Not Sure If Chris Is Serious or Trolling Here

http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/54716

We've been getting massive amounts of complaints from people who get offended by intentional racial jokes based around the shortening of Jeweler's Orb -> Jew.

I'd be fine with people using the shorthand it if it wasn't for the fact that it often inspires unnecessary racial jokes/insults that upset people.

Which of these options are best?
a) Rename the item. Should we have to rename items because players want to say offensive stuff?
b) Politely ask people not to use that shorthand so that they don't trigger racist jokes? (This is our current approach)
c) Allow it, causing a lot a lot of upset users.

I'd rather this kind of thing wasn't an issue in the first place. Your feedback/suggestions are appreciated.


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the above is a quote from Chris in a thread i just read

i cannot believe this is for real. are we really going to change the name of an orb simply because some children on the internet make wild accusations about a shorthand of an orb name? or crying to devs about racist comments? come the fuck on, if you are going to do this you better add a language filter and start banning people left and right all day long.

how about if im offended by use of the shorthand Trans because i am a transexual and it makes me self concious will you then have to change that name too?

this is beyond stupid and is not only a waste of your time but an insult to anyone with a brain

if you are offended by this or any other jokes being made on the internet you should simply mute everyone and play alone because you obviously are overly sensitive and wont last long in any internet environment.

First let me state that I think the name of jeweler orbs should be changed. People have already used the short term jew in a durragatory manner in chat. Now people will view it as being racist. As ridiculous as that seems. I can guarantee you that if nigger, gook,cracker,etc. were short for some type of currency and commonly used in chat there would be an uproar. Do I think this is ridiculous , yes.

I think the main problem that needs to be focused on is what GGG expects from there moderators.

MODERATORS NEED TO BE UNEMOTIONALLY INVOLVED EMPLOYEES.

Im sorry but if GGG doesnt want a big mess they just need to pay a few people to moderate that will show up and do there job and go home.

Using players to moderate will always become a war and things will escalate no matter how well intentioned the current mods are.

I think people just try to find things to bitch about. I have been using "Jews" as shorthand for Jewelers for almost a year now and at the most i've seen a chuckle.

I agree with xtreme that this is a complete waste of time and if someone truly is offended by the word jew, use that handy feature that GGG implemented for you called /ignore.

i just dont get why GGG staff is giving these obviously outlandish claims by obvious trolls any credibility

I'd like to state that no one has any right to tell someone else what he's allowed to be offended by or what he's allowed to dislike. People have different thought processes and different beliefs. GGG has to consider other opinions on matters.

One person saying "You shouldn't use that language" is no worse than others saying "You shouldn't care."

Chris did ask for feedback on the issue, but please don't be aggressive about it. Be considerate of others' opinions and don't insult others for having different thoughts on the matter.

Currently, we're operating under a very simple rule of "Don't use 'jew' as an abbreviation." That's not an unfair rule in any way, to anyone. It's a compromise. It's not censorship; you still get to state your thoughts in a public fashion. If anything, it's healthy for your typing skills.

In short: don't make a big deal out of it, because it's not a big deal. It's not mass censorship or unfair ruling or anything else of the sort.

Would it really kill you just to exercise a little sensitivity?

I don't call Jeweller's Orbs "Jews" because I understand that it could be perceived as offensive to some people, or it can trigger immature racist jokes from people in chat.

Just call them Jeweller's Orbs. Or Jorbs. Or link the item in chat to save you typing it out. That's all you have to do. You aren't "caving in to the minority". GGG isn't succumbing to "political correctness gone mad". You are being respectful.

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BurnOutBrighter wrote:

Would it really kill you just to exercise a little sensitivity?

I don't call Jeweller's Orbs "Jews" because I understand that it could be perceived as offensive to some people, or it can trigger immature racist jokes from people in chat.

Just call them Jeweller's Orbs. Or Jorbs. Or link the item in chat to save you typing it out. That's all you have to do. You aren't "caving in to the minority". GGG isn't succumbing to "political correctness gone mad". You are being respectful.

if we alter everything we say because it might offend some thin skinned person with no self esteem then we might as well just not speak at all.

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Xtrem wrote:

if we alter everything we say because it might offend some thin skinned person with no self esteem then we might as well just not speak at all.

One word is pretty far away from "everything."

Again, no more insults. Not liking the jokes that come from a poor choice of terms doesn't mean someone has no self-esteem.

If people just used another abbreviation like 'JO' or something then this entire situation could have been avoided. Instead, people knowingly and purposely choose to use the abbreviation 'Jew'. Many people go even farther and choose to use the abbreviation in a highly suggestive context.

It would be one thing to use the word in a generally harmless context but people have regularly been using the term in a purposely derogatory manner. That's unacceptable. Period. The fact that people try to hide behind using it as an abbreviation is no excuse.

PoE is a mature game with mature content intended for adults. For this reason we try to be more lenient in terms of the language that people use in chat and on the forums. Cursing is ok as long as it's not excessive or specifically directed at someone, for example. This is a privilege that GGG offers the community. The community, for their part, is expected to use that privilege responsibly. This includes being respectful of other people's opinions and sensibilities. The vast majority of players make an effort to do that. A minority of people do not and this reflects poorly not only on the PoE community as a whole but on GGG as well. If you can't exercise those privileges in a respectful and responsible manner then they will be revoked. It's as simple as that.

In this case specifically, a tiny change in behavior from a small minority of people can have a significant impact on the enjoyment of the game by a much larger group of people. I suggest you find another abbreviation.

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Xtrem wrote:

if we alter everything we say because it might offend some thin skinned person with no self esteem then we might as well just not speak at all.

This is correct. If you purposely use racial terms in a derogatory manner and violate the chat rules then you shouldn't speak at all. That's why people have been and will continue to be muted or even banned.

I'd prefer if GGG just renamed them to Craftsman's Orbs or something. Chat doesn't need immature louts making racist jokes whenever someone just wants to reroll their sockets, and we aren't going to change the opinions of people who think it's okay to use "Jew" as an abbreviation anyway.

PoE doesn't need this sideshow, and moderators don't need all this extra stuff to deal with. In this case I think it's better to avoid controversy by making sure it doesn't come up in the first place.