Kinda not feeling this Grand Theft Auto 4 ad on DU..

[Anansi1171]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Electric Larry (a host of the General Discussion forum).

...I could capably screen shot it for you. It has a brotha, excuse me, a young african american male - with a pierced ear holding a baseball bat ready to break into some cars I guess.

Really? I dont game but im seeing this ad.

To hell with you all!

Doc McStuffins is a corporate creation, a beautiful black girl aspiring to be an M.D. and giving care to whatever maladies her toy chest encounters. Thats what my children see themselves as.

You see Marlo Stanfield from the Wire.

To hell with your modern minstrel show!

Y adios!

On edit: Ok not really to hell with you all

But when can we count on YOU to stop buying these images?

[JeffHead]

1. AdBlock is your friend, you should try it. nt

[Anansi1171]

5. Its late. Im pissed. Ah...theres a Barry Manilow ad,...

...Barry, natures tranquilizer. I feel better all ready.

[JeffHead]

14. They should make Barry Manilow pills and the world would be a much better place.

[yuiyoshida]

18. sorry I could not resist

[Anansi1171]

20. Ahhhhhh!-nt

[JeffHead]

24. I know this is off topic but....

You are the about the biggest Giants fan on this site. How do you feel about the Red Sox potentially signing Pablo Sandoval? Is he worth it?

[yuiyoshida]

31. I been wondering if he is going to be let go...

I guess as a Free Agent he can go where ever he likes, but he was the spark for the Giants this year. When ever the Giants really needed a hit, they could count on the Panda. It be a shame for the Giants not to come up with the money to keep him on the roster a few more years, but I have a feeling the Giants would let him go.. there is a bunch of people on Twitter who been pushing for the Giants to "Pay the Panda".. but whether or not they will, is another story. Certainly after this WORLD SERIES WIN they can afford to pay him what he wants. Boston is a bigger market financially.. and Yes could give him what ever he wants.. and you know, he would be an asset to what ever team he plays for. For a big guy, he is amazing as a third basemen, and in the American league would make a great DH.

You guys may get him, I don't know.. I am surprised the Yankees are not wanting him, they buy ever big star out there...but I am hoping the Giants keep him.. But what ever happens, who ever gets the Panda, is getting a champion!

[Anansi1171]

19. It would. Add Neil Diamond elixer...

...and we can declare world peace!

[snooper2]

61. You sure you are seeing 4? Grand Theft Auto 5 has been out for a while

Check this out!

[cemaphonic]

48. Yeah, I never understand these threads

Of all of the annoyances of modern life, why complain about one of the few that has a simple, permanent solution available for free?

Also, while the GTA series does indeed trade in lowbrow offensive racial/ethnic stereotyping, it tends to be in a equal-opportunity and over-the-top satirical fashion. It has black (and not just African-American) and Hispanic gangs, but also Italian and Russian Mafia types, American rednecks, an Irish gang, and even a Hare Krishna faction.

[pinboy3niner]

51. They're an equal opportunity negative stereotyper?

Whew! What a relief!

[CurtEastPoint]

2. Talk to Google as they serve up the ads. DU has no say in it

[NYC_SKP]

3. Good luck in life. You're going to need it.

If your expectations are that insulting ads won't appear just because, then you will live a sad and disappointed life.

If you think someone is sitting at a computer picking ads to show that piss you off, you will not be a happy person in life.

Most of us don't see the ads- we pay $5.00 for a year of not seeing them.

You could also set your browser to hide most of them.

[Anansi1171]

6. Umm. Nice eye rolls. Can I pay $5.00 not to see your posts?

Thought that was free on DU.

What can I say, im on one.

Wait for it....
.
.
.

.
.

Eyeroll!

[Anansi1171]

7. Because thats how....

Eye roll!

[NYC_SKP]

11. You can most definitely use the "ignore" feature and thereby not see my posts.

I don't even think you have to pay the $5.00!

[Anansi1171]

15. Sage advice!

[pinboy3niner]

37. It's FREE?

Hell, even $5 would be a bargain.

Just kidding, NYC_SKP, just kidding.

[NYC_SKP]

38. I believe I had 50 members ignoring me at one point. The Fools.

As I was ignoring all of them already, so tedious!

[pinboy3niner]

40. I think I only got up to 7 or 8`

I fooled everybody else.


You know I love you.

[NYC_SKP]

41. You slacker, you!

Yeah, I know! Me too!

[Logical]

35. LOL, ahhhhhh, somebody needs a nap. Nt

[TeeYiYi]

46. Hey, if you...

...take that $5 and buy a star with it, ALL of the ads will go away.

TYY

[name not needed]

4. What in god's name are you talking about?

[shenmue]

9. I don't know either

Pretty sure they're up to GTA V now.

[PasadenaTrudy]

12. They are!

Doesn't make sense.

[bigwillq]

8. I've been with the ads for years now, and I really don't notice them anymore.

They don't bother me.

[arcane1]

10. Ads suck, everywhere.

[pinboy3niner]

16. Google AdSuck delivers only the BEST!

[gollygee]

13. We do get offensive ads here sometimes

Here's another example: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021206721

Sorry people are dismissing your reasonable concern.

[Anansi1171]

17. Thanks. Given the currently climate and whats about to unfold...

...can we please have a white-bearded hipster as the Thief? How about an asian triad member?

Its so easy to for for millions of white guys to play a black gangster. How original.

Thanks.

[pinboy3niner]

22. You might PM Skinner and ask if the ad can be removed

I think Google AdServe customers can request not to get a particular ad they deem offensive.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for admin contact link.

[Anansi1171]

26. I did just that, Thank You!

[cemaphonic]

52. The GTA series has had literally dozens of white criminal characters

Probably well over 100 (including hipsters) Loads of Triad/Yakuza/unaffiliated Asian gangsters too.

[ReverendDeuce]

56. It's brilliant, isn't it? I love GTA V...

I sort of played GTA "1" when it came out in the 90s. But 2-4 never really interested me. GTA V though, is a whole new ballgame!

Last winter, my wife and I would take GTA V "vacations" where after a real life night out, we'd jack a sailboat in the game and park off Vespuci Beach and crank up Los Santos Rock Radio just to watch the RAGE engine's gorgeous sunsets while we enjoy a nightcap.

She doesn't want to play the game, but she loves watching me drive around. We still do this about once every two weeks or so.

We are buying an Xbox One just for the new GTA V with the graphics enhancements.

[Electric Monk]

21. You realize the ads Google serves you are also related to your browser history?

That's what makes threads like this so funny

[NaturalHigh]

25. Just curious...

If you regularly clear out your browsing history, is Google still able to keep up with your preferences? Do cookies stay on your computer even if you've cleared the browsing history?

[Electric Monk]

28. Some trackers are server side. Cookies are client side. Try Ghostery to see just how many there are.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ghostery/

DU only has two, usually, both of which relate to the ads that google serves up here. Some sites have twenty plus, from various sources.

[NaturalHigh]

30. Thanks. I've never really understood how they work.

[Anansi1171]

27. Good point, thats part of my amazement. My browsers been...

...clear save for DU and Google News. I dont even know what the correct version of "GTA" is. But who knows? They have ads to serve.

In a pretty tense time, it was just one more negative image, you know?

[NaturalHigh]

23. It's an ad depicting the actual game.

If you don't like the game, you don't have to buy it.

[Anansi1171]

29. I wont. And you dont have to play it and support a stereotype. ..

...image of black males as criminals and culturally trade in such images.

As you see, these things may have life and death consequences for my children some day. They will be Doctors and other wise good people as black people are.

Your children will see them as thugs- having played one on TV and all.

On edit: meant stereotypical.

[Odin2005]

32. Get AdBlock.

Ads, what ads???

[hunter]

33. From my high fortress I used to order drone attacks on advertisers who offended me.

But then I decided it was less expensive, and probably more ethical, to subscribe to DU, block certain advertisers, and quit watching cable, satellite, or broadcast television.

[Logical]

34. FFS, The Internet works that way. Why don't you jump the DUers who don't donate???

[pinboy3niner]

39. It's a valid complaint about offensive racial stereotyping

We've got enough of that crap coming from Missouri authorities right now, and we may soon be seeing a whole lot more.

[Cha]

36. What ads? I see no ads.. thank the Stars! I hate ads. any kind.

[NYC_SKP]

42. Hey! Cha! Look what I got!

You got it, too!

[Cha]

43. Oh yeah, the President and me Go Way Back, SKP!

Six-month-old Madelynn Schnedler wears a shirt with a photo of her being held by President Barack Obama on his last visit to Iowa on April 25, during a campaign rally at the University of Iowa September 7, 2012. Madelynn’s parents Eric and Katie Schnedler had the shirt printed with the words ‘The President and Me Go Way Back’

http://theobamadiary.com/2012/09/07/the-president-and-me-go-way-back/

[herding cats]

44. Google ADs are still pushing GTA 4? They really suck worse than I thought.

I don't see ADs here and had no idea that was there. GTA type games aren't my thing anyway, so I doubt the AD would have shown up for me.

It's kind of funny, though. Who is going to be interested in it anyway? Even the people it's supposed to target would already have played the game and ignore it. Google AD fail.

[pinboy3niner]

45. It may not appeal to gamers or be effective, but many will still be subjected to the image

The fact that an ad with that image is still used is an indication of how accepted the 'black thug' stereotype is.

[LostInAnomie]

47. Whhhhhaaaa....???

I don't get modern art.

[JonLP24]

49. Must be Grand Theft Auto 5

Can't think of too many African-American characters in 4. A major friend is Jamaican.

Likely 5 since one of the three main protagonists is African-American. Not familiar with it so I can't help with the content it is portraying.

[JonLP24]

50. Marlo Stanfield was based on the real-life Timirror Stanfield

Investigations' Conclusions

From the evidence gathered in the Stanfield and Bradley investigations, it appears that only a few members adopted the violent mentality of the core group. The majority of gang members appear to be trapped between their essentially good upbringing and their fear of the gang's violence. Those members who are uncertain and confused are the ones who the investigators target. The process proposes to resolve a subject's conflicts by offering a safe alternative to the gang—cooperation with government officials.

https://www.ncjrs.gov/html/bja/gang/bja4.html

The portrayal & writing of Marlo Stanfield was one of the best depictions of sociopath behavior. Gus Fring, the chicken brothers episode was pretty good. Outside of that, he just appeared cold & ruthless.

[Drunken Irishman]

53. Learn your Roman Numerals. That's GTA V (5).

[Prophet 451]

54. It's probably for GTA 5

That just came out so there's more likely to be an ad for it. I wouldn't know as I have AdBlock an don't care because I don't like that kind of game (I'm more into strategy and management sims).

[ReverendDeuce]

55. GTA V is a biting satire of today's America...

If you'd play the game, you'd understand how virtually every detail in the game is a scathing critique of current American society in general.

The three main protagonists, which include the one you mention, spend a great deal of time harping on everything from racism, homophobia, tea partiers, celebrity worship, and radicals from every stripe. All while they commit crimes together!

Every inch of this game is scathing, but hopeful. One gets the impression that the crimes are being committed not because of a sense of entitlement, but out of frustration with the game's broken world. If virtually everyone around you is woefully stupid and self-centered, why not?

It is, perhaps, the best video game ever. If not that, it at least has the finest soundtrack ever! From the commercials to the music selections on the radio stations, it's all so goddamn brilliant.

Love me some GTA V.

[JonLP24]

57. Franklin is the only character that seems normal or well adjusted

Nuances of Satire: Falling into GTA V’s Biopolitical Trap

<snip>
Within this particular critical framework, Los Santos is a lively cultural place with its own character and rules. Specifically, Los Santos deploys violence as the means through which conflict resolution can and should be enacted. Very few, if any, actions taken in Los Santos possess any kind of morally or ethically redeemable qualities. However, Los Santos as a satirical cultural space enables the deployment of particular cultural archetypes that allow us to reflect upon and question why their everyday life and practices appear to be abhorrent to us.
<snip>

For example, Trevor can be built up as a pathological character who will go to any lengths to obtain what he desires. Trevor lashes out violently for any and all reasons, sees violence as a sure way to accomplish his goals, and espouses the Los Santos way of life to its fullest. This is exemplified in the numerous missions available to Trevor.

For instance, a mission set available only to Trevor is the rampage. During these events, Trevor becomes enraged and attacks a series of opponents ranging from rednecks, to the military, to cycling hipsters. The rampages are typically initiated when some slight is committed against Trevor who, as a way to settle the dispute, brandishes a weapon and unleashes havoc and destruction upon his surroundings.

Also emblematic of Trevor’s lack of self-control and randomness are the numerous scenes presented to players when switching to Trevor. Amongst the most memorable that we encountered are: Trevor throwing a man over an overpass and into oncoming traffic; a bloodied Trevor wearing only a pair of underwear, socks, and boots, waking up on an island, surrounded by four dead members of a criminal motorcycle gang; an enraged Trevor chasing down three cyclists in his truck; and a confused Trevor telling a bodybuilder that the man had, in fact, stolen Trevor’s underwear. No context is given for any of these scenes, which reinforces the apparent randomness of Trevor’s behaviour.

What positions Trevor as an effective character in defining the world of GTA 5 is that such behavior, thought morally and ethically reprehensible, nonetheless comes as no surprise. The internal consistency of Los Santos puts players in a position where expendable morality and ethics become the norm. In other words, Trevor Phillips is exactly who we would expect to meet in Los Santos. Far from being pathological, Trevor Phillips represents normality, and that is precisely why he is so effective when it comes to satirizing our own world. He is morally repugnant, yet fits in perfectly in Los Santos. He is the perfect biopolitical citizen produced by Los Santos, a citizen that will ensure that Los Santos’ way of life remains vibrant in the future despite our own moral and ethical quandaries with the presentation of events in the game’s world.

If Trevor is an open book when it comes to Los Santos biopolitics, Michael De Santa is a more nuanced character. Contrary to Trevor, Michael is depicted as the rational criminal, albeit one that is down on his luck. At the start of the game, Michael is directly attempting to leave behind the life of crime that has long followed him. Nevertheless, aspects of his past continue to haunt him.

Again, Los Santos’ biopolitics play a role in shaping Michael’s character. However, they act on Michael in a more insidious manner than they act on Trevor. While Trevor is never conflicted about the life he lives – to the point of repeatedly calling it a life choice – Michael is caught in a double bind he never manages to resolve: He wants to escape the life of crime that has led him to where he is today, yet the only way he knows how to do such a thing is by committing even more crime. For Michael, redemption can only come through accepting his role as a biopolitical citizen, his final escape from a world of crime secured through a massive heist that provides him the promise of security that only criminally obtained money can buy.

http://higherlevelgamer.org/2013/10/08/nuances-of-satire-falling-into-gta-vs-biopolitical-trap/

I wanted to post more but that describes it perfectly and helps me make sense of some things. Earlier versions I didn't feel more offensive than a movie like a Casino, but it is like with this one, they choose to go ahead and all the stuff they were accused of before. I'd activate a side mission only to hear rampant misogyny from the character and felt the game didn't need any of this so wondered why they choose to.

The thing I like most about the satire is in the GTA 5 world, descriptions are straight-forward such as Weazel News "Confirming your prejudices." Or when Jimmy is saying how he is going to follow in Michael's footsteps to produce movies but that they will be meaningless and not about the art(paraphrasing).

Not so much part of the self-honesty satire, but part of the Franklin & Lamar dialogue which cracks me up. He calls the gang structure a "pyramid scheme".

GTA has really expanded the possibility of gaming.

[RedCappedBandit]

58. It's funny because the ads are targeted to you based on your browser history

and google does that, not DU

Download adblock and move on.

It has a brotha, excuse me, a young african american male

[JonLP24]

59. Which is funny because I typed "gta 5 wiki" in my search box countless times

and have yet to see the ad on DU.

Though I'm familiar with the cover art referenced.



The other two protagonists are on the left hand side.

[NYC_SKP]

60. Locking.

Host consensus is that the beatings will continue until all of you comply.

Good day.

[Warren DeMontague]

62. Locking.

Please direct questions and concerns about DU/ad placement and content, etc. to administrators:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1259