Racist? Too harsh

Racism is a pretty heavy word to throw around, which is why I was slightly thrown back by the Resident Evil 5 trailer being labelled as such. I myself have played a couple games in the series and I think the trailer was taken slightly out of the context which was so crucial in understanding the intended effect the makers of the game had. It also reminded me of the different audience models and how gamers engage and interpret the games they play.

In understanding the intended message of the trailer I think it is worth noting that the game was produced in Japan. A such the developers of the game may not appreciate the explosive issue of African/Black people being represented in that way, atleast not in the way as say someone from an American or South African background. Im not asserting the producers are ignorant of these issues, but perhaps they did not fully realized the way/extent in which their trailer could be interpreted. One student in the lecture claimed to have been apaulled by the trailer, as they had studied the history of Africans and their struggles with the white regime in South Africa. With that understanding applied to the trailer I can see how it would be deemed as racist. However I think it is crucial to understanding the trailer in terms of the wider picture it belongs to, as opposed to an isolated event. I myself did not see any difference on the graphic-violence level between this trailer and the trailer for Resident Evil 4, where the zombie massacre is of small town Europeans. I admit would certainly have a different reading of the trailer had I not previously played/had been unaware of any of the series games. I however felt that the exploration of the plot in Africa is plausible considering the plot involves a global outbreak of zombies.

This is a classic example of misinterpreted reading, where the producer fails to get its intended message across to the audience. In this case, those with a strong understanding of the Afro-White relationship in Africa or the millitant regimes will have a different reading to a person who has played afew other Resident Evil games and simply sees zombies. Two groups of different historical and social contexts with two different readings on a text. Another example of this failure of communication I believe is seen in this Australian KFC ad.



As seen in the Comments many people of American background read the commercial as a play on the stereotype of Black people and their affinity with fried chicken. However Australian commentors defended the ad, instead viewing it as a play on the cricketing rivalry between Australian and a (presumably) West Indies team. Several Australians even go so far as to take offence at the Americans for assuming that their cultural and historical priorities are somehow significant in country which does not share them. Again two very different readings from two different groups. Perhaps its just in my nature to give these questionable reading the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think its in KFCs interest to pander to an American white-supremisist interests, especially through a commercial aimed at Australians. Perhaps this is where Capcom is at fault? Maybe their ambitions marketing the game global makes them responsible for catering to the sensitivities of each and every person the game was inteded for. In this regard, yes Capcom is a fault. Perhaps Capcom was at fault fro assuming that their intended message would be absorbed uniformly, much like the hyperdermic model suggest? Is a company at fault for their 'polysemic' text being read in a not-so-flattering way?

I think this little case study highlights the importance of the active user model. I first started off this post defending Resident Evil 5, with the assumption that a racist ideal must be implied. But if the active audience model is correct one does not need to intend for a message to be racist for it to be deemed as such? This is a very problematic feature of the theory in my opinion as the message could be skewed to fit a certain viewpoint (the Americans with the Australians).

(I know this argument isn't very good (especially considering the poweder keg it could be), I cbf writing an essay on the topic. I intended it to be more of an exercise to see the different types of audience reactions to the media. I know that, in hindsight, that this was a ridiculously naive topic to try and tease out the concepts, and wouldve chosen crash bandicoot. However I have typed for an hour now and I want my grade. No offence was intended, but according to the active user model some may be taken...)