(no subject)

[gothwalk]

There's a very strange news item on Wired News about an attack on a Lego fan site for the use of Maori words on that site. Now, it's not that they were saying anything about the Maori. Indeed, it's reasonably likely that most of the users of that site didn't even know the words were Maori. I would have said they were all Polynesian, had anyone asked me, and I'm guessing I'm one of very few people who'd have even a vague idea about it.

Yet the Lego fan site has been taken down. I think that's going a bit too far in the cause of respect for native traditions and so on. In fact, it smacks of Scientology.

Comments

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

So, using that same logic, there should have been great outcry from Greece and Italy regarding the use of their ancient mythologies for Hercules and Xena. Not to mention all the other countries whose mythologies they "borrowed" for storylines.

Right?

[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

Yup. And all those people who have Irish first names, we're takin' them back.

[yendi]

The difference being, Maori actually practiced a real religion at one time.

But yeah, it's horse shite. Asking Lego to make changes is one thing. Asking a fan site to make changes when the company won't is another.

[iresprite.livejournal.com]

Asking a fan site to make changes when the company won't is another.

Hm. According to the news article, though, Lego did make changes. Am I mistaken in this?

In any case, that is a bit... strange.

[maida-mac.livejournal.com]

They only took away the word for priest, according to that article, and quit using Maori words in the new generation stuff. All of the old stuff still uses the Maori names and they're still part of the universe. That's not much of a change.

[iresprite.livejournal.com]

In other words, the damage is done, and the changes that were made were just lip service?

Hm. I'm honestly trying to get a better picture of the situation here- not trying to downplay any of it.