New PCC - Stunticons, Undertow and Salvage

[Hursticon]

I agree with Seraphim. The word "gay" when used as a synonym for something undesirable and negative (like "stupid") then makes it offensive because it is implying that gays are undesirable and negative people. Whether gay people personally find it offensive or not doesn't necessarily change that.

From wikipedia:
"When used with a derisive attitude (e.g. "that was so gay"), the word gay is pejorative. While retaining its other meanings, it has also acquired "a widespread current usage" amongst young people, as a general term of disparagement. This pejorative usage has its origins in the late 1970s. Beginning in the 1980s and especially in the late 1990s, the usage as a generic insult became common among young people.

This usage of the word has been criticized as homophobic."

I think everyone understands that when people use the word "gay" to describe something in a negative context (e.g. "Spastic is such a gay name"), that they are using it in the context of homosexuals as a synonym for negativity.

I think it's fine to use the word "gay" outside of that context though. For example, some people are now challenging the line from "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree" where it says "How gay your life must be." -- now, to take offense to that is just silly. Obviously they're using the word 'gay' in the context of being happy, and I don't think children should be insulated from it, but simply taught about context - because context is a major part of how languages work.

But having said that, there are some words that, when they become widely taken offensive, that it may be unwise to assign that word to the name of a children's toy. For example, imagine if I made a Transformer character whose tech specs profile describes him as being extremely sociable and a great communicator... so I call him "Intercourse." Contextually I'm using the word in its correct meaning. In reality, I'm probably gonna get complaints from parents. A colleague of mine found a school report written around 1900 which described a male student as having "excellent intercourse." The teacher was of course praising his social intercourse... but I reckon if I wrote that now in a student's report, I'd probably end up in a spot of trouble.

I personally don't understand the argument that a word can still be considered offensive if the people who are supposedly meant to be offended by it, aren't being offended - how does that make sense?

Also I agree that some, if not a lot, of people still use it in a context of negativeness towards Homosexuals - I pity them because obviously they don't know how incredibly normal Homosexuals are, what they choose to do behind closed doors is their own business but I digress.

I'm going to leave it at that because whilst obviously I have differing opinions to others, I don't think this topic of discussion is really in-line with the thread and I don't want to offend anybody any further.

This thread is probably several pages longer than it needs to be, and although I don't want to make it go longer, I'm not going to let this pass without comment.

Personally, I wince every time somebody uses the word "gay" in a negative and do find it offensive. It's disappointing that so many people think this sort of casual derogatory language.

I agree Paulbot, as I am a cause and a contributor to that fact so I'm going to discontinue my discussions on the topic of names, as this thread is becoming incredibly derailed and I'm part of the guilty party.

In a vein attempt to swing things back on topic, I think it is a rather odd choice that they've decided to homage Dragstrip as the leader of these 'Stunticons' as I would love to see a new mold in the visage of G1 Motormaster.
(Scourge/Nemesis has stolen all his thunder and simple repaints suck! )

I'm not a huge fan of PCCs really, I am curious to see a Manta Ray repaint of the boat though if someone wanted to photoshop one?

[kaiden]

I personally don't understand the argument that a word can still be considered offensive if the people who are supposedly meant to be offended by it, aren't being offended - how does that make sense?

because you cant account for 100% of the people in this case. there's bound to be someone offended even if their numbers are minor.

Also I agree that some, if not a lot, of people still use it in a context of negativeness towards Homosexuals - I pity them because obviously they don't know how incredibly normal Homosexuals are, what they choose to do behind closed doors is their own business but I digress.

I would say most people don't grow up around homosexuals which is why it is a difficult topic later in life. I didn't actually know any until after the age of 20+

I'm going to leave it at that because whilst obviously I have differing opinions to others, I don't think this topic of discussion is really in-line with the thread and I don't want to offend anybody any further.

It was an interesting read for me.

In a vein attempt to swing things back on topic, I think it is a rather odd choice that they've decided to homage Dragstrip as the leader of these 'Stunticons' as I would love to see a new mold in the visage of G1 Motormaster.

You could replace him with the huffer repaint - crankcase.

I'm not a huge fan of PCCs really, I am curious to see a Manta Ray repaint of the boat though if someone wanted to photoshop one?

I haven't bought a single PCC at all yet, actually leaving that to family to gift me for christmas

[kaiden]

Hasbro's statement about the Transformer product named "Spastic"

When they say no longer for europe, does that include australia?

[SkyWarp91]

Hasbro's statement about the Transformer product named "Spastic"

When they say no longer for europe, does that include australia?

I thought we were considered part of the Asian market? Isn't that why we're sometimes we're referred to as Australasia?

[Seraphim Prime]

I thought we were considered part of the Asian market? Isn't that why we're sometimes we're referred to as Australasia?

Not in Hasbro's eyes. Although I think we may count in statistics as Asia-Pacific, we have our own distributor looking after all releases, wave distribution, etc.


Which for the last few years I have been thankful for, after hearing all of the issues the UK folk now have in actually getting any TFs at all.

[1AZRAEL1]

It's likely we won't get him here as well. Hasbro Australia would know that "Spastic" is a word to not attach to a toy.

[GoktimusPrime]

guh... simply not selling the toy in markets where the name may potentially offend is a rather short-sighted solution. It would not be that hard or expensive to simply produce stickers with a variant name to apply onto packaging and instruction booklets, surely. Hasbro's done it before with other things, like the Beast Machines Deployers (the back of their cards had a MASSIVE sticker) and of course, all the imported Japanese Masterpiece toys that were sold in Australia (Hasbro placed an English language legal blurb sticker over Takara's). *sigh*

I'd consider getting this toy if I saw it in local stores, but I'm just not enough of a fan of PCCs to bother importing it.