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Discussion: Pokemon Cultural Appropriation Problematic?
Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 2,591
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Quote:
Originally posted by jpow
#stereotypes
Veteran
Artist
Rising Star
Schoolgirl
Ranger
Stop handpicking characters and things from the games to be mad about.
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Okay but why did it take them 17 years to have diversity? and tbh only the natural girl looks black. Everybody else is POC with eurocentric features
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 43,126
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Quote:
Originally posted by AALIYAH DANA
Okay but why did it take them 17 years to have diversity? and tbh only the natural girl looks black. Everybody else is POC with eurocentric features
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Because the first 4 generations are literally based off japan, a super homogenous country. Hence pretty much every character being presumably asian, duh.
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And you getting mad over the hair style iis ridic . They won't lock a hairstyle for certain skin tones. What if they left out black hair styles? Would you then be happy?
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Member Since: 6/2/2012
Posts: 37,284
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Quote:
Originally posted by AALIYAH DANA
Okay but why did it take them 17 years to have diversity? and tbh only the natural girl looks black. Everybody else is POC with eurocentric features
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That's just anime-syle of drawing. Asian characters don't have exaggerated Asian features either, neither do white characters. Originally all characters were Asian, when they introduced white characters they were drawn almost the same, just like they did with black people (besides the skin color obviously). It's just how they draw people.
Had they made big differences (big noses, big red lips) you'd be saying it's a caricature which is actually offensive.
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 2,757
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There is some.... dubious, things in some Japanese games and shows. But I think it comes more from ignorance of how they would be viewed by other races, rather than any racist malice.
It took Pokemon a long time to change the skin tone of your character, but it also took just as long to customize them at all. I personally welcome the hairstyle, because I hated that my black character had to have straight hair in Pokemon X and Y.
I think this is more of a sign of them getting better and that they should be commended for it. It took a hell of a long time, but it's still good progress.
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 13,482
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ryanicorn
But she's 500 shades darker, and her lips look nothing like that and are way more exaggerated than that.
Did the "creator" or whatever actually say this or was this an excused made by their fanbase? Irregardless, black face or not, it's not hard to make the connection especially when:
You can't really blame people for thinking so
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there's a form of ganguro that even goes further with the fake darker skin (top-left pic). it's called manba
considering that 1) pokémon is from nintendo which in turn is japanese and 2) pokémon came out in the 90s, which is when ganguro (and related fashion trends) started to pick up, a lot of people accept/think that this is the origin of jynx.
also there's a chance it was based on japanese folklore, too. search up yama-uba.
also I don't see that quote's point; pokémon is japanese, and blackface is essentially unheard of in japan and is really a western culture thing. NVM this.
looking at japanese culture, it's very VERY hard to think that jynx came from blackface.
I mean yeah I understand why people would be outraged by it, people from western countries that is which is why its colour got changed to purple. I won't blame them. but to act like jynx DEFINITELY has racist backgrounds is a bit farfetched imho. I can understand why one would initially be wary tho
Quote:
Originally posted by AALIYAH DANA
Okay but why did it take them 17 years to have diversity? and tbh only the natural girl looks black. Everybody else is POC with eurocentric features
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people have already told you multiple times that this is anime art, not art with eurocentric features in mind big vertical oval eyes with shiny retinas, a dot nose, and a line for a mouth are anime features. have you ever seen someone from europe with a dot for a nose and a thin ass mouth? no, because this is a CARTOON
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Member Since: 4/22/2011
Posts: 968
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Quote:
Originally posted by AALIYAH DANA
Okay but why did it take them 17 years to have diversity? and tbh only the natural girl looks black. Everybody else is POC with eurocentric features
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Probably because the series is made by Japanese people who live in Japan, a homogeneous society with barely any diversity....?
Have you seen any anime? Even Asian characters have eurocentric features because sadly that is what they love.
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 2,757
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Quote:
Originally posted by AALIYAH DANA
Okay but why did it take them 17 years to have diversity? and tbh only the natural girl looks black. Everybody else is POC with eurocentric features
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As many have said, that's just the style. Even characters who are Asian (which is most of them) look like that.
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 11,186
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Actually if anything it's racist towards white people, they have virtually no white people. The main characters may look white but they're actually light skinned asians. So black people aren't the only race left out of Pokémon.
xox
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 11/5/2010
Posts: 7,796
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This is like being white and being mad that most anime portrays asian characters
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 20,050
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The sensitivity
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Member Since: 9/4/2011
Posts: 29,960
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Quote:
Originally posted by AALIYAH DANA
My issue is that the game is trying to profit off black culture with little to none black people in their game
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They're profiting off of pokemon, not a hairstyle. No one is buying the game for that one hairstyle. I see this 'profiting off of __ culture' thrown around so carelessly.
You're just complaining for the sake of complaining if your issue is diversity being ADDED to a game
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 2,757
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Quote:
Originally posted by Abyssy
Actually if anything it's racist towards white people, they have virtually no white people. The main characters may look white but they're actually light skinned asians. So black people aren't the only race left out of Pokémon.
xox
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What?
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 14,949
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Him running out of arguments
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 430
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OMG the delusion Why does everything have to be ruined?? Leave Pokemon alone
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 13,482
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pokémon characters will largely have either a line for a nose, or a dot. and they will usually have a line for a mouth with no lips, unless they speak.
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 25,476
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Quote:
Originally posted by Yndda
there's a form of ganguro that even goes further with the fake darker skin (top-left pic).
considering that 1) pokémon is from nintendo which in turn is japanese and 2) pokémon came out in the 90s, which is when ganguro (and related fashion trends) started to pick up, a lot of people accept/think that this is the origin of jynx.
also there's a chance it was based on japanese folklore, too. search up yama-uba.
also I don't see that quote's point; pokémon is japanese, and blackface is essentially unheard of in japan and is really a western culture thing. NVM this.
looking at japanese culture, it's very VERY hard to think that jynx came from blackface.
I mean yeah I understand why people would be outraged by it, people from western countries that is which is why its colour got changed to purple. I won't blame them. but to act like jynx DEFINITELY has racist backgrounds is a bit farfetched imho. I can understand why one would initially be wary tho
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That looks tragic
Quote:
a lot of people accept/think that this is the origin of jynx.
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They think and not know.
But Asian culture as a whole have displayed BLATANT racism including the usage of blackace in their media.
People thought that jynx was just an extension of that, If yama-uba really was the inspiration behind her design, then apologies, but it does look awfully suspect. But she's purple now, so that should calm people down, I guess
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 13,482
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ryanicorn
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me too, then but I agree it does look very suspect too.
but in the end, idk; it's very murky but I really think it has to do with yama-uba and ganguro/manba. whatever tho they changed the colour so it's not as bad anymore
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 5,624
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The OPH
Someone close this mess
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 37,384
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You're slamming an Asian game made about Japan for not having blacks and then including blacks when the regions moved to America?
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Member Since: 9/12/2012
Posts: 26,389
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I was going to leave a serious response, but I think the OP was looking to get a rise out of Pokemon fans, so I'm just going to leave it at this:
You complained about the lack of diversity, you complained when they put diversity in. Maybe diversity isn't where your problem lies.
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