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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danfarmer30Posted:

i see swastikas all the time still

GEORGEBRAZIERPosted:

They shuld not be there even i am not jewish but this is offenseive to all of them altough i am catholic

RoYaL_DukeBluePosted:

That makes a lot of sense. I just saw a post that said JD 2020s emblem was a swastika. I'm confuzzled.

AmitielPosted:

shicken562 If we can't use the swastika then why is there already a bunch of communist logos already they took out way more people than the nazi's did so wtf and they dnt evn hav the whole alphabet in there.....they're retarded wut wuz so hard about adding that?


Yes, because clearly there's no difference between a symbol of a governmental system and a symbol of mass-genocide. You're an idiot.

2EzPosted:

1NONLY was the first person I saw with one. I agree with this though. No one really does look at the swastika and say "Oh it's a sign of peace and love." As if it was still had the same meaning before WWII and the holocaust.

shadow1Posted:

shicken562 If we can't use the swastika then why is there already a bunch of communist logos already they took out way more people than the nazi's did so wtf and they dnt evn hav the whole alphabet in there.....they're retarded wut wuz so hard about adding that?


well try to spell better. and plus, a hammer and sickle and a star and a fist is not even close to a turned swastika. get your facts straight.

shicken562Posted:

If we can't use the swastika then why is there already a bunch of communist logos already they took out way more people than the nazi's did so wtf and they dnt evn hav the whole alphabet in there.....they're retarded wut wuz so hard about adding that?

AzraelrsPosted:

TTG_DRiFTz_v1 Personally, swastikas just flat our irritate me.
People use them to show their great disliking of Jews, which angers me due to the fact I'm part (2/5ths) Jew.. -.-
I'm glad they are bannable.


Your fractions concern me...

You have 2 parents. If one is jewish.. you would be 1/2

They each have two parents. If one were Jewish... You'd be 1/4

They each have two parents... if 1, then you'd be 1/8

They each have two parents..... 1/16

But 2/5? so 4/10? 8/20? Those are impossible genetics for you... 2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256...etc

Plus if you were Jewish, you'd be better at math and I wouldn't have had to explain this to you.

tsjn64Posted:

LukasSkywkr So people can't have Swastikas but my friend can have 1 animal raping another?


thats what Im saying

TTG_HitlerPosted:

wat