
Racist Magic: The Gathering cards banned, removed from database by publisher - gyosifov
https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/10/21287154/racist-magic-the-gathering-cards-banned-removed-from-database-wizards-apology
======
Agentlien
Here's the actual article from Wizards of the Coast:
[https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/depiction...](https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/depictions-
racism-magic-2020-06-10)

Here's a link showing the cards themselves:
[https://scryfall.com/search?q=Invoke+Prejudice+OR+%28%21Clea...](https://scryfall.com/search?q=Invoke+Prejudice+OR+%28%21Cleanse+AND+e%3Aleg%29+OR+Stone-
Throwing+Devils+OR+Pradesh+Gypsies+OR++Jihad+OR+%21Imprison+OR+%28%21Crusade+AND+e%3Alea%29&unique=cards&as=grid&order=name)

And here's an example of how they look now in Gatherer, the official card
database:
[https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?multive...](https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?multiverseid=1603)

An interesting thing to note is that these cards are from before Wizards
decided to stop referencing our world in the game and focus entirely on
building their own fictional one. One of these cards is from 1999, the rest
are from 1993-1994.

The article does hint that they're still investigating whether to remove more.

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bspammer
It seems to me that there are two distinct types of cards being banned here:
cards that actually have real-world racist connatations (Invoke Prejudice,
Jihad, Stone-Throwing devils, Pradesh Gypsies), and cards that have
unfortunate wording when read by someone who doesn't play the game (Crusade,
Cleanse).

I'm glad they're taking a stand on the former, but the latter seems rather
silly. I'm no Magic expert, but black and white in the context of the game
have literally nothing to do with the skin colour of humans, but are just a
label representing the classic fantasy tropes of light and darkness.

That is, assuming I'm not missing something racist in the tiny thumbnails,
which is very possible.

~~~
toyg
What is the racist connotation of Stone-Throwing devils?

Btw, if Pradesh Gypsies is racist, we better start torching a ton of Marvel
comics - Dr. Doom is a gypsy and all the (often excellent) stories around his
background use the exact same imagery, all the way to the cyberpunk Doom 2099.

~~~
duskwuff
The name and art for Pradesh Gypsies wasn't the problem. The card text was the
issue -- it had an ability which could temporarily reduce the strength of an
opponent's card, invoking the stereotype of a thieving gypsy.

~~~
toyg
Applying a negative modifier to opponents is “invoking stereotypes of
thieving”...?

That modifier might as well come from outwitting or befuddling, particularly
with a text that evokes mystery.

Sounds to me like this choice says more about the actual prejudices of whoever
made it, rather than objective parameters.

~~~
kthejoker2
The issue is using "Gypsies", period, when there's no need to do so.

If you replaced it with "Wanderers" nothing of value is lost.

Using a real group name is thr only reason your comment (and this one) exists.

It literally creates tension where none should be by its very existence.
That's problematic.

------
Uhhrrr
Direct link to press release, which has 17 fewer trackers than Polygon per
uBlock:
[https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/depiction...](https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/depictions-
racism-magic-2020-06-10)

I can't figure out why Stone-Throwing Devils was banned. They look like
garden-variety devils:
[https://img.scryfall.com/cards/normal/front/d/1/d1c387dd-134...](https://img.scryfall.com/cards/normal/front/d/1/d1c387dd-1347-4443-91ce-b71f7ccdceba.jpg?1562934174)

------
toyg
I personally found fairly "revolutionary" to have White players do Jihad. The
illustration of Invoke Prejudice does look too Klan for comfort, and similarly
Imprison, but the rest (particularly Cleanse) is just silly - you really have
to squint very hard to find racist undertones into a color-targeting card
during a color-based game.

I don't know, I still think people burning effigies and destroying art tend to
be the bad guys. The road to hell is clearly going to be well-paved for the
foreseeable future.

~~~
drewcoo
Over-applying lessons learned is a part of learning.

But symbolic/performative change in lieu of meaningful change is a way to
dodge lessons.

This seems like both.

------
8note
Paraphrasing, Cleanse removes all black creatures, including foul beats etc

This seems to point at a bigger issue where the black creatures are considered
foul?

~~~
honkycat
Black creatures are "death" creatures, and are things like "Demonic Tutor",
"Dark Ritual", "Rune-Scarred Demon"...

Demons and vampires and zombies and things like that.

The use of "Black" as a stand-in for nefarious things is its own problem, but
it does not refer the the color of skin in any way in MTG.

~~~
tsherr
I think this is more of black = Night and night=scary.

But it could be seen as tone deaf right now.

~~~
honkycat
as another commenter responded, that is not as universal as you would thing!
:)

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WealthVsSurvive
Does anyone else feel like maybe corporations should just do this if they want
and not make a big corporate statement about it; I feel like it's detracting
from the issues at hand, which are frankly much large than luke-warm conceits
of micro-aggressions. Macro-aggressions are occurring, let's stay focused on
that and not derail the conversation. By all means do it, but maybe don't
release a slew of PR about it.

~~~
floatingatoll
Tournament rule changes demand an announcement; silence is not an option.

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csense
None of these cards seem racist to me. It's almost as if people are on a
mission where they _want_ to find racism and cultural offense where none
exists. And then whatever they label as "racist" ends up getting banned.

This is basically a book-burning.

How is this happening in a society based on free speech? Why do most of the
people in this thread seem to be okay with it?

------
haunter
1994 conservatives: "Magic is Satanic"

2020 liberals: "Magic is Racist"

I guess "protection from black" is the next /s
[https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&order=name&q=oracle%3A%2...](https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&order=name&q=oracle%3A%22Protection+from+Black%22)

~~~
ausbah
no one is saying the game is racist, just that a tiny subselection of cards
that are a byproduct of less aware times

~~~
thinkingemote
The title of this submission indicates.to me that people are saying the game
is racist.

------
rowawey
Political correctness keeps finding new old, trivial things to retroactively
demonize as "racist." At this rate, because one person maybe offended
somewhere, all art must be destroyed, and making or possessing art will be
punishable by death. "No singing either! Burn the racist heretic!" Has anyone
ever surveyed actual gypsies to ask them if they find art in a card game
fictional universe to negatively portray them?

Meanwhile, what are the same busybody zealots doing about grotesque
socioeconomic apartheid (including criminal justice, disproportionately
incarcerating precious minority brothers and sisters for a little weed),
neocolonial pan-militarism, inverted totalitarian klepto-plutocracy corruption
of democracies by rent-seeking, feudal billionaires, or the origins and
prevalence of all types of mass shootings in the US? No, the Redskins need to
change their name right now because reasons. [0]

People need to take a stand to reinforce that the social contract is implicit
and doesn't need someone else's arbitrary Code of Conduct pseudo-legalese
foisted onto every group or else you're somehow signaling that you're a
terrible bigot because you don't do what others demand immediately. Oh, and
apologize now, tomorrow, and the day after.. and defenestrate your worthless
self properly or else!

0\.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Redskins_name_contr...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Redskins_name_controversy#Native_American_opinion_in_support_of_Redskins_name)

~~~
ausbah
I don't think it's about a single person being wildly offended or something,
rather it's an internal decision by WOTC to about remove unnecessary
references to what are easily taken as or explicitly are hateful depictions of
groups of people. I don't think this is really any different than removing
Confederate statues from public venues.

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senectus1
this is a stupid slippery slope move.

but it wont make any diff to anything anyway, the cards were not in big use.
literally no one will notice it.

~~~
krapp
How is it either stupid or a slippery slope if it won't make a difference and
no one will notice it?

