Boards›Player Behavior

Rape Culture

FoulOwl13··8 votes·2,294 views

Hi Riot/Anyone who reads these,

I feel as though there is an ongoing issue in League when it comes to player behavior and speech in general. In this specific post I was wondering if there was any way that Riot could make a PSA that using the term "rape" in regards to gameplay or anything in League is highly inappropriate and shouldn't be tolerated. I was glad when Riot decided to ban hate speech and gave players the option to report others that used it, but I really do believe that flippantly using the term "rape" should be included. It only encourages rape culture and normalizes the idea that sexual assault is something that can be as inconsequential as beating an enemy team or player, etc... I am all for free speech but just because we have it doesn't mean we don't have consequences for what we say.

TLDR: I think it would be very beneficial for Riot and for the League community at large if there were to be an official Riot PSA concerning hate speech and rape culture.

Thanks for your time.

-n00bsauce13

38 Comments

Deep Terror Nami14 votes

It's understandable to take a stance against using the term "rape" in this context, but I think it's really pushing it to suggest it in any way normalizes sexual assault on any level.

Should it be filtered as mature language? Sure, maybe it already is.

Should it be treated the same as hate speech? I don't agree that it should, but it is undoubtedly a negative term so I don't think it's out of the question to suggest it could be a reportable offense. However, even then I think you should just ignore it (or use the mature language filter if it's on the list); I don't believe it's as big of an issue as you claim it is.

Edit: And no, I absolutely do not say it myself. I personally do not think it's ok to use.

oSEXYPLATYPUSo1 votes

what about the terms cancer and aids people refer to in game as other players or champs etc

Deep Terror Nami4 votes

People who are close to victims of cancer or AIDS may be understandably offended by the flippant use of those terms, and their position on the matter should be respected if they speak up, but I think it's generally even less offensive than "rape". I do not say it, but I wouldn't report it either. I've called Malzahar's E "space-aids" in the past, but don't any longer.

oSEXYPLATYPUSo2 votes

so what if we just use things like diabetes , molestation , another other terms instead of aids, rape and cancer?

and it seems ( might be bias on this) that more females are offended over the term RAPE then guys...

however though if i was to be RAPED i rather be a female being raped then a guy... if you get what im saying lol (yes im a sick twisted fuk )

[slayer-pantheon-thumbs]

Deep Terror Nami4 votes

so what if we just use things like diabetes , molestation , another other terms instead of aids, rape and cancer?

If the point of doing that is to be equally offensive without using punishable keywords the problem lies with that particular user being a dick. This is why League does not have a "blacklist" of words and phrases you cannot say (hate speech and threats aside); it would be an ever moving goalpost trying to keep up with the adapting behavior.

TL;DR - It would be treated the same for the most part.

and it seems ( might be bias on this) that more females are offended over the term RAPE then guys...

That is probably the perception most people have, directly caused by the perception that more (or only) women are raped than men. Whether or not it's true or it's the perception someone has, you don't really know what the people on the other side of the screen are like and you should exercise a certain amount of respect by default; if it's something you wouldn't tell your mother you should consider not saying it!

oSEXYPLATYPUSo1 votes

lol yet i told my mother if she was a horse with all her medical issue she would of been taken out back and put down already...

so the relationship i have with my mother and what i say to her in the context in which it is intended depends on how it is taken.

she knew it was a joke ... called me an asshole... we all laughed...

its about context and what is meant by what is said .... not the words themselves

ShinkoMinori1 votes

I have cancer, actually it wasn't a big deal to me, I just went to surgery the tumor was extracted I went to radiotherapy and that was pretty much it.

I would be a really weak person if someone using the word "cancer" a lot affect me because it happened to me. Its a really bad thing to happen to anyone and the fact that people use it pejoratively reassures me that whenever I want to share my story people will listen and understand.

You never had cancer nor AIDS. Stop trying to understand people who did and how would their feelings be affected by it.

Deep Terror Nami3 votes

You don't know what I do or do not have, and no I will not stop trying to understand others. Thanks for playing.

ShinkoMinori1 votes

Don't make us cancer patients look like pussies. We have cancer but we wont cry over people using the word cancer. Its just another disease

Deep Terror Nami3 votes

https://i.gyazo.com/0b387e21fea61158cf9ecee025696f0a.png

ShinkoMinori2 votes

Why it should be bait when someone who actually had cancer tells you to stop dramatizing her condition?

Do you really think that cancer patients universally hate people using the word cancer?

Personally I can tell you I hate when people make us look like we have an awful condition that is no joke. I might have cancer but I am a normal regular person too. I don't want people bawwing everytime they find out I got into surgery because of cancer or the chemo or the radiation. It happens, life is shitty, stop making me the focus of sensitivities.

redniwediS2 votes

It's bait because you are one of many, and different people handle conditions like that in different ways.

Your cancer was relatively tame. The cancer of a friend of mine was not. She withered away, and a few weeks ago finally died to it. The word cancer was a reminder that she was on the clock, and she would break down when she heard it. You didn't have to face your own mortality, she did. She wasn't overly sensitive, she was on her death bed.

Again, different people handle things in different ways. If you honestly expect everyone to think the way you do, or to have things turn out the same way they do for you, then maybe you should stop making assumptions like this.

ShinkoMinori1 votes

I've been diagnosed with terminal diseases at least 2 times. Once was a migndiagnosis and the other I am living it right now. The day I bring myself to shame will be the day I break apart just because someone says "that play gave me huntingtons".

I get people being offended with pejorative adjectives but with a common noun? I mean come the fuck on. I will die someday, I've been confined to a hospital bed for months too. What could possibly be the benefit from me crying over what I have and cant fix?

Instead of catering for those who can't handle their condition we should make an effort to teach them how to live with it. How much of a babysiter do we expect a game to be???? And worse than that if we just act like cancer is a made up word how are we going to live with our lives in denial of how life actually is?

redniwediS1 votes

Instead of catering for those who can't handle their condition we should make an effort to teach them how to live with it.

Reason I said what I said is because I knew someone who could not live with it. She was very, very strong, but the cancer was simply too aggressive. Her response to being reminded of her own mortality wasn't a rational one, and she hated it.

All this said censoring words like cancer isn't catering to those who have it, it's catering to people who get offended. Cancer is not an offensive word, it doesn't negatively describe anyone and does not refer to something obscene. People who get offended for others are a plague upon our species.

Basically what I'm saying is you are right, but for the wrong reasons.

Z Statistic1 votes

Empathy is a form of projection. No, this isn't me being a dick. This is reproducible scientific fact. Even the Golden Rule is projection. That doesn't mean empathy or projection is bad. What it does mean however is that 'trying to understand others' really equates to trying to understand someone through your lens of experience.

So when someone that belongs to the group you are claiming to defend or be respectful towards in fact puts a crack in your stance, dismissing them is in fact antithetical to your position. As a tip, being vague/beating around the bush is not a good argumentation strategy. It just makes you lose credibility because it looks like you're wrong and won't admit it.

This is why you should develop empathy and communication on an individual basis instead of for groups. Does THIS person in THIS game mind or not? If yes, then politely apologize, cease, and desist. If not, then go to town. The core of the process is built on the fact that A) every single person on this Earth knows something more and less than you and B) Every single person on Earth has at least slightly different values than you.

You have an obligation to be nice and the right to be a dick.

Zelorxon10 votes

https://www.tumblr.com/

*wears a necklace of garlic

Go away. †

Jeanne fan club5 votes

You can't control what people say, and if you try to put barriers on what they say they will fine another way around it. The mute button is the only way to stop seeing words you don't like. It was also implemented because most people don't care about using those words, so they don't report people who use them.

Just use the mute button, it fixes everything. You don't need to see words you don't like, and the person doesn't get banned for using a certain word that you personally deem offensive. If riot were to be banning people for offensive words, then it would create more problems, such as, "who deems if a word is offensive?" Also some words like the "N" word are only offensive to some if a white person uses it, but not offensive if a colored person uses it. Language is too complicated to have barriers put on it, that's why there is a mute button, so you can personally chose what you want to see and hear, and not see and hear.

ElysMustache5 votes

You have some basic hippy liberal misunderstandings here.

Comparing something to rape doesn't normalize rape.

The underlying problem is trying to make men and women the same, when they are no5 the same. What this does, is it has the effect of devaluing women. The way it does this is by measuring a woman against what a man is supposed to be, at which she inevitably fails. Just as a man would if we deludedly attempted to measure a man by what a woman is supposed to be. We should preserve the perceived value of women by measuring them against what women should be. The lie is that feminism empowers women. The truth is that traditional values protect women, and they are in need of being protected, and they are precious (valuable), and worth providing with protection.

Mister Punches3 votes

My parents came from the "traditional" time (if you consider the traditional times back in the early 40's), back when it was okay to smack a woman across the face if they weren't in the kitchen making dinner for the family. My parents also came from the time where women weren't allowed to work and they were only supposed to stay home, keep it tidy, and be only there to take care of kids, or push them out of the mother. They also came from the time where a woman's opinion was not valuable and they were more of an accessory rather than a person. They also came from a very religious background where women were not allowed to talk, and they were to stay in the back with other women while the men were in the front while bread was being broken and the wine being blessed (My family is Christian, btw, we aren't Muslims just in case you wanted to say that.).

TyrekGoldenspear3 votes

I think your definition of "traditional" is a little off.

My family is Christian as well, and not a thing you just said happened in my family.

Oleandervine1 votes

{quoted}

You have some basic hippy liberal misunderstandings here.

Comparing something to rape doesn't normalize rape.

The underlying problem is trying to make men and women the same, when they are no5 the same. What this does, is it has the effect of devaluing women. The way it does this is by measuring a woman against what a man is supposed to be, at which she inevitably fails. Just as a man would if we deludedly attempted to measure a man by what a woman is supposed to be. We should preserve the perceived value of women by measuring them against what women should be. The lie is that feminism empowers women. The truth is that traditional values protect women, and they are in need of being protected, and they are precious (valuable), and worth providing with protection.

How about we measure people against the value of being a human, rather than having double standards?

ElysMustache1 votes

{quoted}

How about we measure people against the value of being a human, rather than having double standards?

Ha ha, okay, sure. Here ya go... you get 0 points for being non-human, and 1 point for being human. That was easy!

Pandemic Punch4 votes

That is pretty much the same thing but a lighter version of, "fucked". If you take the word rape away then you will get something else you are offended by. Just mute everyone if you are too sensitive.

As of matter of fact, this post is counter productive. You give the word more power and notoriety by bringing this much attention to it.

Mister Punches4 votes

Rape isn't technically hate speech, but it is up there in felonies. I agree with you though, that rape should never really be taken as light fun. I've already had to deal with one friend who got raped, and it was easily one of the hardest things I had to go through when I was still a high school sophomore, while she was a senior. So, I don't like using rape as a form of joking, or any form of euphemism.

Though, it is common knowledge to many that joking about rape is frowned upon in all forms of society. It makes the person using it look heartless and probably won't look well upon others around them. It really depends on a person as well. If someone is against rape and they have a pretty good reason for it (i.e. the person was actually raped, hence why they are against it), then by all means, they have a right to be offended. I haven't been raped at all, but I have had to deal with it, and it's never a pretty sight, so I'm against it.

Though, you're really preaching to the choir. I'm sure a lot of people on this forum are against it, and probably would call someone out for it in real life. Though, even with the PSA from Riot, people in this community will STILL joke about it, will still ensure that others will be miserable. That's just how some parts of this community are. It wouldn't really do much if Riot made a PSA about it, unless they took action, but even then, there would be a community backlash or something like that if it did happen.

redniwediS3 votes

Language is a very flexible thing. It constantly changes, and words change with it. For instance, I can use the word fuck without it having any sexual meaning. With minimal changes it can be a meaningless exclamation, it can mean someone is being an idiot or a troll, or it can mean you got screwed over.

The same is true with the word rape. It and fuck are synonyms when using the correct meaning. What you need to do is see these words, which are spelt the same, as different from one another given their meanings. When rape refers to nonconsensual sex it is pretty darn offensive, and very few people would claim otherwise, but it's hardly offensive when describing being one shot by Veigar. It's definitely a poor choice of wording, but it's hardly worth a punishment.

Automated reporting systems cannot distinguish between these different meanings. The meanings, and thereby the intent behind the use of the word, is what makes a word or phrase report worthy. A PSA might be useful, but adding words that have both offensive and non-offensive meanings to Riot's punishment system is not going to do anything positive for League or gaming as a whole.

DREADN0UGHT2 votes

Its the internet here. Not much that can be done, you will always have extremes.

GULAG 4 U2 votes

?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ????? ? ? ???

PrimeWraith2 votes

when you put "n00bsauce13" at the end it was cringy as fuck. You are not a lawyer, so don't put that sht at the end, ok?

BlueBilberry2 votes

I sympathize with your feelings. However, how familiar are you with what Riot has done to reduce sexism, homophobia, etc.? For example:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/05/16/online_harassment_in_video_games_how_riot_games_remedied_its_league_of_legends.html

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-07-08-homophobia-sexism-racism-reduced-to-2-percent-of-league-of-legends-matches

Now, I haven't checked whether "rape" is a word that can be banned/censored in chat (I try to avoid reading chat for other than pings when I play). But I know for a fact that quite a few words are blocked - "sex", "violent" and, yes, "fuck" are censored words within game chat. Given the times we live in, I think Riot has done a pretty good job at being respectful of all groups.

Z Statistic2 votes
  1. Hate Speech doesn't exist. There is obscene speech in the form of what we call 'curse words' because they are stored in different parts of the brain and activate different parts of the brain. Anything beyond that is just speech.
  2. If you think that saying 'rape' in League increases the probability a given person gets raped, you are being ridiculous. The actual 'rape culture' exists on the US-Mexican border and in prisons. It is common for female illegals to take birthcontrol to avoid rape babies when crossing the border because traffickers (colloquially called 'coyotes') will capture them and sell them into slavery on the black market. In prison, you get raped. The Boondocks was not using hyperbole in that episode. You WILL be overpowered and get anally raped. End of discussion.

On the off chance that this is a troll... [slayer-pantheon-thumbs] [zombie-brand-clap]

Akali Prime2 votes

30 bucks this is a feminist tumblr user

BigHatTurtle 1 votes

So you want to ban the word "rape"

nerak231 votes

You never had cancer nor AIDS. Stop trying to understand people who did and how would their feelings be affected by it.

Care !

Some people do care about words used to belittle people! Cancer, Care friend!

Some people ARE sensitive and should be about such a word !!!! Don't make it seem like it is okay wish cancer on others, even if we have it Friend! Don't Just Don't!!! Even if we have it friend! I personally Hate the word cancer used in a game, why should any one use it ???

EDIT: A GAME, has no place for the word.

nerak231 votes

You have an obligation to be nice and the right to be a dick.

You are 100% wrong, By the very rules of this game You Must Not be a Dick :)

Just Don't be a dick, It is an easy concept. Being nice is a good thing. What Every one needs to understand is being nice is very Kool. but when you try to match toxic comments your are for most extents breaking the rules!

Many posters are going to repeatedly tell you this in many ways, and others are going to tell you it's okay to be an Ass. But it is not okay to be an Ass on purpose. I have a lot of understanding about situations yet, I have a "Question"? Why do the most toxic of people have to put others down instead of trying to work things out??

BakedLotion1 votes

I'm offended by your ign having n00b in it. Can you fucking not? I'm triggered as fuck right now.

Holy shit. You're reported.

More from Player Behavior

The indefinite banning of Tyler1
Player Behavior4,799 comments
2,942
votes
14 day ban because playing Nunu Support with Smite is "stealing other people's roles"...?
Player Behavior1,525 comments
1,086
votes
Riot should add monthly status cards
Player Behavior241 comments
843
votes
Reminder that we haven't gotten our Summoner report cards yet :/
Player Behavior145 comments
619
votes
I'm not "triggered" by you throwing insults.
Player Behavior361 comments
548
votes
Black Alistar, King Rammus!!!!
Player Behavior462 comments
503
votes