Comments on: Privilege, Racism, and One Person’s Story

By: Deirdra Kiai Productions » Blog Archive » Hasty Genderalisations and Pet Dogmas

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:59:49 +0000

[...] wrong, I very much enjoy the company of the guys I work with. It’s just that, as I remarked earlier regarding my childhood experiences of being a brown girl amongst a bunch of white kids, I [...]

By: Paul Williams

Paul Williams — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:45:01 +0000

You know Kiddo that I’m not very articulate and have a hard time conveying my ideas to words but, well, you’ll just have to deal with me for a moment.
When I was very young I lived in Eastern Texas not far from the coast. This area was one of the most diverse in the US with a combination of English and French speaking European Americans, Mexican, Creole, Indian Creole (called Red-Bones for some reason), Germans, and a lot of immigrant people from the turn of the 19th Century. In the early 70s there was no socialization between the Caucasians and the other groups. It was like that except for the lower working poor that I humbly get my genetics from.
When I got out of school I would stay with a Jamaican lady who knew the truth about people. People are like milk. You know the cream will rise to the top no matter how hard try to stir it in, and without the milk it wouldn’t exist at all.
I really do not understand why a privileged person as you call yourself would have any mixed feelings about your place in life, what matters is how you present yourself to others. It doesn’t matter if you are a White billionaire or an Indian street beggar as long as you are honest and do not begrudge others who have made an honest living(Yes, I used honest twice). It might sound a little Eastern Philosophical mixed with My Main Man Jiddu but it has brought me a stronger sense of peace with myself and others.
Might have gotten a little off topic but, oh well, you know how I get.
Geçmiş olsun

By: The Management

The Management — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:06:03 +0000

I read that post, Muse. I’m glad you got to live in an environment of such diversity; it really is a privilege to learn to become aware of the world around you at such an early age.

Also, I’m glad you got the point about Phlegmwad. I was hoping the message wasn’t terribly obscure. And regarding gender stereotyping, that may be a subject of another Round Table post, if I get around to writing one.

By: MusEditions

MusEditions — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:28:49 +0000

Deirdra, I felt like I had been socked in the chest when I read this post. I recently had written a post called "Privilege" (!) where I discussed some of these issues from my perspective. That post was partially inspired by a previous post of yours, On Group Membership... in which you also reference another blogger on the topic. I did get that, about Chivalry. The great thing about Phlegmwad, as a character, is that he represents anyone who feels different from the Aryan standard. I could relate, in my own way. I knew you were of mixed race, but I didn't know you hadn't grown up with other brown people. I can't even imagine what it must be like not to have many mirrors. I grew up with bananas, coconuts and oreos, and I found it ironic that the parents of these kids---the ones who supposedly brought them to the US to have a "better life"---were the ones calling them those names. And what about Bob? I was aware of him in Pigeons, as well. I find it interesting that we now have a mixed-race president in the US who spent much of his life being called "Barry", and could have stuck with that, if he wanted to. Finally, I must mention Gert from TGTTPOACS. In her, you dealt with gender stereotyping in games, as well (which you've mentioned), and I found her a refreshing, believable change from those...other kinds of women in games. In my opinion, you have more than adequately completed your assignment. Thank you!

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:03:07 +0000

I think we’ve discussed this topic on at least a few occasions. Of course, I’m pretty white myself, showing hardly any of my fractional Native North American heritage. I’m mostly Irish Canadian, and fairly homogeneous at that.

I have noticed that your games of the lat couple of years have had a definite social conscience to them, which I’ve been very impressed by. I think it’s good that you try to address your identity in your games, which is something I believe few developers ever do.

And yes, I believe using your past works is valid in this case, though my opinion may not be valid.

By: April ‘09 Round Table - UPDATED 04-06 : Man Bytes Blog

April ‘09 Round Table - UPDATED 04-06 : Man Bytes Blog — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:31:13 +0000

[...] 06 – Deirdra Kiai Productions: Privilege, Racism, and One Person’s Story. Deirdra grapples with privelege and explores how the games she’s already designed deal with [...]

By: Giligan

Giligan — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:29:59 +0000

Interesting topic. My favorite games have always been the ones that deal with serious topics, although I hadn’t thought about racism or racial identity being in a game before. I’m a bit unfamiliar with all the aspects of it – as a typical white American male of European descent, racism has never been something I’ve had to deal with – but I’d like to see it dealt with in video game storytelling nonetheless.