TheHarpoMarxist

Longknife, you're yelling at a stranger over the internet. You're ranting. Over what, exactly? A few people making a simple, reasonable request to remove a half baked joke written by a backer who didn't know better. So yes, I do think you're blowing it out of proportion. I'll make it easy for you and walk away, because I actually am a comedy writer. And I need to get back to it.

Ah, but I'm not blowing anything out of proportion. I see this as what it is - back written content that doesn't serve the game in any way. Its a no-brainer to remove it, as it hurts plenty of people. The reaction to that simple request is insane. People are reacting as if art itself is under attack. It isn't. The only thing is that some people would like to see this stupid "joke", which adds nothing, removed so that the game will feel more inclusive to others. That's it. If you want to add gamergate political nonsense to it, that's not helpful. I think it is better to not see a conspiracy theory behind everything and instead take people at face value when they say "Hey, this thing makes me uncomfortable, can we lose it since it isn't part of your game?"

I'm a comedy writer. So please refrain from lecturing me about comedy. Again, this isn't about censorship. Please stop blowing this out of proportion, it isn't helpful. Especially when coupled with a slippery slope fallacy. There is no slippery slope here. The artistic integrity of Obsidian is not at stake, as this is backer related content. The Durance example stands, as it is treated in a very specific way, whereas this limerick isn't written with nearly the same amount of care and specificity. It is straight up making fun of trans people in a way that is most generously described as "lazy."

So "Male" and "Female" should be recognized as separated entities, but Trans should be piled up there in the Gabage bin with "Other", in the same place of "Otherkin" and all? Wow...just...wow... You. You grow up.

[Removed, wrong person.]

removed, wrong person

Its about protecting the artistic integrity of the game and working to make games more inclusive and less offputting to marginilized people. That doesn't mean you can't have dark / challenging content or humor. It just has to be fit your setting and be handled well. The game itself and obsidian's writers make Durance a misogynist. Nobody is asking for him to be removed from the game, because the game makes it very clear that he's flawed in that way. This backer epitaph isn't part of Obsidian's writing. Obsidian vetted plenty of backer content, and I'ms ure they removed a whole lot of hateful garbage. This one just slipped through the cracks. Everyone who loves jokes making fun of trans people can find such things in other places. It doesn't need to be here, in the middle of an otherwise sensitive and thought provoking game.

This isn't about censorship. Stop bringing censorship up and treating this like it is some sort of big deal and blowing it out of proportion. This is a BACKER CREATED epitaph. It can go away and the game will be better for it. Nobody is going to censor your games. Nobody is asking for the removal of any of the challenging and darker material in the game. This one thing is pointless and hateful. Its really sad to see so many people turn this into some sort of weird political vendetta against "SJW" instead of what it is - a piss poor backer created epitaph that has nothing to do with anything else in the game. It can be removed and make a whole lot of people feel less uneasy about the game without taking anything away from anyone else's experience. How about just a little compassion? Go with the "Benevolent" option here instead of the "Cruel" one.

Oh? This joke written by a backer is integral to your experience of the game? I'm sorry but I don't buy that for a second. And even if it is true, then you're pretty much saying that you getting a slight chuckle is more important than the actual lives of other people. And its removal doesn't at all hurt the industry in any way, shape, or form.

Actually, an "other" option would be lovely and appropriate. It is 2015, and we should be better by now. I'm really disappointed that so many people in this community are so gung-ho to mock people who aren't cis-gendered. If you want another compelling reason to remove the "joke" epitaph, its **** like this.

Why not just led it slide because inclusion doesn't remove anything for the game and it's optional content that no one is forced to read? Here's the thing - Its inclusion hurts and angers a number of people. Some people don't mind it, but its inclusion still adds nothing. And again, isn't part of Obsidian's vision. So why not just do right by other people are remove it from the game?

How about, since it is such a minor part of the game and has nothing at all to do with Obsidian's vision or artistic integrity (as it is backer written) you just let it go? The game is better without it, and its inclusion adds nothing.

It already has a talking chair, why not also give us a genie, a magic screen, and Mr. Window?

I am offended by presence of witchcraft and other occult elements in the game. Can I get those removed? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Look up "false equivalency." Maybe try to see something from someone else's shoes instead of just dismissing outright?

Wow, a few hours pass and this thread spirals. This isn't about semantics. That's not a helpful rabbit hole to go down. This is a no brainer. A backer (not even a writer for the game) put in problematic content that somehow got by the vetting. The solution is simple: remove the epitaph. It adds nothing to the game. Obsidian's artistic voice isn't being censored by its removal.