Racism in our community.

[Thimble]

The troubling part of the recent punishments has been how selective they are, right up to the actual sanctions given to each player as well as the complete lack of common sense. Nearly every case, as far as I'm aware, has been purely based on humor or a casual use of a particular slang term that is actually extremely common these days in America among all races which includes Black, Latino, Asian as well as even White people, usually the younger generation who don't feel as sensitive regarding the subject.

 

Legitimate hate speech is of course within the server rules for persecution, but many of the recent punishments are so devoid of common sense regarding that rule that it's become comical and I've rightfully clowned it in my response to the initial report referenced here. In future, I hope administrators exercise a little more discretion in dealing with allegations of racism to truly discern what is hate speech and what is just interpersonal interaction in private faction chats.

[Trupiano]

Do I cringe when I see people use it when they are obviously not black? Yeah. I might even say something if they are being obnoxious with it, but this is the internet. Going after people who are saying the gamer word is a utter waste of time and at most virtue signaling on a ridiculous scale.  

 

As @Garras Up put it well:

 

2 minutes ago, Garras Up said:

why does it even matter that much? Not that the word isn't offensive, but the server has bigger issues than a bunch of nerds saying the n-word on discord or in /b. People shouldn't be going around calling people N-words with hard R's, but I will stress that this is the internet, everybody says the n-word. My white friends on facebook openly say it, everyone i've ever heard talk on Fortnite/GTA Online says it profusely, there's no stopping it, because this is the internet.

 

[voucher]

Context matters. I don't think admins should waste their time on policing the word "nigga" or any other word used in discords or faction chats as long as it has no real discriminatory intent. 

[Towbie]

People seem to always protect their usage of slurs, insults and what not with the saying "This is the internet." but they keep forgetting that they are playing on a server where the rules clearly state that using slurs, insulting and so forth through OOC means is frowned upon.

If it doesn't suit you, make a suggestion regarding a rule change - one that I highly doubt will ever pass, but it's worth a shot if you think so strongly about it and you're that desperate to say it.

It can't honestly be that hard to wrap your head around it. Refrain from using it on the server or anything related to it. From what I remember GTA W has always been going at it to minimize racism and the usage of slurs and so forth unless it's all in character.

I'm sure there was more to the ban(s) than just the word "nigga", especially looking back at older bans that revolved around the same thing.

 

Edited January 22, 2021 by Towbie

[Groz]

I'm going to lock this before it ends up getting out of hand or it inevitably goes off track and turns into just bashing the staff team or members of the community. You've all raised some good points and I thank you for being somewhat civil in what is for the most part, a very sensitive discussion about a divisive topic. Our enforcement of rules like this hasn't changed since the onset of the server, our goal is to create a welcoming environment for those of all colours, creeds, religions, sexualities and the like. In doing so, we do need to be quite strict on what is and isn't allowed in our server and on our server's platforms. What may seem inoffensive to you may offend others, so it's important that some middle-ground and balance is made so every party feels welcomed and is able to play on our server without feeling like they are being discriminated or offended. 

 

While certain members may feel like someone who is as pale as a ghost OOCly blurting out the N word with no restrictions is fine, other members may take offense to this and in turn, may not feel welcomed in the community, which as I've said above, is something we never want to happen. If the communication taking place is not on our server's platforms and is taking place in a private chat between you and your group of friends that is not tied to the server in any way, then we do not enforce our rules in most situations as it does not directly effect us or our server. However, if you are on our server, using our systems to communicate (ex: faction chat) or are communicating in a place associated with our server (ex: faction discords), you are expected to follow our servers rules, as you are still communicating in an environment bearing a connection to our server. 

 

Just because offensive communication and at times, hate speech, happens in unregulated online games like Fortnite or Call of Duty does not mean it happens here. We have rules in place and Administration members at hand to make sure that our environment caters to everyone and that every single person can feel comfortable and able to roleplay and have fun without the worry of being labelled for skin colour, sexuality, religion or their culture. I hope this is able to clear up some concerns a little as to why we are very strict on any and all forms of hate speech. If you need further clarification, don't hesitate to contact me further on Discord.