75 replies to this topic

[Tennex]

http://bg.battletech.com/?page_id=1913



This guy is wearing a Gi
and holding a katana. How is this Liao in any way?

Edited by Tennex, 02 July 2013 - 10:33 PM.
Circumventing language filter.

[Tie Ma]

Fixed it

[Blue Footed Booby]

Short answer: because the people who created Battletech know about as much about Asian history and culture as they do about physics and heavy weapony, which is to say not very much.

[Tennex]

Blue Footed Booby, on 01 July 2013 - 11:44 AM, said:

Short answer: because the people who created Battletech know about as much about Asian history and culture as they do about physics and heavy weapony, which is to say not very much.

Lets just say they borrowed and mixed up the asian cultures. Like they borrowed and mixed the unseens from animes.

[kaliyama]

no-prizish, but:

1) It's probably a guy from Warrior House Fujita, the guys who adhere to bushido. http://www.sarna.net...or_House_Fujita

2) relatedly, house liao isn't monoculturally chinese, so i'm not sure why it matters that the guy isn't in a chinese get-up. plenty of russians, scots, and others in the house.

3) FASA licensedd the unseen

[Adridos]

Just to remind you that Capellan Confederation is not China in space. It is a confederation of Russian colonists (Tikonov and Chesterton Commonality), Scottish colonists, Chinese colonists (Sian Commonality), Vietnamese colonists (St.Ives Commonality) and a completely non-affilated bunch (Capellan and Liao Commonalities) that forms up the state.

[Tennex]

Adridos, on 02 July 2013 - 04:18 PM, said:

Just to remind you that Capellan Confederation is not China in space. It is a confederation of Russian colonists (Tikonov and Chesterton Commonality), Scottish colonists, Chinese colonists (Sian Commonality), Vietnamese colonists (St.Ives Commonality) and a completely non-affilated bunch (Capellan and Liao Commonalities) that forms up the state.

True dat. But none of those are japanese.

And like you wouldn't take a picture of a mexican to represent america. Or a picture of mongolian to represent Russia.

Or a picture of a hebrew man to represent germany for that matter. even though there is still a minority of jews in germany.

I don't think if they knew the difference, they would use a japanese minority to represent capellan confed. Especially since there is already another entity that is japense culturally dominant.

Edited by Tennex, 02 July 2013 - 10:10 PM.

[Victor Morson]

Adridos, on 02 July 2013 - 04:18 PM, said:

Just to remind you that Capellan Confederation is not China in space. It is a confederation of Russian colonists (Tikonov and Chesterton Commonality), Scottish colonists, Chinese colonists (Sian Commonality), Vietnamese colonists (St.Ives Commonality) and a completely non-affilated bunch (Capellan and Liao Commonalities) that forms up the state.

The books go out of their way to state that there is no majority ethnic group in any of the houses, outside of ruling families and that's largely because.. well.. they're obsessed with blood lines like so many medieval societies have been.

Marik has a large Hindu and Islamic population, too, which literally never seems to get depicted outside of the novels.

Well the older novels anyway. The newer ones were probably too obsessed with narrating MechWarrior matches every other page than story.

[Ragnar Darkmane]

The Inner Sphere is quite multi-cultural no matter what house you are talking about. Even Kurita has Japanese, Arabians, some Germans/Fins/Scandinavians and even black Samurai. I like that. A Katana guy for Liao is a bit off though (sure they didn't use them for Liao by mistake instead of Kurita? EDIT: Ninja'd by Tie Ma xD).

Edited by Ragnar Darkmane, 02 July 2013 - 04:33 PM.

[WARCRACK]

I actually kind of liked the idea of a China in space with an emperor and royal family and all.

[Ter Ushaka]

Inner Sphere: Northern European with a splash of Japanese.

[Adridos]

Tennex, on 02 July 2013 - 04:27 PM, said:

True dat. But none of those are japanese.

And like you wouldn't take a picture of a mexican to represent america. Or a picture of mongolian to represent Russia.

Well he's not Japanese. He may wear Japanese clothes and hold a Japanese weapon, but so do millions around the world due to the spread of many Japanese martial arts. As stated before already, the guy could very well be from Warrior House Fujita which forces all of it's warriors to follow the teachings of Bushido.

[Tennex]

Adridos, on 02 July 2013 - 09:15 PM, said:

Well he's not Japanese. He may wear Japanese clothes and hold a Japanese weapon, but so do millions around the world due to the spread of many Japanese martial arts. As stated before already, the guy could very well be from Warrior House Fujita which forces all of it's warriors to follow the teachings of Bushido.

there are also plenty of people in various countries practicing various Asian martial arts.

but you don't see french people dressed in judo outfits on the french travel site.

Edited by Tennex, 02 July 2013 - 09:28 PM.

[Adridos]

Tennex, on 02 July 2013 - 09:24 PM, said:

but you don't see french people dressed in judo outfits on the french travel site.

i mean apply some real world logic

That's not a travle site, though.

Just by looking at the expression on his face, you can say he's in the middle of training or an exercise.

[Stalephreak]

Tennex, on 02 July 2013 - 04:27 PM, said:

True dat. But none of those are japanese.

And like you wouldn't take a picture of a mexican to represent america. Or a picture of mongolian to represent Russia.

Or a picture of a hebrew man to represent germany for that matter. even though there is still a minority of jews in germany.

I don't think if they knew the difference, they would use a japanese minority to represent capellan confed. Especially since there is already another entity that is japense culturally dominant.


In the spirit of the analogy i've been using and applying it to Capellan and Draconis. FASA (or the artist) didn't confuse the hebrews with the germans. They did not clearly understand the distinction between the two.

Actually, if you're trying to represent the southwest or farm workers, then yes, you would take a picture of a Mexican to represent an American.

[Odinson]

Also it is not uncommon for people from one region of the Inner Sphere to migrate somewhere else, bringing elements of their previous life/culture with them. Read "Close Quarters" by Victor Milan - Cassie Suthorn's father was in the DCMS but they ended up relocating to the Capellan Confederation after an incident of which I do not remember the details. ALSO how do you know that's a katana? You can't see enough of the blade to be sure, and it doesn't look that curved to me. Nor does the "Gi" really necessarily look like a Gi explicitly - again, we cannot see enough of the detail, though admittedly the style and presence of the belt does to some extent support the idea. However, for a person to insist that a "Gi" style uniform is somehow exclusive to only Japanese martial arts is just as ignorant of martial arts of various cultures as the picture is accused of being.

[Tennex]

Stalephreak, on 02 July 2013 - 09:52 PM, said:

Actually, if you're trying to represent the southwest or farm workers, then yes, you would take a picture of a Mexican to represent an American.

but we're talking about america as a whole lol.. why would you say that?

And southwest isn't even true. Mexicans are still by far a minority in that region as well.

http://bg.battletech.com/?page_id=1913
The webpage doesn't say "Warrior House Fujita" on it it says Capellan Confederation

Edited by Tennex, 02 July 2013 - 10:12 PM.

[Damocles]

Tennex, on 02 July 2013 - 10:08 PM, said:

And southwest isn't even true. Mexicans are still by far a minority in that region as well.

OffT: Ads in Southern California use latin americans constantly.


OP: You think in 1,000 years in a fictional universe in space-that cultural/fashion lines aren't going to blur ?

[Parliment]

We are just that cool that we can use swords. Not haggis and badly made beers!

[Tennex]

Damocles, on 02 July 2013 - 10:13 PM, said:

OffT: Ads in Southern California use latin americans constantly.


OP: You think in 1,000 years in a fictional universe in space-that cultural/fashion lines aren't going to blur ?

True but only 30% are hispanics. 61% being white. And that is off topic anyway and a stretch of an argument. we are talking about america as a whole.

Sure culture will blur. But that doesn't explain why you would see that on a website for capellan confederation. Blur also implies a mix of both. Not sprinkles of people wearing 1000+ year old clothing.

yet to this point nobody has answered me straight: If you had to pick one ethnic group, would you expect to see a mexican person (or whatever minority) or an american person practicing Karate representing america. I use america because it is generally recognized as a melting pot. And the best example of blurred culture we've got to date

It just doesn't make sense to me.

Edited by Tennex, 02 July 2013 - 10:35 PM.