when "epic fail" just doesn't describe it

[mickeym]

By way of mecurtin:

Over on InsaneJournal, there is apparently a Harry Potter RPG comm who have set up their game to parallel the WWII-era and events that took place leading up to and around WWII and the Holocaust. This RPG has named itself Kristallnacht. (That link goes to the Wiki entry on Kristallnacht, because I am deeply ashamed to say I didn't know what it was. Now that I've read some about it, I am beyond appalled at the responses the comm members and mods have been giving to the folks trying to make them understand why so many are offended.)

The RPG Promo post.


ETA: One of the mods is asking for suggestions for a different name for the comm.

Comments

[tabularassa.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I fucking read that. I am appalled. Somethings are just not to be fucked with. Show some respect, people. <33

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

I'm beyond appalled. I just--no words. Y'know?

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

Jesus fucking CHRIST. I have to stop reading before I hurt someone.

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The first couple of comments, not so bad. But after that? The sheer amount of obtuseness made my head hurt.

[cormallen.livejournal.com]

my co-mod didn't even notice the proximity to Holocaust Memorial Day when she posted this
Oh, hey, that's... such a reasonable excuse *gnashes teeth*

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Yeah. No kidding.

Kind of makes that whole thing we were snickering over earlier look appetizing, doesn't it? (And ew, okay, that was a bad choice of words, considering. But the point stands.)

[cormallen.livejournal.com]

I'm about 98% certain that the thing we were snickering about earlier continues to be perpetuated by a troll. Therefore, yes, it's far more palatable. It's much worse when someone perpetuates shit like this due to ignorance, and then bullheadedly clings to said ignorance despite "being sorry".

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's the "sorry" that's making it so very offensive. And I tell this to Matthew all the time, that saying you're sorry stops meaning anything after a while, if you KEEP on doing the hurtful thing. He's slowly starting to get it -- but he's a 13yr old boy with a neurobiological disorder that impairs his social skills/understanding. I'm not sure what to think of the mass of idiocy over at that post.

[cormallen.livejournal.com]

Honestly, my first impression was, "oh, kids". This whole thing smells like the particular brand of ignorance/arrogance and a sense of "I know what I am doing and the world can screw itself" that generally is only possible in young people (in which case, I sincerely hope they grow out of it).

[benitle.livejournal.com]

Wow, maybe they should rename their game to Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima or... Killing Fields. That shit is disgusting! :(

I didn't read the Wiki article because as a German, I haven't heard about anything else in History classes during the last four years of school but WWI and II. Plus some people in my family are actually KZ survivors.

But actually the term Reichskristallnacht (how it actually was called) is no longer used in German because it was found offensive. It basically translates as Reich Crystal Night, which is considered an euphemism that shouldn't be used to describe something as horrible as that night. We usually refer to it as Reichspogromnacht these days.

But ah, the stupidity of some people! :(

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

The people partaking in this RPG -- including the mods -- all appear to be very young, and unfortunately, very arrogant. They think they know it all, or they claim they're unaffected by things (one commenter said "what if I made up a game where (name of one of the RPGers) was raped and tortured, etc.etc., and the girl actually said 'it wouldn't bother me'. *blinks*). The worst of it is, they're being either deliberately obtuse or intentionally insulting, and nothing good's going to come out of that.

When I last checked the post, one of the mods had apparently just logged in and found all these comments, and her comment was "what are some names we could change it to?" -- so I'm hopeful maybe there's ONE voice of reason over there.

[thehighwaywoman.livejournal.com]

WHAT. NOT ON. >.

[zillahseye.livejournal.com]

...I read the name. That's it. I am already offended beyond words. JESUS.

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

I am reminded of a person I heard about on a horsey forum who has some kind of ass-hatted feeding program which she calls "picaninny".

Which, okay, I guess she could've come up with a stupid sounding name all by herself, except she goes on to say "no racial slurs intended".

It's like- if you are aware that what you are doing/saying is offensive, saying sorry does not make it NOT OFFENSIVE. Wtf?

[aislinn-tredor.livejournal.com]

Oh my God. Things that revolve around the Holocaust are sensitive, and that's just offensive. The sheer magnitide of WWII and just, my God, are these people so incapable of imagining the horror that took place in Europe during that time?

It's sickening that they'd use that.

[clumsygyrl.livejournal.com]

ugh. heard about this. god, what a horrific idea.

[splifford.livejournal.com]

WTF? Seriously? Did they look up the term before so brazenly decided to use it?

Also, that one chick saying, "oh, but it's okay, because I know Jewish people who have moved on and don't dwell on it because it happened so long ago." I want to crawl through the screen and throttle her.