Microsoft's Toulouse explains why swastikas are banned on Xbox Live

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An Xbox Live user recently inquired to professional banhammer-wielder Stephen Toulouse whether or not he could use a swastika as his Call of Duty: Black Ops emblem, to which Toulouse responded, "No, of course you can't, we'll ban you." Apparently, this sparked quite a reaction from gamers who witnessed the exchange, who defended the use of a swastika as a symbol widely used throughout several Eastern religions. In a post on his personal blog, Toulouse explained why this argument doesn't hold much water with the Xbox Live moderation crew.

"Let's be clear: no educated human on the planet looks at the swastika symbol ... and says 'oh, that symbol has nothing at all in any way to do with global genocide of an entire race,'" Toulouse stated, "'and, even if it did, one should totally and reasonably ignore that because it's a symbol that was stolen or coop-ted from religions.'" He succinctly adds, "If you think the swastika symbol should be re-evaluated by societies all over the Earth, I think that's great. Your Xbox Live profile or in game logo, which doesn't have the context to explain your goal, is not the right place to do that."

We certainly know that every time we see someone use the swastika as their identifier on an online game, our first thought is, "Oh, how nice, they're pushing for a global re-evaluation of the meaning of the swastika." Like, that's just common sense, isn't it?

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/22/microsofts-toulouse-explains-why-swastikas-are-banned-on-xbox-l/

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"Microsoft's Toulouse explains why swastikas are banned on Xbox Live" :: Login/Create an Account :: 56 comments

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NBDSPARTANPosted:

this is sooo stupid. i think america(i live in Iowa) is to scared to face anything. we are total wusses and just need to take stuf in insteadd of flippin shit. deal with it. im athiest but i thinik it is anyones own right to do anything they want, and anyone has the right to put there emblem as the German-Nazi swatstikka

DrPhil321Posted:

Dark
Jacob8hockey
Noahboi808 This is so stupid Microsoft shouldn't say anything about this , first of all because people can use profanity online when they talk , so might as well just get rid of mics and being able to send people messages , second it's called freedom of speech and expression , like people honestly care about this stupid type of thing I know when I see that type of thing I just pause for a second say how stupid that is to myself and then get on with my life , I don't revolve my life around a video game , you only have one life to live why does this stupid type of thing even bring up a global stirr as to banning people if it's used , really if they do this it just shows how bored they with thier life , so they have to do this just because they no they have the power to , I'm not inputting my opinion on wether I think it's right or wrong because many viewpoints can be seen on this subject , people should just learn to ignore things sometime , the fact that it's just a symbol doesn't signify that it's even hurting anyone , maybe the person beholding that Symbol is just making a reference to history , and if you can't make references to our past and history then what kind of society do we even live in , and finally if anything the blame shouldn't be put on the gamer it's not thier fault that treyarch gave thier fellow players the power to express themselves freely in a VIDEO GAME !!!

You are a rutard.


Even being an admin here on the site, I have to agree with you there. That guy has a stick up his **** or he promotes the nazi genocide of the jews. In either case, I hope he gets bent.


He's trying to sound smart, but failing at it.

DrPhil321Posted:

I think people aren't doing it to spread hate. It's more to piss/annoy people off. I don't use it because everyone uses it...I mean EVERYONE! Same goes for KKK symbols, people need to understand that most people don't care what the symbol stood for, sometimes they don't even know. I understand why they're doing this, but a ban seems a bit much. Why not reset the emblem or lock the emblem feature only.

On the issue of genitalia, I say let people do it. Giggity giggity goo!!

Jacob8hockeyPosted:

Noahboi808 This is so stupid Microsoft shouldn't say anything about this , first of all because people can use profanity online when they talk , so might as well just get rid of mics and being able to send people messages , second it's called freedom of speech and expression , like people honestly care about this stupid type of thing I know when I see that type of thing I just pause for a second say how stupid that is to myself and then get on with my life , I don't revolve my life around a video game , you only have one life to live why does this stupid type of thing even bring up a global stirr as to banning people if it's used , really if they do this it just shows how bored they with thier life , so they have to do this just because they no they have the power to , I'm not inputting my opinion on wether I think it's right or wrong because many viewpoints can be seen on this subject , people should just learn to ignore things sometime , the fact that it's just a symbol doesn't signify that it's even hurting anyone , maybe the person beholding that Symbol is just making a reference to history , and if you can't make references to our past and history then what kind of society do we even live in , and finally if anything the blame shouldn't be put on the gamer it's not thier fault that treyarch gave thier fellow players the power to express themselves freely in a VIDEO GAME !!!

You are a rutard.

RedguardstolemehorsePosted:

now all they have to do is get rid off the communist russian emblems everytime i saw the swastika i made the hammer and sickle to show why the nazi'z lost againest communist aggresion
btw russia we hate you bastards :)

BayrockPosted:

Ok, I guess they need to get rid of all those swastikas in NAZI Zombies to then...

TheMoDiiFii3rPosted:

For people who dont know...

Swastika is the nazi symbol...

Noahboi808Posted:

This is so stupid Microsoft shouldn't say anything about this , first of all because people can use profanity online when they talk , so might as well just get rid of mics and being able to send people messages , second it's called freedom of speech and expression , like people honestly care about this stupid type of thing I know when I see that type of thing I just pause for a second say how stupid that is to myself and then get on with my life , I don't revolve my life around a video game , you only have one life to live why does this stupid type of thing even bring up a global stirr as to banning people if it's used , really if they do this it just shows how bored they with thier life , so they have to do this just because they no they have the power to , I'm not inputting my opinion on wether I think it's right or wrong because many viewpoints can be seen on this subject , people should just learn to ignore things sometime , the fact that it's just a symbol doesn't signify that it's even hurting anyone , maybe the person beholding that Symbol is just making a reference to history , and if you can't make references to our past and history then what kind of society do we even live in , and finally if anything the blame shouldn't be put on the gamer it's not thier fault that treyarch gave thier fellow players the power to express themselves freely in a VIDEO GAME !!!

EradicationXPosted:

Eradication Rant time :P

First of all It's just plain SICK to have a swastika, i mean really, what would motivate you to do that? It's awful, i mean who wants to support the mass killing of millions of Jews? I sure don't?

I also saw one kid posting something about him being able to put a hammer and sickle but not a swastika, but i honestly couldn't decifer, the horrible wording and sentence structure. But heres what i would like to say to that...

When you see the Hammer and sickle, YOU may think "OMFG COMMUNISM" and your were taught that communism was bad, that the communist were going to kill us if you were raised in the U.S. But let me explain communism to you, they it works is that EVERYONE works, and EVERYONE get paid and rewarded equally. And i will say that that may not be fair to us Americans, in which half of us weigh 500 pounds, and are just lazy. but over in the soviet union, 99% of those people strive for excellence, they all WANT to work, They do whats best which is why communism works best for them...

*I AM NOT A COMMUNIST IN ANY WAY*

but honestly the only reason American bashes communism so much is because it would not work for us. There are to many fat lazy people.

summary
Swastika = mass genocide
H & S = Soviet Union just as stars and stripes = US

Mew351Posted:

Sonicdevron Good. Now if they could only do something about banning emblems with male genitals in them.
Hahahhaa


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