6 ms·

‘Minecraft’ Creator Excluded from Anniversary Due to ‘Comments and Opinions’

30 points by mathattack 7y ago

emsy 7y ago
It's funny how Microsoft bans Notch for saying e.g. "it's okay to be white" in the same week as the complaint of a manager that MS discriminates against asian/white men surfaces. No matter what you think of notch, you can hardly call MS the good guys here.
- naikrovek 7y ago
  The amount of oversimplification you have demonstrated with that comment is alarming.
mj_olnir 7y ago
I mean, while it's weird and sucks that the original creator of Minecraft won't be there, Microsoft is definitely free to distance themselves from outspoken individuals that don't reflect the PC culture they're going for. I certainly wouldn't want someone whose only relevance is armchair Twitter warring representing something that brings my company substantial (?) revenue. I guess for an ideological disclaimer, I vehemently disagree with his politics, but I'd take the same position for a bellicose liberal.
- tibbydudeza 7y ago
  I would not call it PC culture but just common decency. Why do the US insist that even douchebags and their shitty harmfull opinions must be equally valued and giving a space ???.
- geezerjay 7y ago
  > I certainly wouldn't want someone whose only relevance is armchair Twitter warring representing something that brings my company substantial (?) revenue. Did you refer the creator of Minecraft as "someone whose only relevance is armchair Twitter warring"?
defertoreptar 7y ago
Would be asking too much to request that he limits his talks to the subject of Minecraft at a Minecraft event? Does he have a history of giving unprompted politically-charged speeches in public, or is it just Twitter? If not, then I'd say this is an unnecessary letdown for the game's fans.
- DoofusOfDeath 7y ago
  >Would be asking too much to request that he limits his talks to the subject of Minecraft at a Minecraft event? If Microsoft et al choose to make public statements regarding contentious non-technical issues, then it seems unreasonable to me that they attempt to silence dissenting views.
- deogeo 7y ago
  Should black US athletes limit their talk to the subject of sports, and refrain from politically charged moves such as kneeling for the anthem, or giving the black power salute at the Olympics? Should video game or other 'tech' panels stick to the topic, and not proselytize how important diversity is?
  - jameskegel 7y ago
    I feel like this is sarcasm but the real answer is you should act appropriately for your surroundings. Someone else’s event is not your platform, especially so in this case.
    - Retra 7y ago
      Correct. A slave on a plantation should simply do their job. It is never appropriate to espouse political opinions in a place of business. The promotion of business interests trumps any humanistic interests, which have their set places and times to be addressed in a quiet and easily ignored manner.
      - manfredo 7y ago
        Comparing the expectation of relatively apolitical professionalism to slavery is absurd. There are valid reasons why keeping the workplace apolitical is valuable. When it isn't, one political group usually established dominance and suppresses the opposition. The workplace becomes an environment where a subset of political views monopolize conversation, and a large portion of workers are alienated as a result. If your goal is to hire the best employees regardless of political leanings, then maintaining an apolitical workplace is a good choice.
manfredo 7y ago
> has increasingly ostracized himself with his Twitter comments, including transphobic statements and comments about a “heterosexual pride day,” and that “it’s ok to be white.” Is it not ok to be White or heterosexual? This kind of exclusion over these statements likely harms Microsoft's reputation more than it helps it.
- IvyMike 7y ago
  It is worth reading the history and intention of this phrase for context. https://qz.com/1144783/the-rise-of-the-alt-rights-catchphrase-its-ok-to-be-white/ https://qz.com/1144783/the-rise-of-the-alt-rights-catchphras...
  - manfredo 7y ago
    > Persson’s is not an isolated tweet. “It’s ok to be white” was invented by the trollsters of the “politically incorrect” messaging board on 4chan. The phrase was carefully designed to trick progressive, left-leaning Americans into saying the contrary—that it is not ok to be white—in a strange nationwide campaign to finally expose anti-white bias. And it's evidently working. Taking offense to the phrase "it's okay to be White" is falling straight into the trolls' hands. If we want to stop the machinations of said trolls then we should stop taking offense to the statement, since taking offense to the statement "it's okay to be X" necessarily implies that it's not okay to be X. If Microsoft was aware of the phrase's history then their behavior is even more counterproductive; they knowingly walked into this trap.
    - Retra 7y ago
      Even so... Setting traps and then trying to blame others for falling into them? Does that sound like the behavior of a trustworthy and admirable person?
      - manfredo 7y ago
        I think you're missing the point. Who knows what Notch was trying to accomplish by saying "it's okay to be White". For all we know he saw people taking offense to the phrase, and was perturbed by people evidently claiming that it is not okay to be White (the link you provided included responses to the phrase that included calls for "white genocide") and wanted to emphasize his own view that being white is not something bad. If you want to portray Notch as some kind of white supremacist aligned person, then the onus is on you to prove it. The likelihood that he is part of the overwhelming majority of people that don't really care about 4chan and other obscure internet subcultures is significantly greater. The point remains, the overwhelming majority of people will not take offense to the phrase "it's okay to be White" and will be perturbed by the people who do take offense to this phrase.
detaro 7y ago
dupe https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19779708 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19779708
ilaksh 7y ago
I am probably just going to get buried but I don't think this is a simple as many people will think it is. To me this is another indication of how excessively polarized worldviews are. And I think it goes for quite a lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum. There is a strong tendency towards one political extreme or another. It's to the point where people are basically living in alternate realities from each other. And some people may react to that with "yeah, it's one worldview that is intolerant and wrong and one that isn't" or if they are from the other side "yeah, it's one worldview where it's ok to be say you are white and another where it isn't". But it's way more than that. The hint of intolerance (or on the other side, political correctness) is used to identify people as being in the enemy camp. And it is then a proxy for their worth as a human being and all of the other beliefs they might supposedly have are grouped together. I wonder if another political operating mode is possible.
- sneak 7y ago
  > And it is then a proxy for their worth as a human being No, in this case it is just being used as a proxy for whether or not you’d want them at a party. Plenty of people are decent humans who aren’t any fun at parties. Notch seems like an insufferable bastard; even if he weren’t spouting white supremacist dogwhistle catchphrases (whether due to staggering naiveté or covert maliciousness, who knows or cares) I would eject him from any event over which I had authority just due to the fact that his other, less controversial opinions are annoying. He’s a whiny billionaire; can you think of that many things worse than that? Freedom of association is a thing, and nobody’s saying that tactless antisocial negative nancies (all things in which I myself have dabbled) have no worth as human beings, simply that other people have every right to not invite them around polite company. Maybe they just don’t want the headache, and who could blame them?
- fivethr33 7y ago
  I mean Notch's views are literally that some people are less than people. Not tolerating that isn't bad.
  - lucasmullens 7y ago
senectus1 7y ago
Wow. I've been a minor Notch fan since way back when MC first dropped in alpha. I've seen him go through some serious emotional crap but this makes me think he's abusing something. This is sad.
- ilaksh 7y ago
  Everyone gets emotional sometimes because that's how humans work. Some people are just more honest about revealing their emotions and also may be celebrities so people magnify the drama out of proportion to what it really was. Also, just because someone has a different worldview than you doesn't mean they are crazy or a drug addict.
yo-bitch 7y ago
Yeah, but Notch is a fucking nerdy douche, and he cashed in his chips and proceeded to display his gay little edgy fucking attitude. It should come as no surprise that he completely lacks charisma and self-awareness, as do those who are attracted to his creation. What do you fucking want?

30 points by mathattack 7y ago

emsy 7y ago

It's funny how Microsoft bans Notch for saying e.g. "it's okay to be white" in the same week as the complaint of a manager that MS discriminates against asian/white men surfaces. No matter what you think of notch, you can hardly call MS the good guys here.

naikrovek 7y ago
The amount of oversimplification you have demonstrated with that comment is alarming.

mj_olnir 7y ago

I mean, while it's weird and sucks that the original creator of Minecraft won't be there, Microsoft is definitely free to distance themselves from outspoken individuals that don't reflect the PC culture they're going for. I certainly wouldn't want someone whose only relevance is armchair Twitter warring representing something that brings my company substantial (?) revenue. I guess for an ideological disclaimer, I vehemently disagree with his politics, but I'd take the same position for a bellicose liberal.

tibbydudeza 7y ago
I would not call it PC culture but just common decency. Why do the US insist that even douchebags and their shitty harmfull opinions must be equally valued and giving a space ???.
geezerjay 7y ago
> I certainly wouldn't want someone whose only relevance is armchair Twitter warring representing something that brings my company substantial (?) revenue. Did you refer the creator of Minecraft as "someone whose only relevance is armchair Twitter warring"?

defertoreptar 7y ago

Would be asking too much to request that he limits his talks to the subject of Minecraft at a Minecraft event? Does he have a history of giving unprompted politically-charged speeches in public, or is it just Twitter? If not, then I'd say this is an unnecessary letdown for the game's fans.

DoofusOfDeath 7y ago
>Would be asking too much to request that he limits his talks to the subject of Minecraft at a Minecraft event? If Microsoft et al choose to make public statements regarding contentious non-technical issues, then it seems unreasonable to me that they attempt to silence dissenting views.
deogeo 7y ago
Should black US athletes limit their talk to the subject of sports, and refrain from politically charged moves such as kneeling for the anthem, or giving the black power salute at the Olympics? Should video game or other 'tech' panels stick to the topic, and not proselytize how important diversity is?
- jameskegel 7y ago
  I feel like this is sarcasm but the real answer is you should act appropriately for your surroundings. Someone else’s event is not your platform, especially so in this case.
  - Retra 7y ago
    Correct. A slave on a plantation should simply do their job. It is never appropriate to espouse political opinions in a place of business. The promotion of business interests trumps any humanistic interests, which have their set places and times to be addressed in a quiet and easily ignored manner.
    - manfredo 7y ago
      Comparing the expectation of relatively apolitical professionalism to slavery is absurd. There are valid reasons why keeping the workplace apolitical is valuable. When it isn't, one political group usually established dominance and suppresses the opposition. The workplace becomes an environment where a subset of political views monopolize conversation, and a large portion of workers are alienated as a result. If your goal is to hire the best employees regardless of political leanings, then maintaining an apolitical workplace is a good choice.

manfredo 7y ago

> has increasingly ostracized himself with his Twitter comments, including transphobic statements and comments about a “heterosexual pride day,” and that “it’s ok to be white.” Is it not ok to be White or heterosexual? This kind of exclusion over these statements likely harms Microsoft's reputation more than it helps it.

IvyMike 7y ago
It is worth reading the history and intention of this phrase for context. https://qz.com/1144783/the-rise-of-the-alt-rights-catchphrase-its-ok-to-be-white/ https://qz.com/1144783/the-rise-of-the-alt-rights-catchphras...
- manfredo 7y ago
  > Persson’s is not an isolated tweet. “It’s ok to be white” was invented by the trollsters of the “politically incorrect” messaging board on 4chan. The phrase was carefully designed to trick progressive, left-leaning Americans into saying the contrary—that it is not ok to be white—in a strange nationwide campaign to finally expose anti-white bias. And it's evidently working. Taking offense to the phrase "it's okay to be White" is falling straight into the trolls' hands. If we want to stop the machinations of said trolls then we should stop taking offense to the statement, since taking offense to the statement "it's okay to be X" necessarily implies that it's not okay to be X. If Microsoft was aware of the phrase's history then their behavior is even more counterproductive; they knowingly walked into this trap.
  - Retra 7y ago
    Even so... Setting traps and then trying to blame others for falling into them? Does that sound like the behavior of a trustworthy and admirable person?
    - manfredo 7y ago
      I think you're missing the point. Who knows what Notch was trying to accomplish by saying "it's okay to be White". For all we know he saw people taking offense to the phrase, and was perturbed by people evidently claiming that it is not okay to be White (the link you provided included responses to the phrase that included calls for "white genocide") and wanted to emphasize his own view that being white is not something bad. If you want to portray Notch as some kind of white supremacist aligned person, then the onus is on you to prove it. The likelihood that he is part of the overwhelming majority of people that don't really care about 4chan and other obscure internet subcultures is significantly greater. The point remains, the overwhelming majority of people will not take offense to the phrase "it's okay to be White" and will be perturbed by the people who do take offense to this phrase.

detaro 7y ago

dupe https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19779708 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19779708

ilaksh 7y ago

I am probably just going to get buried but I don't think this is a simple as many people will think it is. To me this is another indication of how excessively polarized worldviews are. And I think it goes for quite a lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum. There is a strong tendency towards one political extreme or another. It's to the point where people are basically living in alternate realities from each other. And some people may react to that with "yeah, it's one worldview that is intolerant and wrong and one that isn't" or if they are from the other side "yeah, it's one worldview where it's ok to be say you are white and another where it isn't". But it's way more than that. The hint of intolerance (or on the other side, political correctness) is used to identify people as being in the enemy camp. And it is then a proxy for their worth as a human being and all of the other beliefs they might supposedly have are grouped together. I wonder if another political operating mode is possible.

sneak 7y ago
> And it is then a proxy for their worth as a human being No, in this case it is just being used as a proxy for whether or not you’d want them at a party. Plenty of people are decent humans who aren’t any fun at parties. Notch seems like an insufferable bastard; even if he weren’t spouting white supremacist dogwhistle catchphrases (whether due to staggering naiveté or covert maliciousness, who knows or cares) I would eject him from any event over which I had authority just due to the fact that his other, less controversial opinions are annoying. He’s a whiny billionaire; can you think of that many things worse than that? Freedom of association is a thing, and nobody’s saying that tactless antisocial negative nancies (all things in which I myself have dabbled) have no worth as human beings, simply that other people have every right to not invite them around polite company. Maybe they just don’t want the headache, and who could blame them?
fivethr33 7y ago
I mean Notch's views are literally that some people are less than people. Not tolerating that isn't bad.
- lucasmullens 7y ago

senectus1 7y ago

Wow. I've been a minor Notch fan since way back when MC first dropped in alpha. I've seen him go through some serious emotional crap but this makes me think he's abusing something. This is sad.

ilaksh 7y ago
Everyone gets emotional sometimes because that's how humans work. Some people are just more honest about revealing their emotions and also may be celebrities so people magnify the drama out of proportion to what it really was. Also, just because someone has a different worldview than you doesn't mean they are crazy or a drug addict.

yo-bitch 7y ago

Yeah, but Notch is a fucking nerdy douche, and he cashed in his chips and proceeded to display his gay little edgy fucking attitude. It should come as no surprise that he completely lacks charisma and self-awareness, as do those who are attracted to his creation. What do you fucking want?