Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments • Hacker News Board

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#851

Post by landryraccoon » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 6:43 PM UTC

jlawson wrote: post #738

chipotle_coyote wrote: post #613

A lot of comments here seem to take as a given that banning any offensive speech in any forum leads inexorably to situations like this, where the "offensive speech" is political speech offensive to an authoritarian government. But this implies that it's impossible to distinguish between different kinds of "offensive" speech based on any meaningful criteria whatsoever, and this just seems to be fundamentally incorrect…

>The commenter in the first case is supporting a marginalized group; the commenter in the second is attacking one. It's remarkable that you apparently can't even conceive of how someone could not believe one or both of these statements. You really can't see how someone could believe China is 'marginalized'? You really can't see how someone could believe American blacks are either not marginal, or are marginal due to…

> You really can't see how someone could believe China is 'marginalized'?

I am not sure what you mean by marginal here.

The fact that the NBA and Blizzard will apologize to China in a debased fashion is very strong evidence that China is in no way marginalized, but is actually in a position of incredible strength.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#852

Post by kevingadd » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 6:45 PM UTC

michannne wrote: post #584

FillardMillmore wrote: post #284

So we are at the point where American video game developers are banning people from e-sports competitions for their comments over a domestic issue in a foreign country? Because the Chinese government probably didn't like his comments, that counts as 'public disrepute'? This is just wild to me.

It's part of the new push by corporations and organizations to subvert the law to appease their own ideologies. Despite there being no legal precendence or requirement for things to happen, those in authority positions are more than happy to silence those that disagree with their expectations. It is a direct result of cancel culture and deplatforming - if everyone assumed the best of intentions until explicit circums…

What makes you think this has anything to do with "cancel culture"? Corporations have been punishing people for speech like this for decades.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#853

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 6:50 PM UTC

haberman wrote: post #747

chipotle_coyote wrote: post #613

A lot of comments here seem to take as a given that banning any offensive speech in any forum leads inexorably to situations like this, where the "offensive speech" is political speech offensive to an authoritarian government. But this implies that it's impossible to distinguish between different kinds of "offensive" speech based on any meaningful criteria whatsoever, and this just seems to be fundamentally incorrect…

Chinese feelings towards Hong Kong arise out of a history of subjugation by the British. The Opium Wars devastated China's economy and sovereignty, including the British forcing them to cede Hong Kong. This was the beginning of the "century of humiliation": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_of_humiliation It's not just the authoritarian government that is angered, it is the people of China who remember this histo…

[deleted]

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#854

Post by jammygit » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 6:55 PM UTC

3minus1 wrote: post #764

hannasanarion wrote: post #718

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does the fact that the person making a political statement knew that they were making a political statement make their banning okay?

There's a difference between accidentally and knowingly breaking a rule. Regardless of if you feel the rule is fair or right, knowingly breaking is more egregious, e.g. manslaughter is not as bad as first or second degree murder.

You are claiming that morality is irrelevant if there is a rule involved, and your action is substantially worse if you break a rule for a moral reason deliberately instead of accidentally?

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#855

Post by nerfhammer » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 6:56 PM UTC

legohead wrote: post #657

a_c wrote: post #477

Interesting how an incidence in gaming garner more eye balls on the topic of Hong Kong politics than whole month combined. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que... Good for the people of Hong Kong. The topic of Hong Kong didn't struck me as sensational/desperate as it deserves until a Hong Kong friend send me this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yXTHODE24Q Am moved by the clip, especial…

Iraq needs some attention... Protests have been going on for a week now, 100+ protesters have been killed, thousands hurt.

there's also big protests in Haiti and Ecuador that are getting even less attention

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#856

Post by alkonaut » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 6:59 PM UTC

scoutt wrote: post #606

alkonaut wrote: post #566

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sort of agree, but I’ll add that the constraints need to be clearer too. I’m sure pro athletes have contracts that mention what they can and cannot say in the league TV interviews when it comes to political or commercial messages for example. This just had a vague catch all formulation. Also: Blizzard should stand up for liberal democracy. It’s as simple as that. One can’t treat all political messages the same.

>> contracts From the blog post: "players ... must abide by the official competition rules." They have a set of rules to follow. I don't know how much clear these are. >> Blizzard should stand up for liberal democracy Blizzard sells videogames and hosts a tournament. Liberal democracy is a moral philosophy, point of view, preference that goes well with you and others, but many may not agree. It's a right to not agree…

These were my opinions, which extend basically to this: Hold companies to higher standards than merely "maximizing profits while following laws". I completely expect companies to take a stand either for or against the protesters in Hong Kong even though all they really want to do is sell computer games in the West, Hong Kong and China and no one asks them what they think. It's an impossible luxury to (as incidents such as this shows) to think it's possible to choose "no politics". There simply is no "no politics" option in business.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#857

Post by jammygit » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 6:59 PM UTC

An aside: Blizzard has been fighting harder and harder to control the esports that revolve around its games. Now that it is succeeding in centralizing things as it hoped, it is using its power to destroy careers and impose political censorship literally for the Chinese government.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#858

Post by beenBoutIT » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 7:04 PM UTC

soulofmischief wrote: post #288

lr4444lr wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because software has this weird status where you increasingly don't own a perpetual use right to the copy of the code you bought, and can have it revoked for reasons that have nothing to do with the purchase agreement. What if one day in the not too distant the electrical system on your car stopped working because an auto software update from that vendor (not the company that sold you the car perhaps) detected your n…

For a tangible example, imagine saying something pro-HK on an online multiplayer and losing access to your entire library of Xbox games. From Microsoft's community guidelines: "Under permanent suspension, the owner of the suspended profile forfeits all licenses for games and other content, Gold membership time, and Microsoft account balances." And in 2019, saying things as asinine as "haha I banged ur mom" are enough…

This is all great news for Sony and whatever physical medium the PS5 will use as a replacement for Blu-ray.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#859

Post by keithnoizu » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 7:05 PM UTC

CobrastanJorji wrote: post #796

3minus1 wrote: post #764

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a difference between accidentally and knowingly breaking a rule. Regardless of if you feel the rule is fair or right, knowingly breaking is more egregious, e.g. manslaughter is not as bad as first or second degree murder.

Knowing that you're doing something that is not in the interest of Blizzard or China and may bring you trouble is not the same thing as rule-breaking. For example, I have a first amendment right to stand on the street and cry out "that store over there has awful working conditions," and I'm not breaking any rules, but I'm well aware that the store may well not let me in anymore.

More like you go in the middle of the street and say, America shouldn't support south american dictators, and as a result all ISPs refuse you provide you with internet service. They're private companies they have the right do to so but good luck navigating todays world with out it.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#860

Post by theseadroid » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 7:06 PM UTC

tsegratis wrote: post #847

theseadroid wrote: post #724

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry for not entirely related to the main thread, but since it seems there are many people in this thread knowledgable on what's going on in Hong Kong, I'd like to ask 2 questions. I'm not siding with CCP, but my issue is I'm not sure I can side with the protestors either. Because 1. Does the protestors representing the majority of citizens? If yes at this stage why the working class in Hong Kong hasn't started long…

1) Stopping HK employee taxes flow, will stop China how? This is not really their concern 2) Peaceful protest and cleaning up after themselves would make many people very happy. They did this during the umbrella and occupy central protests: however many thousands of people protesting, but the streets were spotless. They were very polite at that time; but still increasingly cannot trust the government For instance the…

I asked some questions, rather than trying to convey some arguments, since I'm not expert in any way about Hong Kong situation. The only thing led me making this post is after watching the old lady video I felt it's important to introduce some other viewpoints to the discussion happening on HN, a website I visit daily and I appreciate the HN community. Other than that I don't have any stake in the game. You might watched the beginning of the second video and think I talk about clean up after pretesting? In that video protesters shined laser on that old lady.

I might not have expressed my question clearly. Thanks for bearing with me:

1. Let's say the whole city would like to obtain democracy as fast as they can, strike would be one of the most effective method for nonviolent resistance, no? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_resistance) I'm curious why this way of protesting has not been employed yet?

2. >My wife was just showing me a video of an undercover police officer trashing government property and threatening pepper spray when videoed --

I'm very aware of those police shenanigans. I'm also ok with violence against oppressive police/military. However, does this justify violence against not armed civilians with different opinions? If your answer is yes then it's fine. It would help me understand the perspective of westerners better.