nDreams Pride
by Bonzo, HSM guest contributor
nDreams coming out with a bundle of virtual items should be status quo, should be met with the excitement of any other bundle of virtual items released. But their release of the Pride items is a bigger deal than that. For one of Home’s oldest and most popular developers to choose to no longer just be content with being neutral and being silent, and pioneer a set of items to acknowledge a subgroup of the Home user base is a big deal.
As we roll into a new year it feels that some social issues we should have resolved by now. However when faced with the losing side of a culture war which changes history, the opposition tends to fight harder against progress to conserve the status quo or revert to a previous state. That crescendo tends to be the catalyst for dramatic change and we emerge evolved as a society. For better or worse, is a matter of perspective and contingent on personally held beliefs.
During these moments of contention, businesses are better off staying neutral. Many companies or rather the individual representatives of these companies will choose sides directly or indirectly by publicly stating their own beliefs. That action tends to be a mine-field depending on the progress of the civil rights being fought over.
I consider it progress when strong statements against any group of people are met with controversy and derision. It speaks to the greater sentiment of our culture that we find it unacceptable to scorn others for being different. However it doesn’t speak for the entire culture either, for all opposition to bigotry there is also a side which supports it. That wishes to continue to make it acceptable to perpetuate hate. You only have to look at the media and public reaction recently to Alec Baldwin and Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty, or chairman Guido Barilla of Barilla Pastas. For all opposition to their derisive words, they also had a lot of support.
But the opposite is also true. Companies and individuals who voice their support for the civil rights of the oppressed are also met with derision by those whom oppose progress.
For example in the 1950’s when segregation was still in place Coca~Cola® marketed to an emerging market in the African American community. Directly marketing to a marginalized population in a post war era when many African Americans were holding better jobs, earning better wages and entering into a middle class but were still ostracized by the cultural view on race was a huge deal. Coca~Cola® faced criticism from the opposition which didn’t want to see integration and wanted to continue to oppress a large portion of the population.
JC Penny recently faced opposition from a group known as One Milliom Moms founded and led by an evangelical leader Donald Wildmon, because of a commercial featuring Ellen DeGeneres, an openly gay celebrity. On the flip side, in this day and age Paula Dean saw tremendous endorsement losses for her off handed comments about African Americans. The cultural view has changed on the issue and that is progress. However it isn’t a fight that is completely over. We are still arguing over racial equality, there are still contentions over gender discrimination and still fighting for civil rights. The opposition will always call a fight for civil rights a cry for special treatment, but any fight for civil rights isn’t about asking for special treatment but a battle to end targeted discrimination.
So what is the fight about?
Our modern culture is led by its media. What we see on TV, hear in our music, and play in our video games has an effect on us. We may not realize it, but it is part of what shapes us. As marginalized groups are interpreted and normalized in our media our attitudes change about them. We are still moving forward on seeing female characters changed from sexually objectified victims to heroines. There is still a minimal presence of diverse ethnic groups as main story characters. But the more diversity is normalized, the more stigmas lose their power to oppress. That is the culture war which the opposition is fighting: a war against the normalization of ethnic diversity, of non-traditional gender roles, and normalization of alternative sexual orientation. The fact that there is nothing wrong with being a different race, nothing wrong with being male or female, and nothing wrong with being gay.
The reason why the gay civil rights is a different fight, is because there is an acceptance of the fact that you are born female, or you are born a different race. Yet there is a toxic idea perpetuated by zealots that homosexuality is a choice. Perpetuating that idea justifies discrimination, because it pushes the notion that you aren’t judging someone for something they were born with but something they have chosen to be. That idea is not only wrong, but preserves that culture of discrimination which has plagued us for too long.
The gay community has longed for virtual items with in Home to identify ourselves with. To label ourselves if you prefer to think of it that way, and it is a bold move on nDreams to step forward to provide those items. It’s such a small gesture but it makes a large statement. Financially it doesn’t make sense. The Home consumer is a minority of the Home users, and the Gay Home consumer is a minority of that minority. nDreams isn’t putting out a hot seller with these items, but the description of the item states a position clearly, “Proudly display who you are around Playstation®Home with this fantastic item.”
For those who don’t understand, there is always that question, “What do you have to be proud of?” The term PRIDE isn’t used in terms of being proud to be a homosexual per se, but as a term of defiance to the culture that has wanted and continues to attempt to suppress and marginalize a population of millions. Don’t forget that just in the USA, while the number of states which recognize the right to marry continues to grow, more than half of the states in the union still refuse to legally recognize a marriage between same sex partners. That debate rages on because we continue to use a misinterpreted religious standard as the definition of marriage. But around the worlds we are facing countries which are passing laws violating human rights by criminalizing homosexuality. More than seventy countries including India, Uganda, Nigeria, and Russia have criminalized what people ARE, punishable by incarceration, and some countries penalize it with death.
Russia in particular has been the focus of a lot of media attention because of the recent laws implemented and because it will soon host the winter Olympics in Sochi. So maybe this is nDreams’ way of making a statement against that controversy, or maybe it isn’t politically motivated at all. Regardless of the motivation, it is a brave move and kudos to nDreams for this silent statement in support of a marginalized population in the real world and in Home.
As you may imagine these items are troll bait and while wearing the rainbow flag accessory I have already encountered my share of trolling. But what has been more surprising to me is the level of support I have experienced. I have had random people come up to me and initiate conversations, and show support, and it is surprising to see just how many more gay Home users there really are out there.
As far as the items themselves, there are three bundles. A full bundle including all items for male and female, and two gender specific bundles or each item sold individually. All of the bundles include a Chopper locomotion item with rainbow stripe and rainbow flag mounted to the rear. Wearable items include torsos with rainbow flag tattoos, rainbow flag accessory floating over your head, and shorts which include the boots with a rainbow on some part of the shorts.
They are a bit over the top, but that is subjective. It is hard to represent a group of people without some level of stereotyping. But in this case none of it is intended or interpreted as offensive in any way. The fact that they exist at all after five years of Home’s existence is a show of support and one the gay Home community welcomes. nDreams has stepped in to fill the gap and offer something directly to a portion of the Home community where no other developer has understandably dared to. It takes time and resources to develop any item for Home, particularly with such a minimal margin of return on that investment. Politically alone it can damage a brands reputation, particularly as we are still on the cusp of a major shift one way or the other on such a divisive issue. Yes it is 2014 and yes things are changing, in the USA and around the world, but the fight continues and the fact that it is a fight for civil rights which rages on is a sign of progress because we are no longer staying silent, staying passive as we are marginalized, nor are we standing alone — and that is something to be proud of.
January 24th, 2014 by BONZO | 4 comments
BONZO is an editor and artist for HomeStation Magazine.
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Welcome back, Bonzo! Nice to hear from you again.
Welcome Back!
I don’t want to derail comments on your great article, but I have to say I see much more acceptance of gays on Home and in the real world than I do females -- as gamers, serious science or mathematics students or even as real people behind the avatars on Home. Maybe it’s because I live in the San Francisco Bay area, but I see this cultural acceptance on television with shows like “Modern Family” while women are still poorly represented on shows such as the “Big Bang Theory”.
Home is about acceptance in this area. Whether it be a guy dressing his virtual doll up. Same sex virtual weddings either as a bonding ritual or to get the rewards. There will always be some intolerable idiot wanting to cause drama but that’s home too. There’s very little about religion or faith though.
As a member of the LGBT comunity I think its great that a company is going to sell products that are geared towards that population. But I really dont see myself going around with a rainbow flag or the transgender flag over my head. Why set yourself up for the haters to hate?