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JULIAN KANTOR
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"http://twitter.com/thebarryman/status/13099389220"
Thursday, April 29, 2010
"t makes sense. You're missing out on a fucking awesome game tho"
Sunday, August 23, 2009
"fre, I would argue that there is no range of ideology that is "safe" to be exposed to. If a reasonable person is exposed to an outrageously offensive view, they should be able to recognize it as nonsensical and deconstruct it. Understanding ideologies you find offensive is key to being able to disagree with them; otherwise, you are just as ignorant about their beliefs as they are about yours.
I will agree with you that Card's views on homosexuality are without merit. However, they're not discussed in any kind of detail in the novel as far as I know, and are certainly not present in the game. While I'm not sure you're 100% correct on Card's involvement in the game, I firmly believe that people should not judge a person's artistic output through the lens of their personal beliefs. I took a great deal of offense at Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic rants, for example, but have no issue whatsoever with enjoying his films. Similarly, I have huge problems with many of Sean Penn's views, but still enjoy his movies.
While my view on the matter is a bit simplistic, and might be different if I was deeply passionate about the issue at hand, I think Shadow Complex is the victim of one hell of a double standard. Your response to the Monkey Island issue doesn't explain it away at all. Perhaps Card's opinions on gay marriage were not well known when the game was originally released, but they are now, and people still enjoy the game (and its recent re-release). This simply proves my point that people should be able to (and DO) enjoy Card's work while deeply disagreeing with him on a political and personal level. Beyond games, nearly every product we buy as consumers is most likely underwritten by someone we disagree with tremendously on a range of issues, but we buy these products because we deem them to be of good qu"
Sunday, August 23, 2009
"t I find kind of strange about this whole situation is the games press' complete silence on the re-release of The Secret of Monkey Island, on which Orson Scott Card worked directly. It's a little confusing as to why there is such a substantial controversy over Shadow Complex, which according to my understanding is not even based on an Orson Scott Card novel, when Monkey Island gets a free pass.
Even if Card had been involved more directly, I think it's kind of silly to boycott a work just because of a disagreement you have with its creator. Sure, Card has said some pretty shocking stuff, but does that change the quality of his books? Even if that part of his radical ideology was contained in his books, I think it's worthwhile to expose yourself to opinions other than your own. Today's society is so centered on only exposing yourself to self-affirming opinions: conservatives only watch Fox News, liberals watch MSNBC, and so on. In my opinion, you have to expose yourself to a wide range of ideologies in order to form a truly reasonable, balanced world"
Sunday, August 23, 2009
