WotC bans cards for racism

[FourDogsinaHorseSuit]

How is it racist?

How is ethnic cleaning which only kills creatures of a certain color racist?

[wolfstorm]

How is ethnic cleaning which only kills creatures of a certain color racist?

It's not ethnic cleansing and doesn't refer to ethnic cleansing, it seems you're misinterpreting the card and the games mechanics.

and if it is racist should all cards that refer to destroying a certain color be banned due to racism as well?

eg.
https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/C...verseid=383304
https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/c...tiverseid=4245
https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/C...tiverseid=3306

if it's due to the art what about planar cleansing and day of judgement?

[Rune]

Can't make that shit up:

I can see the argument for Invoke Prejudice (especially due to the rather unlucky 1488 ID )

Don't forget the artist is openly a neo-Nazi! It's mind-boggling they left it up there for so long.

Imprison is pretty bad as well, but overall this seems like ridiculous pandering/slacktivism and a bad move. I'm not a big fan of old cards getting banned because they are deemed sufficiently offensive by some (mostly) arbitrary standards. Stuff like Invoke Prejudice, sure, there has been widespread agreement for years that it should be removed. But Cleanse? Stone-throwing Devils? Guess we need to remove all rats from the game as well then...

[Mr. Safety]

I applaud WOTC for making an effort to be involved in social justice, it's awesome. I think they are smart enough to realize they know where the line is for being offensive.

[Barook]

While, it’s good to see wizards taking some action when addressing a serious issue in our society, it does seem like a token action - literally the least they could do. You’d think with their hiring practices called into question that they’d actually do something meaningful, instead of banning cards no one has ever heard of as a token show of progress.

If they only banned cards with actually problematic background (Invoke Prejudice is a no brainer, Gypsy and Stone-Throwing Devil are racial slurs), good. But I don't see how you're going to make the world a better place by banning Crusade.

As for hiring practices, apparently they haven't hired any black people at all. Makes their whole #BlackLivesMatter and support for the black community even more hypocritical.

And Maro got flak for playing Hangman in his Twitter preview.

Edit:

Don't forget the artist is openly a neo-Nazi! It's mind-boggling they left it up there for so long.

Imprison is pretty bad as well, but overall this seems like ridiculous pandering/slacktivism and a bad move. I'm not a big fan of old cards getting banned because they are deemed sufficiently offensive by some (mostly) arbitrary standards. Stuff like Invoke Prejudice, sure, there has been widespread agreement for years that it should be removed. But Cleanse? Stone-throwing Devils? Guess we need to remove all rats from the game as well then...

Never knew that about Harold McNeill until now.

What's the deal with Imprison? Is it because the person depicted has dark skin color + being imprisoned (aka slavery) or is there another, cultural, offensive meaning behind that?

[FourDogsinaHorseSuit]

It's not ethnic cleansing and doesn't refer to ethnic cleansing, it seems you're misinterpreting the card and the games mechanics.

Is English not your first language? I ask because in English we've used "cleansing" places of certain types of people as a whole for quite a long time.

[Cire]

It's also just a game

A lot racism gets excused with phrases like this. It's just a game. It's just a joke. It's no big deal. Etc. Let's not fall back on this excuse.

[wolfstorm]

[QUOTE=FourDogsinaHorseSuit;1085133]

It's not ethnic cleansing and doesn't refer to ethnic cleansing, it seems you're misinterpreting the card and the games mechanics./QUOTE]

Is English not your first language? I ask because I'm English we've used "cleansing" places of certain types of people as a whole for quite a long time.

"cleanse"
a process or period of time during which a person attempts to rid the body of substances regarded as toxic or unhealthy, typically by consuming only water or other liquids.

make (something, especially the skin) thoroughly clean.


You're the one making the card "CLEANSE" racist, by inferring that it means "ETHNIC CLEANSING" and that black creatures means black people.

[Mr. Safety]

A lot racism gets excused with phrases like this. It's just a game. It's just a joke. It's no big deal. Etc. Let's not fall back on this excuse.

Fair point, thanks for keeping me honest.

[FourDogsinaHorseSuit]

"cleanse"
a process or period of time during which a person attempts to rid the body of substances regarded as toxic or unhealthy, typically by consuming only water or other liquids.

make (something, especially the skin) thoroughly clean.


You're the one making the card "CLEANSE" racist, by inferring that it means "ETHNIC CLEANSING" and that black creatures means black people.

I think you'll find Webster's dictionary defines gyp as...

[Fox]

I'm thinking Disruptive Student somehow got overlooked.

[Humphrey]

I applaud WOTC for making an effort to be involved in social justice, it's awesome. I think they are smart enough to realize they know where the line is for being offensive.

I assume chess is banned or its colors changed when all this is over. Its just the beginning

[wolfstorm]

I think you'll find Webster's dictionary defines gyp as...

That card is racist, I am not disagreeing with you here - as is imprison, invoke prejudice, and one of COP: Blacks art.. and I'm sure a few others that I am missing.

Quoting someone else that is also trying to make my point.
"Cleanse is a tough one because it “invokes prejudice” (sorry) without actually depicting it or alluding to it. It can be construed as being about racial cleansing, considering it’s a white card that cleanses black cards, but that’s just sort of the nature of the color pairs and considering that black in MTG is the color of death, corruption, and evil it would make sense that the color of (often religiously themed) life, purity, and righteousness would “cleanse” black."

[wolfstorm]

I'm thinking Disruptive Student somehow got overlooked.

Agreed, but a lot of people are arguing that it's not because its just how Teferi was as a child lol?

[Bosque]

I feel compelled to point out that bigotry and racism are different though commonly overlap. The reason destroying all white creatures is not racist is because the dominant cultural force is designed and enforced to benefit white people.

Hating white people could be considered bigotry, but a system of oppression that benefits whites is racism against all people that don't fit that box.

But wait, there's more:

[Sella]

You seem to care a whole lot about how racist you can be instead of just going with "none". Try that.

The card is called "cleanse," not "ethnic cleanse." Also, the card art clearly depicts demons being "cleansed" by holy light.

You seem to care a whole lot about finding racism where it doesn't exist. You just tacked the word "ethnic" on despite the fact that nothing about the name, the art, or the effect alluded to that.

I feel compelled to point out that bigotry and racism are different though commonly overlap. The reason destroying all white creatures is not racist is because the dominant cultural force is designed and enforced to benefit white people.

Hating white people could be considered bigotry, but a system of oppression that benefits whites is racism against all people that don't fit that box.

I mean sure, but I'd argue that destroying all black creatures isn't racist either, unless we're equating black creatures to black people.

In which case just re-brand all black cards to purple or something like that, I guess.

[Mr. Safety]

I assume chess is banned or its colors changed when all this is over. Its just the beginning

At some point there needs to be a simple, clear explanation from Wotc on how the colors of the game are just ways of representing fantasy material, and that their intent isn't to offend or promote racism or bigotry. Carefully choosing art is a damn good start.

Then the question of 'is this racist or inappropriate' becomes really simple.

[FourDogsinaHorseSuit]

The card is called "cleanse," not "ethnic cleanse." Also, the card art clearly depicts demons being "cleansed" by holy light.

You seem to care a whole lot about finding racism where it doesn't exist. You just tacked the word "ethnic" on despite the fact that nothing about the name, the art, or the effect alluded to that.

Wizards found it racist. The people who made their Indian themed citadel a literal 7/11.

[Barook]

Agreed, but a lot of people are arguing that it's not because its just how Teferi was as a child lol?

Somebody made a comparison betwen the depiction Disruptive Student and this racist caricature.

The shape of the head, the position of the right hand, etc. is pretty damning.

[wolfstorm]

Somebody made a comparison betwen the depiction Disruptive Student and this racist caricature.

The shape of the head, the position of the right hand, etc. is pretty damning.

100% agree, I wasn't defending it not being so.