Target/Kmart Australia Pull GTA V Off Shelves

Not at all, because as I've said at least twice the distinction would have to be ruled in a court of law.

Also, you can only interact with female sex workers, they're definitely not equals in that sense.

Wonder how many books have had a 44,000 strong petition that wasn't made as a joke.

You can only interact with them because you're characters are straight males, this isn't an rpg, you play as specific people. :S

The game of thrones series alone has rape , torture , wanton killing , and worse. I saw it on a stand at the front of the store about a week ago.

So, if GTA5 has 44k person signed petition, it is serious business, but if a petition isn't about forcing one person's decision onto all his fellow man just to be some facist better-than-thou ruler, then no matter how many signatures it has, it's not serious and doesn't count.

Seriously, if you can get 440k signatures, "joke" or not, you should listen to it a lot more than a 44k signature petition. Obviously, the 44k petition is a joke, it had 10x less signatures and obviously a weak minority backing.

Why are the characters straight males, and why is there a pressing need to have prostitutes in them? Why can't you beat children senseless?

There was a specific inclusion of a specific thing in the game, and a specific avoidance of other forms of violence. Why?

What 440k petition are you talking about?

Also, good job on dismissing the opinion of 44,000 people just because you disagree with them. You evidently have little understanding of how democracy works.

Why do the 44,000 people only have a problem with the women in the game?

They're imposing their morality on other people, even though no one is actually getting hurt. Sorry to break it to you, but Santa is not real and neither are video game NPCs. If you don't like what you can do to female NPCs in GTA, don't buy the damn game but don't try to tell people how they want to spend their money when there is absolutely no victim here.

Why can't they be straight males? What is inherently wrong with this?

Again I ask, should I be offended there are no transwomen as a main character role? No, because it's not a part of the plot, again this isn't a RPG. Notice there are no Hispanic main characters, there are no Asian main characters, etc... It's not just women who are discluded, heck this is the only GTA with three whole main characters!

Anyway, why can't there be female prostitutes for our straight male protagonists as a game play mechanic to gain health? What do you have against straight males participating in consensual sex (through payment)?

And you're imposing your morality on them. Checkmate.

Also a fun read, inb4 "omg Polygon is trash omg journalists are wannabe trashnerds" - http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/9/7363237/take-two-if-you-find-gta-5-offensive-then-just-dont-buy-it

EDIT: a more balanced article - http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/11/7376223/grand-theft-auto-australia-target

Getting tired of repeating myself at this point, squishy.

1. White males are the predominant stereotype video games are catered towards, despite no longer being the majority in them being played.

2. Options never hurt anyone.

3. No-one said you should be offended. The marvellous point of an opinion (that you're repeatedly ignoring) is that anyone can have an opinion. You could be offended. It just so happens that you're not.

4. Prostitution has a long and varied history of abuse and degradation. Look it up, don't ask me to prove things about it.

REALTALK TIME: who here is actually Australian, and of those Australians who here is actually negatively affected by Target not stocking the game?

I'm not asking for your friends, online acquaintances, or anything. I'm asking for an actual representation here. I'm from the UK, and I intend to get GTA5 when it comes out on PC (as that seems a dead cert. at this point).

There's actually a black male character as well.

I just personally don't understand why someone could be offended, I never said they shouldn't, or couldn't, just that I don't understand why or how- especially since it's a game.

They can have an opinion all they want; I'm just saying in my opinion their opinion is wrong/unjust.

Finally I ask why should it matter if prostitution has a history of wrong doing and abuse when none of such things appear in the actual game in question?

I don't think you understand the issue. I'm not forcing them not to petition - they are forcing their view on morality to destock something. It's a dumb idea based on hollow morality.

I'm Australian and it doesnt affect the sale of the game at all. THAT IS WHY IT IS DUMB.

Replace white with straight, same difference really.

And by arguing against the principle of them being offended throughout this thread, you're saying they shouldn't. Let's not mince semantics here.

Opinions are never wrong. They are opinions. Literally, by definition, they cannot ever be wrong or right. They can coincide with an objective evaluation, but in of themselves they are not.

If you're portraying something in a game, you're open to criticism about that implementation. You're doing a bad job of devil's advocate there.

Did you get this aggravated when the sale of golliwogs was rejected for being a racist interpretation of black people?

Why are you so annoyed at something that you've said doesn't affect you?

Because it's backed by feminist ideology. Basically the idea that you have to immediately ban or shame something or someone if you don't like it.

I don't get aggravated or annoyed - only PC-liberals get butthurt.

So you're opposing this purely because it's "feminist" and for no other reason? Excellent, I've got a good idea of where you stand now.

A completely hypocritical stance, but fair does. Can't help that.

No, but because its so obviously biased and ignorant. Why don't you care that men can be killed in the game too? Answer me that. Why is the petition so adamantly focused on the women in the game.

This sounds better to describe the 44,000 idiots who signed a petition for this.

Because women are so frequently disadvantaged compared to men, and the women that can be punished ingame are more degraded than the men?

You can kill regular men and women in the game - the petition doesn't focus on that. It instead chooses to focus on the exploitation of sex workers - which is entirely fair.

But hey, you're calling them idiots, saying they're imposing their moral values on . . . someone (not you, as you've already said you're not affected). Good luck with that narrative, especially by enforcing the status quo you're pushing your moral values onto them. Hypocrisy!

You still don't understand. I'm not FORCING anyone to do anything.

Since when are women disadvantaged to men?

Also, I don't think there's a difference between murdering a man and a female sex worker. Why should one be shunned more than another?

But aren't you telling my my opinion is wrong right now? Since in my opinion their opinion is wrong?

Whoa paradox

I'm illustrating why your arguments are flawed. You haven't given an opinion on the killing of sex workers in a video game, really.

1. And they're not forcing you, specifically, to do anything. Checkmate.

2. Hahahahahahahaha OH MY REALLY?

3. Hahahahahahahaha OH MY REALLY NOW.

Google the subject, any explanation I could make would be sorely-lacking. If you're actually interested, just Google the subject. If you're not interested, please make another post on why you think the way you think, and I'll ignore it.

What I got from this post.

1. I give up

2. I give up

3. I give up

*cry cry* Yep. Butthurt.

They're coercing Target to take something down and if Target refused they'd be called misogynists and sexists and whatnot.

I think if there is a system that systemically benefits men at the expense of women, it's a pretty tragic failure considering that:

Men are more likely to the victims of physical violence and murder. A system where 96% of workplace deaths are men. Men are 3 times more likely to get arrested for a crime and 10 times more likely to be imprisoned, far more likely to get the death penalty, and in all that, far more likely to be wrongly arrested, imprisoned and executed. In some countries such as the United States, men are more likely to be raped than a woman, more likely to suffer child abuse, more likely to die in a war even as a non-combatant and have no rights in a family court. I better check my privilege...

Alright cya.

Good to see you Googling all of that.

And let it be known that I didn't resort to insults in order to bait an emotional response. That would be you, ya cute little troll, you