The Flak over Fl4k and what it cost

wesleyfarmer090100 · August 13, 2019, 5:51am

Its a character I should be able to call it whatever I want.

Kastonius · August 13, 2019, 5:51am

Charley, I’m seriously trying to be nice here, and I"m not being sarcastic.

You’re constantly proving my point. Yes, Gearbox is clearly intolerant of those that wish to call Fl4k “him”. You are assuming intentions behind it, which is extremely hard to prove. I call Fl4k “him” because that’s just what comes naturally to me. I am not trying to be “intolerant”. I’m just being me. It’s absurd that I would be censored for such a thing.

charleychibi · August 13, 2019, 5:51am

You know, I’ll ask again. Why do you want to gender the robot?

boombumr · August 13, 2019, 5:52am

So you want a serious discussion, I provide a point of argument, and after dismissing it outright you immediately decide that you don’t want to continue the discussion?

I’ve done my part. I’ve been civil to you. I would appreciate the same in kind. If the goal is actual conversation, then simply disprove the point. We’ll go from there.

wesleyfarmer090100 · August 13, 2019, 5:52am

Same “I call Fl4k “him” because that’s just what comes naturally to me.”

wesleyfarmer090100 · August 13, 2019, 5:53am

Its what comes naturally to us.

Kastonius · August 13, 2019, 5:53am

Because I identify with the robot, he’s my favorite character, and I’m a dude. That’s it. That’s literally it. Just having fun by immersing myself in it.

charleychibi · August 13, 2019, 5:53am

Okay, why don’t you change it when presented with new information? People do that for dogs, tbh. “oh what a good boy!” “actually, she’s a girl.” “what a good girl!” That’s a regular everyday conversation. Why not change it?

charleychibi · August 13, 2019, 5:54am

Why haven’t you changed Moze or Amara to a man?

Blake34 · August 13, 2019, 5:54am

It’s a forum not your bedroom, you can call fl4k what ever you want and do what ever you want on you own time in your own property.

What you actually want, is to go somewhere you don’t own, and do it there.
Not your forums not your rules, you can gender the rocks outside your house.

Arsonist · August 13, 2019, 5:54am

Or… and hear me out on this. Some people don’t give a ■■■■ and disagree with you. Like on an actual level. Not even a real trolling level. They just think your opinion is bad and are bringing that matter to your attention.

But sure, it’s a valid theory that everyone involved is just out to get you. And not misrepresentations like

Because, let’s at least be fair, if it was “just because of a fictional character” we wouldn’t have all the high horsers on the other side preaching “science” that gets refuted by their own sources.

wesleyfarmer090100 · August 13, 2019, 5:55am

My grandma calls every dog a boy and every cat a girl she doesn’t have ill intent behind it and neither do we with fl4k.

ZombieSheep · August 13, 2019, 5:55am

Exactly what JerZey just said. Zero malice and intent towards others, that’s part of the point we’re trying to get across. There’s an expectation of malice because of how people label Fl4k the robot.

If you see yourself in a character and you see that character treated distastefully by your own view, you feel a certain way correct? That would be fine and dandy if it stopped there…that’s part of the point because it doesn’t just stop there. The what if’s get drawn and acted apon. People see themsevles in the robot because of one simply corrolation. Non-gender. That’s all that’s in common. Yet for some reason it’s almost like people saying Fl4k is a dude equates to talking about somebodies mother or talking down to someone. Fl4k is not you. I mean take a look at the implications of saying you see yourself as a robot. A robot. Don’t people get enough flak, >.>, from being called npc’s?

JerZey_CJ · August 13, 2019, 5:55am

People misgendering a fictional robot is not intolerant

HOLY JESUS

■■■■

Arsonist · August 13, 2019, 5:57am

So to be clear. Your need to identify with a “male” robot trumps anyone elses need to identify with a “nonbinary” robot. See, honesty is a great thing guys.

charleychibi · August 13, 2019, 5:57am

I feel like you’re close to understanding why Gearbox forums have taken the stance they have. It’s just that you seem to think that what people say about FL4K can’t hurt real life people. But that isn’t true. No matter how much we want to turn off our emotions about certain things, we can’t. We can’t choose whether or not to be upset by things (something I learned in therapy, btw). All we can do is control our actions. So, what the moderators are doing is the action. Preventing people from feeling that hurt and punishing those that inflict it.

Kastonius · August 13, 2019, 5:57am

Because it was just added recently. I’ve been referring to Fl4k as a dude this whole time and now I’m being told that even referring to Fl4k as a dude is illegal?

It’s also a robot, and I think its gender is rather subjective. I’ve always taken fl4k to be slightly more on the male side, but that’s just me!

What if GB presented new information about fl4k claiming, his name is now “Pl8TT”? People would still probably call em Fl4k because of what you’ve been accustomed to.

Jordangold527 · August 13, 2019, 5:58am

Not quite accurate. FL4K is an Artificial Intelligence. They are being with mental (and potentially emotional) capacities of a human. The main difference is that they are made of metal, not meat. This is a theory that has been discussed in philosophy for literal centuries. Beings with intelligence similar to humans and what makes someone “human” to begin with. If you played Detroit: BH then you know this at the Philosophy 101 level.

That leads us to the next bit of this discussion. Identification. More specifically, people identifying with fictitious characters. This is something extremely common. People consume a great deal of media in the modern age. If you grow up never seeing yourself (or someone similar) portrayed in that media then it is akin to the world saying “you don’t exist”. Step back and ask yourself “how would I/do I feel about never seeing someone like me in my favorite films? Never seeing someone with my skin color in the cartoons I watched as a kid? My sexuality in the comedies I watched through high school? My gender in literally ANYTHING aside from obscure short novels written by fringe, indie writers who are treated like scum?”

What does that say? If you are always portrayed as “other” then you see yourself as “other”. You are never a part of the world you inhabit. That can be, and more often than not IS, devastating.

This is not a simple “Oh, it’s a toaster. I’mma call it he because I want to”.
This is a chance for a group of LIVING HUMAN-■■■■■■■-BEINGS to feel like they belong in this world. Suck it up and show them they are welcome here or Get. The. Hell. Out.

(I know that was aggro, but sometimes one needs to be.)

Arsonist · August 13, 2019, 5:58am

I hate to break it to you, but it’s been known since probably a few weeks after the first character leaks. Like seriously, this isn’t even the first time this argument has been had on these boards.

Kastonius · August 13, 2019, 5:58am

Being upset is part of life Charlie. We have to deal with it.