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Riot, please do better...

FM Pachimari··10 votes·1,028 views

I just finished a match with someone on my team whose name contained the N word, completely uncensored. Seeing that hurt me, as a black man to the core. Not only because of the player, but because Riot has let someone input that as a name. I understand that getting every toxic player out of the game is a very hard feat, but literally letting someone out into the wild with a name like that is disgusting. Why aren't there filters to prevent this? I come to this game to have fun, not to feel like I don't belong. I already get enough of that in my actual life. It undermines the fighting toxicity message if something so simple is allowed.

I have no doubt that this player will be punished. Besides his name he was a real jerk, to the point where I was defending the enemy team. But please Riot, Im begging you to do better. I want to enjoy this game and be a proud member of the community.

To anyone reading, thank you for your time. It means a lot.

32 Comments

Ayzev6 votes

[{quoted}](name=FM Pachimari,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=NGjAfKLE,comment-id=,timestamp=2018-03-25T07:38:51.608+0000)

Seeing that hurt me, as a black man to the core.

Either you're exaggerating here for whatever reason, or you're letting the word affect you more than it ever should. It would probably be better for Riot to not allow such names from a business perspective, but it really isn't as serious as you're making it out to be.

SkullDuggery19195 votes

I love how if someone types KYS, they are a terrible person and are informed that there are real people with issues playing the game. Type the N-word? No big deal bro, stop making a fuss.

I think it shows the maturity of the demographic playing this game.

2Charmnot2Charm1 votes

I know right?

Ayzev3 votes

I've actually never seen someone who's upset only about either "kys" or the N word, usually it's both or neither. Almost every time someone says "kys" it's just another way of saying "f..k off" or "stfu" and not actually telling someone to tie the noose. If this abbreviation didn't exist, people would come up with something else that would be used in the same way, so there would still be the same amount of feelings getting hurt.

Auld3 votes

But the term "STFU" and "FU" are both abbreviations. There is zero need at all the use "KYS", none at all. It's just wrong to interchange meanings, especially to one telling another player to actually harm themselves.

SkullDuggery19193 votes

Agreed, and there is also no need to put the n-word in your clan tag, username, or type it at all in this game. This goes for any racial slur, it's not funny.

Ayzev3 votes

The people using such words in such ways do find it funny, that's the sole reason they do it.

SkullDuggery19192 votes

What if I think it's funny to yell "fire" in a crowded theater? Should I be allowed to? Communities have rules, and if you break them you can be removed. I don't care what you find funny, most people find it offensive.

Your entire attitude is wrong. It's clear you have no real world experience, or have any knowledge on how to get people to abstain from unwanted behavior. Here's how, you shun them. You let them know they are not welcome. How do you think it became inappropriate to be racist or sexist? Do you think we just ignored them? There is no historical context behind your idiotic attitude, and what it really comes down to is an immature "they aren't talking about me anyways" attitude. Your lack of empathy is not maturity, in fact it's quite the opposite.

Ayzev1 votes

Your example isn't the same as what the thread is about. That could cause mass panic, which could easily result in actual damage, while this name/tag in a video game just makes the user a douche. I didn't mean to say it's okay because a few people get giggles out of it, just that it isn't objectively unfunny, which I guess is quite a nitpick and didn't really need to be said. While it should be shunned, I don't think a word on its own should be so shunnable that you deserve a ban for having it in your name, that just seems excessive to me. Simply having the N word in your name doesn't mean you want blacks enslaved or anything, as long as that's not literally what the name says.

SkullDuggery19191 votes

My example proved the point I wanted it to, despite being hyperbolic.

Riot does not want racism, sexism, or any other forms of hatred on their platform. That means they can and will ban you for it. It may seem excessive to you, because these words have never been weaponized against you. Lacking empathy is not something communities should strive for. The type of people that type racial slurs for laughs aren't the type of people Riot wants in it's community.

Ayzev2 votes

After telling a hundred people to go frick themselves it's no longer satisfying to say that same thing to the 101st. The more you use the same swears, insults and other emotionally expressive words/phrases, the more diminished their effect becomes, so eventually they get replaced, even if only temporarily. Let people say "kys" as much as they like and soon they will get bored of it, and the ones who have to hear it will also become more and more desensitized to it.

Blakiepug4 votes

{quoted}

Either you're exaggerating here for whatever reason, or you're letting the word affect you more than it ever should. It would probably be better for Riot to not allow such names from a business perspective, but it really isn't as serious as you're making it out to be.

Have you ever experienced some sort of discrimination like this? It is not okay in the slightest to be told you are inferior just because you were born a certain way. I may not be able to relate to the N word in particular, but as a gay man who has been told I am diseased or that I need to be cured I can tell you that words are more harmful than you are giving them credit for. It's one thing for someone to say bad words to you directly; it's another for those words to follow you around every where you go.

Ayzev2 votes

It's not the words that are harmful. It's the intent behind them. When someone tells you you're inferior for being black/gay, then it's this message they're conveying that's hurtful, not the fact that they used "n....r" / "f....t" to convey it. A nickname containing a bad word doesn't carry such a message by default. Chances are that the person the post is about meant it as just a joke, even if i's a very immature one.

mtothe6thpower1 votes

{quoted}

It's not the words that are harmful. It's the intent behind them. When someone tells you you're inferior for being black/gay, then it's this message they're conveying that's hurtful, not the fact that they used "n....r" / "f....t" to convey it. A nickname containing a bad word doesn't carry such a message by default. Chances are that the person the post is about meant it as just a joke, even if i's a very immature one.

Nope, the words themselves are harmful. I've worked in a few different jobs, and in a lot of them with some pretty privileged people. And the amount of times I had to hear the f slur being used in a friendly manner to other people, it still hurt. Because guess what, that's still a word that has been used to damage and degrade me, as a bi dude. The people in question didn't use it in a way to tell me I was wrong, or diseased or whatever, but the word is still an insult and censored for a fucking reason. That reason is because it is considered by most people to be a form of assault when used towards others, even if not part of that particular group. There's a reason it's called hate speech.

Ayzev1 votes

The majority of people aren't hurt by the mere mention of the word, while you are. This means that the problem lies in you, not the word. Because it has been used to hurt you in the past, you're "programmed" to be hurt by it every time you hear it. You've been made to react to it in a certain way over and over, so now you react in that same way to it even when you're not supposed to. If the people doing that to you used a different word, you'd react to that instead, while the F word would be no more serious than other insults.

mtothe6thpower1 votes

The problem is that it's been used to hurt a lot of people, not just me. The word is a literal verbal weapon against me and people like me. And hate to break it to you, but I'm still just as bothered by words that haven't been used against me. Why? Because words that there only use is to cut down and hurt shouldn't be used at all. Most other curses don't have that issue, and thus the context matters when using them. It's really only hate speech that garners that reaction from people.

FM Pachimari1 votes

It wasn't the existence of the word itself, it was what followed. Because I'm not going to name them, you won't know what it said, but when you have someone attacking your race for no reason, yeah it hurts. Even your claim that I was exaggerating is hurtful, because you don't know my experience with the word. When I've literally almost died because of racism, it stings. So please, save your ignorance for the next man.

I should also add that just because the word doesn't always hold the same meaning as it used to, that doesn't negate the history behind it's usage. Especially given where I'm from. That word was used to dehumanize, lower, and demoralize my people. I shouldn't have to see it. Period. Think globally, not just from what it may mean where you're from.

Electro5224 votes

I believe you can report them for an inappropriate name. If you haven't already, send in a support ticket.

Also, how was the name written? I'm fairly certain there is a filter, but if it's written in weird way, it could bypass the filter. It might be blatantly obvious to a human, but not so much to a computer.

FM Pachimari3 votes

It was written in all caps but they may have used a lowercase L or something for the I. Either way, I still find it kind of ridiculous that it’s allowed. Not many other reasons I can think of for those strings of characters to be used in.

I Main Swain1 votes

[{quoted}](name=FM Pachimari,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=NGjAfKLE,comment-id=00010000,timestamp=2018-03-25T07:59:18.273+0000)

It was written in all caps but they may have used a lowercase L or something for the I. Either way, I still find it kind of ridiculous that it’s allowed. Not many other reasons I can think of for those strings of characters to be used in.

could have also used special characters, there are some (such as accented letters or symbols/letters in other languages) that look identical or nearly so to our letters. like the other guy said though, its easier than youd think to bypass filtering for stuff like that

Cynikul3 votes

What I wonder is how this shit isn't even filtered. I usually stand up for Riot, but holy shit the names and clan tags i see are just fucking making Riot look like an absolutely incompetent company inside and out. Respect your restraint, honestly I don't think I would have and would have posted their name in a heartbeat if I were in your shoes.

Hexs Fortune3 votes

Racism in chat and naming is definitely something Riot has to get better at dealing with

BFK Whiteboy69er3 votes

I think it could be left alone and they can worry about more important things

zPOOPz2 votes

I applaud your restraint to not name and shame. I honestly expected you to break the naming and shaming rules half way through the thread.

Your best course of action is to report that person after game for both negative attitude and inappropriate names. If you feel so compelled, you can also submit an additional report to support.

Things slip through the crack sometimes and we human are VERY creative at finding ways around things. Do not let someone who you will never likely played with or meet irl bother you so much.

Mute, report, MOVE ON.

FM Pachimari3 votes

I appreciate your support but just moving on isn’t something that I’m fine with. I’ve experienced racism almost all my life and I’m done with just moving on. With that being said, I sincerely do appreciate your help. I’ll be sure to send another report to support. Thank you so much.

Fade to Black992 votes

So word on N is censored on Twitch, league,etc. But this word isn't censored in certain games like GTA and in real life? Why?

DatBoiZoris2 votes

[deleted]

HalcyonDweller1 votes

You ain't from NA, you're from EUNE. You don't live with the context that the people from over here do. It's a bigger deal over here than you might think with your experience.

Before you throw a fit and call someone immature, check yourself and make sure you're not talking down to somebody about a problem they know more about than you do.

tobequitefrank1 votes

I was in a game last night with a guy who's name pertained the N word as well, being black I was offended.

WU is the KONG1 votes

I also came across someone named something along the lines of "Cotton Picker" How did riot let this happen, i was very offended and actually had to go afk to avoid getting triggered.

HalcyonDweller1 votes

We stand with you OP, and we're sorry to hear that you had to deal with such a user. If I worked at Riot I'd try and investigate the player myself. You are awesome for standing up for the enemy team, and props to you for (seemingly) handling things maturely.

tldr; people support you and stand with you, for whatever that's worth.

Telephone Booth1 votes

Omg so black people are offended by that? I shouldn't listen to the 13 year old boys who tell me black people don't care about that term anymore? Sorry, I had to. I've just been seeing fucking kids speaking for all black people way too much lately on what they are and aren't offended by. Lol. Thank you. Obviously, I hope you reported him and he gets his due punishment.

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