Russia Accuses EA Of LGBT Propaganda Over Including Rainbow Shoelaces Soccer Players Wore In Real Life
from the it's-in-the-game dept
As you will recall, in 2013 Russia instituted a delightfully obtuse piece of legislation that made it illegal to disseminate "propaganda" within the country that centered around "non-traditional sexual relationships." This law, designed essentially to both push the LBGT community back into the closet and to effectively criminalize being too gay in public, has butted heads with modernity several times now. The silver lining in this is that the law's practical application has forced its supporters to publicly display exactly how petty and silly they are, as powerful legislators attempt to take action against such virile threats as emojis. Coupled with the Russian governments worry that American streaming media might be a form of HAARP-style mind-control, not to mention the government's willingness to show the world how its vaguely-crafted legislation can be used purely to silence dissenting speech, Russian officials have painted quite a picture of the country's lack of a commitment to basic freedoms.
But where slapping around dissenting political speech is par for the authoritarian course, the laser focus the Russian government has on our LGBT brothers and sisters is confounding. That bigotry exists is not news, but Russia's dedication to it from a legislative perspective reeks of distraction-farming. And, as said previously, it can reach really silly levels, such as members of the Russian government calling on a ban of EA Sports' FIFA17 game, purely because the game includes the option to have players wear rainbow shoelaces, as their real-life counterparts did.
Communist MPs sent a letter to the communications oversight and state consumer protection agencies complaining that the popular EA Sports football game, which is rated all ages, “invites users to support the English football premier league’s Rainbow Laces action, a massive campaign in support of LGBT”, Izvestia newspaper reported.
United Russia MP Irina Rodnina, a former figure skater who won three Olympic gold medals for the Soviet Union, told Izvestia that the authorities needed to “verify the possibility of distributing this game on the territory of the Russian Federation”.
We should congratulate our Russian friends on being first to market on this kind of bigotry. After all, the game is also available in Saudi Arabia, a country not known for its liberal policies on homosexuality, yet Russia beat them to the punch. That's quite a feat for the homophobic.
But this is what you get with authoritarian regimes that play in the world of social policies. There are far worse applications of Russia's anti-gay law that one can reference, but there is value of spotlighting the otherwise hilarious absurdity of the federal government of a nuclear power campaigning against a video game over rainbow shoelaces. Anyone who might have thought that this law had important work to do within Russia cannot possibly still think that there isn't overreach.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: lgbt, propaganda, rainbow shoelaces, russia, video games
Companies: ea
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Mork and Mindy
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ec/cc/72/eccc72fa152a832a14316361901ae929.jpg
http://cdn.ipetitions.com/user-images/petitions/world-rainbow-suspenders-day/qqaaGpVbQyqFuoj9mJBG_Ra inbow.jpg
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Mork and Mindy
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
While true Communism was about creating a "voluntarian*" anarchic utopia in which the state and the need for money withered away in a sexually liberal society, what we actually got was a more pragmatic iteration in which state capitalism had to be invented (because, as it happens, we need capitalism) and traditional sexual morality was enforced due to the deeply patriarchal nature of Russian society.
In my native Ireland we have a saying, "Aithníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile," which means, "One beetle knows another beetle," i.e. it takes one to know one.
So what I'm saying is, we've never had true communism on a national scale because conservatives were having none of it. And since conservatives tend to respect authority they're often authoritarian. This is why the right wing and left wing ones will often appear to be on the same page; they've got a lot more in common than they're willing to admit to.
----------------------
*I know it's not a proper word, but you get the idea.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
"Lock the doors, board up the windows, the Fabulous Brigade is approaching!"
While I certainly don't want to diminish the suffering and other problems such a law and government stance results in, I can't help but find it funny picturing all these very serious politicians running in terror and quivering in fright from The Gays, to the point that digital shoelaces are enough to send them scrambling and threatening a country wide block of the game.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
"Non-traditional" sexual relationships?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: "Non-traditional" sexual relationships?
Something like that. Traditions really have to be actively maintained or you'll get people screwing left and right without rhyme or reason which is a "tradition" on the level of a bar brawl.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: "Non-traditional" sexual relationships?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: "Non-traditional" sexual relationships?
Unfortunately the religious 'vacuums' of the Communist Era seem to have lead to the Orthodox and Catholic Churches making up for lost time - and proudly marching back to the early last century with social attitudes.
Ban 'teh gheys'? Yes!
Spend millions on new churches? Yes!
Feed the poor or help the unfortunate? Get lost!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: "Non-traditional" sexual relationships?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
such virile threats
I don't think you meant that, but it's pretty funny.
Coupled with the Russian governments worry that American streaming media might be a form of HAARP-style mind-control,
Seems as though you just want to paint something you don't like as a crackpot conspiracy theory...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
I don't think you meant that, but it's pretty funny."
I actually very specifically meant it. The word choice is the part of the post of which I'm most proud, actually....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ironic
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Ironic
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The russian regime is compromised by a large majority to Putins party. Some fringe parties on the left wing basically being bookburners and extremely repressive on social issues and right wingers asking for Russia to subdue the countries with rightful russian land and shoot muslims on sight. Both sides are completely insane but they are the only ones allowed to participate in elections.
All the "reasonable" opposition is getting repressed by several means and do not get a chance in the elections.
Putins party (United Russia) can thus act as adjudicators and as the voice of reason in all contexts, thus cementing their position in power.
This is some of the hillarity of the left wing. But it gives Russias government a negotiation chip against Trump...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Does EA strive to duplicate the real world soccer action people see on the telly?
wtf
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Agree or disagree, this violates the Russian law.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
"you break the law when I say you break the law"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
That's it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Special Edition
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Special Edition
Well, sounds to me like the Rooskies were ahead of xeir time, if we're going by the standards of "the current year." Or we could, you know, get back to normalcy and only allow actual men and women to compete in their respective events, with the cross-dressers going for the glittery gold on RuPaul's Drag Race or at the Special Olympics. When they ask to use the bathroom, tell them to go to the fire hydrant in accordance with their "identity," since apparently anyone can sign up to be a sled dog at the Idiotarod.
But I digress, comrade.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Special Edition
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Special Edition
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Special Edition
Government of Putin (GOP) logic fail #348463233623623492
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Special Edition
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Special Edition
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I won't be surprised if at some point Russian politicians involved come out of the closet in a shiny rainbow parade.
These kinds of people are the worst. They sorely need therapy.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]