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HOW RACIST IS STREET FIGHTER?

19/2/2016

13 Comments

 
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​Greetings, dicks. I'm Doctor Ashley Tagg. If you're one of my students, you might know me better as "Doctor Hashtag", although I don't really understand why.

You don't have to tell me that racism is some real bad stuff; I've experienced the racism first-hand on a number of occasions. Indeed, my good friend Professor Graham Inster (the students call him "Professor Instagram" - I don't know why) is one of the worst racists I know.

Honestly, we were hanging out in the baths only the other day, when he did some racism within earshot of a dusky fellow. He also once thought it would be funny to push a plastic dog turd through the letterbox of a Polski sklep, although that's a story best saved for another time.

But what of the video game fighting series Street Fighter, with its depictions of international combatants? Could that be as racist as my friend Graham? Here's a detailed look at some of its fighters. I thank you with all my heart for taking the time to pay attention to this. It really means the world to me.

ZANGIEF (USSR/Russian Federation)
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Zangief - dubbed the "Red Cyclone" - hails from Russia. Those scars you see on his meaty body come from fighting bears. When the character originally appeared, he was a die-hard patriot, pledging his allegiance to the USSR, and he continued to be associated with Soviet iconography as late as 1998's Street Fighter Alpha 3 - some considerable years after the fall of the Soviet Union. Apparently, when he isn't fighting, Zangief's hobbies include cossack dancing, and eating borscht. No, really.

QUOTE: "You need a workout, comrade! You can´t even see your toes, can you?"

RACISM RATING: 9 RACISMS.
DHALSIM (India)
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The "Indian rubber man" Dhalsim is a yogi and alleged pacifist, who fights only to raise money for his village, or something. The skulls around his neck evoke the Hindu kapalikas, or "skull-men", who were said to practice cannibalism, while the turban he wears in later games suggests he might be sikh -  further muddying the waters. In short, he's a troubling hotchpotch of stereotypes: part Ghandi, part mystic, part dark-skinned, cannibalistic, boogie man.

QUOTE: "Peace and tranquility... This is the way of Yoga!"

RACISM RATING: 10 RACISMS.
BLANKA (Brazil)
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Jimmy Blanka was a Brazilian pilot who turned into a big, green monster, after his plane was struck by lightning, and he crashed in the rainforest. He only returned to civilisation after stealing a melon from a poacher, and accidentally stowed away on the back of his truck.

Interestingly, when the Brazilian program Custe o Que Custar asked people in Spain who the best-known Brazilians were, Blanka ranked third, after the model Gisele Bündchen and the footballer Pelé. 

He might be the archetypical "jungle man", but it could've been worse: he was originally going to be an African character, who had been raised by lions. 

QUOTE: "This place is a paradise compared to the Amazon!"

RACISM RATING: 4 RACISMS
GUILE (USA)
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Warmongering patriot Guile - he's a major in the US Air Force - certainly adheres to the stereotype of how many of us perceive Americans... as a bunch go warmongering patriots. He even has the Stars and Stripes tattooed on each arm, and wears dog tags around his neck: one belonging to himself, and one belonging to his dead war buddy, Charlie. He's driven to seek revenge on those responsible for Charlie's death.

While Guile adheres to a certain US stereotype, at least he isn't a fat, obnoxious, loud-mouth.

QUOTE: "Mission complete."

RACISM RATING: 6 RACISMS
RUFUS (USA)
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Rufus is a fat, obnoxious, loudmouth.

QUOTE: "What do you eat to get that green? Vegetables? It's veggies, isn't it? I don't hate veggies, but they're no cheeseburger..."

​RACISM RATING: 8 RACISMS
VEGA/BALROG (Spain)
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Vega, the "Spanish Ninja", is flamboyant and vain, obsessed with beauty, a self-confessed narcissist. He's something of a ladies man, and will compliment female opponents on their appearance. He dresses like a matador: his moves are said to be a mix of bullfighting and ninjutsu. He probably has a load of paella shoved down the front of his pants, to boot.

QUOTE: "My beauty is absolute. No one will ever come close to me.

RACISM RATING: 6 RACISMS
EL FUERTE (Mexico)
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When he isn't wrestling, masked luchador El Fuerte can be found cooking: his favourite ingredient is chilli. HIs moves are named after his favourite dishes, and his reason for entering Street Fighter tournaments is so that he can travel the globe looking for new recipes. His backstory evokes that of Jack Black's character from the film Nacho Libre, which suggests that's about as far as Capcom's research went.

QUOTE: "Oh, what are you, boco loco? Adding one delicious thing to another delicious thing always equals more deliciousness!"

RACISM RATING: 4 RACISMS
JUNI AND JULI (Germany)
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Though brainwashed into becoming bodyguards for M.Bison, it's somewhat unfortunate that the German Juni and Juli were subsequently made to dress up in outfits that vaguely resemble neo-Nazi uniforms, right down to the armbands, and Hitler Youth caps and ties. 

QUOTE: "I am... Juli... a... ? Hawk..."

RACISM RATING: 7 RACISMS
DUDLEY (Britain)
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Dudley was, apparently, inspired by the boxer Chris Eubank - best known for poncing around like he's some sort of country gent. Born into a wealthy English family, Dudley is unfailing polite, and always behaves with impeccable manners. He wears a pair of green dinner suit trousers, with matching braces and cummerbund, and a frilled dress shirt. He also sports smart shoes, and a waxed moustache.

Still... at least he hasn't got bad teeth, even if he does appear to be sporting E-cup breasts.


QUOTE: "The British spirit is an indomitable spirit!"

RACISM RATING: 3 RACISMS
FROM THE ARCHIVE:
THE MAN'S DADDY: RACIST JOKES
RACISM: WHAT I KNOW I DON'T KNOW - BY MR BIFFO
BOYCOTT STAR WARS VII: A NON-MOVEMENT BY MR BIFFO


13 Comments
clive peppard
19/2/2016 11:53:28 am

So many racisms. will the next article be how sexist is streetfighter.

chun li is 12 sexisms

Reply
Thrills
19/2/2016 12:33:45 pm

Yup! Street Fighter V has about 100 sexisms overall between the female cast, and it's fair share of racisms.

Don't ever change, Street Fighter!

(please change, Street Fighter)

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Keith
19/2/2016 12:49:37 pm

I haven't played a street fighter game since SF2, and as a result the latter day fighters were so bizarre that I genuinely had to google to check whether or not this was one of those list articles where you go off on a surreal jokey tangent.

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LeighDappa
19/2/2016 03:16:08 pm

If I remember rightly, T. Hawk's story in 'SFA3' was that he wanted to find his daughter who turned out to be Juli so she would be Mexican not German.

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colincidence link
19/2/2016 08:10:26 pm

It's not his daughter, but just "a girl from his tribe".
The character of Juli is weirdly conflated with another of the Dolls, Noembelu, in Street Fighter Alpha 3. It doesn't make much sense, and it seems to have been retconned into "they're both from his tribe but Juli IS German"... I... think. Search it up or don't worry.

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Tim Bresnan's Heavy Ball
19/2/2016 05:26:18 pm

I went to Brazil once and was disappointed to find the people there weren't green.

Okay, I didn't got to Brazil, I watched a television program bout it.

Okay, I watched a football match that Brazil were playing. But none of the players were green, although the grass was.

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Col. Asdasd
19/2/2016 05:30:59 pm

If these characters weren't eye-catching, easily-recognised stereotypes, what would they be?

That's not a rhetorical question; I'd be interested to see what a putatively more acceptable roster looked like. I don't really play fighting games so maybe there are examples already out there I've missed.

I mean, you want your characters to have personality because they makes the game more engaging. What have you got to work with? Their designs, their move-sets, their animations, their quotes. Maybe you have a big dedicated story mode (eh, SFV? LOL!) which gives you more room for manoeuvre. But still, it's quite tricky to draw all that into a cohesive whole. So you reach for some widely-recognised tropes that give you a head-start, a template to work with...

Gah. It sounds like I'm tacitly endorsing that casual racial stereotyping be used as an expedient in character design. Well, I'm not. I don't know that it's acceptable or desirable, or how big of a problem I think it is.

As I said, I'd be interested to see the alternative. Not because I want to see my kind of politics reflected in the culture I consume, but because really, it's kind of boring. Many of these stereotypes are so heavily relied upon in pop media that they became stale a long time ago.

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Dan link
19/2/2016 08:36:22 pm

I'm calling a kilt-wearing Groundskeeper Willie-esque fighter for the next new SF. What're we up to now, Street Fighter 64?

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Nin
19/2/2016 08:39:14 pm

Is it still racism when everyone is the target?

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Damon link
20/2/2016 08:50:41 am

I was always trash at fighting games so I never paid attention to street fighter. The only thing I know is that it's a clusterfuck of plot and stereotypes. Of course as I understand it every stereotype is represented and that's kinda the point, I think. Like, it isn't racist but it uses racism at a tool.

Then again based on the clusterfuckery I'm not sure if that's intentional or if they're just rolling with caricatures designed in the late 80's.

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Superbeast 37
20/2/2016 10:12:32 am

Why is Doctor Ashley Tagg depicted as a white male! That's a harmful stereotype that deters minority womyn from becoming doctors! I spotted that phallic reference in the first sentence too! We need to send you on an "Unconscious Bias" course for "re-education".

If you crudely draw a wig on the picture in Paint and say she transitioned I will let you off the hook and give you some sj points.

By the way, I had fish and chips for tea last night, I think thats 8 internalised racialistisms right there!

Or was it internalised cultural appropriationalisms!?

Either way its offensive and should be banned!

I remember at primary school there was an Asian (as in far east) kid in our entirely white school and we were all scared of him as we thought he was probably a black belt in Karate!

Punch Out is the greatest at the old racialistisms! Wasn't there a French guy who had baguettes or croissants fly out of him when you punched his face!?

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FEoD link
21/2/2016 09:56:01 am

Call the internet comedy award judges, Biffo has nail the oh-so-elusive timing of a punchline in a piece of written text with the repetition of "fat, obnoxious, loudmouth" and deserves this years trophy...

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Spiney O'Sullivan
21/2/2016 04:38:23 pm

Street Fighter's take on global representation is basically It's A Small World with dragon punches. The question is whether it's harmful. It's unlikely to be intended to be, but then, that's hardly an answer.

Reply



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