Lego Accused of Racism With Star Wars Set

Ch_Omega writes "According to this article over at The Telegraph, Lego has been accused of racism by the Turkish community in Austria over a Star Wars model that supposedly resembles one of Istanbul's most revered mosques. The anger was provoked by 'Jabba's Palace,' a model of the home of Jabba the Hutt from Lego's Star Wars product range based on the blockbusting series of science fiction films. 'The terrorist Jabba the Hutt likes to smoke a hookah and have his victims killed,' said the statement posted on the organization's website. 'It is clear that the ugly figure of Jabba and the whole scene smacks of racial prejudice and vulgar insinuations against Asians and Orientals as people with deceitful and criminal personalities.'"

Comments

here we go

[Titan1080]

Is there anything left in the world that the big bad white man hasn't destroyed through 'racism'?

Re:here we go

[tripleevenfall]

I am altering the world. Pray I don't alter it further.

Re:here we go

[SirGarlon]

Thailand and Japan. They're the only non-European countries that spring to mind that haven't been colonized by Europeans. I could be wrong.

Re:here we go

[CanHasDIY]

Is there anything left in the world that the big bad white man hasn't destroyed through 'racism'?

...
Porn?

Re:here we go

[DarkRat]

praying is part of the problem

Re:here we go

[SirGarlon]

Yeah, but I reserve judgment on whether Afghanistan is such a mess because of all those failed attempts, or if the Afghans deserve the blame themselves.

Re:here we go

[ackthpt]

Is there anything left in the world that the big bad white man hasn't destroyed through 'racism'?

Well, I guess that'll put the skids on the Armenian Genocide play set...

Re:here we go

[idontgno]

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

Re:here we go

[Anonymous Coward]

Hokey religions and old superstitions don't compare to a good blaster at your side.

Re:here we go

[Anonymous Coward]

Nope....

http://www.theonion.com/video/use-of-nword-may-end-porn-stars-career,14174/

Re:here we go

[Artraze]

Really? Because this seems to have an awful lot more to do with race (and stereotypes thereof) than religion. Heck, the "mosque" in question has been a museum for almost 70 years! (And in the long past if was Christian rather than Islamic.) It has far more meaning at this point as an iconic and history bit of architecture that represents the region.

I know hating on religion is all the rage these day, but racial stereotyping and sensitivity (like this article and discussion are about) have basically nothing to do with it. You'll find plenty of overly sensitive or overly insensitive atheists. Many westerns that get upset about this kind of thing are anti-religion and a lot of hate groups are agnostic. So I quite fail to see where religion plays into this at all.

Re:here we go

[craigminah]

Who cares is it resembles a famous mosque? If the mosque wasn't so old I'd love to see Lucas sue them for copyright infringement for stealing the design from Star Wars. All these cries of racism are pretty weak and detract from the actual racism being committed daily. People need to lighten up...

Re:here we go

[YodasEvilTwin]

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.

FTFY. Also: You don't believe in the Force, do you?

Re:here we go

[Synerg1y]

I find your belief in faith disturbing.

Re:here we go

[rainmayun]

I guess the British Raj in India doesn't count. I wonder what Gandhi would think of that.

Re:here we go

[I Mean, What]

The US is European?

Re:here we go

[SirGarlon]

If you think Cuba, India, and China haven't been colonized by Europeans, then world history isn't your strong suit.

Re:here we go

[Anonymous Coward]

I find your lack of Star Wars savvy disturbing.

Re:here we go

[bennomatic]

Uh... Iraq and from this section on Iran, this quote:

The operation, supported by the Shah, was successful, and Mosaddegh was arrested on 19 August 1953. The coup was the first time the US had openly overthrown an elected, civilian government of another sovereign state.

Re:here we go

[NicBenjamin]

"Never colonized" is actually a lot harder to figure out then you'd think. The only actual clear-cut case is Thailand/Siam.

Liberia technically counts, but it was a) an outpost of thoroughly Westernized African-Americans, and b) a de facto protectorate of the United States. Afghanistan was de facto a condominium between the Czar and the Brits, which was allowed technical autonomy to keep those two countries from fighting each-other. Within 5 years of figuring out that he no longer had to worry about the Romanovs their Amir decided that he was now prestigious enough to be a full-King, but as long as those Russian troops were on his northern frontier he was very careful to never say or do anything to offend them. Persia and China kept technical independence, but were cut up into competing spheres of influence. The only other countries to successfully fight off all attempts at Western colonization were the Japanese and Ethiopians, but the Japanese were basically colonized after WW2 and the Ethiopians were actually colonized during the War.

Depending on whether Turks count as European the Turks were a) never colonized by Euros/Westerners or b) are by definition colonized by themselves. The Saudis always maintained significant autonomy from the Sultan in Istanbul.

Re:here we go

[Anonymous Coward]

I want to agree with you here, but

I know hating on religion is all the rage these day, but racial stereotyping and sensitivity (like this article and discussion are about) have basically nothing to do with it.

does kind of conflict with

The Turkish Cultural Community of Austria released a statement calling for Lego to apologise for affronting religious and cultural feelings.

It looks like religion and stereotyping have everything to do with it. At least in their eyes. And let's be honest, most of the hate groups and violence we read about are perpetrated under religious excuse. Not a lot of militant atheists out there wiping out neighboring tribes for having religion, or blowing themselves up on public transportation, RPG'ing the kafir embassy, genital mutilation, firebombing health facilities, shooting doctors, or getting on TV to scream "GOD HATES FAGS".

I'm happy to give people the benefit of the doubt. Particularly in more civilized nations where the religious are less likely to kill people. But let's not go full-on hallucinatory.

Re:here we go

[NicBenjamin]

However it was divvied up into spheres of influence by the British and Russians.

In terms of never colonized you basically got Thailand/Siam, a half-dozen border-line cases where (for various reasons) the Westerners/ Europeans didn't bother officially conquering the country. Persia is one of those, and it was actually a lot more colonized then most of the others. Ethiopia, Afghanistan, the Saudis, Liberia, and the Chinese were all under much less Western influence during the Colonial period then Persia. The Japanese were under massive US influence and control for a few years, which Persia never was, but OTOH that only lasted a few years. The Anglo-Russian Convention was signed in 1907, it divided Persia into three zones, and the British didn't really give up control over their third until after WW2.

Then you get the Turks who may (or may not) be Colonizers.

Re:here we go

[war4peace]

If you go back beyond the 1770's, yes, it kind of is :)

Re:here we go

[mooingyak]

There are lots of problems in that list, but... Cuba? Really?

Re:here we go

[afeeney]

In Turkey, this has always been more or less flexible, as it is in many branches of Islam.

It comes from two theological roots: The first that portraying the face of a prophet (including Jesus, Moses, etc.) is full of opportunities for blasphemy, the second that creating realistic images of living things usurps Allah's role as creator. In many ways, these reflect the Judaic prohibition in the Ten Commandments against creating carved images. This is one reason why Islamic architecture is full of those amazing geometric designs.

In Turkish art and architecture, this has been fairly relaxed, especially in Istanbul. Typically, images of a prophet simply cover his (I'm fairly sure that they're all male) face with a veil or show him from behind. Mosques in Istanbul are full of images of flowers and sultans often commissioned portraits of themselves, books with figurative art in illuminated manuscripts, and so on. Topkapi Palace is full of this kind of art.

I've been in Hagia Sophia several times and can't see the resemblance myself, beyond the fact that it's a domed building with a squared front.

Re:here we go

[mooingyak]

Depending on whether Turks count as European the Turks were a) never colonized by Euros/Westerners or b) are by definition colonized by themselves. The Saudis always maintained significant autonomy from the Sultan in Istanbul.

"Turks" as a people maybe not (not sure if colonization can apply to people rather than territory), but IIRC the Romans colonized a large chunk of Turkey.

Re:here we go

[belmolis]

China was not colonized by Europeans. Europeans established a few small enclaves but never took control of the country as a whole.

Re:here we go

[davester666]

Not if I fire first.

Re:here we go

[SirGarlon]

All right, I'll grant "colonized" isn't the right word, but Britain and other European powers certainly interfered in China and imposed their will by force.

Re:here we go

[CrimsonAvenger]

If you go back beyond the 1770's, then the colonies were neither "States" nor "United"...

Re:here we go

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm pretty sure colonized is the right word, and that those "few small enclaves" were in fact colonies.

Re:here we go

[gstoddart]

I can't speak for the rest of those countries, but Cuba was most definitely colonized by the Spanish.

In fact, since the US injected the Platt Amendment into the Cuban constitution, and maintains Guantanamo there against the will of the Cubans ... you could argue they're still colonized.

Re:here we go

[mZHg]

Not to mention that Hagia Sophia is originally a orthodox basilica.. and so a orthodox design..

Re:here we go

[KeensMustard]

You might have missed the fact that half of Turkey is in Asia (the other half in Europe).

Re:here we go

[NicBenjamin]

When the Romans/Byzantines owned it it was called Anatolia or Asia Minor. This is because the Turkish people were Steppe nomads similar to the Mongols when the Romans/Byzantines owned it. They only moved into Anatolia after beating multiple Emperors on the battle-field.

The region actually had large Greek and Armenian populations up until WW1. During the war either a) the Turkish Sultan used genocide to replace unreliable Christian Armenians with reliable Islamic Kurds, or b) the fortunes of war killed almost every Armenian but no Kurds. Which you take seriously depends on your point-of-view, and how much you want to work in Turkey. The Greeks fought Ataturk in a war to conquer ethnic Greek areas of Anatolia in the '20s, but they lost. Greece was still trying to figure out what it should do with the refugees at the start of WW2.

Re:here we go

[K. S. Kyosuke]

You might have missed the fact that half of Turkey is in Asia (the other half in Europe).

I find your notion of a "half" rather curious.

Re:here we go

[Synerg1y]

I find my lack of meme knowledge... enlightening.

Re:here we go

[TapeCutter]

Hitler was in bed with the Pope, Stalin split the orthodox church by attacking it and used what was left as a sock puppet. Religious institutions are powerful players in society, no dictator worth his title is going to allow the church to oppose him, nor can he completely dismantle it. The simplest option is to co-opt it and absorb the obedient followers into his own flock. Stalin did this so effectively he was seen as a benevolent demigod by the majority of his people, even those in death camps believed Stalin would rescue them if he knew what was going on.

This is not to say either of them were motivated by religion, but they most definitely tamed and harnessed the power of religious institutions and used it to suppress internal opposition.

Re:here we go

[oursland]

Almost interesting question, but it is unrelated. Why? Because establishing a Communist Dictatorship was their goal, not a Atheist Dictatorship, Islamic Dictatorship, Jewish Dictatorship, Hindu Dictatorship, Buddhist Dictatorship, etc.

Re:here we go

[TapeCutter]

"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord." - Mein Kampf.

Adolf Hitler was raised by a Catholic father and a devout Catholic mother; he ceased to participate in the sacraments after childhood and supported the Deutsche Christen church which rejected the Hebrew origins of the Gospel.[1] In his book Mein Kampf and in public speeches he often made statements that affirmed a belief in Christianity. Prior to World War II Hitler had promoted "positive Christianity", a movement which purged Christianity of its Jewish elements and instilled it with Nazi philosophy. - Shamelessly cut and paste from WP, turns out he was a non-practicing Catholic who linked his enemy Stalin with atheism and had a habit of claiming god was on his side. Unsurprisingly Stalin also co-opted the church as part of his propaganda machine in pretty much the same way as Hitler did.

Re:here we go

[eek_the_kat]

I feel that you are bending the semantics a bit. You can't declare all beliefs religion. 2 Atheists, on separate planets in separate galaxies are not part of the same religion. I get your point, but I think you are using wordplay.

Re:here we go

[dwillden]

But that didn't help him when he was shooting at Vader in Cloud City!

Re:here we go

[geekoid]

Which is exactly what Putin is doing, btw.

Huh?

[tripleevenfall]

This objection is silly because Jabba's Palace and the Hagia Sophia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia ) don't look much alike at all, other than having a dome, in which case they'd better prepare for a lot more outrage when they start to see other photos of the outside world...

Re:Huh?

[gl4ss]

well.. nobody better tell 'em history of hagia sofia either...

Re:Huh?

[tripleevenfall]

No kidding, they'll be rigging it for demolition by sundown

Re:Huh?

[atomicxblue]

Rounded walls versus squared, lack of minarets and replaced with an off center tower that looks vaguely European, "sandstone" versus "granite", guns versus no guns -- they're EXACTLY alike.. *rolls eyes* The only thing they have is common is the arch over the door, but that is a common shape.

Re:Huh?

[geminidomino]

Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople.

I didn't learn this until I had a date in Constantinople and she was waiting in Istanbul.

Re:Huh?

[Sperbels]

well.. nobody better tell 'em history of hagia sofia either...

You mean that hagia sofia is actually based on Jabba's palace and not the other way around? The movies clearly say at the beginning: "A long time ago...".

Re:Huh?

[thomasw_lrd]

They better watch out, Apple has a patent on rounded walls. You can't use them anymore.

It's all Lego's fault.

[Minwee]

We all know that George Lucas would never stand for anything which smacked of racial prejudice and vulgar insinuations against Asians and Orientals as people with deceitful and criminal personalities.

Re:It's all Lego's fault.

[Skewray]

In Phantom Menace, the evil guys are clearly parodies of Japanese samurai, while the comic relief is given by stupid Jar Jar and friends, clearly parodies of Rastafarians. The Star Wars movies have all sorts of fodder for the ultra-sensitive.

No It Doesn't

[Murdoch5]

'It is clear that the ugly figure of Jabba and the whole scene smacks of racial prejudice and vulgar insinuations against Asians and Orientals as people with deceitful and criminal personalities.

I have an Asian girl friend and she can't find anything offensive about this lego set. She showed it to her parents and they didn't see any issue with it and even her grandparents didn't see the issue. So as for it containing racial and prejudice against Asians, well not so much. Just because some people are to sensitive to everyday life doesn't make something offensive, it just makes them to sensitive to live the real world. Clearly someone or some small group got over worked up for no reason ( Like everyone over there does ) and hence we have a racist lego set.

Re:No It Doesn't

[JaredOfEuropa]

Too bad Lego responded to this nonsense and even offered an apology. Were I in charge of the company, I'd have offered a different reply: "We at the Lego company do not usually offer the following advice, but in this case we will go ahead and suggest that you grow up.". Seriously, some people...

Re:No It Doesn't

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not sure anyone hypothetically running a toy company should issue a public statement telling people to "grow up".

Re:No It Doesn't

[gnasher719]

Too bad Lego responded to this nonsense and even offered an apology

Responding is not bad; you said yourself that the company would have responded if you were in charge. And there was no apology either, the reply was "We regret that the product has caused the members of the Turkish cultural community to come to a wrong interpretation. " That's not an apology. That's saying these people are wrong.

Re:No It Doesn't

[idontgno]

I like those apologies that boil down to "I'm sorry you're a stupid boogerhead." I'm glad Lego got to do one of those.

Re:No It Doesn't

[Archangel Michael]

If enough people find offense in the apology, and let LEGO know, then it will become clear that simply apologizing for some imagined slight or offense is itself offensive.

It follows, then....

[mark-t]

.... that their objection should be with Lucasfilm (or Disney, now, I suppose)... since the concept is actually theirs. All Lego does is license it.

Blame Lucas, not Lego

[SirGarlon]

If Star Wars Legos represent offensive racial stereotypes, then they're an accurate representation of the films. The Phantom Menace was quite striking in its overt caricatures of Japanese (Trade Federation), blacks (Jar-Jar), Jews (the flying blue dude who was Anakin's master). So it doesn't surprise me that Jabba is an offensive caricature of someone, too. Par for the course.

Re:Blame Lucas, not Lego

[mark-t]

The Phantom Menace was quite striking in its overt caricatures of Japanese (Trade Federation), blacks (Jar-Jar), Jews (the flying blue dude who was Anakin's master).

I think that those racial stereotypes are only obvious when one is actively trying to look for them. Or.... you could just sit back and enjoy the story. Because you know, it's actually quite entertaining when you aren't trying to overanalyze it to pieces.

Re:Blame Lucas, not Lego

[TheSunborn]

Enjoy thte story??? Are we talking about the same movie?.

Re:Blame Lucas, not Lego

[jedidiah]

It's supposed to be some sort of black stereotype from decades past. The actor was completely unaware of it until Spike Lee brought it up. Lucas may have been oblivious too.

The Jewish thing is just silly. So now every mindlessly greedy character is supposed to be something for the anti-defamation league to get upset about? Really. It's no longer an insult against a particular group when it's not that group being portrayed.

Some people just need a healthy dose of perspective.

Re:Blame Lucas, not Lego

[jellomizer]

Well it is a case, the stereotype was used to portrait them in a negative light.
Trade Federation were the Bad guys.
Jar-Jar was a clumsy and didn't really know what was going on
The flying dude, was just all about greed and money.

It the Trade Federation had a counter group that was also the good guys,
If Jar-Jar was more useful
If the Flying dude actually gave a crap about people

Then they would be less obvious.
What I liked about Ep.4,5,6 Even the ugly aliens were good guys, or bad guys. As were the humans. Admiral Akbar is a prime example, his appearance was terrifying to a young kid, however he was a good guy.
The new ones, If the aliens are good guys then they look like they are good guys if they are bad guys they look like so.

So many things wrong here...

[eepok]

First, Lego didn't design Jabba's Palace. I'm pretty sure that was under LucasArts' realm.

Second, Jabba's Palace is modeled like all the other homes on Tatooine. Except his is bigger. It's desert design influencing desert design.

Third, Jabba's not the only one smoking from a hookah like device in the movie.

Fourth, omg stop being the dumb.

Re:Multiculterialim[sic]

[Anonymous Coward]

Sucks the life out of everything.

Wrong, it's politically correctness bullshit that sucks the life out of everything.

I'm mad too

[hawguy]

I'm still mad at the makers of Silence of the Lambs for portraying Hannibal Lecter as a Caucasian male. I am a Caucasian male and it's clear that the whole movie the smacks of racial prejudice and vulgar insinuations against Caucasians as people with deceitful and criminal personalities. Movies should stop having bad guys because it always paints some race or culture as having deceitful and criminal personalities and that upsets me.

Re:I'm mad too

[Psyborgue]

It's the accent. You guys just sound really cool as the villain. Take it as a compliment.

Re:I'm mad too

[MightyMartian]

It puts its stereotypes in the basket!

Allah Akbar, Han Solo?

[CanHasDIY]

Huh.


And here I was thinking that Jabba was a caricature of American politicians - fat, stupid, lazy, ready to kill on a whim, and unable to speak anything but nonsensical gibberish.

Re:Allah Akbar, Han Solo?

[Anonymous Coward]

Throw it?

Also in the news....

[Beer_Smurf]

Johnny Cash is also very offended that Darth Vader wears black and is dead.

Ridiculous

[theof]

The Hagia Sofia was built as an Orthodox Christian Church, and was used as such for a thousand years. It was converted into a mosque when the Turks conquered the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire in 1453, and it's been a museum since 1931. As it's not a Turkish building, they should not be offended. I'm sick of the whining and attempts at playing the victim by some people. It's even more ridiculous that what they are claiming offense at isn't even a building which was built by their culture.

Re:Ridiculous

[operagost]

Indeed. Perhaps the Christian world should be denouncing them for never returning the structure to its rightful owners, or making amends for their atrocities:

In 1453 Sultan Mehmed laid siege to Constantinople, driven in part by a desire to convert the city to Islam. The Sultan promised his troops three days of unbridled pillage if the city fell, after which he would claim its contents himself. Hagia Sophia was not exempted from the pillage, becoming its focal point as the invaders believed it to contain the greatest treasures of the city. Shortly after the cityâ€(TM)s defenses collapsed, pillagers made their way to the Hagia Sophia and battered down its doors. Throughout the siege worshipers participated in the Holy Liturgy and Prayer of the Hours at the Hagia Sophia, and the church formed a refuge for many of those who were unable to contribute to the cityâ€(TM)s defense. Trapped in the church, congregants and refugees became booty to be divided amongst the invaders. The building was desecrated and looted, and occupants enslaved or slaughtered; a few of the elderly and infirm were killed, and the remainder chained.Priests continued to perform Christian rites until stopped by the invaders. When the Sultan and his cohort entered the church he insisted it should be at once transformed into a mosque. One of the Ulama then climbed the pulpit and recited the Shahada.

The solution is in your comment

[Anonymous Coward]

The only bad guys you can safely portray in movies are white guys. So what if Jabba's Palace borrows some architectural, decorational and floral inspirations from the Persians. Having a villain with taste Persian trappings doesn't make any Persian a villain any more than owning a Walther PPK makes you a hero.

Perhaps most villains are white, but not all villians are white. And given that Vader and Palpatine where both very white, and Lando, Chewie, Yoda and R2 weren't, if anything I think it's the corn fed Nebraskans that should be offended.

Re:The solution is in your comment

[hermitdev]

Never mind they're objecting over a structure (the Hagia Sophia) that was originally a Christian basilica. And, it's Byzantium architecture, not Persian.

Re:The solution is in your comment

[rickb928]

Stop that! you're being honest again!

Victimhood is power - go get some

[bazmail]

Just try telling the Turks about the Armenian genocide committed by their troops in the early 20th century and you'll see their inner Jabba come out.

Austria's Turkish community

[backslashdot]

When they say "Austria's Turkish community" they really mean a small vocal minority thereof. I bet most people in the Austrian Turkish community couldn't care less.

Re:Austria's Turkish community

[idontgno]

I bet most people in the Austrian Turkish community are embarrassed as fuck to be associated with the specific whinging ass-rags..

FTFY. I hope.

Re:Austria's Turkish community

[starfishsystems]

The Turks in Austria today find themselves at the short end of the stick. As immigrants and members of visible minority in a host culture known for harboring a certain degree of racism, they're at a distinct social disadvantage. But the situation for Turks in Austria is exceptionally uncomfortable because Austria withstood 150 years of war with the Ottoman Empire.

The Viennese, in particular, are never going to let the Turks forget it. Take a walk through the city sometime and check out the newspaper vendors on the street corners. It's nobody's idea of a great career move, and the worst of it is that they have to wear these wretched demeaning monkey suits. And notice, they're all Turks. It's not an overstatement to say that they live in a state of public humiliation. It's not subtle. It's almost the first thing you notice as a tourist.

Never mind the right and wrong of it. Some of these people - the ones who aren't completely subjugated - are bound to kick up a fuss once in a while, and not always in a rational, measured way. I expect that's what's happening here with the protest against Lego.

That's not a Lego Haggia Sophia

[WillAdams]

This is a Lego Haggia Sophia:

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=67199

Actually Naboo Was Based on Hagia Sophia

[eldavojohn]

According to the "Behind the Scenes" on Episodes 1-3 Naboo's architecture was based on Hagia Sophia. Examples: Hagia Sophia, Naboo, Titus Blue Mosque, more naboo.

Also ... it took them how long to notice this latent xenophobia? I'm not saying they're wrong, Lucas was a little unimaginative when he developed some of the Star Wars cultures but it's not like he presented Muslims like they did in the movie "True Lies."

Re:Actually Naboo Was Based on Hagia Sophia

[cervesaebraciator]

Yeah. I'm Greek Orthodox and you know what? That doesn't offend me at all. The Hagia Sophia and all the churches and mosques inspired by it are largely beautiful buildings. There's no reason they shouldn't inspire buildings for "the good guys" and "the bad guys" in fantasy settings. There are far worse things that could be done the Hagia Sophia.

Re:Actually Naboo Was Based on Hagia Sophia

[eldavojohn]

Yea because Muslims NEVER form terrorist groups, blow up innocent people or launder money.

It NEVER HAPPENED.

Are you kidding?

Right so that's why whenever Americans appear in a very popular Vietnamese movie the Americans murder and rape everyone? Because it's not like the My Lai Massacre never happened.

All I meant was there are more blatant "all Muslims are bad" productions in American culture than Jabba's Sail Barge. I'm not saying Muslim based terrorism never happened. I'm not saying all Muslims are good. I'm not saying none of them launder money. I'm saying that the most prominent representations of them in movies and TV happen to be solely bad guys. But you can go ahead and list off all those Muslim turban wearing hero movies that Hollywood puts out every year. That'll show me. Hell, name one Hollywood male lead actor who's Muslim.

Re:Ironic

[guantamanera]

Isn't it considered racist to refer to someone as "Oriental"? It's an adjective for objects not people.

Is only aproblem with USA Orientals, and I think is because they do not know what the word means. In USA the word Asian is reserved only for people you know the different eye, sorry I could not find a better description. In the UK asian is reserved for Indians. example when offer food from that area they could say "do you want Asian or Chinese food" Where they say asian they meant Indian food. Oriental is just latin for eastern and western is occidental

Wait, WHICH Hagia Sophia are we talking about?

[argStyopa]

I'd love it if Lego replied:

  "We're not portraying the revered Hagia Sophia mosque of Istanbul (which, btw ISN'T EVEN A MOSQUE since it was secularized in 1931)...no, we're portraying the Hagia Sophia CHURCH, the most holy church in Christendom until it was conquered by 'the religion of peace' in 1453."

What's "whiny bitch" in Byzantine?

If it's racist then it's accurate

[GameboyRMH]

The Star Wars movies, especially the prequels, are riddled with racist undertones that people were too un-PC to realize the offensiveness of at the time. Like Gene Roddenberry's progressiveness, appreciation for the offensiveness in Star Wars will be a series of gifts that will be opened over time for decades to come.

It could be worse.

[dietdew7]

Thankfully it's not a rectangle with rounded corners.

Also they're complaining about...

[Anonymous Coward]

a LEGO Jabba the Hutt as insulting asians and orientals and completely ignoring Jar Jar Binks, who is at least a *RECENT* example of racial stereotyping in a Star Wars theme. I mean shit the Lego Jabba has been around for over 10 years now (maybe nearing 15), and I imagine even Turkey, nevermind Austria, has had access to the original 3 Star Wars films for at least 20 years.

Obviously much like the fundie Christians this guy is just racism-mongering, but still.

Funny how nobody remembers The Mummy....

[Anonymous Coward]

in regards to Muslim 'good guys' (which I did find kind of funny since they're members of an order protecting against a 'pre-Muslim threat' (IE curse of an Egyptian God.)

But anyhow good guys concerned with protecting the world from an evil their forebears mistakenly wrought.

Re:Ironic

[gstoddart]

In USA the word Asian is reserved only for people you know the different eye

I believe the word you're looking for is epicanthic fold.

But, that forgets the fact that many Russians are Asian, because that's the continent they're on.

Which mostly just shows that these categories aren't always obvious, because ... well, because it's complicated and doesn't match up with our neat little boxes.

This isn't racism - this is ignorance...

[denzacar]

...and culture clash. Also, possibly trolling.

The original text at www.turkischegemeinde.at also mentions that:

Erschreckend ist auch die rot-schwarze Teufels-Fratze auf der Schachtel rechts oben, die zumindest ein augenfÃlliges Signal ist, dass das Spiel nicht unter dem Christbaum am Weihnachtsabend - Auch Türken feiern Weihnachten - liegen sollte.

Translation:

 

Also frightening is a grotesque red-and-black devil's face in the right corner of the box, which is at least an obvious hint that the toy is not something one should lay down under the (Christmas) tree on Christmas Eve - Turks celebrate Christmas too.

The "red-black devil's face" is a drawing of - you guessed it - Dart Maul.
Now to me that indicates that the article was written by someone who hasn't actually seen (at least) Episode I, or quite possibly hadn't had ANY contact with the Star Wars franchise until now.

And yes, however unbelievable that may seem to us - there are people out there who've managed to live through the last couple of decades without actually watching or having any interest in Star Wars.
Or science fiction.
Or movies.

Re:This isn't racism - this is ignorance...

[thomasw_lrd]

I wish I could go back and un-see Ep 1-3.

Re:Deflection

[the eric conspiracy]

Nice rant, but sadly history completely contradicts it.

For example, the Golden Age of Jews in Europe occurred under Muslim rule in Spain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_age_of_Jewish_culture_in_the_Iberian_Peninsula

Jews under Christian rule have generally been treated much worse.

It is only recent radicalization that has caused the problems.

Most of the sites that you reference put forth a point of view that is just as intolerant, radical and ultimately destructive as that of the radical Islamists.

The idea that the US should adopt a set of laws that specifically prohibits Sharia Law is ludicrous. The Constitution of the United States of America and it's provisions based on the principles of the Enlightment is the correct approach. If something needs to be reinforced it should be provisions against ANY radical religious based laws, Christian, Muslim, Confucian and so on.

Re:Multiculterialim[sic]

[Baloroth]

Yeah, the klan meetings just aren't the same anymore. Damn Political correctness!

I know, lynching people and burning crosses is clearly the same as making a LEGO set that kinda sort of (if you squint really hard) looks like the Hagia Sophia (/sarcasm).

Good example of why political correctness has become such a problem, though.

Alec Guinness quote

[volvox_voxel]

"We live in an age of apologies. Apologies, false or true, are expected from the descendants of empire builders, slave owners, persecutors of heretics and from men who, in our eyes, just got it all wrong. So, with the age of 85 coming up shortly, I want to make an apology. It appears I must apologize for being male, white and European." --Alec Guinness

Opps

[TapeCutter]

non recursive link