by Elizabeth Wachowski 
Feb 22nd 2011 at 10:00AM
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| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Love Is In the Air | 2/2 - 2/15 |
| Blackrock Foundry Normal and Heroic open | 2/3 |
| Darkmoon Faire | 2/8 - 2/15 |
| Blackrock Foundry Mythic opens | 2/10 |
| Lunar Festival | 2/16 - 3/2 |
| Blackrock Foundry LFR wing 1 opens | 2/17 |
| Blackrock Foundry LFR wing 2 opens | 2/24 |
| Darkmoon Faire | 3/1 - 3/8 |
| Blackrock Foundry LFR wing 3 opens | 3/10 |
| Blackrock Foundry LFR wing 4 opens | 3/24 |
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Understud Feb 22nd 2011 5:08AM
just noob-tube it..
err...
wait rong game my b
Andre Feb 22nd 2011 10:19AM
Having been evacuated yesterday myself, this picture made me smile.
Vyle Feb 22nd 2011 10:20AM
I just kinda feel some people may take offense to this. Not exactly sure why, though.
Marcosius Feb 22nd 2011 10:34AM
Having seen people torn half by machine guns and grenades, associating this with current middle eastern revolutions doesn't feel that appropriate. I'm sure the intention wasn't bad, but still.. Kinda tasteless.
lieinzenith Feb 22nd 2011 11:11AM
It's a typical orientalist approach to the whole matter. While as you say, people are dying in tens and hundreds in Libya, some think it is in good taste to put images of turbaned Djinnis and make light comments about what's happening. That kind of mentality is very often in the discourse in the west about the Middle East, and it is partly responsible for the whole despicable "Arabs don't know or understand democracy" argument. It is mostly Fox News and co. that promote that kind of thought, but still it is embedded - i think - in the narrative of western societies. That's just my opinion though. Hold the flaming for that demented dictator of Libya, Gadhafi, please.
Andre Feb 22nd 2011 11:13AM
I'm not offended. Humor like this is good.
Elizabeth Wachowski Feb 22nd 2011 11:30AM
liein, I actually see the whole zone of Uldum as playing off of outdated stereotypes about the Arab world. It reminds me of the original opening to the Disney Aladdin movie. Sacred cat people! Camels! The Great White Adventurer, Harrison Jones, out for all he can exploit! Yes, yes, I know it's a parody of the Indiana Jones movies, but I had hoped that Blizzard would show some more originality in their design. Al'Akir is also one of the 99 names of God in Islamic tradition, so I consider it very weird that they used it for a boss name.
This was actually written before the recent explosion of violence in Libya, and is meant to express support for the revolutions without drawing "LOL POLITICS" responses. I too hope that Gadhafi (and Ahmadinejad, while we're at it) are thrown from power by the people that they have oppressed and receive a just reward for their actions.
Marcosius Feb 22nd 2011 11:33AM
You know, says something about the world when people got damn mad about the horde graffiti on some construction site plaque, yet it's a-ok to make light of actual plight of human beings on the other side of the planet.
Lieinzenith Feb 22nd 2011 11:53AM
Nlizzard is a multi-billion dollar company. These guys thrive on stereotypes. I could go in depth on this, but i don't think this is the place to do it.
As for the pic itself, i'm not the type to go "omg wth, i'm offended by that reference etc etc...". I trully despise political correctness. It is fascism in camuflage. But i could not avoid pointing out the fact - as i see it, perhaps i'm wrong - of a typical western approach towards the Arabs.
I'm glad, nevertheless, to read that it was posted in solidarity to the people fighting for their freedom in the region. They need all the support we can give them...
lieinzenith Feb 22nd 2011 11:55AM
Nlizzard....jeez!
Please, pretty please, with sugar on top, fix the comment system!
Nawaf Feb 22nd 2011 12:15PM
As an Arab I have to interfere.
I gotta start by saying I'm proud of being an Arab at this time.
Anyway, I didn't find this funny at all, even if it was written before the Libyan protests. Many people died at the Egyptian protests, and many died in Bahrain (which was bloodier than Egypt compared to the number of people btw).
For some reason I can't stop myself from talking about how crazy Qaddafi when Libya is mentioned, so here it is:
-He's waging a war against his own people. It's not a massacre, it's a war!
-He's the one and only president of Libya, ever!
-Since he basically made the republic in Libya, he got to name it. Guess what he named it? The longest country name ever: Al-Jamahiriyya Al-Arabiyya Al-Libiyya Al-Sha'biyya Al-Ishtirakiyya Al-Uddhma. Meaning: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
-He called King Abdullah Al-Saud (Saudi Arabia) a monkey in the Arab League conference.
-All his bodyguards are females.
-He kicked all the Italians from Libya.
-He demanded Europe to pay him a few billions to stop illegal Libya immigration to Europe.
As for Al'akir as a boss, Al'Akir comes from Al-Akheer which means "the last". It's true that it's one of the 99 names of God in Islam, but so are other 98 words including Al-Awwal (the first). So you don't have to take it by the religious meaning. Maybe it's because Al'Akir is the weakest of the elemental lords. It's possible.
pseudostudent Feb 22nd 2011 5:24PM
It's interesting to see how people interpret things so differently. When I first saw this picture my first thought was how it had such a similar feeling to the famous picture of a Chinese citizen squaring off in front of a line of tanks near Tiananmen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_man
Kylenne Feb 22nd 2011 8:06PM
@Elizabeth: Well, if you're going to go there, Uldum is just the latest in a long line of questionable stuff perpetuated by a company that seems to employ nothing but privileged white dudebros. I won't beat the dead horse about Trolls again, and now Cataclysm is giving us genderfail by the bucketloads in addition to the racefail, but there you go. As a WoC, I can't think too hard about things like that, or my brain starts to explode. And Al'Akir? Not even close to the most offensive thing about Uldum. Hint: it's the pygmies, which actually made me stop and stare the first time I saw them, because I thought the game was shitting me. First of all, "pygmy" is considered a perjorative term for *actual living people*, indigenous peoples of Africa and other regions who've been screwed over so badly over the years by colonialism and wars that asshole American game developers don't even know they exist as real people outside of racist Hollywood pulp movies.
(Al'Akir also wouldn't be the first time the name of someone's deity was used for a WoW boss. That would have been Ulduar, folks. It's just, well, we Pagans are used to that sort of thing, and for the most part we're all for not taking our deities very seriously. Though as someone with Kemetic leanings, it was truly surreal running Halls of Origination for the first time.)
Regardless, pulling the "I didn't mean to be offensive! And anyway Blizzard is worse!" card just is not how you respond to things like this. You got called out on your privilege because you got caught with your pants down. It doesn't make you a terrible person. *Everyone has privilege* in some area or another of life, even me, the queer black chick! What's important is you recognize that your privilege has the potential to harm someone, and if someone marginalized calls you out, don't try to make excuses and fall back on the Magic of Intent. You still hurt someone with your words. Apologize and unpack your privilege. Google is immensely helpful in this regard.
RobD Feb 22nd 2011 10:48AM
Breaking News: To deal with rising anti-Elemental Lord sentiment, Al'Akir has suspended access to the internet across his domain. Reports started coming in just under an hour ago that raiders across Azeroth are unable to enter The Throne of the Four Winds. There are a few unconfirmed reports that limited access is still available through a little known experimental pipeline coming out of Gnomeregan. Stay tuned here for any further developments.
Joakim Feb 22nd 2011 11:40AM
LFM: 10 K+ raid on ruler estate and other buildings. Need healers (doctors without borders stopped at borders), iLvl 15+, level 1-85, no pre raid exp. required, faction change ok. No link of ach req. Call for "the Doctor" has gone out, no reply still.
Please whisp "Freedom Fighters of Stormwind aka Defias".
Sky Feb 22nd 2011 11:49AM
Too soon
CaryEverett Feb 22nd 2011 12:07PM
You have awakened me too soon, Executus!
Tirrimas Feb 22nd 2011 12:10PM
Viva la revolution.
Easy folks. Slow down. Read Elizabeth's comment-reply above.
I sincerely hope that those fighting for democracy and basic human rights ANYWHERE succeed beyond their wildest dreams.
It's too bad Gadhafi can't seem to take the high road. :(
StClair Feb 22nd 2011 12:31PM
Has he ever? I mean, ever?
Nawaf Feb 23rd 2011 1:11PM
The guy is a lunatic. Let me translate some stuff he said in the past few days:
-A woman has the right to be a candidate whether she's a male or a female.
-Oh people... if it wasn't for electricity we'd watch TV in the dark.
-I'm not a dictator to close facebook, but I will arrest anyone who goes on it.
-Protest as you like but don't go out to the streets and the fields.
-I will stay in Libya until I die or until my life ends.
-Bur Al-walidayn (an Arabic term that kind of means "honoring your parents") is more important than obeying your parents.
-I will punish whoever burns himself TO DEATH for a 5 year sentence in prison.
-(Before the protests) That he will go and join the protests demanding the overthrow of the government.
If I saw him on TV and I didn't know who he is, I would've though he was a comedian.