Overwatch Mei Is Becoming a Hong Kong Protest Symbol (polygon.com) 210
Following Blizzard's decision to suspend a Hearthstone player for expressing support of protests in Hong Kong during an official tournament broadcast, some gamers are working to turn Overwatch hero Mei into a symbol of the Hong Kong resistance. Polygon reports: A post yesterday on the r/HongKong subreddit suggested people turn Mei, a Chinese Overwatch hero, into a "pro-democracy symbol" to get "Blizzard's games banned in China." (China already censors Winnie the Pooh after the internet began associating the character with president Xi Jinping.) The post has been upvoted more than 12,000 times, and has more than 300 comments, plenty of which are images of Mei supporting Hong Kong. The movement has spread outward into Twitter and elsewhere. Players have also continued to post screenshots of themselves uninstalling Blizzard games and closing their accounts. The #BoycottBlizzard hashtag remains active, with new tweets generated nearly every second.
I guess they will have to remove her... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I guess they will have to remove her... (Score:5, Funny)
While they're at it, can they add a few pictures of World Of Warcraft characters supporting the Hong Kong independence movement as well? Getting that game banned as well sounds like a good way to get rid of all those Chinese gold farmers in that game.
Good! (Score:5, Insightful)
Activision-Blizzard's rule-set for tournaments is so incredibly restrictive that basically if some exec decides he doesn't like your face you get banned and lose your prize money. They explicitly forbid the formation of player's associations like MLB or NFL Players. It is so lop-sided against the players that it is hard to consider "e-sports" as an actual professional sport at least for Activision-Blizzard games. I personally consider the players nothing more than poorly paid contract employees in Blizzard's PR department.
Needless to say I 100% support the effort to get Overwatch banned in China; these guys don't care about anything unless it impacts their wallets.
Wait union forming is literally illegal. (Score:2)
They'd go to prison for that in any civilized country.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I got the opposite impression, blocking the formation of player unions should get Blizzard in prison.
Re: (Score:2)
Did you mean BLOCKING the formation of unions is illegal?
Re:Good! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
But maybe I’m just being old fashioned; these days it seems anything goes when protesting stuff.
It's shock value. It's meant to get you even more intrigued with his message.
Re: (Score:3)
So you oppose everyone reciting the pledge of allegiance before sporting events, with US flags waving everywhere? Or do you only object to 'politics' if it might make you personally uncomfortable?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
People have always used any platform they are given to make political points. Actors do it at the Oscars, for example. You could argue that there is a moral responsibility to do it, if you have fortunate enough to have a voice people will hear.
In Blizzard's case it's even more important because they are partially Chinese owned and apparently now complicit in the oppression of Hong Kong.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
You could argue that there is a moral responsibility to do it, if you have fortunate enough to have a voice people will hear.
That very short sighted. Most people don't want politics mixed with their entertainment, so if you try they'll stop coming back, and you lose the platform. It also makes you look really full of yourself.
I do think Bliz overreacted here, and just in general treats players poorly, but the right place for the HK protests is the mainstream news - which really don't seem to care in the US, sadly enough. I'd say it's the epitome of the US stereotype, but the reality is the US press is laser-focused on anti-Tru
Re: (Score:2)
Well, as long as you personally would permit openly showing or voicing support [history.com], I suppose we have to accept your arbitrary line of appropriateness.
Re:Good! (Score:5, Insightful)
Government stepping in limiting business freedom to enforce certain societal rules is the core of international relationships, and has been so since the concept of "nation state" formed.
I can provide citations of things like trade limitations from 1500s off the top of my head as examples, to modern trade sanctions that exist and are in force right now. There is a reason why you generally don't want to trade with your ideological enemies. It corrupts your own people, because they see that they need to sell their principles for the profit.
At which point it does indeed become the role of the state to decide by a decree which principles are for sale, and which aren't. And demands you're talking about are a part of the process of formulating such decrees in a democratic republic.
Re: (Score:3)
There are very few trade sanctions and typically only against states that are outright at war with us. Eg. North Korea and Iran and a handful of other nations that have sanctions levied against them.
The 'trade limitations' on China right now are basically, if you want to do business with China you can't do business with the US Government because we don't trust the Chinese not to put spy stuff in their products. But as a company, you're free to do business in China and agree to the Chinese rules of doing bus
Re:Good! (Score:4, Insightful)
This is where an examination of the history of American foreign policy is useful to figure out who the ideological enemies of America are. There is a long list of capitalist dictators supported by America, from Suharto and Mobutu to General Park and Pinochet. There is a long list of democratically elected socialists opposed or overthrown by America, from Mosaddegh and Allende to Árbenz and Goulart. Dictators aren't ideological enemies of the U.S.; anti-capitalists are. The current Chinese government fits comfortably into the sort of the regime that the U.S. has been happy to do business with.
Re: (Score:3)
This is where an examination of the history of American foreign policy is useful to figure out who the ideological enemies of America are. There is a long list of capitalist dictators supported by America, from Suharto and Mobutu to General Park and Pinochet. There is a long list of democratically elected socialists opposed or overthrown by America, from Mosaddegh and Allende to Árbenz and Goulart. Dictators aren't ideological enemies of the U.S.; anti-capitalists are. The current Chinese government fits comfortably into the sort of the regime that the U.S. has been happy to do business with.
The big difference is that none of the dictators mentioned were able to exert any influence over US policy. In contrast, China is already showing that it can not only influence but also dictate commands to US companies in terms of what products they are allowed to sell, how to do their marketing, and what they are allowed to say or not say. And with this current US administration, the Chinese also realize that they also have levers to pull to affect US government policy, e.g., let's all hope that there is
Re: (Score:3)
The overthrown or murdered socialist leaders in South America were not "anti capitalist", only pro people and pro healthcare etc.
Re:Good! (Score:4, Interesting)
Players aren't employees of Blizzard, they are individuals competing for prizes. The idea that they give up their free speech in order to compete is quite un-American. And it's pathetic that Blizzard cares only about avoiding upsetting rich paranoid Communist China, and not about freedom of speech or even about upsetting their customers in Hong Kong and elsewhere who are concerned about Communist China's aggressive attempt to control free speech globally in order to further their expanding military and political control over everything near them.
Reports are that Blizzard is refusing cancellation (Score:5, Interesting)
People on twitter seem to have a credible reports that all subscription cancellations are going to manual ID checks which their support are refusing to confirm. If this is true on any level, they are likely breaking laws in many countries.
In addition, there are reports of several complaints and charge backs being filed with the credit companies. They are likely to lose their payment gateways if that is happening.
Re: (Score:2)
While I still think the ban of the pro player was well withing their right, this is a panic reaction that does show a high level of scumbaggery.
Not surprising with Activision to be honest.
One can only hope that this breaks their necks.
Re: (Score:2)
I would then just block further transactions to them in my bank and refer to the manual ID check,
Re:Reports are that Blizzard is refusing cancellat (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Reports are that Blizzard is refusing cancellat (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
Voting with your wallet and "cancel culture" are the same fucking thing.
Absolutely, categorically not. There are few key differences: target and interaction. First, voting with your wallet is targeted at businesses and not individuals. While in cases of small business distinction may become superficial, it is clear that substantial difference between a private individual and Activision Blizzard exists. Second, the nature of interaction is different. Voting with your wallet is terminating an existing relationship (e.g. subscription), cancel culture is initiating a hostile action
Re: (Score:3)
This could be seen as equivalent to the situation with Blizzard only if you
Re: (Score:2)
For example, if I post a cat picture, and cancel culture decided that posting cat pictures is bad, then expression of cancel culture would be attempting to damage my career and financial security or my ability to speak on unrelated matter. It isn't just criticizing posting cat pictures, it is making sure that
Re: (Score:2)
So then Lewis CK wasn't cancelled because the response was proportionate and not due to a mob of people?
Can you offer some real life examples of people who were cancelled by your definition?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Essentially yes, and yes.
A group of conservative snowflakes [businessinsider.com] decided that market demand had become "stupid," that customers who were demanding things that the conservatives didn't like needed to be silenced, and that customers should not boycott things because arglebargle freedom and cultural diversity.
Don't bring up film censorship [ncac.org] and the comics code [cbldf.org]. Those were totally different. It's only "ca
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Fourth link, November 2017. So ancient. Time to replace our ancient President with fresh blood, eh?
Yeah, they keep slapping synonyms for "new" in front of even more fossilized concepts [businessinsider.com] in order to appear awesome.
Re: (Score:2)
>It's almost as if after the immediate consequences of their actions they are able to rebuild their careers,
Let's pretend I hurt you. Over time you get over it. It's almost as if after the immediate consequences of my actions you are just fine. No harm no foul. With logic like that anything is possible if someone gets over it! I can see why being a perpetual victim is powerful now.
>rebuild their careers, often doing the same shit that got them into trouble in the first place.
Twitter is a minority and
Re: (Score:3)
>So now cancel culture is good?
>Can someone explain the rules?
Are you really this dull or are you just trying to harrumph about people not liking cancel culture and you think there is some kind of hypocrisy?
Comedians/performers stop performing comedy because they are afraid of twitter mobs digging up anything that is offensive to ruin their career. Because of that we get The Joker instead of The Hangover.
Compared to people upset that an American company (arguably beloved) overreacted to a player suppo
Re: (Score:2)
Because of that we get The Joker instead of The Hangover.
So it's a good thing?
Can you give us an example of a comedian who stopped performing for fear of a twitter mob?
Re: (Score:2)
>Can you give us an example of a comedian who stopped performing for fear of a twitter mob?
So you want to play ignorant to something you brought up and conflate to what is happening with China? Twitter was an example.
>So it's a good thing?
The director didn't sound like it was a good thing. It sounded like he wanted to do another comedy but didn't want to deal with cancel culture.
Just 50 years ago (Score:4, Interesting)
This might actually work (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3)
You missed the intervening step where Nazis started using the okay hand sign as a white power sign. It's almost as though satirically coming up with a meaning can turn real. Who would have thought.
Re:This might actually work (Score:5, Insightful)
You missed the part where giving them exclusive right to the use of a symbol only empowers them even more.
When someone tries to co-opt a symbol for evil, use it even more to dilute it and make it meaningless. That's the concept behind trademark.
Stop giving in to evil. Stop being weak.
Re: (Score:3)
You missed the part where no-one gave them exclusive right to use the symbol, it was actually just fake news.
It was merely pointed out that they use it, giving you the opportunity to do what you suggest and dilute it's meaning, if that's your thing.
Stop falling for fake news. Be thankful that someone educated you.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
It's not fake news when The ADL officially has it listed as a hate symbol. [adl.org]
It may have been fake news that people were using it, but it is most definitely NOT fake news that people are being told not to use that gesture anymore.
You're welcome for the free education I just provided.
Re: (Score:2)
The bit about them having exclusive use of it is fake news. No-one said it's now the official White Power symbol and no-one else uses it in any other context, so you must immediately punch any Naz^H White Supremacist who makes that gesture.
As your own link clearly states, by the way.
Re: (Score:2)
So what now?
Re: (Score:2)
sinij, that's exactly what I'm saying is fake news and not at all what has been said. Why is this so hard for you to understand?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It's fucking dumb and you fell for it. I can't wait for them to pick sign language gestures and see if ASL has to change as a result.
Re: (Score:2)
It's fucking dumb and you fell for it.
Yup, a bunch of people decided, "I'm going to pretend I'm a white supremacist. Won't it be funny when people start to think I really am one?"
Good one. You really got me there.
Re: (Score:2)
What are you even babbling about? If a small fringe group can get the "ok" hand sign labeled as a white power symbol then you have lost. The gates are open for them to adopt *any* new hand sign and you'll have to ban that one and the one after it. Say the white power movement starts using the thumbs up sign. Will that now be off limits for everyone else? Can you follow where this is going?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You missed the intervening step where Nazis started using the okay hand sign as a white power sign. It's almost as though satirically coming up with a meaning can turn real. Who would have thought.
If Nazis started drinking milk as a sign of white power, do we ban milk? Why would you want to give Nazis such cultural power to unilaterally ban something? What if they use this maliciously?
Re: (Score:2)
What I would like to see is someone print up hundreds of thousands of face masks with the Blizzard logo on them for the Hong Kong protestors to wear. Make the actual Blizzard logo a sign of the HK resistance. That would be hilarious.
Re: (Score:2)
I support Hong Kong as well because China agreed to a 50 year "hands off" policy in 1997. They are in clear breach of that contract.
Re: (Score:2)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Ha! (Score:5, Funny)
The post has been upvoted more than 12,000 times, and has more than 300 comments, plenty of which are images of Mei supporting Hong Kong.
Yes, upvotes and comments! That will have communist dictators shaking in their boots!
Re: (Score:2)
Triple A is the worst these days. (Score:4, Insightful)
Triple A Gaming Monsters like EA or this abomination called ActiBlizz are the worst. Pushing gambling to innocent children, siding with oppresive gouvernment, they will do anything if it ups their bottom line. It's exactly like Jim Sterling says: They don't want money, they want all the money in the world, moral values be damned.
Longevity (Score:3)
Re:Longevity (Score:4, Interesting)
While I think Blizzard really fucked up with banning and revoking the prize money from their HS winner, I wonder how many of these people boycotting Blizzard will keep it up as new games are released. Diablo 4, Overwatch 2, a new WoW expansion, etc. are all said to be on the horizon. I applaud anyone who sticks to their guns but will guess some players will break first before the company to not miss out on the new hotness.
Some will break, some will not.
I used to buy EA products, I haven't purchased anything from them in well over a decade now because of the spyware they packaged with their products at one point that broke people's CD ROMS, I haven't dropped my boycott of them. I used to like several of their games- their spyware has cost them a lot of money from me alone.
I haven't bought anything Activision in a long time, so me boycotting them isn't much of a threat... but, I know anecdotally, that I'm an example that video game boycotts can last.
Boycott Blizzard, I'm early to the party. (Score:2)
Many moons ago a friend of mine helped with the development of BNETd. He established a BNETd server at our company and released a simple reg-hack utility that could switch your Blizzard software between using our server and the - at the time nearly useless because they were so overloaded - official Battle Net servers.
He got sued.
At the time I was dual booting Windows and LInux, because I was playing Diablo 2. I quit dual booting and went full Linux after that.
My buddy that got sued played Blizzard games a
No no no no! (Score:2)
This is rewarding blizzard for what they did!
To punish blizzard you need to do exactly the opposite, stop giving them money, and stop making them seam good by association!
Taking one of Blizzards IP/characters and making it a symbol of freedom only servers to make blizzard look good. Make it a representation of forced religion, sweat shops, reeducation centers, silence camps, and anti freedom in general.
Re: (Score:2)
I can understand that though process but there are to maybe if/maybes for that logic path to work.
More than likely you will just have a bunch of people playing using that character. And if CCP cared about it, that character becomes banned in china/hong kong. If China pushes more Blizzard sues people for IP infringement.
At no time are you hurting Blizzard. You are promoting a Blizzard, and in reality you are promoting a Blizzard asset. Free publicity. It's not hurting Blizzard sales. That's the only thing
Closing accounts and deleting games? (Score:3, Insightful)
Blizzard already has my money. Why the fuck would I delete their games in protest? This would only hurt me.
If you want to protest and hurt Blizzard, play on their servers as much as you can because it's costing them money. Heck, organize something so their servers are always maxed out to the point that almost everyone starts complaining. Tech support costs money, too.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, reality contradicts this. (Score:3)
Brownouts and such are basically a thing of develping nations ... and the USA.
Before reading US news , regular loss of power was an unknown thing to pan-European me. I have only ever seen one power loss due to anything but a house fuse in my life, and it was a local power station overheating due to that insane last summer.
Re:Well, reality contradicts this. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
It appears to me to be a kind of malicious compliance action on the part of PG&E.
I also read on ./ literally yesterday that among "other things", "the environmentalists" were preventing PG&E from clearing away undergrowth near their equipment that could start a fire, and then being held accountable when one started.
Some debate below. And I'm sure we don't have all of the info here, BUT: assume you're in charge of the company. You're not evil, you're just trying to literally keep the lights on while not going broke.Someone else sets your prices and push mandatory issues you MUST a
Re: (Score:2)
I was thinking about that issue, also. PG&E has some right-of-way for their lines, but how easy is it for them to maintain? Are environmentalists really fighting PG&E about clearing their right-of-way? I can certainly see it happening. Seems to me, PG&E needs
Re: (Score:2)
Historically in the US, corporations under-invest in their own infrastructure unless forced to do so by laws, while at the same time they raise prices, in order to maximize short-term investor ROI, because they don't care about the long-term. So when power companies were deregulated, power prices went up while spending on building and maintaining capacity dropped, resulting in their running with reduced safety margins and more failing equipment, leading to a series of massive blackouts. After a few decades
Re: (Score:3)
You're referring to The Plan [funnyshit.com.au].
In the beginning was the Plan.
And then came the Assumptions.
And the Assumptions were without form.
And darkness was upon the face of the Workers.
And they spoke among themselves, saying, "It is a crock of shit, and it stinketh."
And the workers went unto their Supervisors and said, "It is a pail of dung, and none may abide the odour thereof."
And the Supervisors went unto their Managers, saying, "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it."
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Note that other wealthy countries don't have these power failures, because they require power companies to properly maintain the power grid. This is unique to the US.
Re: (Score:3)
Note that other wealthy countries don't have these power failures, because they require power companies to properly maintain the power grid. This is unique to the California.
This is not a problem in any other state but California, which wants to be is own country anyway. An if you follow the news is currently on its way to become as close to a 3rd world country as you an get. Other states, even Alabama and Mississippi which lefts look down on as a bunch of backward hicks, can keep the lights on with out burning the forest down. This is a uniquely California problem caused by short sighted management and ramped environmentalism.
Re: (Score:3)
Former resident of both California and southern states here.
I'm going to call bullshit on this one. Not that I don't believe you have lived where you state you have. But because you probably didn't live in the south long enough. I doubt you have really experienced a Alabama summer with a Alabama drought.
I have spent many summers in such conditions. Times where the heat would be well over a 40c for weeks at a time, with not a drop of rain. During this time all the forest where a virtual tinder box, slightest spark would set the trees on fire. I doubt you ha
Re: (Score:2)
Nonsense. So system is perfect, not even in the little well-protected states of Europe.
In 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Germany suffered major brownouts and regional blackouts. Hell, in 2006, Germany caused massive blackouts across the Continent. Millions of people lost power because Germany's power grid and management sucks. And all that at just 4 times the consumer cost of the US.
In comparison, France is actually pretty good, since the average customer only loses power for an hour over the co
Re: (Score:2)
Brownouts and such are basically a thing of develping nations ... and the USA.
Before reading US news , regular loss of power was an unknown thing to pan-European me. I have only ever seen one power loss due to anything but a house fuse in my life, and it was a local power station overheating due to that insane last summer.
Think of it as a warning. Or foreshadowing what's to come. Don't kid yourself, the same things that happened to America will happen in the EU too. I'd even bet money on it.
Re: (Score:2)
Unsurprising. I live in America, and I have a barn, with an actual horse in it. And a cowboy hat. And guns.
I'm only 20 minutes away from major metropolitan areas by car, but due to all the trees on the back country roads I live on, I lose power all the time. America is simply... big!
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe move to a civilized country where brownouts are basically unheard of.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
The power grid, and the power companies, and thus these sorts of outages, are larger than individual states. And the bad behavior that's causing these outages isn't per-state, it's broader than that.
Re: (Score:2)
Put the damn cables underground, like every civilized country did back in the 1980s.
Re: (Score:2)
Put the damn cables underground, like every civilized country did back in the 1980s.
You said that in the last discussion. Then I pointed out that 19% of California's transmission lines and 41% of Europe's transmission lines are buried, and it costs us twice as much to bury transmission lines because we put them into conduit, because we have earthquakes. Then you disappeared and ignored these facts.
That was bullshit then, and it's bullshit now. Europe has buried less than half of their lines, so your basic premise is crap, and we also know why we haven't buried more lines here, which is why
Re: (Score:2)
PG&E diverted safety money for profit, bonuses [sfgate.com]
.
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly. They know exactly how to run the power grid safely, and they have done so before. If it's failing now, it's because the company management chose to strip out the safety margin to maximize executive bonuses.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
"insane"
Look up lodgepole pines. When an area has a widespread plant with a dependence on fire to breed, then it is probable that one can expect many fires.
Re: Kotow to China gov't to keep business going... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, I could, but my one vote won't really make a difference.
Is what you're saying essentially.
Boycott Blizzard. Vote. Don't be an idiot..
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
How am I supposed to boycott some company I never did business with in the first place? The question posed was, "How would Blizzard notice that I am not doing business with them, when I never have?" And it seems just about everyone else picked up on that, except you. There's definitely an idiot here, but it's not who you think it is.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, I wish I had a World of Warcraft subscription, just so that I could cancel it now... but I don't.
I shall think twice anytime I see "Activision" or "Blizzard" going forward though and remember Hong Kong.
Re: (Score:2)
Uninstall all Activision or Blizard software on your machine. They WILL notice.
Re: (Score:2)
Uninstall all Activision or Blizard software on your machine. They WILL notice.
I don't think I have any. That's the point.
Re: (Score:2)
I have several (SC2, Hearthstone) but haven't given them dollars in years. I guess I shall continue not giving them microtransaction dollars.
Re: (Score:2)
We've actually made it next to impossible to have benevolent dictators. Think about it. The very mention of a dictator stirs images of Hitler/Kim-type people in folk's heads now.
Re: (Score:2)
We've actually made it next to impossible to have benevolent dictators. Think about it. The very mention of a dictator stirs images of Hitler/Kim-type people in folk's heads now.
There have been very few "benevolent dictators" in history. It's hard to stay benevolent when your every whim is answered, eventually the power gets to everybody's head.