benchilada | (no subject)

First, a link to the preview site: http://www.white-wolf.com/pimp/index.php?line=intro

Then, a copy of the e-mail I sent, a response, and my subsequent response.

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Dear Sirs,

I'm afraid that it's time for me to say goodbye
to White Wolf games and to encourage my friends to do
the same.
My introduction to your company was with Vampire:
The Masquerade, first edition, the big paperback with
the poor combat rules. I've watched and enjoyed the
success your company has had, as well as the way your
products have increased in quality with every passing
year.
Now I visit your site and find Pimp: The
Backhanding. I'm not going to rant, I'm not going to
launch into an ideological rage, I'm just going to
tell you why I feel the way I do, and then I'm going
to go.
First, not funny. Not in any way. How a game
whose very title involves beating a prostitute got
past any quality control and your company is beyond
me. How this game could actually be produced all but
destroys my faith in every senior staff member.
Second, one argument rearing its head -- even
from within your company -- is that instead of
complaining about this game we should be doing real
work to help abused women and those whose lives are
destroyed by the sex industry. In particular, some
e-mails by White-Wolf employee "Conrad Hubbard" have
been harping on this point. I'm stunned that your
company would even try to play this off as "humor" and
believe that putting a link to Amnesty USA at the
bottom of the page would somehow make it less
horrible, let alone that complaining about this
product means that we're not "fighting the real
enemy."
Finally, I'd like to mention that with Vampire,
you have always made it clear that this is only a
game, that there is no actual contact during
live-action, that the game is themed for mature
players, et cetera. At least in the past, when you've
dealt with particularly gruesome or borderline themes,
you've put them under your Black Dog Studios banner,
and made certain that there were Mature Theme warnings
everywhere. With P:tB, you've branded anybody who
finds it offensive as being "politically correct."
Please excuse me if I am okay with portraying a
"gothic-punk" vampire drinking blood to live, yet have
a hard time understanding a game that directly
involves the players acting out scenes of violence
against women, particularly those already in the
vulnerable and regrettable "profession" of
prostitution.

I'm truly sorry that I had to write this letter,
and I am sorry that I have purchased my last ever
White Wolf product.

Benjamin Stone

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THE REPLY:
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FROM: "Steve Wieck" <stevew@white-wolf.com>

Benjamin,

Thanks for the e-mail.

My feelings are that:

1. Many people are making judgments about Pimp without even seeing the
game. As such, even when they see it they will have already made up
their minds.

2. We have always made products that address issues like racism,
sexism, abuse, addiction, etc. Because almost all of the past products we have
released have been dramatic instead of comedic in nature, I think
people more easily see this as a means to confront these topics rather than
any advocacy of them. Since Pimp is comedic instead of dramatic, I think
people believe the product is somehow advocating these negatives rather
than merely confronting them albeit through comedy instead of drama.
I think Blazing Saddles did as much to confront racism as Roots.

Every customer is important to us creatively and financially. We
appreciate your support and your right to give it or withhold it.

Regards,

Steve Wieck
White Wolf Publishing, Inc
www.white-wolf.com

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MY REPLY
--------------------------

--- Steve Wieck <stevew@white-wolf.com> wrote:

> Benjamin,
>
> Thanks for the e-mail.
>
> My feelings are that:
>
> 1. Many people are making judgments about Pimp
> without even seeing the
> game. As such, even when they see it they will have
> already made up
> their minds.

To me, phrases like these:

"a lowly fishmonger making a sticky bankroll off the
diseased crackwhores you’ve gotten hooked?"

"or to bust up (backhand) your opponents’ ho’s."

"We’ve kept the prices low so you can still do the
math after a couple of malt liquors."

all of which are on your preview page,
http://www.white-wolf.com/pimp/index.php?line=intro,
are enough for me to identify a game that is offensive
and inflammatory without any redeeming satirical
value.

I also figure that the stereotypical image of a Latino
man trying to sell Rolexes from inside of his jacket
after failing to make money on his prostitutes, and
that of a crack-addicted prostitute, are enough to do
a bit of judging of the game. Perhaps I'm wrong,
perhaps there are positive, unoffensive, or
thought-provoking cards which simply haven't been
displayed yet.

> 2. We have always made products that address issues
> like racism, sexism,
> abuse, addiction, etc. Because almost all of the
> past products we have
> released have been dramatic instead of comedic in
> nature, I think people
> more easily see this as a means to confront these
> topics rather than any
> advocacy of them. Since Pimp is comedic instead of
> dramatic, I think
> people believe the product is somehow advocating
> these negatives rather
> than merely confronting them albeit through comedy
> instead of drama.
> I think Blazing Saddles did as much to confront
> racism as Roots.

Your drama HAS confronted these issues in the past,
and quite well. I had always believed that White Wolf
could do an equally good job addressing these themes
through humor. Judging by the preview page -- where
we learn that if a prostitute applies for college, she
must immediately be beaten by her pimp -- you've
fallen quite short.

I'd have to agree with you on that last sentence.
However, wouldn't you agree that a vast majority of
the humor in Blazing Saddles is directed at those who
perpetuated stereotypes? The first that comes to mind
is the "Camptown Ladies" scene. That film was satire.
I imagine that when I see a final version of your
card game, there will be a vast difference between
Blazing Saddles and Pimp: The Backhanding. I see
only perpetuation in your preview page, and no
confrontation.

Unless a card about throwing a deep frier full of hot
oil at a prosititute is cleverly disguised social
discourse.

Benjamin Stone

---------------------------

So, there are my two cents...

---EDIT---

His last e-mail:

> I see
> only perpetuation in your preview page, and no
> confrontation.
>

Ok. Then I can understand that you'd be disappointed by the game.
There's a difference in believing Pimp is poorly conceived satire and
believing that we have set out to encourage people to abuse women.

Steve

---------------------------------

Hmm.