Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

Xayah needs to have racist remark removed from her programming

OmegaKillshot·4/8/2017, 10:24:48 PM·2 votes·13,199 views

If you go to the 4:42 mark in the video, you will see the translation of the Vastaya phrase "Mu-Takl" to be translated as "Race Traitor". So the use of the phrase is to call someone a race traitor, and would only be said by one Vastaya to another. I am asking that the community file a petition to have this phrase removed from the game and any future story arcs. We live in a world where we are trying to succeed and push the ideal of racial equality, and then Riot releases a set of racist characters? I've been in an inter-racial relationship that has dealt with one of the parties being called a "race traitor". Its inhuman and severely degrading. IF this company cared so much about the issue of Graves smoking a cigar ruining their image, and that the letters "ggez" are reportable, then we have a right to request this phrase be removed from all audio and visual content. its not funny, its serious and offensive.

109 Comments

ModKnightsKemplar4/9/2017, 12:10:40 AM27 votes

Ok first, grave's cigar wasn't an image problem. They removed it because of laws of video game characters smoking in other countries. It was strictly a problem with other countries' laws. So you show me where using a made-up word for a "race traitor" is against the law somewhere and I can get on board with that one.

As for the rest of it: Riot is trying to create a realistic world here. They want it to be believable. Stories without conflict are boring, and introducing racial tension through animal-people is a pretty innocuous way to do it.

You are entitled to your opinion, of course. If you've had traumatic experiences with this sort of language in the past, I can understand where you're coming from on this issue. On the other side of the coin, though, I think having these kinds of difficult issues and flawed characters in the game helps people process racism in virtual environment, where no real minorities are getting hurt.

It isn't intended to be funny. It's intended to be serious, though I wouldn't say it's intended to be offensive. If we're going to get through issues like racism in society, we have to be willing to have hard conversations about them. And I think putting this kind of stuff in our media is a great catalyst for that.

I don't expect to change your mind, of course. Mostly, I thought a serious response might help you understand why Riot might decide to include something like that in the game. Your post doesn't give the indication that you've considered that someone has thought through the real-life analogue, realized that in real life it's offensive, and yet decided to keep this in the game. I mostly wanted to offer a respectful counter-point, and I hope I've done that.

MavenSong4/8/2017, 10:33:10 PM13 votes

There are far more quotes in league that could be seen as far more "Racist" and a word meaning traitor is where you draw the line?

https://i.imgur.com/UXbTMTt.jpg?noredirect

Big Lincoln4/8/2017, 11:28:25 PM10 votes

We live in a world where we are trying to succeed and push the ideal of racial equality,

speak for yourself, i will never live peacefully with mages

Valaran Nara4/9/2017, 12:51:56 AM10 votes

As a black guy who only ever cared for one girl (who is black) during all of highschool and is constantly made fun of for: 1.) Talking like a white boy

2.) Being an oreo (black outside, white inside) and

3.) Likes them white girls (which I probably started preferring them only after constantly being ousted by anyone I took interest in)

I understand where you're coming from. It doesn't feel good in the slightest being ostracized by a group of people that others outside of hte group would classify you in. To most people, I'm black. To blacks, I'm "white". The thing is, I think, for her story, and what path she's taking in life, it makes sense for her to call another Vastayan a Mu-takl. After all, if you think about it, she's an extremist. Extremists have a tendency to showcase the worse qualities of the group they're trying to represent or dedicate their acts to.

While she may be fighting for the cause and trying to free her people from whatever bindings they may be facing, she's only proving the majority (humans) right when it comes to her kind: they are dangerous and need to be put away. While it may come as a touchy subject that can be paralleled with real life issues, we should be glad that it has appeared if for no other reason than the fact that it says the floor for discussion. Is she going too far? Is she justified in the actions she is taking? Couldn't there possibly be a better and "less violent" way of doing things?

Afterall, since it is story driven, I'm sure she isn't racist without cause. Racism is learned, so we'll see in lore how she learned to be anti-human and pro-Vastayan supremacist. Cause honestly, that's where I see her going right now.

Brutusness4/8/2017, 11:19:04 PM9 votes

You do know characters having negative traits is what makes them characters right? A bunch are driven by obsession with questionable ideologies, quite a few are murderers and thieves, and a pretty fair chunk are just straight up insane. And Xayah is not the first champ with race issues.

BeatzBoyFTW4/9/2017, 5:22:20 AM7 votes

Kled : Holy sh*t, where are we?

**OP: **Perfectly cool.

Xayah: Mu-Takl

OP: triggered

ProfMeowMeow4/8/2017, 10:35:23 PM6 votes

What about ezreals quote? "Noxians... I hate those guys!" - Doesn't that seem racist aswell???

Dragon Master4/9/2017, 12:22:27 AM5 votes

Social justice is cancer

OtterlyLost5/19/2017, 5:31:32 PM3 votes

Being upset because a video game about killing and murdering each other violently day in and day out has a character who is racist to other made up races in this world is stupid and childish. I'd understand if the racist comment was directly pointed at an actual, real life race of people but these comments are made toward a made up race in their own world. They are creatively allowed to have characters who are racist and to have races who are being oppressed because it makes the world more relatable. It in no ways condones racism in real life or oppression for that matter. :/ Instead, what it does do is present Xayah as a believeable character with flaws and traits that make her unlikeable. If she didn't have this flaw of racism, she'd instead come off as a perfectly little goody two shoes who was just out to save the world. That's boring.

In fact, if there wasn't racism in the game at all(Ionian's specifically are racists to Vastyan's in the first place, hence Xayah and Rakan's lore at all), then Xayah as a character could not exist.

Essentially, I'm telling you to get over yourself and grow up. :/ go play a "wholesome" game that better fits with your values because it compromises its characters, world, and lore to be more friendly. I'm sure you'd find it more interesting and be less "insulted."

Tesla Effect4/8/2017, 11:26:17 PM3 votes

How about you grow some actual thick skin.

Souperbowelz4/8/2017, 11:58:26 PM3 votes

I'm sorry, but I don't find "Mu-Takl" to be worthy of being erased from the game. Xayah is shown to be a rather inflammatory, "rebellious" girl - it's just in her personality. I understand that it is a racist remark and it may draw some parallels to the real world, but, ultimately, it's fictional. No one sees Xayah as a role model, as she clearly isn't meant to be - she's pretty much just an edgy teenager in character. I very much doubt people will actually take influence from her. And I strongly doubt that Riot made those lines to fulfill some sort of personal agenda to ostracize members of a race for being "different" from the rest. There are similarities in the argument about Graves' cigar: removing his cigar was stupid because Riot clearly didn't intend on him inspiring people to smoke. Realistically, no one should or would take him as someone to look up to, regardless if he's "cool" or not. Except Riot made the decision to remove the cigar when there really was no need to.

Just look at some of the other characters in Riot's roster. Kled is the racist Southern character (the many comments about Noxian champions not being true Noxians). Ekko is the hoodlum black kid ("You're in the wrong neighborhood," "Aww, who called the cops!"). Both are based on potentially offensive stereotypes, yet you don't see people complain about that. So why is it that you made a forum post asking Riot to remove Xayah's quote, when you could have more of a point on Ekko or Kled being racist?

Dragon Master4/9/2017, 12:39:26 AM3 votes

Good thing Xayah doesn't exist in any country across the globe

kitcat3004/9/2017, 12:57:23 AM3 votes

That's not racism. Ahri is a Vastya like she is. In fact in that same portion of the video, you can she that she actually does not enjoy killing her own kind.

Her attitude toward humans are, but it doesn't sound like a sense of superiority, at least not entirely. It sounds like her own hatred might stem from a traumatic event caused by them to her people.

thedamaged4/9/2017, 1:08:46 PM3 votes

I have the perfect solution to the Special Snowflake OP. Turn off your computer and go get a medal for showing up. Life is horror, to hide it is as bad as preaching it. TO spin off what LF Annie said, let's not burn books and delete people's thoughts for something you think is bad. I have been called names my whole life, nothing hurts worse than my appendix bursting or the knife i was stabbed with. If you truly believe in what you are doing no amount of names will ever stop you.

These are my thoughts. Not because of any flavor you are, you said your piece and i can respect that, 5th amendment. But that means I can say mine.

GreenLore4/9/2017, 2:35:02 PM3 votes

You know we also live in a world where we discourage killing and fighting,yet thats exactly what we are doing in this game.

Besides Graves cigar was removed because of censorship issues in certain countries,not because they thought it could ruin their image.

Hambone20134/10/2017, 8:04:59 PM2 votes

As her opinion of humans and her own kind is a very large part of her character and the lines are part of that they should stay.

Balderdash10004/8/2017, 11:25:36 PM1 votes

So, what you're saying is that Xayah can make racist comments, but Graves still can't have his cigar? WTF Riot!

Guyy Fieri4/9/2017, 5:17:56 AM1 votes

It's a video game dude...with made up races and made up people...censorship is fine and all but I mean cmon dude that's just the silliest thing I've heard all day

I NEED HEALlNG4/9/2017, 1:06:46 PM1 votes

MAYBE! JUAT MAYBE IT COULD mean TRAITOR BUT SPL TRANSLATED IT AS "Race traitor"

Call the wAAAAAAaaaambulance IF you're offended by this.