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Wal-Mart is the greatest Bowdleriser of our time. In some areas they are the sole outlet for certain goods. You'd think they carry almost all goods, but in fact they willfully omit anything that doesn't follow their fairly rigid agenda.
As the Ayatollah would expunge Rushdie, so would Wally quash those who don't share his wholesome American values. This manifests as anything anti Jesus, pro life, homosexual, etc. With politics of the last decade including something like "Back Bush or Else edict. We like the way he thinks."
Old news, of course. But this is new. A "Christian" video game with a slaughter the unsaved sensibility. Wal-Mart says they really support this one and refuses to yield to groups asking for it's removal. Supporting hate and intolerance the Wally way has never been starkly obvious.
I'd probably play the game, if only for the yick factor. I don't see anything particularly wrong with a game that shows Christians being intolerant. It's certainly more honest than some depictions. If extremists wish to align themselves with such garbage it may give the more moderate Christians a heads up about these groups. This wont make converts so much as embolden the bigots and scare away the undecided.
And if the thing generates enough stink, then Wal-Mart might say something about defending free speech. They could go on the record as being a defender of open expression. Then wait for the next GTA style thing and watch the hypocrisies reveal themselves.
For to Wal-Mart invoke free speech in it's defense would be like the KKK calling for integrated schools. Is it wrong to take such joy in this?
As the Ayatollah would expunge Rushdie, so would Wally quash those who don't share his wholesome American values. This manifests as anything anti Jesus, pro life, homosexual, etc. With politics of the last decade including something like "Back Bush or Else edict. We like the way he thinks."
Old news, of course. But this is new. A "Christian" video game with a slaughter the unsaved sensibility. Wal-Mart says they really support this one and refuses to yield to groups asking for it's removal. Supporting hate and intolerance the Wally way has never been starkly obvious.
I'd probably play the game, if only for the yick factor. I don't see anything particularly wrong with a game that shows Christians being intolerant. It's certainly more honest than some depictions. If extremists wish to align themselves with such garbage it may give the more moderate Christians a heads up about these groups. This wont make converts so much as embolden the bigots and scare away the undecided.
And if the thing generates enough stink, then Wal-Mart might say something about defending free speech. They could go on the record as being a defender of open expression. Then wait for the next GTA style thing and watch the hypocrisies reveal themselves.
For to Wal-Mart invoke free speech in it's defense would be like the KKK calling for integrated schools. Is it wrong to take such joy in this?
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From:
*sigh*
But, ew. I'm conflicted about the morality of this video game, and I try not to think about the ones Juergen doesn't play because I refuse to be in the room with him.
I don't subscribe entirely to the idea that Sheri Tepper advanced in her version of Beauty, in which the mass weight of the deliberate ugliness and nastiness we create and glorify in our culture, will eventually dump the world into a nightmare reality. But sometimes I wonder if the celebration of nastiness does in fact impact our society.
(Ok, now I sound like some kinda uptight judgemental prude, and maybe I am. But I worry about it.)
On the other hand, that video game is the ultimate expression of the militant evangelical political pseudo-Christianity that has got out of hand lately.