot" or "xxx" so long as it was consistent with their character and the game was appropriately rated.

If the main character is doing the slurring, well, that's a bit more complicated and I think I'd be less "OK" with that.
 
No this should not be tolerated and I have been fighting this for a long time. Please message me if you would like to donate to my fund and help me get Steven Ogg prosecuted for his portrayal as Trevor in GTAV.
 
Sapientas said:
I think because it is a Spanish slur and not necessarily the equivalent of "faggot" (I've seen it used casually by friends), it's not that odd.
However, you seem legit bothered by it and I'm in no position to speak for others.
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I am spaniard and it's an insult, but because of the context (and maybe because we are a progressive country with gay marriage and gay rights, blablabla) could be used with less hate and more playful (although still an insult and derogatory depending on who's the target)

For example: "No seas maricon" (Don't be a faggot) is a phrase which means be brave, could be changed for "No seas nenaza" (Don't be a little girl) and neither of them are considered a serious offense (Probably time ago were both an insult, but now them were just language expressions), while calling an person in the street maricon without being a close friends it's clearly an insult. Context is all.
 
Waylon Drums said:
I am the OP and I haven't replied much to the circle jerk about me being offended because the people posting those replies don't seem to actually care to have a discussion, they just want to complain about people having feelings or being offended.
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hey, you asked, man. multiple times. and have been answered. you not liking a pile of straight answers is not a circle jerk, it's called consensus.

i didn't really even understand why you singled out this game or slur. i know a bunch of us have played GTA V. the game is labeled. you have any specific questions you want to throw out, or what? i'll start - why this game, this slur, this medium? why draw the line right here for instance?
 
Are we talking about those generic cannon fodder NPCs walking the streets that are yours to do with as you please and who you can beat to death if they even look at you funny ? ( something you've probably already done 100 times in GTA games )
If so then yes, you're overreacting. Big time.
 
UnemployedVillain said:
Odd how? Are asshole video game NPCs not allowed anymore?

And it's not sneaky just because a bunch of you guys have never heard it before. For fucks sake
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Yup!
This whole over sensitive white knight thing is getting ridiculous.

Full disclosure, I grew up in a Hispanic household and heard this word plenty growing up.
 
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