Borderlands 2 Writers Accused of Racism

Written by: Tori McGrath (@ToriMcGrath) | February 4, 2013 11:53 am

73 Comments

Twitter conversation addresses Tiny Tina as “using verbal blackface”

The twitterverse was aflame last night as claims were thrown around about everyone’s favorite explosives expert, 13 year old Tiny Tina, being a tool used for the expression of racism from the writers of Borderlands 2. Okay okay, that may be a bit of an overstep; she’s not really everyone’s favorite… In the game, Tina speaks using “African American” lingo, in a way that one Twitter user compared to “verbal blackface”.

It all started when creative developer of Cryptozoic Entertainment – a creator of trading card and iOS games, Mike Sacco, sent Borderlands 2 lead writer Anthony Burch this tweet:

pc games Borderlands 2 Writers Accused of Racism

Burch immediately responded to with a stern: “Well, it’s not going to” which he then followed up with “I do appreciate the feedback, but yeah — a lot of people love her, some find her irritating as hell. That’s okay.”

This set twitter ablaze with tons of people agreeing with Sacco’s accusation saying things like “If a white character had a cheesy Asian accent and said ‘me love u long time’ it would be racist” Others agreed, tweeting responses like, this one:

pc games Borderlands 2 Writers Accused of Racism

Another user pointed out that, “She equates stereotyped ebonics with wacky.” To which, Burch replied, “Hrm — that’s an interesting point. I meant to make her a mishmash of stuff (ebonics/fairytale/naivete) but I see what you mean”.

Just as many people of the twitterverse sprang to Tina, and Burch’s, defense. Gearbox head Randy Pitcford claimed,

“Tina is not racist because you are not racist. You’re a pillar of tolerance and inclusion.”

Burch finished by saying, “The last thing I want to be is exclusionary or prejudiced, so if Tina truly is problematic I’ll change her,” but added, “I’m just not convinced that a character using lingo like badonkadonk/crunk is inherently racist. If I’m wrong I would like to know why.”

He also confirmed that any potential change to Tina’s character would only apply to future content. When asked if he’d re-do her sections, Burch replied, “That’s not actually feasible within the technical constraints of the game, but I’d alter her dialog in any future Borderlands 2 stuff.”

So I want to know what you guys think? Me personally, well, Tiny Tina is my favorite NPC in the second Borderlands game and I really don’t see it as a big deal. I’ve seen and heard plenty of people of all races speak much like Tiny Tina and I think changing her in any way would break her as a character. But that’s just me, what do you guys think? Would it be a good idea for the Borderlands 2 team to change Tiny Tinas’ lingo in the future?

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http://www.facebook.com/KyleDAJuza Kyle Juza

I love Tiny Tina. I really don’t see her language as offensive as it is more funny than anything. I would rather they not change her character in future updates because of what she adds to the game. I realize that there is already a lot of hilarious characters but to change one because it is deemed “racist” to a certain amount of people… well thats changing a game that a majority of people like to make it better for the minority… doesn’t seem very democratic at least…
Burgleturdtheturgleburd

“Only (black/white/Asian/Indian/etc.) can talk like this.” Does anybody else see the hypocrisy in that? Because it sounds a lot like telling a group of people what they can and cannot do or say based on the color of their skin.

And also, if words like “badonkadonk” or “crunk” are going to be forbidden to any individual that isn’t black, there are going to be millions of very upset teenagers of every race out there.

Personally, I thought Tiny Tina, along with almost every other aspect of Borderlands 2, was amazing. Anthony Burch (head writer for BL2) is awesome, his sister Ashley (who voices Tiny Tina) is awesome, and the game itself is awesome.
David Alcon

I hate Tiny Tina. I found her speech annoying and her antics ridiculous. But the last thing I thought about her was that she was racist. If anything she is the product of a tragic childhood (just listen to her family’s holo-recording in the Wildlife Preserve), and has not had the likes of Ser Hammerlock to educate her in proper English.

Honestly, I am getting absolutely sick of people pulling the racist and sexist card over issues that truely are not issues. Its like the boy who cried wolf, and my concern is that when instances of true racism/sexism arise then people like myself will be too jaded to care.

Final verdict: Tiny Tina =/= Tool for racism.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002038208867 Dan Winborne

All Tiny Tina is, is Ash’s char on youtube. Its what she does, coz its what she finds to be funny, along with the thousands of subscribers as well (including myself). At least she’s not saying, “What-what, niggaaa!”
Deamont

I think people are a bunch of prudes. Also people rule out things like why can’t she use the language if she was born in an area where that was the socially accepted norm just because you arent the same color as some one doesn’t mean you don’t speak the same as them. I hate that people find every little way to get offended by something silly. fucking uptight people man jesus.
Monstercloud

The irony of a creative director telling someone else how they should be creative…

Here’s some context for ya, anyone who has played BL2 and has listened to the audio recordings knows TT has a very traumatic past. Chances are, if she didn’t, she might not have the same sort of dialect as she has in the game.

That’s really aside the point as again, a creative director telling someone else how they should be creative. Sacco can go fuck himself.
Hicks64

Almost as offensive as that Jamaican Volkswagen commercial. /s
mcfoyle

why is it always whites who probably have no contact whatsoever with ‘urban’ people that cry about this shit?
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002038208867 Dan Winborne
  
  Its because they find that speech to be repulsive, so they find anything dealing with it to be negative.
mcfoyle

i wonder what GBTV’s darnell has to say about this
- http://twitter.com/ToriMcGrath Tori McGrath
  
  That is a darn good question!
- Kagitaar
  
  Maybe you should call in tomorrow night and ask him.
Peter Nguyen

I played Borderlands 2 just to get to Tiny Tina. Just like I play Fallout games just for the music haha.
http://www.facebook.com/tudor.simu.9 Tudor Simu

“Tina is not racist because you are not racist. You’re a pillar of tolerance and inclusion.” pretty much sums it up.
Racism is ,for the most part, spawned by racists (am i Captain Obvious or what?).It’s a self-imagined, self-created issue like many others in our society.
If you jump on someone as being racist for saying a thing without giving it a proper thought, then you are likely the cause itself for racism.
This reminds me of the whole drama about the word ‘coon. Coon was short for raccoon many many years before it gained a “negative” connotation.
I’m not denying that there is an issue with racism around the world, but most often that not, the ones fighting for “the cause” ARE “the cause”.
- http://www.facebook.com/tudor.simu.9 Tudor Simu
  
  As a minor sidenote.
  Remember the days when the cock was a rooster, a bitch was a female dog/wolf, a pussy was a cat and Dick was a name?
  Here’s a hint, they still are.
- http://twitter.com/ToriMcGrath Tori McGrath
  
  I definitely think people walk on eggshells to avoid being accuse of bigotry of any sort, and sometimes the avoidance of reality makes for a really bland life.Also, I have to agree with you, its not racist until someone thinks it is, it’s a matter of perception really.
Levelup Pizzza

All I see is a bunch of white people whining, pay no attention to them and they will go away.

Because in their world, there are no white kids acting black all over the place.
Brokinarrow

Sounds like people need to relax their sphincters a bit….
http://www.facebook.com/thelethrface Steven Opie Wallace

White people need to stop crying about racism against black people. Until the black community stands up and takes offense to it, white people just need to shut the eff up. The white boy across the street that talks just like Tiny Tina does isn’t being racist for talking how he does so neither are the Devs in this case.

Reverse racism is the worst form of racism. It shows that you truly have racism in your heart still and are in denial. Racism will not exist when we finally forget about it and just realize we all look different, even fellow white people.
http://twitter.com/AranDraconis Aran Draconis

TT is one of my favorite characters ever, last thing I ever thought when I was listening to her craziness was ‘Wow this is so racist!’ If they change her that’s just gonna suck.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Boiwka/1167985586 Mike Boiwka

I’d actually be far more offended if Burch bows to the pressure of a few people who see racism under every rock and changes her dialogue in future content. What really “has got to go” is being so overwound about race that every little thing that doesn’t conform to your expectations is branded as racist. It dilutes the charge to the point of meaninglessness and robs us of the ability to call out the genuinely racist bastards out there. Sacco, and those on his bandwagon, are just more boys who cried wolf.
http://www.facebook.com/vashv17 Vash NewYoda Wilson

Ok, so I am an African American, I have played all of borderlands 2. I did not find it racist at all. I laughed. Why? because her character is awesome, she rivals Jack ad my favorite character in the game. I didnt take offense to anything she said. I found it funny, not racist. Usually I agree with Shacco on his opinions but this one is just a little ridiculous.
http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.hornsby.7 Jonathan Hornsby

-sighs-

Really? Look, that language has nothing to do with race. Terms like “crunk” are not a racial thing; they are a cultural thing. Yes that culture is predominantly black, but it is not, and has never been, exclusively black. Tiny Tina doesn’t talk like an African American, she talks like a comedic parody of a “hood rat,” and frankly lots of people, of many different ethnic groups, live in such places. Ultimately what this is about is people mistaking “urban” for “black” and ignoring the element of satire. In my opinion the people calling the character and her creator racist are the real racist ones, as they are the ones failing to consider that a large demographic of white/Hispanic/Asian Americans talk like that too.
- http://twitter.com/ToriMcGrath Tori McGrath
  
  ^ this right here, yes
http://twitter.com/cecilandblues Anthony Botz

I was unaware that skin color effects dialect. I think you will find many people of varying heritage that speak in this manner. The character does not use this dialog in a mocking or sarcastic way, it is true to her portrayed character. The character is not being racist, and I don’t feel the writer is either.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Tomas/706199715 Ryan Tomas

Lets look at this for a moment.. We are not talking about a specific language or every day actions of a specific tribal/village group. We are talking about individuals who talk like a a specific old school group that had nothing to do with a specific race.

The real problem here are those who claim not to be “racist” pairing this lingo with a specific race. The fact that they them selves are calling this company racist over such a small thing that has nothing to do with a specific race just shows who the real “racists” are. I am so sick of all these self righteous *insert “french” here* crying about everything and pushing their misguided views on others.
http://twitter.com/GameEntity GameEntity

Hello, I’m African American. (Yes, congratulate me. Thank you.)

I actually chimed in on the conversation. Not sure what good it did, if any. My culture created most of the Hip Hop slang that is popular in America today and the terms this character used in the game. Everyone uses it now. It’s OK. The culture is copied heavily across the board. It’s fine. It’s flattering. I am in no way offended by Tiny Tina. I think it’s a character that you either like–because you think she’s funny, charismatic, etc–or annoying, because of her heavy slang usage, annoying voice, or whatever the case may be. Maybe you feel she’s (Burch) trying to hard to be funny. That would be a fair opinion. Outside of that however, there is absolutely nothing racist about the character at all.

The way someone speaks isn’t usually about their race, but more so about where they’re from. If you’re Caucasian–born and raised in Brownsville Brooklyn, NY–what do you think you’re going to sound like? Other than having a New York accent, you will probably use a lot of slang as well. It doesn’t matter what race you are.

The only racist remark I’ve see so far is from this Andrew T person who said it’s, “Low class black lingo” I’m offended by that, more than anything else. I am college educated (Yes, congratulate me again. Thank you.) and consider myself to be fairly eloquent and articulate. However, I use my cultures slang terminology everyday. So I am low class? I think not.

All I see here, sadly, are Caucasians who are still on the outside looking in. Get over yourselves. If I’m not upset, you shouldn’t be either.

PS: Did you notice that it seems, everyone who jumped on Anthony Burch about this, is Caucasian? What the hell? Piss off, seriously.. (“Piss Off!” is UK slang for GTFOH =P)

PS Part Deux: I want the game now! So *Ch-ching* thanks to the haters! HA!
- http://quintlyn.com/ QuintLyn Bowers
  
  Thank you! Personally, I’m more offended by someone using the term “verbal black-face” to describe Tiny Tina’s character as it implies that those people think ONLY black people talk this way.
  
  I spent the last 3 years of my high school career in a predominately African American school.. My senior year I was the only white kid in my band, and while I didn’t really take on most of the slang because prior to that I’d lived in an area where there wasn’t much of a African American population and talking in that way wouldn’t have been me, the white kids that grew up in that school talked the same as everyone else.
  
  It had far more to do with where the kids came from and who made an actual impression on them than their actual race. And as proof, the African American kids that did go to school at my old school talked pretty much like every other kid there… I suppose some would say that they talked “white”, which is really just as much of a misconception.
  - http://twitter.com/GameEntity GameEntity
    
    Exactly. (Wow two people agreed with each other on the internet. Applaud us.)
- Krzysztof Kotarba
  
  I give you “like” coz you talk smart things.
  
  Other thing is this exaggerating ”correctness”.
  You call yourself “African American” why all white people in USA don’t call them self ”European American”? It’s so funny for me because this whole “correctness” is getting out of control and starts segregation.
  Language is natural thing people adapt… Your accent or the way you speak can’t be racist but only what you say.
  In conclusion… people are stupid and those who find offensive thing are mostly finding them only because they think like that.
- http://www.kaiketsu.enjin.com/ Corey “Crimzen” Jenkins
  
  Well said. Completely agree with this.
trials

Seriously… people who get aggravated by something like this should calm the f*** down and find something else thats important in their life…
http://www.facebook.com/Zeazin Craig Leon-Barr Milne

Why must some knight in shining armor always have to bring up things like this? Bringing up these sorts of things only serves to further segregate people and draw attention to any perceived differences.
http://www.facebook.com/kevin.cox.5817 Kevin Cox

the people who view it as being racist are racist themselves since by accusing it of being as such, they acknowledge that they themselves believe “urban folk” speak that way.

soooo, they can STFU now.
http://twitter.com/crocodilius ryan phillips

i guess racism is only allowed in period pieces and sci-fi where the races aren’t technically real, now.
http://www.facebook.com/jason.harrigan.92 Jason Harrigan

I think Tiny Tina is perfect the way she is.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Mangan/1340633042 Paul Mangan

I love Tiny Tina! She’s one of my Top 3 favorite Characters in Borderlands 2. Personally I hope they don’t change her and for the ppl who don’t like it I suggest you mute your audio when around her.
Ravenstorm

Chillax, Sacco, Tiny Tina is cool, you’re not. Game on.
http://www.facebook.com/fredrik.gardsio Fredrik Fronken Gardsiö

I can’t say i’m surprised that it was a white guy who started this… For some reason, it’s always the white community who reacts to things like this as if the black community can’t defend itself against anything.

And for the question at hand, i say don’t change her, she has a great personality and anyone equating her to old-timey black people haven’t caught up with the rest of the world, white people can speak like that nowadays, same as with black people speaking “white lingo”.
http://twitter.com/Nathiest Nathiest

I noticed that its mostly WHITE people that are the ones complaining. Seriously GET OFF YOUR POLITICAL CORRECTNESS SOUP BOX!
http://twitter.com/Nipper1184 Nipper

If there is a name for people who call racism at everything, please tell me. If not, I propose we come up with a name for them. (other than the obvious insults)
- http://twitter.com/GameEntity GameEntity
  
  How ’bout “Nippers”? (You make it too easy man, HA HA) :P
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=21003660 Keith William Gretton

I haven’t played the game, but I do think context has a lot to do with whether the use of an accent or a localized form of a language is perceived as motivated by prejudice or is merely the by-product of circumstances in which the internal logic would dictate it’s use. For example, a person who is born in Ireland, grows up there, goes to a pub and asks for a pint of Guinness in an Irish accent is not racist but if I were to do that, it probably would be, just a bit. The lines become blurred as phases, idioms and terms seep into more general usage outside of that dialect so even though AACE might claim ownership certain linguistic patterns and words, eventually with the intermixing of culture would create an amalgamation of certain elements. This is particularly true in a future post-apocalyptic setting where social structures would no longer play a role in confining people to their ethnic and or social-economic groups as everyone is just trying to survive.
- InvaderMig
  
  It’s an urban thing plain and simple, not a black thing. Growing up in the city you hear white, black, Asian, hispanic and every other race under the sun speak this way. It’s probably exaggerated some for effecf, but has nothing to do with race. It’s what is referred by some as a ghetto twang. People seem to just need something to complain about.
http://twitter.com/cipero Matt Cipriano

I don’t know what kinda pot these kids are smoking, but if you come to philly I will take you to places where white girls actually talk like this.
- http://twitter.com/GameEntity GameEntity
  
  Right. The person who made the initial complaint, seems to not know much about anything outside of his own culture. Sad really.
  - http://twitter.com/cipero Matt Cipriano
    
    Yea I agree completely. Back when white people did blackface it was directly meant to make fun of the black community and it’s culture, and that was racist. In today’s world, years after our society finally began to desegregate and accept each other, the cultures of all races have become more diverse than ever. It is no more racist to have a white girl act and speak like this than it is to have a black person speak and act in a way that was predominantly white in the past.
- http://twitter.com/moosewithaj john nuyen
  
  It’s Called Job Corps
Joseph Legemah

see no problem with it. one thing i find funny though, white people get all up in arms about racism in videogames and then clutch their purse or cross the street when they see a black person….
- http://www.facebook.com/infit4 Nick Godbout
  
  Hate to break it to you, but that statement in and of itself is racial profiling, too.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1152922458 Chester Kottek

White people aren’t allowed to speak in a certain way? RACISM!!!

Seriously though, if you think that style of speech is exclusive (not sure if that’s the right term to use) to black people then I have bad news for you. It’s not like black people have a special slang-speak gene in their body. The fact that these redeemers of the white man call it ‘”black” lingo’ is interesting to me. It’s just a form of slang. If anything, I would associate that style of speech with class, not race.

Wait… does this mean that BL2′s writer is using Tiny Tina to mock the lower classes?!

OMG OCCUPY GEARBOX SOFTWARE

WE ARE THE 99%

P.S. I love the notion that Burch is so passionately racist he had to put a character in the game with the specific purpose of mocking black people.
- ToriMcgrath
  
  And it’s not even the black one!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Nils-Jørgen-Helgø/541695917 Nils Jørgen Helgø

Wow, really?

Then again I shouldn’t be surprised people are actually dumb enough to whine about this too.
http://profile.yahoo.com/Z36GPOU3Q2QIQYBIDVNQAVGNGE Raul

The skittles commercial where the Asian Gentleman speaks like a Scotsman is racist, then.
http://twitter.com/AirCavScout AJ Simm

do you know how many “wiggers” there are in America? STFU then.
Kagitaar

Really tempting me to get Twitter, just to ask Sacco if he considers Mario offensive to his heritage.
http://www.facebook.com/oneniisama Bear Powell

I think people need to let Tiny Tina stay the way she is. It’s ludicrous the amount of egg shell walking people will do on this tired PC Parade.
http://www.facebook.com/hunter.kern1 Hunter Kern

If anything, the people calling it racist are racist for attributing her characteristics to black people when the game itself doesn’t do that. It’s like “she’s being ridiculous so she must be impersonating black people”. and i swear all the people complaining are probably white
- http://www.facebook.com/infit4 Nick Godbout
  
  You can see from most of their twitter pictures that they are, in fact, white.
http://twitter.com/Spongibobu Tommi Pohjolainen

How is this racism? There are a lot of american teens that talk with this lingo, trying to act as black as possible. Which is indeed idiotic but not racist in any terms.

If you’re seriously so concerned about the black mans rights that you start a massive hulabaloo about things like this, it’s YOU that is racist. This implies that you are looking down to the black man, not recognizing his ability to defend his racial pride. They don’t need the white man to defend them, they can do it on their own. Period.
http://twitter.com/MiZTiiX MiZTiiX

thats not racist…he’s an idiot
http://www.facebook.com/infit4 Nick Godbout

This is like saying that Borderlands is racist against white people because of all the Southern-style yokels who are dumb, violent in-breeders. This whole argument is fucking retarded. Ebonics may have risen out of the black community, but it’s not a culturally exclusive thing anymore.
http://twitter.com/cosmic_kirby CosmicKirby

So a bunch of White-Guilt apologists are trying to convince a non-racist and empathetic white man that he is actually being racist?

I would inclined to say she was racist if there was a more clear connection to race in her character or in the game as a whole, but really the only black character in the game plays the heroic and just leader of a resistance. And other than that racial stereotypes are only played as a minor trait in the surreal and grim zaniness that characters possess. Is Handsome Jack supposed to be a Tyrannical, evil, and murderous villain because he looks and acts like a white business tycoon? Is that racist?

That claim makes my head hurt…
If the ebonics lingo makes you uncomfortable for reasons you can’t really explain that’s perfectly fine and okay, but calling it racist because it’s a racial characteristic that makes you uncomfortable is just silly.
http://twitter.com/Fursnake Andrew Witt

I found the character to be appropriately annoying, but never did I think the character was racist.

By the standards of these trolls, this would mean that every black comedian who ever does a nerdy white guy voice is racist, anyone who has ever told a Polish joke is racist, just about every white rapper is racist …and Robert Downey Jr. is most certainly racist.
http://www.facebook.com/thelethrface Steven Opie Wallace

I actually was debating with a man over twitter about this. He said that it is apparently the USAGE of the world being the joke that is offensive. Finally, I gave up, being that it was like arguing with someone who just would not try to see the point and just used the joke card to end the debate.

Frankly, it seems to me that it’s just a bunch of people who aren’t quite on the same page that just want to look for something to be mad about.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Gerrettie-Jr/1287578323 Bill Gerrettie Jr

So when white kids wear their pants low and talk like their favorite rapper they’re being racist? This is just ridiculous! All kinds of people speak ebonics these days, and before someone slams me for the use of the word ebonics, that word was created by an African American professor.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Tye-Roberts/100000970848311 Tye Roberts

I like the part where people got offended by Borderlands’s content. There are piss, sex and shit jokes, but a series of poorly enunciated words in a sentence are what get people’s panties in a bunch?

If you’re offended by Tiny Tina…maybe you shouldn’t be playing Borderlands.
- http://twitter.com/ToriMcGrath Tori McGrath
  
  lawl! this is true, there is definitely worse things going on in the game
  
  spoiler alert, incest?!
http://twitter.com/moosewithaj john nuyen

Wow I think I might have to find a lawyer and take about a brigade of cops through the hood across the street with me. This white boy can collect some serious Mullah from the folks over there if the said story is right. Maybe enough to by Blizzard lol.
http://twitter.com/Zedris Zedris

mike sacco is mentally handicapped thats why he got fired… next he’s gonna tweet skyrim devs about the racist NPC’s in there and how he’s offended by that as well…..
http://twitter.com/Hoigwai Hoigwai

I find it foolish and petty on his part. More importantly, since till this was brought up, I had no idea who Mike Sacco is. He’s entitled to his opinion, however misguided it may be.

I find Tina hysterical so, I say it’s fine and self righteousness with no foundation is pointless.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527222984 Ryan Hull

A friend of mine recently brought this topic to my attention and said:
“Her language skills, slang words, euphemisms and general communication stems from being an orphan, growing up around raiders, not going to school, and she has always hung out with Roland (a man with a similar style of accent and articulation that ironically -hasn’t- been described as racist because of his skin color). What makes this the stupidest complaint ever is that the way she speaks is essential to the depth of her character and the development that follows. It’s so blatant how canonical her entire portrayal is.”
Eto_Zamamai

Thinking it is racist IS racist. If you believe Tiny Tina is portraying “black speak” or something, that is racist. She uses terminology and phrases that any individual is more than free to use. If the color of her skin was black there would apparently be no complaints BUT because it is white instead something is wrong? That is just down right racist….

Borderlands 2 Writers Accused of Racism

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