Opinion: Recalls highlight political correctness conundrum

Friday the 13th (July 2007) marked the unlucky release of Nintendo’s Mario Party 8 in the UK where copies were quickly recalled after it was discovered that the game contained the word “spastic.” June 2007, Ubisoft recalled the DS game Mind Quiz in the UK for the same reason. Spokespersons for the companies involved were quick to apologize for the inclusion of the word and edited versions of Mario Party 8 quickly replaced the rouge American versions.

The word “spastic” is not considered offensive in the United States but it’s synonym “retarded” is, as was witnessed by the edited radio version of the Black Eyed Peas’ popular 2003 song “Let’s Get Retarded,” which was changed to “Let’s Get It Started.”

Political correctness has always been something of a double edged sword. On the one hand it protects people from slander and liable, wicked incarnations of tasteless muckrakers and opportunists alike. On the other hand it gags the mouths and censors the pens of radio show hosts (somewhere Don Imus is laughing) and writers as well, and now, it would seem, makers of video games.

The U.K. recall of Mario Party 8 just proves that language in the public sphere has become increasingly restricted in this new age of hyper sensitivity. I hesitate to call this an infringement of free speech, especially because the Mario Party franchise is targeted towards kids and represents a private, corporate venture as opposed to an individual expression. That being said, it seems silly to get so worked up over such a minor infraction, a cultural faux pas that was unintentional and committed without malice. There are, after all, so many other atrocities that are more worthy of our indignation than the antics of a fictional pixel.

Read [Metro] Also Read [Quicksave Junkie]