You're absolutely right, but I certainly can have an opinion that people should separate a virtual pet site from reality, and I feel rather strongly about it. A headdress can exist as a part of subetan culture and if that culture is based on a real one, as some very obviously are already, it may include traditional garb, including ones with a lot of significance. And yet they would not have that significance they are just an item on a pet site, that's all.

I don't think the Argo items were meant to mock. Or educate. Did they say in the original thread it was meant to bring awareness to Agent Orange? That's pretty far fetched. I remember seeing the thread but I didn't really read through it. Nothing in the item designs or descriptions allude to Vietnam though.

Oh man, gotta love it. And here on Subeta I never know what I am going to get. I'm Mexican and Native American on my moms side, so on occasion I've posted on boards suggesting sugar skull themes noting that no it is not offensive so long as it's not in a mocking way and I would love the items/etc, but Subeta users basically tell me to shut up because "Oh my gosh, but it might be offensive !" But on an actual offensive item... I am told that it's not... offensive... I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.

Kind of, yes. It still puts a bitter taste in my mouth. It's been used as a means to dress up and mock the various indigenous people of the Americas. After brutally slaughtering us. Raping us. Enslaving us. Taking the land and demanding we leave. Cannibalizing and robbing our graves. Silencing us to the point of near extinction. And people turn around and say that it must be a gosh damned honor for some white dick to use our symbols of honor to fucking MOCK us. To act like we are some gosh damned costume. But as I said previously, making it fit in with Subeta and altering it a bit would suffice (a name and description change is obvious).

To be fair, I've been one of those people that were like 'eeeeh, maybe nooot' when I saw a post suggesting sugar skulls as a pet color, but that's because I'm white. Plus, I know there's some people in a culture that are fine with something, and other people in that culture that aren't, and since I'm NOT part of that culture, I would rather err on the side of caution than accidentally offend someone, you know?

Like the redskin debate. There's some people that are alright with it, and some that aren't, and I would rather go with the people that aren't alright with it because seeming oversensitive is better than looking like an offensive, racist douchewad.

I can appreciate that sentiment then. And at the time I posted the question I wasn't aware that you more or less had already answered that question ( I had read that post but not put the same name that pinged me before to it).

Now about that spousal attitude adjuster, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I mean taken word for word, it's obvious not a very friendly item. But I can't read the item name and description and think of it seriously in any way shape or form, it's just rather ridiculous. Should it be changed? Well... probably simply because even saying it's just used to scare and not to physically harm, there's emotional and psychological abuse to consider etc etc.

More people that celebrate Dia de los Muertos are 125% on board for more people to celebrate with us, because it's not about us (really, if you've ever been around people celebrating there is a large chance that they will try to pull your ass in to celebrate). It's about those that have passed and honoring them. Sugar skulls were brought in from Spanish settlers and was integrated into our celebration. It is decoration, and in part, a costume. It holds no baring to the actual spiritual side of the celebration. I can understand some caution, but many (maaaaany) people have pointed out that doing so, so long as it's not in mock, is perfectly alright.

Oh man, I am so behind them changing the Redskins name and logo. I guess that would be obvious

That's good to know for the future, actually. Thanks :D

I have always thought that rolling pin was in absolutely appalling taste even though, yes, I get it's a joke item and was made in complete naivety.

The name alone, 'spousal attitude adjuster', makes my skin crawl.

I'm Native American as well and personally I would like to see the headdress redone. It is in DIRE NEED of new art.

However, I feel this is a perfect opportunity to redraw it/rename it in the fashion of the Omen Island peeps. They are a Subeta indigenous group who need a good bit of lore exploring. I would def. love to see how their regalia would look, for both men and women. Redoing the current headdress would be a nice start. c:

And there was me thinking that the Agent Orange line was a Green Lantern reference... I didn't get the Purple Heart one at all, either, since I'm not American; that particular combination of colour and shape meant nothing to me.

If we're talking about poor taste, I never liked that 9/11 Memorial Charm. It seems really... heavy for a pet site; it's like seeing something like that in a comic book or a cartoon.

As staff pointed out back in 2011...

There are literally hundreds of items on Subeta that could be offensive to certain people depending on their upbringing. There are pet colors that could be viewed as offensive. The entire Battle system could be looked at as promoting the abuse of animals which could and should offend people.

Subeta items are only as serious as you take them. Maybe instead of worrying about pixelated items on a virtual pet site, if these are issues that truly bother you, you should go out in the real world and do something that would actually be significant with regard to these causes?

This just in: Domestic abuse is only offensive if you were raised to believe it is.

Even an item that references scaring your spouse is still emotional and verbal abuse. Abuse is not just physical, people. I damn well know it.

I think the standard argument otherwise might be, that that item specifically promotes abuse against spouses and what if someone has been abused with a rolling pin and reads that item as a joke.

That being said I agree in that there are all sorts of things that include violence towards one thing or another all over the site and this of course is not reality and people should probably distinguish that. Most games have countless things that are far worse as a part of regular game play. I think the difference here is that Subeta tries to be very forward thinking and this is probably something that pertains to that more so than other things like pitting your pets against various monstrosities and even other pets or smashing insects at bug guy joe's place.

Personally I hope that IF the item is renamed and redescribed, that it doesn't simply take the word spouse out, as it would be a rather ridiculous notion that you can be violent towards other people besides your spouse. If Subeta doesn't think it's okay to have a spousal attitude adjuster, then it certainly is not okay to have it be an attitude adjuster meant to be used on people you don't like...

I can't take the item seriously though and maybe it's not so bad to have light-hearted items like that that don't necessarily mock the idea of abuse but rather remind us of how ridiculous a thing it would be to do something like that. A lot of people believe that the best way to prevent these sort of things is to tell your damn kids its not okay and I thing portraying it as a rather ridiculous act is doing just that.

i agree with , if you feel strongly about this point about abuse, create actual awareness in the real world that could create an actual difference. this is a website and there are jokes, just because you don't find them humorous doesn't make it wrong 100% for everyone else. i actually giggled at the item, and understood the fact it was a joke and took it in light humor. humor isn't abuse, and this website does not aim to abuse anyone for anything, so they would not intentionally create an item to aim harm to anyone. i do agree that the items art do look outdated, and there are plenty of other items that i feel the art is outdated on. this site is constantly revolving and changing, i like the fact that there are older items that are not updated. to me that shows growth. there are just so many items on this site now sometimes it is just easier to create a new item than to revamp the old one completely. ultimately there are pros and cons to these items (and many others), but it is just in the light you wish to see it.

I don't understand all this outcry over a rolling pin trope item gifted to me on my wedding day. Do you know how old of a symbol rolling pins are of marriage? (It's like a ball and chain! Do I literally beat my husband? No more than he is literally chained to me.) And do you know what that "slapstick" reference/use was? For smacking the spouse upside the head. Does anyone remember Muriel from Courage The Cowardly Dog whacking Eustace every time he did something awful to Courage?

But because this is clearly labeled rather than implied, everyone is getting their panties twisted? I bet if it was a Tangled fan item and it was a cast iron frying pan instead, no one would be offended. Oh, wait. We have that already.

[item2=Large Iron Pan]

All snark aside, I never said I wasn't open to changing it, but I do expect either (since she paid for it) or myself to be consulted on it. While this isn't one of the new style custom items, it is still a custom item.

Repeating what I said on tumblr: The staff (former or current) utterly denying the clear domestic abuse reference makes me physically sick.

, I'm no longer staff. 💁 I resigned in 2013. I don't see why being former staff holds me to some higher standard here. If I make you sick, I make you sick. My status on Subeta shouldn't make any difference.

Because staff are meant to be professional, and denying the reference and brushing off people's concerns is utterly unprofessional.

, and I am not being paid to be professional anymore. You get my 100% unadulterated opinions with a blue icon now.

My father was emotionally and verbally abusive. This item turns my stomach and all I can think of is the bullshit he put me through. So thanks for brushing off my concerns, for telling me I'm being ridiculous about an item that references scaring someone into changing their attitude. It's what I lived with for 19 years. But I guess I'm just being silly about a virtual item, aren't I?