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Xbox launches "Black History Month" promotional campaign for the month of February.

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nkarafo

Member
Corporate virtue signalling is the fucking worst. So slimy, greedy, cringey, patronising, dishonest and hypocritical. And nobody does it worse than Microsoft.


Exactly. It started as a week in 1926, and grew into a month in 1976. It's something that has existed for decades. It was always in honor of the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history.

It's not uncommon to see companies, brands, stores, etc. acknowledge it.

Didn't realize the big hip white Karen, the white androgynous dude/girl on a tank wheelchair and a white disabled dude/girl turned into a cyborg have anything to do with the struggles of black people in American history. But now that you mentioned it, it should be obvious, duh.
 
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cormack12

Gold Member
I'd be interested - just for my own curiosity - to see if these months had a greater or similar uptake than normal storefront promotions on the curated themes.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Didn't realize the big hip white Karen, the white androgynous dude/girl on a tank wheelchair and a white disabled dude/girl turned into a cyborg have anything to do with the struggles of black people in American history. But now that you mentioned it, it should be obvious, duh.
Not sure why you're being so sassy, relax. I was referring to what IT was as a whole, cause clearly folks outside of NA weren't aware. Not standing up for how Xbox/MS decided to acknowledge it. Or talking about its authenticity. That was it.
 
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coffinbirth

Member
I'd be interested - just for my own curiosity - to see if these months had a greater or similar uptake than normal storefront promotions on the curated themes.
Hard to say, considering they have a different promoted "theme" every month...and in many cases multiple ones. For instance, its also Xbox Anime Month, haha.

Anime-Month-2023-25874348fe3bcfb1e1bb.jpg
 
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mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
I find it odd that some people like being pandered to by giant companies' PR teams. They find these fake gestures so satisfying that makes you wonder what they must lack in real life.

But corporations do this for literally EVERY group on Earth at some point and in some way. Why care here?
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
I'm black. I'd rather this not be the spectacle that it is.

Black History is American History. I long for a time when there won't be a need to put any minority on a pedestal for a designated amount of time as a token gesture just to say "We know you're here".

I don't celebrate Black History Month because it shows people see a need to elevate black people when we should all be equal in the first damn place.

It's the same problem I have with Pride Month and any other "month". These groups are supposed to Strive for equality. What better way to do that than for us all to be considered "normal".

These special months don't bring us together, it separates us as a society...for one stupid month at a time.
 
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What about the whole Australia day/Invasion day thing?
That's pretty tame compared to what happens in the US.
A group of left wing activists think that Australia day date isn't the right date to celebrate Australia Day.
Let's be honest, there will never be a date for them to celebrate it.
99% of Aboriginals are mixed blood. Their problems with white people is an internal one. The reality is that some of their ancestors did some bad things to some of their other ancestors. It's something they need to come to grips with.
With regards to the date of Australia Day it marks the arrival of the first fleet. The first fleet was full of white English prisoners who were taken away from their country, shipped to the other end of the earth and worked to death in penal colonies. This included children. Some of them for the crime of stealing a loaf of bread.
Many died in the voyage over here. The conditions were exactly the same as the African slaves suffered through on their voyage to the America's.
The treatment of the white prisoners sent to Australia was also as brutal as what the Black slaves went through.
These prisoners are the ancestors of alot of white Australians today.
Those people look past the atrocities that was inflicted on their ancestors to now celebrate what our country has become. Out of the brutal pages of history we are what we are today. Others need to also show that same grace.

However the situation in Australia with Aboriginals is the same as it is in the US with Native Americans. That whole slave history we don't really have, and if there was any similar thing it was with the white prisoners who were shipped here.
 
The race dynamic in the US is complex but is now worse because large businesses are preying on peoples social issues to sell products.
Yeah it seems like it. I have no doubt the the majority of black people are just like the majority of white people, all just working day to day to try and provide for the families, and to try and live a healthy and long life. Meanwhile the extremes of both groups are using their name to push a political agenda.
 

Lord Panda

The Sea is Always Right
As an Australian this whole race dynamic in the US is quite hard to understand.
We've got our own challenges with indigenous / First Nations people, so we also have own race dynamic happening here (and over many decades).

The campaigns around the Voice to Parliament referendum, and the ongoing Aboriginal crisis up in the NT are current big issues at the moment.
 
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DeaDPo0L84

Member
Why do you guys in the US have to celebrate people for their skin colour? It's weird and kinda racist tbh.
Because for a country that shouts nonstop about how we're all equal we take every opportunity to point out the differences between us to keep the virtue signaling flask full.

Most black people don't even care about this but companies have to get in line otherwise be cancelled. It's like Morgan Freeman once said "black history is American history".
 

Aenima

Member
I thought Morgan Freeman solved racism long time ago within 60 seconds?


'black history is an americon history'

Was about to post this.

I find it ironic that americans want to end racism, but keep segregating ppl at every oportunity. The most mind blowing shit i saw in recent years was when i was trying Netflix, i was kinda surprised to see they segregated the TV shows by race, so they had shows feauturing black ppl, latino ppl, and asian ppl in they respective sections.
 
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Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
Was about to post this.

I find it ironic that americans want to end racism, but keep segregating ppl at every oportunity. The most mind blowing shit i saw in recent years was when i was trying Netflix, i was kinda surprised to see they segregated the TV shows by race, so they had shows feauturing black ppl, latino ppl, and asian ppl in they respective sections.
You can see folks in this very thread celebrating this racist as fuck holiday. They are so deluded into thinking that by celebrating immutable characteristics, they are somehow *fighting* racism, instead of contributing to it. Further cementing a divide between people instead of considering them as a whole.
 
I got the impression that there wasn't really any racial issues as far as representation in gaming.

Some of the biggest franchises in all of gaming have had black lead characters, some are even in historical events where there is some contention over them even being involved.

I mean, I'm all for everyone feeling like gaming is for them because it is for everyone...I just assumed it was kind of like that already.
 
Is there a reason why these gestures by big companies during events like these always appear painfully convoluted and insincere? Obviously they want to keep their ESG score high but it just reeks of unearned, cheap moral virtue.
I know right?! Its even harder to trust any of it when you are black.
 

Outlier

Member
This won't sell me anything they're offering. PS or XBox aren't making my life any better, when they get involved in social politics.
 
I was just thinking about all the games over the last few years that has/had (a) black lead character(s) or had them in prominent positions throughout the game and/or saw them used in the advertising of the game.

Off the top of my head I've got;

Mafia 3
Gears of War series (Augustus)
FIFA (the journey story and regular cover stars)
Madden (same as above)
NBA (same as above)
GTA 5 (Franklin)
GTA San Andreas
Deathloop
Assassin's Creed (Bayak & earlier AC3 spin off)
The Day Before (cover star)
CoD Vanguard (cover star and playable character)
Rogue Company
Crackdown 3
Jedi Fallen Order (Kel's mentor Cera)
Spiderman Miles Morales
Grid Legends
Final Fantasy 7 (secondary character)
Apex Legends (playable character)
Street Fighter (numerous playable characters)
Mortal Kombat (numerous playable characters)
Dishonoured (cover star)

Now, these are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head, and maybe I'm missing the point, but that seems like a decent amount.

Considering, if you will, the fact some of these are THE biggest I.P in all of gaming (does it get any bigger than GTA, FIFA, Spiderman etc...?) and I think this proves there is no issue.

If anything, you could argue there is an overrepresentation.

I suppose the argument is "people of colour" have been grossly underrepresented until very recently so this is attempting to redress the inconsistency.

Anyway, if having black faces gets black people into gaming then I don't see the problem... though what about Asians and Hispanics etc...?
 
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UnNamed

Banned
Mexicans are usually portraited as drug dealer in US, but companies don't fucking care. And what about Indians? Or native Americans? They celebrate Blacks as it's a new trend in 2022/2023, not because they really care. It's even more nonsense since when they talk about black culture, they intend the US black culture, not the real black culture which is different in every country. They believe US has a patent on it.
 

Drew1440

Member
I was just thinking about all the games over the last few years that has/had (a) black lead character(s) or had them in prominent positions throughout the game and/or saw them used in the advertising of the game.

Off the top of my head I've got;

Mafia 3
Gears of War series (Augustus)
FIFA (the journey story and regular cover stars)
Madden (same as above)
NBA (same as above)
GTA 5 (Franklin)
GTA San Andreas
Deathloop
Assassin's Creed (Bayak & earlier AC3 spin off)
The Day Before (cover star)
CoD Vanguard (cover star and playable character)
Rogue Company
Crackdown 3
Jedi Fallen Order (Kel's mentor Cera)
Spiderman Miles Morales
Final Fantasy 7 (secondary character)
Apex Legends (playable character)
Street Fighter (numerous playable characters)
Mortal Kombat (numerous playable characters)
Dishonoured (cover star)

Now, these are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head, and maybe I'm missing the point, but that seems like a decent amount.

Considering, if you will, the fact some of these are THE biggest I.P in all of gaming (does it get any bigger than GTA, FIFA, Spiderman etc...?) and I think this proves there is no issue.

If anything, you could argue there is an overrepresentation.

I suppose the argument is "people of colour" have been grossly underrepresented until very recently so this is attempting to redress the inconsistency.

Anyway, if having black faces gets black people into gaming then I don't see the problem... though what about Asians and Hispanics etc...?
You forgot the Micheal Jackson games, Moonwalker on the Mega Drive was pretty good.
The DefJam fighting games were good also, but they're sad to play when you consider the state of hiphop today.
 

Moriah20

Member
Mexicans are usually portraited as drug dealer in US, but companies don't fucking care. And what about Indians? Or native Americans? They celebrate Blacks as it's a new trend in 2022/2023, not because they really care. It's even more nonsense since when they talk about black culture, they intend the US black culture, not the real black culture which is different in every country. They believe US has a patent on it.

You are 100% right, american "diversity" is usually very one note.
That being said, Xbox celebrating this doesn't really seem that out of place. Xbox, despite its attempts to expand will always be very american centric.
 
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