# How TLOU2's Political Messaging Contradicts Itself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN4Jm9BxoUY Translation: de [00:00] This game didn't need to be 25 hours long. Dieses Spiel musste nicht 25 Stunden lang sein. [00:04] It could have been a tight 15 hours and it would have been far better. Es hätte knappe 15 Stunden sein können und es wäre weitaus besser gewesen. [00:06] South Africa formally rather accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza before the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague. Südafrika beschuldigte Israel eher formell, vor dem Internationalen Gerichtshof der UNO in Den Haag Völkermord in Gaza zu begehen. [00:16] This is why The Last of Us Part II story cannot be separated from its structure. Deshalb kann die Geschichte von The Last of Us Teil II nicht von ihrer Struktur getrennt werden. [00:20] Its structure is the story. Ihre Struktur ist die Geschichte. [00:22] It was it was they were threatening my parents. Es war, es war, sie bedrohten meine Eltern. [00:24] They were threatening my baby who was a baby at the time. Sie bedrohten mein Baby, das damals ein Baby war. [00:28] I was pregnant when we were filming Last of Us. Ich war schwanger, als wir Last of Us drehten. [00:29] Again, this game was just extremely disappointing. Wieder einmal war dieses Spiel einfach extrem enttäuschend. [00:33] Plugging The Last of Us II into the moist meter, I'm giving The Last of Us II a 55% and really the main negative about this is its narrative. Wenn ich The Last of Us II in den Feuchtigkeitsmesser stecke, gebe ich The Last of Us II 55% und wirklich das Hauptnegative daran ist seine Erzählung. [00:41] Its narrative is truly terrible. Seine Erzählung ist wirklich schrecklich. [00:44] In The Last of Us I became Joel. In The Last of Us wurde ich Joel. [00:47] In The Last of Us Left Behind, I became Ellie. In The Last of Us Left Behind wurde ich Ellie. [00:52] In The Last of Us Part II, I became disappointed. In The Last of Us Teil II wurde ich enttäuscht. [00:59] I'm very conflicted about The Last of Us Ich bin sehr zwiegespalten über The Last of Us [01:00] Part II. Teil II. [01:03] On one hand, I have sunk over 150 hours into this game and plan on sinking more because the game is that good. Einerseits habe ich über 150 Stunden in dieses Spiel gesteckt und habe vor, noch mehr zu investieren, weil das Spiel so gut ist. [01:06] The gameplay is amazing. Das Gameplay ist erstaunlich. [01:08] The characters are well-written and the story is gut-wrenching. Die Charaktere sind gut geschrieben und die Geschichte ist herzzerreißend. [01:12] The only thing the game is missing is a Factions mode and then it would be near perfect. Das Einzige, was dem Spiel fehlt, ist ein Fraktionen-Modus, und dann wäre es nahezu perfekt. [01:15] However, the hate this game gets is often misplaced. Allerdings ist der Hass, den dieses Spiel erfährt, oft fehl am Platz. [01:18] You see, the game has received a lot of hate not because of its use of liberal identity politics as a mask for bad messaging but because of the gaming industry's misogyny problem. Sie sehen, das Spiel hat viel Hass erhalten, nicht wegen seiner Nutzung liberaler Identitätspolitik als Deckmantel für schlechte Botschaften, sondern wegen des Misogynie-Problems der Spieleindustrie. [01:28] The women in Part II do not fit the very small box gamers put female characters into and pairing this alongside the death of a beloved character led to a harassment campaign similar to the heights of Gamergate with many members of the team receiving abhorrent messages and threats. Die Frauen in Teil II passen nicht in die sehr kleine Schublade, in die Gamer weibliche Charaktere stecken, und dies zusammen mit dem Tod eines geliebten Charakters führte zu einer Belästigungskampagne ähnlich den Höhen von Gamergate, bei der viele Teammitglieder abscheuliche Nachrichten und Drohungen erhielten. [01:47] Because of this brigade, many people ended up overlooking the valid critiques of this game's very liberal and very pro-Zionist messaging. Aufgrund dieser Brigade übersahen viele Menschen die berechtigte Kritik an der sehr liberalen und sehr pro-zionistischen Botschaft dieses Spiels. [01:52] So, here I aim to tackle it all. Also, hier habe ich vor, alles anzugehen. [01:54] I want to talk about the gaming's misogyny problem. Ich möchte über das Misogynie-Problem der Spieleindustrie sprechen. [01:57] I want to talk about the misogyny tied to the controversy around The Last of Us Part II. Ich möchte über die Misogynie sprechen, die mit der Kontroverse um The Last of Us Teil II verbunden ist. [02:01] About the narrative and how The Last of Us does a decent job writing its women. Über die Erzählung und wie The Last of Us einen anständigen Job macht, seine Frauen zu schreiben. [02:06] And finally, I want to talk about the real criticism we should have about this game, that it tries to use diversity to hide neoliberal Zionist messaging. Und schließlich möchte ich über die echte Kritik sprechen, die wir an diesem Spiel haben sollten, dass es versucht, Vielfalt zu nutzen, um neoliberale zionistische Botschaften zu verbergen. [02:15] So, let's dive into the mess that is The Last of Us Part II. Also, tauchen wir ein in das Chaos, das The Last of Us Part II ist. [02:26] Gaming, from its inception, has been rooted in patriarchy. Gaming war von Anfang an im Patriarchat verwurzelt. [02:29] After the video game crash of 1983, in order to bounce back from one of the harshest market crashes the tech sector had ever experienced, gaming companies started marketing games towards a young male audience, believing that this would be a sure-fire way to gain a devoted base. Nach dem Videospiel-Crash von 1983, um sich von einem der härtesten Markteinbrüche zu erholen, den der Technologiesektor je erlebt hatte, begannen Spielefirmen, Spiele an ein junges männliches Publikum zu vermarkten, in dem Glauben, dass dies ein sicherer Weg sei, eine treue Basis zu gewinnen. [02:44] Ads began to center young boys, with them being presented as the protagonist of every advertisement. Werbung begann, sich auf junge Jungen zu konzentrieren, die als Protagonisten jeder Anzeige dargestellt wurden. [02:50] Consoles were deliberately put in the boys section in toy stores, to the point where games became culturally associated with boys. Konsolen wurden bewusst in der Jungenabteilung von Spielzeugläden platziert, bis zu dem Punkt, an dem Spiele kulturell mit Jungen assoziiert wurden. [02:56] On top of the marketing, games depicted certain types of men in a certain type of light. Zusätzlich zum Marketing stellten Spiele bestimmte Arten von Männern in einem bestimmten Licht dar. [03:00] There was an emphasis on the Es gab eine Betonung auf die [03:02] Macho, the coolness factor of male characters, the power in the protagonist's hands. Macho, der Coolness-Faktor männlicher Charaktere, die Macht in den Händen des Protagonisten. [03:07] Male characters were always the one at the helm, directing the journey. Männliche Charaktere waren immer diejenigen am Ruder, die die Reise leiteten. [03:11] In contrast, women were often the reward for a protagonist's journey. Im Gegensatz dazu waren Frauen oft die Belohnung für die Reise eines Protagonisten. [03:15] There were very few female protagonists during that era, with the exceptions being considered mind-blowing at the time. Es gab in dieser Ära sehr wenige weibliche Protagonisten, wobei die Ausnahmen damals als umwerfend galten. [03:20] This type of environment cultivated a boys club for gaming. Diese Art von Umgebung förderte einen Jungenclub für Spiele. [03:24] Gaming would not see a more equal audience until the 2010s. Gaming sollte bis in die 2010er Jahre kein ausgeglicheneres Publikum sehen. [03:28] And in today's world, women make up 48% of gamers. Und in der heutigen Welt machen Frauen 48% der Spieler aus. [03:31] However, despite all the issues the gaming industry had with representation, gaming still became a safe haven for nerds where both boys and girls all over could immerse themselves into a new world. Trotz aller Probleme, die die Spieleindustrie mit der Repräsentation hatte, wurde Gaming dennoch zu einem sicheren Hafen für Nerds, in den sich Jungen und Mädchen auf der ganzen Welt in eine neue Welt vertiefen konnten. [03:42] Now, it was still rare to see girls showing up to a fighting game tournament, but women around the world were still playing games. Nun, es war immer noch selten, Mädchen bei einem Kampfspielturnier zu sehen, aber Frauen auf der ganzen Welt spielten trotzdem Spiele. [03:47] In fact, by the 2000s, Nintendo saw that women could be a great market to tap into and started marketing their products to both genders. Tatsächlich erkannte Nintendo in den 2000er Jahren, dass Frauen ein großartiger Markt sein könnten, und begann, seine Produkte an beide Geschlechter zu vermarkten. [03:55] I remember making so many friends as a kid by just having a DS and playing in public. Ich erinnere mich, dass ich als Kind so viele Freunde fand, indem ich einfach einen DS hatte und in der Öffentlichkeit spielte. [04:00] In contrast to Nintendo's strategy of getting everyone in on the Im Gegensatz zu Nintendos Strategie, alle mit ins Boot zu holen, [04:02] Action, Xbox and PlayStation dug into their male fan base. Action, Xbox und PlayStation vertieften sich in ihre männliche Fangemeinde. [04:07] This was the era where games became a lot more grittier, darker, and everything had that hue of piss yellow on it for some reason. Dies war die Ära, in der Spiele viel düsterer und dunkler wurden und aus irgendeinem Grund alles diesen pissgelben Farbton hatte. [04:12] It was during this time period where we would see the advent of online gaming. In dieser Zeit erlebten wir das Aufkommen des Online-Gamings. [04:16] In the early days of online gaming, bigotry went unchecked to the point where if you called out vile behavior, you were viewed as the weird one. In den frühen Tagen des Online-Gamings blieb Bigotterie unkontrolliert, bis zu dem Punkt, dass man als der Seltsame angesehen wurde, wenn man abscheuliches Verhalten anprangerte. [04:25] Slurs were hurled regularly. Beleidigungen wurden regelmäßig geschleudert. [04:27] You heard every obscene thing under the sun. Man hörte jedes obszöne Ding unter der Sonne. [04:29] If there was a competitive mode in a game, be prepared to hear the most insecure men say the worst things on the mic. Wenn es einen kompetitiven Modus in einem Spiel gab, sei bereit, die unsichersten Männer die schlimmsten Dinge ins Mikrofon sagen zu hören. [04:35] And there are still people who act like this. Und es gibt immer noch Leute, die sich so verhalten. [04:37] So many people talk about the old Modern Warfare 2 COD lobbies like they were a good thing. So viele Leute reden über die alten Modern Warfare 2 COD-Lobbys, als ob sie eine gute Sache gewesen wären. [04:43] Like shouting slurs and saying degrading things about women was just a normal thing to do and something that should have been looked back on fondly. Als ob das Rufen von Beleidigungen und das Sagen erniedrigender Dinge über Frauen eine normale Sache gewesen wäre und etwas, auf das man gerne zurückblicken sollte. [04:51] On top of that, male gamers oftentimes did not know how to interact with the opposite gender and would end up at best making girls uncomfortable and at worst straight-up harassing women. Darüber hinaus wussten männliche Gamer oft nicht, wie sie mit dem anderen Geschlecht interagieren sollten, und endeten bestenfalls damit, Mädchen unwohl zu fühlen, und schlimmstenfalls damit, Frauen direkt zu belästigen. [05:01] Women were always bullied for being in the game. Frauen wurden immer dafür gemobbt, dass sie im Spiel waren. [05:03] They were told to go back to the kitchen to make the guys in the match a sandwich, called derogatory terms, made to feel less than. Sie wurden angewiesen, in die Küche zurückzukehren, um den Jungs im Spiel ein Sandwich zu machen, wurden abfällig genannt und fühlten sich herabgesetzt. [05:11] This still happens today. Das passiert auch heute noch. [05:13] And this is excluding all the issues within the gaming industry where women have been historically underrepresented. Und das schließt alle Probleme innerhalb der Spieleindustrie aus, in der Frauen historisch unterrepräsentiert waren. [05:19] Female directors were and are few and far in between. Regisseurinnen waren und sind rar gesät. [05:21] Women were and are already looked down upon with massive prejudice, being thought of as less capable. Frauen wurden und werden bereits mit massiven Vorurteilen herabgesehen, da man sie für weniger fähig hält. [05:28] If a woman achieved anything in the industry, people assumed that she had to be sleeping with someone in power. Wenn eine Frau in der Branche etwas erreichte, nahmen die Leute an, dass sie mit jemandem in Machtposition schlafen musste. [05:33] If she had any success, it had to be attributed to a man. Wenn sie Erfolg hatte, musste dieser einem Mann zugeschrieben werden. [05:37] So with all this blatant misogyny littered within the gaming world, it is no surprise that the biggest online harassment campaign was against a woman. Angesichts all dieser offenen Frauenfeindlichkeit, die in der Spielewelt verstreut ist, ist es keine Überraschung, dass die größte Online-Belästigungskampagne gegen eine Frau gerichtet war. [05:50] Gamergate was one of the most horrible and influential online harassment campaigns in the modern era. Gamergate war eine der schrecklichsten und einflussreichsten Online-Belästigungskampagnen der Neuzeit. [05:56] Was so influential that the internet can be divided into pre-Gamergate and post-Gamergate era. Es war so einflussreich, dass das Internet in eine Vor-Gamergate- und eine Nach-Gamergate-Ära unterteilt werden kann. [06:02] The event dates back to 2014 where a disgruntled man wrote a Das Ereignis geht auf das Jahr 2014 zurück, als ein verärgerter Mann einen [06:05] Blog post of about 9,000 words where he claimed that his ex-girlfriend, who was an independent game developer, was allegedly trading sex for positive reviews. Blogbeitrag von etwa 9.000 Wörtern, in dem er behauptete, dass seine Ex-Freundin, die eine unabhängige Spieleentwicklerin war, angeblich Sex für positive Bewertungen getauscht habe. [06:13] Her name was Zoe Quinn. Ihr Name war Zoe Quinn. [06:16] Now, did he have any evidence of this happening? Nun, hatte er irgendwelche Beweise dafür, dass dies geschah? [06:20] No. Nein. [06:20] But did this stop an army of angry men from harassing not only Zoe Quinn, but a bunch of women in the gaming industry? Aber hinderte dies eine Armee wütender Männer daran, nicht nur Zoe Quinn, sondern auch eine Reihe von Frauen in der Spieleindustrie zu belästigen? [06:26] No. Nein. [06:26] Because of this post, 4chaners began this organized campaign where so many women in the industry were relentlessly persecuted, being doxxed, received death threats, rape threats, and that was just the beginning. Wegen dieses Beitrags begannen 4chaner diese organisierte Kampagne, bei der so viele Frauen in der Branche unerbittlich verfolgt, gedoxxt wurden, Todesdrohungen und Vergewaltigungsdrohungen erhielten, und das war erst der Anfang. [06:40] This was the era where swatting had become a popular form of harassment. Dies war die Ära, in der Swatting zu einer beliebten Form der Belästigung geworden war. [06:44] Imagine wasting federal resources and taxpayer all because a woman in gaming had a different opinion than you. Stellen Sie sich vor, Sie verschwenden Bundesmittel und Steuergelder, nur weil eine Frau in der Spielebranche eine andere Meinung als Sie hatte. [06:50] Women like Zoe Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian received the brunt of the hatred, but so many women who were just simply involved in gaming received unjust hatred because of a rumor. Frauen wie Zoe Quinn und Anita Sarkeesian bekamen die Hauptlast des Hasses ab, aber so viele Frauen, die einfach nur in der Spielebranche tätig waren, erhielten aufgrund eines Gerüchts ungerechtfertigten Hass. [06:59] The FBI has a whole page specifically documenting all the harassment and hatred these women and men sympathetic Das FBI hat eine ganze Seite, die speziell all die Belästigung und den Hass dokumentiert, die diese Frauen und sympathisierenden Männer [07:05] to feminist causes received. zu feministischen Anliegen erhalten. [07:08] I recommend you check it out. Ich empfehle dir, es dir anzusehen. [07:10] It shows truly how depraved everything really was. Es zeigt wirklich, wie verdorben alles wirklich war. [07:13] This event in many ways acted as a precursor for a lot of the rage bait engagement bait culture that we see online. Dieses Ereignis wirkte in vielerlei Hinsicht als Vorläufer für einen Großteil der Wutköder- und Engagement-Köder-Kultur, die wir online sehen. [07:20] Thousands of men consistently harassed various women that were labeled social justice warriors [music] and deemed their radical ideology that wanted more representation in gaming as an evil thing that would rob them of the great games they had. Tausende von Männer belästigten konsequent verschiedene Frauen, die als Social-Justice-Kriegerinnen abgestempelt wurden [Musik] und betrachteten ihre radikale Ideologie, die mehr Repräsentation in Spielen wollte, als eine böse Sache, die ihnen die großartigen Spiele, die sie hatten, rauben würde. [07:32] Because you know, who wants better depictions of women in gaming? Weil, weißt du, wer will schon bessere Darstellungen von Frauen in Spielen? [07:35] Who wants better depictions of minorities in gaming? Wer will schon bessere Darstellungen von Minderheiten in Spielen? [07:38] Who wants more women in the gaming industry? Wer will mehr Frauen in der Spieleindustrie? [07:40] Even though they make up like damn near half the player base. Obwohl sie verdammt nochmal fast die Hälfte der Spielerbasis ausmachen. [07:43] And the icing on the cake is these women didn't hate all video games. Und das i-Tüpfelchen ist, dass diese Frauen nicht alle Videospiele hassten. [07:48] They were gaming journalists for a reason. Sie waren aus einem Grund Spielejournalisten. [07:49] They were passionate about this fear. Sie waren leidenschaftlich in Bezug auf diese Angst. [07:52] They didn't want the Call of Duty's to go away. Sie wollten nicht, dass die Call of Duty's verschwinden. [07:55] They just wanted better depictions of diverse people in their games. Sie wollten nur bessere Darstellungen verschiedener Menschen in ihren Spielen. [07:58] Like maybe we should have more women in gaming who are more than just objects in relation to men. Wie vielleicht sollten wir mehr Frauen in Spielen haben, die mehr sind als nur Objekte in Bezug auf Männer. [08:03] You know, like actual people. Weißt du, wie echte Menschen. [08:05] But a bunch of lonely women hating men could not have that. Aber ein Haufen einsamer Frauen, die Männer hassen, konnte das nicht haben. [08:05] For Für [08:06] These men, gaming was their safe haven. Diese Männer, das Spielen war ihr sicherer Hafen. [08:09] Where they felt that they could not be held accountable for their thoughts and actions. Wo sie das Gefühl hatten, dass sie für ihre Gedanken und Handlungen nicht zur Rechenschaft gezogen werden konnten. [08:12] So as game studios made more games with better representation, these men saw their safe haven for bigotry slowly become infringed upon. Als die Spielestudios also mehr Spiele mit besserer Repräsentation machten, sahen diese Männer ihren sicheren Hafen für Bigotterie langsam eingeschränkt. [08:22] In reality, the men behind this campaign didn't care if Quinn was actually sleeping with her viewers. In Wirklichkeit war es den Männern hinter dieser Kampagne egal, ob Quinn tatsächlich mit ihren Zuschauern schlief. [08:25] They just wanted an excuse to push back against the wave of representation and progressivism in gaming. Sie wollten nur eine Ausrede, um sich gegen die Welle der Repräsentation und des Progressivismus im Gaming zu wehren. [08:28] Because God forbid that there are more protagonists than just white men or gooner women. Denn Gott bewahre, dass es mehr Protagonisten gibt als nur weiße Männer oder geile Frauen. [08:32] And again, most people who like games want more representation. Und noch einmal, die meisten Menschen, die Spiele mögen, wollen mehr Repräsentation. [08:36] Games like Tomodachi Life are blowing up because of the amount of customization that you have. Spiele wie Tomodachi Life explodieren wegen der Menge an Anpassungsmöglichkeiten, die man hat. [08:40] Baldur's Gate 3 was praised for all the ways you could create your character. Baldur's Gate 3 wurde für all die Möglichkeiten gelobt, wie man seinen Charakter erstellen konnte. [08:47] Fortnite unironically has some of the best black representation in gaming and it is the most popular game in the world right now. Fortnite hat unironisch eine der besten schwarzen Repräsentationen im Gaming und es ist derzeit das beliebteste Spiel der Welt. [08:53] [music] [Musik] [08:56] Have you seen the justice they do to black hairstyles? Hast du gesehen, wie gerecht sie schwarze Frisuren behandeln? [08:58] It's amazing. Es ist erstaunlich. [09:00] But there is a specific type of gamer who hates to see people different than him. Aber es gibt eine bestimmte Art von Spieler, der es hasst, Menschen zu sehen, die anders sind als er. [09:03] He hates to see representation in his space because that representation makes him Er hasst es, Repräsentation in seinem Raum zu sehen, weil diese Repräsentation ihn [09:08] Uncomfortable. Unbequem. [09:10] For the longest time, he was the default figure in all mediums, the workplace, and almost all advertisements. Lange Zeit war er die Standardfigur in allen Medien, am Arbeitsplatz und in fast allen Werbeanzeigen. [09:16] Considered the default in America, how he was the default across the world. In Amerika als Standard angesehen, wie er weltweit der Standard war. [09:20] But as time went on, different people groups saw that the system was not working for them. Aber im Laufe der Zeit erkannten verschiedene Bevölkerungsgruppen, dass das System für sie nicht funktionierte. [09:24] And they advocated for a more egalitarian and equitable system. Und sie setzten sich für ein egalitäreres und gerechteres System ein. [09:29] But since these gamers view diversity as an invasion of their space, they could not handle inclusivity and retaliated against the movement through harassment and threats of violence. Aber da diese Gamer Vielfalt als Eindringen in ihren Raum betrachten, konnten sie Inklusivität nicht ertragen und reagierten auf die Bewegung mit Belästigung und Gewaltandrohungen. [09:40] And all women had to feel it. Und alle Frauen mussten es spüren. [09:43] Gamergate made being a woman who was into gaming so much harder since it made it more acceptable to mistreat women online. Gamergate machte es so viel schwerer, eine Frau zu sein, die sich für Gaming interessierte, da es akzeptabler machte, Frauen online schlecht zu behandeln. [09:49] Many male gamers had been trained since they were young by this system to view women as simply objects in their story. Viele männliche Gamer waren von diesem System seit ihrer Jugend darauf trainiert worden, Frauen lediglich als Objekte in ihrer Geschichte zu betrachten. [09:55] So, any depiction of woman that went beyond keeping her as a romantic option or as an object in relation to a man was heavily criticized. Daher wurde jede Darstellung einer Frau, die über die Rolle als romantische Option oder als Objekt in Bezug auf einen Mann hinausging, stark kritisiert. [10:04] Any criticism the games would get would boil down to, "They're trying to shove wokeness down our throat." Jede Kritik an den Spielen lief darauf hinaus: "Sie versuchen, uns Wokeness aufzuzwingen." [10:07] Even if the game just had a Selbst wenn das Spiel nur eine hatte [10:09] Female protagonist that wasn't purely for sex appeal. Weibliche Hauptfigur, die nicht nur der sexuellen Anziehungskraft diente. [10:13] Look at how they spoke about games like South of Midnight just because games like that had a black female protagonist or how people were talking about Intergalactic just because the game has a beautiful bald-headed woman of color as the lead. Sehen Sie, wie sie über Spiele wie South of Midnight sprachen, nur weil solche Spiele eine schwarze weibliche Hauptfigur hatten, oder wie die Leute über Intergalactic redeten, nur weil das Spiel eine schöne, kahlköpfige farbige Frau als Hauptfigur hat. [10:25] As I was revising this script, I saw the reaction to the God of War Laufey trailer. Als ich dieses Skript überarbeitete, sah ich die Reaktion auf den God of War Laufey-Trailer. [10:31] And oh my god, gaming is full of losers. Und oh mein Gott, die Gaming-Welt ist voller Verlierer. [10:33] Many women in these spaces still face harassment from men who feel entitled to their attention. Viele Frauen in diesen Räumen werden immer noch von Männern belästigt, die sich zu ihrer Aufmerksamkeit berechtigt fühlen. [10:39] I've heard so many stories of women having to change their usernames so they don't get bullied, using voice changers, or even just leaving a game they love entirely because they were harassed without end. Ich habe so viele Geschichten von Frauen gehört, die ihre Benutzernamen ändern mussten, um nicht gemobbt zu werden, Stimmverzerrer benutzten oder sogar ein Spiel, das sie liebten, ganz verließen, weil sie unaufhörlich belästigt wurden. [10:49] We need things to change. Wir brauchen Veränderung. [10:51] Gaming companies haven't been able to push back, but we need to continue to call out this horrible behavior. Spielefirmen konnten sich nicht wehren, aber wir müssen dieses schreckliche Verhalten weiterhin anprangern. [10:57] And it was in this toxic environment that we got the conflicting masterpiece [music] that is The Last of Us Part II. Und in diesem toxischen Umfeld bekamen wir das widersprüchliche Meisterwerk [Musik], das The Last of Us Part II ist. [11:10] The Last of Us Part II was one of the most anticipated games ever and with good reason. The Last of Us Teil II war eines der am meisten erwarteten Spiele aller Zeiten und das aus gutem Grund. [11:16] It was a follow-up to one of the best PlayStation exclusives Sony had ever produced. Es war die Fortsetzung eines der besten PlayStation-Exklusivtitel, die Sony je produziert hatte. [11:20] And that's on Nakey Jakey. Und das ist auf Nakey Jakey zurückzuführen. [11:22] You can call Neil Druckmann many things, a Zionist being one of them, but that man is talented. Man kann Neil Druckmann vieles nennen, unter anderem einen Zionisten, aber dieser Mann ist talentiert. [11:26] I remember just watching the let's plays of this game and simply falling in love with the world, with the story, with the dynamic that was Joel and Ellie. Ich erinnere mich, wie ich mir die Let's Plays dieses Spiels ansah und mich einfach in die Welt, die Geschichte und die Dynamik zwischen Joel und Ellie verliebte. [11:34] Many people had become so emotionally attached to those characters. Viele Menschen hatten sich so sehr emotional an diese Charaktere gebunden. [11:38] So, when Naughty Dog announced in 2016 that the game that had one of the best twists in gaming was getting a sequel, I was so excited. Als Naughty Dog 2016 ankündigte, dass das Spiel mit einer der besten Wendungen in der Videospielgeschichte eine Fortsetzung bekommt, war ich so aufgeregt. [11:45] Questions like, what were the consequences of Joel's actions? Fragen wie: Was waren die Konsequenzen von Joels Handlungen? [11:49] Where were they going to take the story? Wohin würden sie die Geschichte führen? [11:51] How are they going to change the gameplay? Wie würden sie das Gameplay verändern? [11:53] Flooded the community's collective mind. Überschwemmten die Gedanken der gesamten Community. [11:55] I remember hearing so many theories and just feeling the anticipation rise as the game's release date drew near. Ich erinnere mich, wie ich so viele Theorien hörte und die Vorfreude spürte, als der Veröffentlichungstermin des Spiels näher rückte. [12:02] Each trailer made the game look only more intriguing. Jeder Trailer ließ das Spiel nur noch faszinierender wirken. [12:06] The 2018 E3 gameplay trailer was phenomenal. Der Gameplay-Trailer der E3 2018 war phänomenal. [12:08] And despite the game getting a couple of Und obwohl das Spiel ein paar [12:10] Delays, we finally got a release date, June 19th, 2020. Verzögerungen, wir haben endlich ein Veröffentlichungsdatum bekommen, den 19. Juni 2020. [12:14] And then, the leaks happened. Und dann geschahen die Lecks. [12:15] The leaks were probably the worst thing to happen for this game because they immediately took the wind out of this game's sales. Die Lecks waren wahrscheinlich das Schlimmste, was diesem Spiel passieren konnte, weil sie sofort den Wind aus den Verkaufszahlen dieses Spiels nahmen. [12:23] Not saying this game was a flop, it sold nearly 4 million copies the week it launched, but they changed the conversation around the game. Ich sage nicht, dass dieses Spiel ein Flop war, es verkaufte fast 4 Millionen Exemplare in der Woche seines Starts, aber sie veränderten die Diskussion um das Spiel. [12:30] The leaks happened during a time where everyone was inside the house due to COVID, and it was during this time where people only grew more polarized. Die Lecks geschahen zu einer Zeit, in der alle wegen COVID im Haus waren, und es war während dieser Zeit, in der die Menschen nur noch polarisierter wurden. [12:36] So, in an environment where a lot of gamers were prone to act in toxicity and with vitriol whenever they encountered media that challenged them, stacked on top of an environment where people were stuck at home scrolling and growing more anxious, this was just a powder keg that was waiting for a spark. Also, in einer Umgebung, in der viele Spieler dazu neigten, toxisch und voller Gehässigkeit zu reagieren, wann immer sie auf Medien stießen, die sie herausforderten, zusätzlich zu einer Umgebung, in der Menschen zu Hause feststeckten, scrollten und immer ängstlicher wurden, war dies nur ein Pulverfass, das auf einen Funken wartete. [12:52] Leaking the fact that Joel dies, that a new character kills him, the fact that you're forced to challenge your preconceived notions by playing as this character, it ruined the surprise and a lot of the power that moment had for the fan base. Die Tatsache durchsickern zu lassen, dass Joel stirbt, dass eine neue Figur ihn tötet, die Tatsache, dass man gezwungen ist, seine vorgefassten Meinungen zu hinterfragen, indem man diese Figur spielt, ruinierte die Überraschung und einen Großteil der Wirkung, die dieser Moment für die Fangemeinde hatte. [13:04] The fan base went from speculating that Abby was Ellie's mother to absolutely hating on the character. Die Fangemeinde wechselte von der Spekulation, dass Abby Ellies Mutter sei, zu absolutem Hass auf die Figur. [13:09] And we cannot forget that Und wir dürfen nicht vergessen, dass [13:10] The leaks mentioned that there was a trans character in this game. Die Leaks erwähnten, dass es einen trans Charakter in diesem Spiel gab. [13:15] From that point on, there was a swath of videos made hating the game before it even released. Von diesem Zeitpunkt an gab es eine Reihe von Videos, die das Spiel hassten, bevor es überhaupt veröffentlicht wurde. [13:19] Tons of people called the game woke, saying that the game would flop. Unmengen von Leuten nannten das Spiel woke und sagten, dass es floppen würde. [13:23] They said the game would be garbage. Sie sagten, das Spiel wäre Müll. [13:25] All this negativity, all without having experienced the game. All diese Negativität, alles ohne das Spiel erlebt zu haben. [13:30] At the time, I was brainwashed into believing that this game would fail. Damals war ich einer Gehirnwäsche unterzogen worden, zu glauben, dass dieses Spiel scheitern würde. [13:34] I'm glad I was wrong. Ich bin froh, dass ich mich geirrt habe. [13:34] The game was released to critical acclaim. Das Spiel wurde mit Kritikerlob veröffentlicht. [13:38] The critics gave the game nines and 10s across the board. Die Kritiker gaben dem Spiel durchweg Neunen und Zehnen. [13:40] It was deemed a masterpiece. Es wurde als Meisterwerk bezeichnet. [13:42] The game sold insanely well and has sold 15 million copies globally today. Das Spiel verkaufte sich wahnsinnig gut und hat heute weltweit 15 Millionen Exemplare verkauft. [13:48] But despite all that, the stench of hatred and bigotry still remained around this game because The Last of Us Part II chose to defy the long-standing boxes that women in gaming had been placed into for years. Aber trotz alledem blieb der Gestank von Hass und Bigotterie um dieses Spiel herum bestehen, weil The Last of Us Part II sich entschied, den langjährigen Schubladen zu trotzen, in die Frauen in der Spielewelt seit Jahren gesteckt wurden. [14:06] The women of The Last of Us Part II are some of my favorite characters in all of gaming. Die Frauen von The Last of Us Part II gehören zu meinen Lieblingscharakteren in der gesamten Spielewelt. [14:10] Ellie and Abby are both such Ellie und Abby sind beide so [14:12] Well-written characters with completely different yet compelling character arcs, amazing parallels, and memorable dialogue. Gut geschriebene Charaktere mit völlig unterschiedlichen, aber fesselnden Handlungsbögen, erstaunlichen Parallelen und einprägsamen Dialogen. [14:20] I love these two characters to death. Ich liebe diese beiden Charaktere über alles. [14:21] They are both interesting, in my personal opinion, having their own inner struggles, their own lives. Sie sind beide interessant, meiner persönlichen Meinung nach, mit ihren eigenen inneren Kämpfen, ihren eigenen Leben. [14:28] Their worlds are different yet so similar. Ihre Welten sind unterschiedlich und doch so ähnlich. [14:30] Ellie is a character we have seen grown since the last game in 2013. Ellie ist eine Figur, die wir seit dem letzten Spiel im Jahr 2013 heranwachsen sehen. [14:34] We end up grieving with her, feeling her fears, feeling her joy, her rage. Wir trauern am Ende mit ihr, fühlen ihre Ängste, fühlen ihre Freude, ihre Wut. [14:39] Abby is a character that many fans have learned to empathize with through the story. Abby ist eine Figur, mit der viele Fans im Laufe der Geschichte gelernt haben, sich zu identifizieren. [14:43] We get to see her redeemed, see her learn to find new hope, a new light. Wir sehen sie erlöst, sehen, wie sie lernt, neue Hoffnung zu finden, ein neues Licht. [14:48] However, it would be an understatement to say that one character receives a lot more hate than the other. Es wäre jedoch eine Untertreibung zu sagen, dass eine Figur viel mehr Hass erfährt als die andere. [14:53] And this is not me saying Abby doesn't receive valid critiques. Und das soll nicht heißen, dass Abby keine berechtigte Kritik erhält. [14:57] I think it's fine that people are uncomfortable with the fact that they have to play as Joel's murderer for half the game. Ich finde es in Ordnung, dass die Leute sich unwohl dabei fühlen, dass sie für die Hälfte des Spiels als Joels Mörder spielen müssen. [15:01] But of course, I cannot address Abby's character and story without talking about all the unjust hatred and vitriol the character received since a lot of it is rooted in misogyny and even transphobia. Aber natürlich kann ich Abbys Charakter und Geschichte nicht ansprechen, ohne über all den ungerechtfertigten Hass und die Gehässigkeit zu sprechen, die die Figur erfahren hat, da ein Großteil davon in Frauenfeindlichkeit und sogar Transphobie verwurzelt ist. [15:10] So, in this Also, in diesem [15:12] In this segment, I'm going to talk about the controversy around Abby, discuss her narrative, and then I will talk about Ellie and her narrative. In diesem Abschnitt werde ich über die Kontroverse um Abby sprechen, ihre Erzählung diskutieren und dann über Ellie und ihre Erzählung sprechen. [15:24] It is no exaggeration to say Abby is one of the most divisive characters in all of gaming. Es ist keine Übertreibung zu sagen, dass Abby eine der umstrittensten Figuren in der gesamten Spielewelt ist. [15:28] People either love her or hate her. Die Leute lieben sie entweder oder hassen sie. [15:32] It's a rare feat to find someone who feels indifferent. Es ist eine seltene Leistung, jemanden zu finden, der gleichgültig ist. [15:34] But a lot of that hatred goes beyond the fact that Abby killed Joel. Aber ein Großteil dieses Hasses geht über die Tatsache hinaus, dass Abby Joel getötet hat. [15:38] A lot of it is rooted in the fact that she is a woman that killed Joel. Ein Großteil davon ist in der Tatsache verwurzelt, dass sie eine Frau ist, die Joel getötet hat. [15:43] I do not think the backlash for Abby would have been as strong if Abby was a man. Ich glaube nicht, dass die Gegenreaktion gegen Abby so stark gewesen wäre, wenn Abby ein Mann gewesen wäre. [15:47] But because Abby was a woman, the hatred was on another level. Aber weil Abby eine Frau war, war der Hass auf einem anderen Niveau. [15:50] The type of harassment that Laura Bailey received for simply playing Abby was on par with the things said to women during the height of Gamergate. Die Art von Belästigung, die Laura Bailey allein dafür erhielt, dass sie Abby spielte, war vergleichbar mit den Dingen, die Frauen auf dem Höhepunkt von Gamergate gesagt wurden. [15:58] They threatened her life, her family, her newborn child. Sie bedrohten ihr Leben, ihre Familie, ihr neugeborenes Kind. [16:01] How evil do you have to be? Wie böse muss man sein? [16:03] But because Abby represented the intrusion of wokeness into gaming, just like during Gamergate, it caused a visceral reaction in a certain part of the gaming community. Aber weil Abby das Eindringen von Wokeness in die Spielewelt repräsentierte, genau wie während Gamergate, verursachte dies eine viszerale Reaktion in einem bestimmten Teil der Spiele-Community. [16:12] But the gamers' hatred of Aber der Hass der Spieler auf [16:14] Women blinded them from the beauty of one of the most well-written characters in all of gaming. Frauen blendeten sie von der Schönheit einer der am besten geschriebenen Figuren in der gesamten Spielewelt. [16:20] Abby is very different from the female protagonists we have had in the past. Abby unterscheidet sich sehr von den weiblichen Protagonistinnen, die wir in der Vergangenheit hatten. [16:23] Instead of being portrayed as petite and feminine or as some sort of femme fatale, she is tall, standing at about 5'9. Anstatt als zierlich und feminin oder als eine Art Femme fatale dargestellt zu werden, ist sie groß, etwa 1,75 m groß. [16:30] She's muscular, weighing at about 170 lb. Sie ist muskulös und wiegt etwa 77 kg. [16:32] And her muscles aren't just for show. Und ihre Muskeln sind nicht nur zur Schau. [16:35] Her gameplay makes you feel extremely powerful. Ihr Gameplay lässt einen sich extrem mächtig fühlen. [16:39] And the close-quarters combat is extremely satisfying. Und der Nahkampf ist äußerst befriedigend. [16:41] And one of the best aspects of Naughty Dog's storytelling is that they do a lot more show and don't tell. Und einer der besten Aspekte von Naughty Dogs Erzählkunst ist, dass sie viel mehr zeigen und nicht erzählen. [16:47] So when it comes to giving us an explanation for Abby's amazing physique, they immediately demonstrate it to us. Wenn es also darum geht, uns eine Erklärung für Abbys erstaunliche Statur zu geben, demonstrieren sie es uns sofort. [16:52] The first scene in Abby's playthrough of Seattle has us walk by the WLF gym, where we see tons of people training. Die erste Szene in Abbys Durchspielen von Seattle führt uns am WLF-Fitnessstudio vorbei, wo wir jede Menge trainierende Leute sehen. [16:58] If we pay attention during the flashbacks with Owen, Abby mentions how she had hit a 185 bench while training. Wenn wir während der Rückblenden mit Owen aufpassen, erwähnt Abby, dass sie beim Training 185 Pfund beim Bankdrücken geschafft hat. [17:04] That is extremely impressive for a girl who was only 16 or 17 years old at the time. Das ist äußerst beeindruckend für ein Mädchen, das damals erst 16 oder 17 Jahre alt war. [17:09] If we pay attention some more, we see that when Mel scolds Abby on day three, she Wenn wir noch mehr aufpassen, sehen wir, dass, als Mel Abby am dritten Tag tadelt, sie [17:14] Mentions that Abby was Isaac's top Scar killer, showing that she was in active combat for years on end. Erwähnt, dass Abby Isaaks beste Scar-Killerin war, was zeigt, dass sie jahrelang im aktiven Kampf war. [17:20] All these context clues lead us to realize why Abby had been training so hard, why she had become the top Scar killer. All diese Kontexthinweise lassen uns erkennen, warum Abby so hart trainiert hatte, warum sie zur besten Scar-Killerin geworden war. [17:28] She was training for an encounter with Joel. Sie trainierte für eine Begegnung mit Joel. [17:29] She had been tormented night after night by the man who murdered the Fireflies, the man who killed her father. Sie war Nacht für Nacht von dem Mann gequält worden, der die Fireflies ermordet hatte, dem Mann, der ihren Vater getötet hatte. [17:36] Every rep she pushed out, every shot she took, every Seraphite she killed was all a way for her to prepare for the day where she would take her revenge. Jede Wiederholung, die sie drückte, jeder Schuss, den sie abfeuerte, jeder Seraphit, den sie tötete, war alles ein Weg für sie, sich auf den Tag vorzubereiten, an dem sie ihre Rache nehmen würde. [17:43] And all that anger, all that training, all that meditating day in and day out brought her no peace until she started using the very strength she built to kill Joel to save Yara and Lev. Und all diese Wut, all dieses Training, all diese Meditation Tag für Tag brachten ihr keinen Frieden, bis sie begann, genau die Stärke, die sie aufgebaut hatte, um Joel zu töten, zu nutzen, um Yara und Lev zu retten. [17:56] Now, if the conversation about Abby's muscles when the game launched was about how they served the narrative, then the world would have been a much better place. Wenn die Diskussion über Abbys Muskeln beim Start des Spiels darum gegangen wäre, wie sie der Erzählung dienten, dann wäre die Welt ein viel besserer Ort gewesen. [18:04] But instead, the conversation revolved around policing how Abby's body could look. Aber stattdessen drehte sich die Diskussion darum, zu kontrollieren, wie Abbys Körper aussehen durfte. [18:07] Comments immediately began saying, "It's impossible for a woman to look like that, that Abby's muscles were too large, her frame was too wide." Kommentare begannen sofort zu sagen: "Es ist unmöglich für eine Frau, so auszusehen, dass Abbys Muskeln zu groß waren, ihr Körperbau zu breit." [18:15] Began receiving transphobic comments all while being canonically a cisgendered woman, and a straight cisgendered woman at that. Begann, transphobe Kommentare zu erhalten, während sie kanonisch eine cisgeschlechtliche Frau war, und dazu noch eine heterosexuelle cisgeschlechtliche Frau. [18:23] But this is not the first time a cis woman has received transphobic hate. Aber dies ist nicht das erste Mal, dass eine cis-Frau transphoben Hass erfährt. [18:27] Matter of fact, this happened very recently. Tatsächlich geschah dies erst vor kurzem. [18:29] It's the summer of 2024, and the Olympics are in full swing. Es ist der Sommer 2024, und die Olympischen Spiele sind in vollem Gange. [18:33] But amidst the buzz of Noah Lyles running the 100-meter dash and Simone Biles being the goat of gymnastics, there was a controversy brewing in women's Olympic boxing. Doch inmitten des Trubels um Noah Lyles, der den 100-Meter-Lauf bestreitet, und Simone Biles, die die Größte der Turnerinnen ist, braute sich eine Kontroverse im olympischen Frauenboxen zusammen. [18:42] The match was Italy's Carini versus Algeria's Khalif. Der Kampf war Italiens Carini gegen Algeriens Khalif. [18:46] And 46 seconds into the welterweight fight, Carini gave up, saying that Khalif had hit like no woman she had ever fought before, insinuating that Khalif was the fabled trans woman who transitioned in order to compete in sports. Und 46 Sekunden nach Beginn des Weltergewichtskampfes gab Carini auf und sagte, dass Khalif wie keine Frau geschlagen habe, gegen die sie je gekämpft habe, und deutete an, dass Khalif die sagenumwobene Transfrau sei, die eine Transition durchgemacht habe, um im Sport anzutreten. [18:59] This has led to a long harassment campaign centered around this woman because conservatives thought that she was trans, and still think she's trans. Dies hat zu einer langen Belästigungskampagne geführt, die sich um diese Frau dreht, weil Konservative dachten, sie sei trans, und immer noch denken, sie sei trans. [19:07] And I'm going to tell you right now, from my research, she's not trans. Und ich werde Ihnen jetzt sagen, aus meiner Forschung, sie ist nicht trans. [19:12] She may not meet the standards of traditional femininity, but she is not trans. Sie mag nicht den Standards traditioneller Weiblichkeit entsprechen, aber sie ist nicht trans. [19:14] There's no evidence of her being Es gibt keine Beweise dafür, dass sie [19:16] If anything, she might be intersex since she was recently asked during an interview about having the SRY gene, which is typically found on the Y chromosome, but can be found on the X chromosome in certain cases. Wenn überhaupt, könnte sie intersexuell sein, da sie kürzlich in einem Interview nach dem SRY-Gen gefragt wurde, das normalerweise auf dem Y-Chromosom vorkommt, aber in bestimmten Fällen auf dem X-Chromosom gefunden werden kann. [19:31] But, we do not know the extent to which this may be affecting her because she has been very private about this matter. Aber wir wissen nicht, inwieweit dies sie beeinflussen könnte, da sie in dieser Angelegenheit sehr zurückhaltend war. [19:37] But, Kalief still clings to the fact that she is genetically a female and a woman. Aber Kalief hält immer noch an der Tatsache fest, dass sie genetisch weiblich und eine Frau ist. [19:41] She has been raised a woman. Sie wurde als Frau erzogen. [19:43] Her family knows her as a woman. Ihre Familie kennt sie als Frau. [19:45] She has pictures from her childhood as a little girl. Sie hat Bilder aus ihrer Kindheit als kleines Mädchen. [19:47] This, however, has not stopped people from continuing to say that she is a man, that she is trans, that she is trying to take advantage of women. Dies hat die Leute jedoch nicht davon abgehalten, weiterhin zu sagen, dass sie ein Mann sei, dass sie trans sei, dass sie versuche, Frauen auszunutzen. [19:55] I mean, even while researching this, I found so much bias in the reporting because mainly right-wing sources are reporting on it. Ich meine, selbst bei der Recherche dazu habe ich so viel Voreingenommenheit in der Berichterstattung gefunden, weil hauptsächlich rechte Quellen darüber berichten. [20:04] That's why today's video sponsored by Ground. Deshalb ist das heutige Video von Ground gesponsert. [20:05] No, I'm just kidding. Nein, ich mache nur Spaß. [20:07] I'm not sponsored. Ich bin nicht gesponsert. [20:07] Kalief is not even undefeated in boxing. Kalief ist nicht einmal ungeschlagen im Boxen. [20:09] It's not like she's beating women so badly they're getting injured. Es ist nicht so, dass sie Frauen so schwer schlägt, dass sie verletzt werden. [20:12] It's not like she has a crazy knockout rate. Es ist nicht so, dass sie eine verrückte Knockout-Quote hat. [20:14] She's just built different. Sie ist einfach anders gebaut. [20:15] And just because she has a biological advantage Und nur weil sie einen biologischen Vorteil hat [20:18] does not mean that she should be [20:19] disqualified [music] from the sport. I [20:21] mean, if we were to use biological [20:23] advantages as an example, take a look at [20:26] Michael Phelps. He was literally built [20:28] [music] to beat every Olympic swimming [20:30] record. He had the wingspan, a longer [20:32] torso, double-jointed ankles. His lungs [20:35] could hold more air. He is literally [20:37] built to be the goat. All this to say [20:40] that humans come in very different [20:41] shapes and sizes. Not all men meet the [20:44] ever-evolving [music] standards of [20:45] masculinity, and of course, not all [20:47] women are going to meet the [20:48] ever-changing standards of femininity. [20:51] But, instead of people reflecting and [20:52] holding space for complexity in gender [20:54] and biological studies, people resort to [20:56] black-and-white thinking. [music] And [20:58] this type of thinking has led to [21:00] transphobia and misogyny. Transphobia [21:02] because they hate the person for the [21:04] thought of them being trans, and [21:05] misogyny because they believe women [21:07] [music] can only come in a certain shape [21:08] and size. But the truth is women aren't [21:11] built one way. [21:12] They are extremely diverse because [21:14] humans are diverse. Abby is a bigger [21:16] woman. She has a larger frame. She is [21:18] strong. She doesn't fit conventional [21:20] beauty standards. And that isn't me [21:23] calling her ugly by the way, but she is [21:24] still an amazing character. My problem [21:27] is that people, in an effort to hate on [21:29] Abby, ignore [music] [21:31] her narrative. Abby as a character has [21:33] always been very interesting to me. She [21:35] is witty, sassy, and hardened. [21:37] Ew! [21:38] ARE YOU WEARING MY BACKPACK? [21:40] BUT she is also caring, loyal, and very [21:42] tribal. I, personally, am a sucker for a [21:45] plot twist that changes the perspective [21:47] of the viewer, player, reader. So first, [21:50] she's typecast as the villain of the [21:51] story. She shows up, murders Joel, and [21:54] disappears just as quickly as she [21:55] appeared. We spend all this time as [21:57] Ellie seeing [music] Abby as this [21:58] nefarious mastermind who stole Joel from [22:01] us up until we get to her side of the [22:03] story. We see the pain that Joel's [22:05] killing spree caused her. And although [22:06] many people think that this moment is [22:07] meant to make us immediately empathize [22:09] with [music] Abby, I think this scene [22:11] only serves the purpose of giving Abby a [22:13] rationale. Since we spent such little [22:15] time with her father, Jerry, when we [22:17] start Seattle Day 1, Abby's [music] [22:18] emotionally stuck in limbo. She clearly [22:20] has PTSD from what Joel did that night [22:23] in Salt Lake City. All her friends have [22:24] been distant except for Manny. Her ex's [22:27] girlfriend is pregnant and she has been [22:29] fighting a war she has been losing [22:31] interest in. She feels stuck. The guilt [22:33] of killing Joel clearly weighs on her [22:35] mind. And by the end of the first day, [22:36] we end up disliking Abby even more [22:39] because she helps her ex cheat on his [22:41] pregnant girlfriend. She is a mess. But [22:43] then Day 2 starts and Abby's body [22:45] instinctively [music] [22:45] drives her to go back and help save [22:47] those Seraphites who had saved her [22:49] briefly in Day 1. Here the game presents [22:51] its thesis. The way to heal from grief, [22:53] the way to end cycles of violence is to [22:56] invest in others selflessly. When Abby [22:58] risked her life to get the materials [23:00] necessary for Yara, fighting Seraphites, [23:03] facing her fear of heights dead on, [23:04] descending through the hell that is the [23:06] hotel with Lev by her side, fighting a [23:09] monster that was the amalgamation of her [23:11] trauma, grief, and shame. That is what [23:13] healed her. When Abby risked her life to [23:15] save Lev on Seraphite Island, that was [23:18] her choosing the light. Now, this [23:19] narrative is nothing new because, [23:20] surprise surprise, this is the same arc [23:22] Joel goes through. Both characters start [23:24] off as [music] disgruntled protagonists [23:26] who are hardened by trauma. Both are [23:27] suddenly thrust with the responsibility [23:29] of protecting a teen learning to [23:31] navigate a dangerous world. Both end up [23:33] risking it all for this kid that they [23:35] end up treating as kin. Granted, Abby's [23:36] arc happens a lot faster since it's over [23:38] a 3-day period, while Joel's arc is over [23:40] a year, but the parallels are clearly [23:43] there. And this is purposeful. The story [23:45] wants you to make these connections so [23:46] we can see that there is no evil side [23:48] [music] in terms of their motivations. [23:50] This will pose a problem later, but I [23:52] understand how it serves the narrative. [23:54] And of course, [23:55] we cannot talk about the women of The [23:57] Last of Us Part II without mentioning [23:59] the other protagonist of this game. [24:08] I believe Ellie is a great example of a [24:10] queer character written right. The game [24:12] is sometimes a bit on the nose about its [24:14] political messaging, especially in [24:15] Ellie's story, from the dome being a [24:17] synagogue to the Pride Month bookstore [24:19] in Seattle Day One. But the game does [24:22] not sacrifice the narrative in order to [24:23] place [music] a diverse character. Ellie [24:25] and Dina are more than just the lesbian [24:27] couple in the game. Their relationship [24:30] feels genuine. There is a kaleidoscope [24:32] of emotions and feelings in this toxic [24:34] dynamic between an avoidant attachment [24:36] style lesbian [music] and anxious [24:38] attachment bisexual woman. I love these [24:40] two and how they show up for each other. [24:41] I love how the stakes are raised by the [24:43] end of day one. I love the fact that [24:45] they are doomed Yuri. I'm sorry, that [24:47] was a bad joke. I don't mean to [24:48] fetishize lesbians. Anyway, but in all [24:50] seriousness, [music] Ellie's arc has a [24:52] great blend of representation and [24:54] narrative care that is very rare in most [24:56] media today, including the show. [24:58] I'm going to be a dad. [25:00] On top of the representation, Ellie's [25:01] arc [music] is meant to show the [25:03] depravity of grief-driven violence. With [25:05] every kill, Ellie inflicts more pain on [25:07] [music] herself. It's why the game goes [25:09] from this free-flowing adventurous [25:11] gameplay on Seattle day one to the [25:13] darkest, most restricted, and [music] [25:15] forceful gameplay. Because this is how [25:16] Ellie views her time in Seattle. By the [25:18] time we get to the hospital, when Ellie [25:20] is holding that pipe [25:21] [music] [25:21] in front of Nora, she believes that she [25:24] has hit the point of no return. She had [25:25] risked so much after day one [music] [25:27] turned sour, fighting legions of WLF, [25:29] fighting Seraphites on day two, killing [25:31] infected. Because she had not reaped any [25:34] rewards for her [music] sacrifice. All [25:35] she had seen was more death. To the [25:37] point where she feared losing the ones [25:40] she [music] loved the most. And on top [25:42] of all that, she was constantly [25:43] retreating to memories with Joel, [25:45] remembering all the times their [25:47] relationships began to sour. But despite [25:49] all that fear, all that pain, [25:51] [music] [25:51] and because she was blinded by grief, [25:54] she chose Joel over all the people [25:56] important to her. And it cost her. It [25:58] cost her Tommy. It cost her Jesse. [26:00] [music] And it cost her Dina. It cost [26:02] her her happiness, her peace, her joy. [26:04] To the point where when we return [26:06] [music] to Ellie on the farm, she had [26:08] become a husk of herself. And the crazy [26:10] part is, this is exactly where Abby was [26:13] emotionally back in Jackson. Both [26:15] struggled with PTSD. Both set out for a [26:18] journey for revenge. Ellie's Seattle [26:20] experience is meant to represent Abby's [26:22] journey to Jackson. The hell both of [26:24] them went to. The ruminating on how it [26:26] would feel to get revenge. The people [26:28] trying to talk them out of there only [26:29] for their loved ones to pay the [26:31] consequences. And [music] both make the [26:32] same decision in the end to let the [26:35] other go after having every right to [26:37] want to kill the other. In Abby's case, [26:39] her new life pulled her out of her [26:40] darkness. And in Ellie's case, it was [26:43] the remnant of Joel left [26:44] [music] [26:44] that pulled her out before she let go. [26:46] She let go of Abby. She let go of [26:48] revenge. She let go of the anger that [26:50] she felt. And got the closure that she [26:52] needed. I understand being upset with [26:54] Ellie for not going through with killing [26:56] Abby, but Ellie would have lost herself [26:57] forever the moment she had killed her. [27:00] Instead, in her darkest moment, she [27:01] chooses to remember the light that Joel [27:03] was to her, and that's why I find the [27:05] game so [music] beautiful. Now, for some [27:06] I get it. They play video games to [27:08] insert themselves into the characters. [27:10] When Ellie makes [music] a decision they [27:12] wouldn't make, they feel a disconnect. [27:14] To have the choice of ending [music] the [27:15] cycle represents healing rather than [27:17] letting the player continue the pain. [27:19] Now, I've been praising this game a lot, [27:21] and that's because I believe that in a [27:23] space [music] full of hatred and so full [27:25] of negativity, we ought to praise the [27:27] good that we see. We ought to encourage [27:29] good representation so that we can see [27:31] more boundaries broken in our media and [27:33] more representation. I love seeing [27:35] well-written queer characters, [27:36] well-written women, and of course, just [27:39] diversity as a whole. However, this does [27:41] not mean that we start engaging with [27:43] media we love uncritically. [music] [27:45] The Last of Us Part II falls into a [27:47] category of political messaging I like [27:50] to call diversity masking. I just made [27:52] that up. I don't know if that's a real [27:53] term. It's the same problem I had with [27:55] Arcane. It has all these diverse faces [27:57] that are well-written for the most part, [27:59] but when you peek under the mask, you [28:01] find that the story is using diversity [28:03] to hide pro-capitalist, high-key [28:04] conservative political messaging about [28:06] trust and political structures, warfare, [28:09] and capital. In the case of The Last of [28:10] Us Part II, we find that although the [28:12] game has great female representation, [28:14] [music] it tries to hide very bad [28:16] messaging around a certain conflict in [28:18] the Middle East. Yep, it's time to talk [28:20] about Zionism in The Last of Us Part II. [28:27] I just want to give a quick shout out to [28:28] Jack Saint because a lot of the [28:30] information from this segment I got from [28:31] his video Zionism and The Last of Us. It [28:34] is legitimately an excellent video, and [28:36] I will be providing similar critiques of [28:38] Part II with my own perspective, of [28:39] course. I also want to say anti-Zionism [28:42] is not anti-Semitism. There will be no [28:45] tolerance on this channel for slurs [28:47] against Jewish people. Now, with that [28:48] out the way, [28:50] let's dive into this. When it comes to [28:51] analyzing the very obvious political [28:53] messaging of The Last of Us Part II, you [28:55] have to look at Neil Druckmann's [28:56] background since it is clearly an [28:58] influence on the way he wrote the [29:00] narrative. Neil Druckmann is an Israeli. [29:02] He lived in the West Bank until he was [29:04] 10 years old. So, whether he did it [29:06] purposely or not, his story does have [29:09] parallels to his experiences. When [29:11] Druckmann spoke about the [29:12] the killing [29:16] of two Israeli soldiers at the hands of [29:17] a mob in Ramallah and how it made him [29:20] feel in the moment. The rage and desire [29:23] for revenge that coursed through his [29:25] body and the remorse he felt for those [29:26] feelings after further reflection. But, [29:28] this experience was the foundation upon [29:31] which Druckmann built the narrative that [29:34] is The Last of Us Part II. Taking that [29:36] into account, this recontextualizes a [29:39] lot of what we see in Part II's [29:40] narrative choices. Choosing to have the [29:42] narrative be based on how [music] hatred [29:44] and the desire for revenge drives us to [29:46] depravity [29:47] reflects the apparent cyclical nature of [29:50] the Israel-Palestine conflict since it [29:52] [music] has been nothing but seemingly [29:55] endless violence between both parties [29:57] based on hurting one another. On top of [29:59] that, we can clearly see who represents [30:01] who in Part II's story. There is a [30:03] regional conflict [music] between two [30:04] local governments about who should [30:06] control the land. Party one is a secular [30:09] modern militia where everyone pledges [30:11] unfettered loyalty to the cause of [30:12] keeping their people together and party [30:14] two is a religious group that is near [30:16] primitive and extremely bigoted in their [30:18] interpretation of their religion. And [30:20] although they are smaller in terms of [30:21] size, they are still able to push back [30:24] through brute strength and sheer will. [30:26] Both are extremely brutal in their war [30:27] tactics doing whatever they can to [30:29] defeat their enemies. They have had [30:31] multiple treaties in the past, but time [30:33] and time again, someone on either side [30:35] ends up violating the treaty leading to [30:37] the violence repeating once again. What [30:39] Neil is trying to portray is obvious. [30:41] Isaac very clearly represents the [30:43] Israeli Prime Minister's role in the [30:45] violence, while the Sarafites are [30:46] treated as a group that is ruled [music] [30:48] by committee, similar to Hamas. The [30:50] conflict has been going on for ages, so [30:53] much so that there are children on both [30:54] sides have been born into nothing but [30:57] war. On top of all this narrative [30:58] symbolism, the game also has some of the [31:00] most gruesome dismemberment in all of [31:02] gaming. Heads and limbs blown off from [31:04] different guns and explosions, watching [31:06] enemies shriek while lit on fire, and to [31:09] put icing on the cake, enemies shout [31:11] each other's name when killed. All this [31:13] to demonstrate to the player not only [31:15] the brutality of violence and the [31:16] depravity of war, but the lengths that [31:18] we go to dehumanize our enemies. That [31:20] people are willing to lose themselves to [31:22] violence. With all this detail placed [31:24] into the game, Neil Druckmann [music] [31:26] plants his flag and self-righteously [31:28] states the situation is just too [31:30] complicated to solve, so all violence is [31:32] to be condemned. He frames it as if the [31:35] violence [music] committed by both sides [31:37] is equal, and that therefore there is no [31:39] possible way we can sort it out. Both [31:41] sides simply want to lay claim to the [31:43] land that they've always lived on, but [31:45] there are a number of problems with this [31:47] framing. Because although there is truth [31:49] in the statement that things are always [31:50] more complex than they seem, they are [31:52] not so complex that you ignore the very [31:55] obvious lopsidedness of the conflict [31:57] [music] that has killed and is killing [31:59] thousands of Palestinians based on an [32:02] ethnocentrist colonial ideology. [32:05] Political Zionism was an ideology [32:07] created in the mid-19th century with the [32:09] express goal of establishing [music] [32:11] a Jewish ethno-state in Palestine. [32:13] Through this ethno-state, they would be [32:15] [music] able to protect themselves from [32:16] the anti-Semitism rooted in all [32:19] societies they encountered. They started [32:21] sharing pamphlets, settling in Palestine [32:23] under the authority of the British [32:25] Empire, and began building the [32:27] idealistic utopia free of anti-Semitism. [32:31] But I just want to let you in on a [32:33] little secret. [32:34] If you didn't know, [32:36] just because you go through oppression [32:38] doesn't mean you can go and colonize [32:40] another people group. You can't just go [32:41] into someone's home and claim it as your [32:44] own. But that is exactly what happened. [32:46] Israel is a settler colonial project and [32:49] has for all of the nation-state's [32:51] existence been ethnically cleansing the [32:54] Palestinian people in order to establish [32:56] an ethno-state. Every temporary [32:58] ceasefire has been violated over and [33:00] over again all because Israel has been [33:02] allowed by the most powerful government [33:04] in the world to continue killing [33:06] Palestinian people for its own benefit. [33:08] On September 16th of 2025, the UN [33:10] Commission officially declared that [33:12] Israel had been committing a genocide on [33:14] the Palestinian people citing four of [33:16] the five genocidal acts defined by the [33:18] 1948 Convention of Prevention and [33:21] Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. [33:23] They're late to the party as they were [33:25] one of many international organizations [33:27] that have recognized this genocide [33:29] alongside the International Association [33:32] of Genocide Scholars, Human Rights [33:34] Watch, Doctors Without Borders, and many [33:36] others who have seen what is happening [33:38] for what it is, a systematic targeting [33:40] of a people group in order to eradicate [33:42] them. The Israeli government has been [33:44] seen targeting journalists with over 260 [33:47] Gazan journalists being purposefully [33:49] targeted in drone strikes since the [33:51] attacks of October 7th. They have [33:53] blocked all humanitarian aid from [33:55] entering Gaza sending away any [33:57] organization that attempts to help [33:59] starving and injured civilians. They [34:01] have bombed hospitals in the name of [34:02] stopping Hamas but have only left the [34:05] Gazans with no medical infrastructure. [34:07] They have violated ceasefire agreement [34:09] after ceasefire agreement and have [34:11] continuously been the aggressor in the [34:12] conflict time and time again. And on top [34:15] of all this, they are backed by the most [34:16] powerful military in the world. Another [34:18] genocide America's implicated in. Now, [34:21] why do I bring this up? Because if you [34:23] were to go based on The Last of Us Part [34:24] II's framing of the conflict, you would [34:26] be under the impression that the [34:27] violence is committed equally on both [34:29] sides and that both sides are equally [34:31] guilty. Isaac is bad for wanting to go [34:33] in and eradicate all the scars, but the [34:35] Seraphites are wrong for wanting the [34:36] same because they are just as implicated [34:39] in the violence. But in reality, this is [34:41] simply not the case. Hamas does not [34:43] receive constant aid from the most [34:45] powerful nation in the world to harass [34:47] Israel. But when we look at who is the [34:48] more powerful nation, the nation who is [34:50] committing the greater violence, [34:51] committing more war crimes, the one [34:53] who's being called out by all [34:55] organizations, it is not the Palestinian [34:57] rebel group. On top of the parallels, [34:59] look at how The Last of Us attempts to [35:01] paint the Palestinians. The Seraphites [35:03] are violent. They are brutish. They are [35:07] bigoted. They're entrenched in their [35:09] gender roles, described as [35:11] reinterpreting their holy book in order [35:13] to commit violent acts, mercilessly [35:15] killing people in the name of their [35:17] prophet. You can find tales of their [35:19] horrible murders throughout the game. [35:21] Narratively, it's pretty good [35:22] foreshadowing. But this is clearly meant [35:24] to represent Muslim extremism. And if [35:26] this were not so heavily shaped by the [35:29] Israel-Palestine conflict, maybe I could [35:31] excuse [music] it. But recontextualizing [35:33] this through this lens, it feels as if [35:36] Druckmann is painting the Palestinians [35:38] as violent and dangerous because of [35:39] their faith. Their faith may have some [35:41] beauty to it, but because of all the [35:43] misrepresentation and misinterpretation, [35:46] all the Palestinian people have gone [35:48] violent. And that's simply unjust. Now, [35:50] compare that depiction to how he depicts [35:53] the Wolves. They are disciplined. They [35:55] are gentle when they need to be and [35:57] brutal because they have to be. Their [35:58] violence feels more justified. However, [36:00] even in fiction, they cannot help but [36:03] gun down kids. [36:04] Manny, they're kids. It's not their [36:06] fault. [36:07] Not our fault, either. Those deaths are [36:09] on them. [36:10] I understand Druckmann was going for a [36:11] more balanced approach, but even when [36:13] trying to give us a Seraphite character [36:15] to empathize with, like Lev, the story [36:17] still paints it as Lev trying to escape [36:20] his primitive, violent, hateful culture, [36:23] rather than Lev fighting to protect his [36:24] culture and his people. This portrayal [36:27] doesn't even represent the accurate [36:29] experience of queer Palestinians because [36:32] queer Palestinians have existed in [36:34] Palestine for a while. And although [36:36] Israel portrays itself as a safe space [36:38] for all LGBTQ plus members, they show no [36:41] compassion for queer Palestinian [36:43] refugees. It is textbook pinkwashing [36:45] where the issues of the queer community [36:48] and queer rights are used to justify [36:50] colonialism and imperialism. LGBTQ [36:53] rights are then discarded when it comes [36:55] to other issues. This rhetoric was [36:58] constantly used against the people [37:00] advocating for the Palestinian cause in [37:02] 2023. But no matter how hard you try, [37:05] you can't pinkwash a genocide. But if [37:07] you were to go off The Last of Us Part [37:08] II, you would go, "Man, [37:10] [clears throat] [37:10] there is simply no answer to the [37:12] violence." When in reality, [37:15] that just ignores the dynamics at play. [37:20] [music] [37:22] One of the most powerful things about [37:23] Part II's narrative is that it forces [37:25] you to take the perspective of a [37:27] perceived enemy. [music] You are forced [37:28] to empathize with Abby and see her world [37:30] from her perspective. You see her fears, [37:32] her hopes, the things that keep her [37:34] going, the pain she feels losing her [37:36] loved ones. We get the whole range. [37:38] However, when we experience the conflict [37:40] between the Wolves and the Seraphites, [37:42] we get only two perspectives. A [37:44] perspective from an outsider peering in [37:46] on the conflict and the perspective from [37:48] a loyal soldier turned defector because [37:50] she met one of the good ones. [37:52] [music] [37:52] Ellie only sees that both sides are [37:53] bloodthirsty and therefore both evil. [37:56] While Abby eventually sees the war as [37:58] bad because there's no nuance in the [37:59] fighting. [music] But the story lacks [38:01] one more perspective, the perspective of [38:03] a Seraphite, the perspective of someone [38:05] who has fought against the Wolves for [38:06] years. I believe the narrative attempts [38:08] to do this with Lev, but this is not a [38:10] first-person point of view. And on top [38:12] of that, Lev is actively a defector from [38:14] the conflict. Because of this fact, the [38:16] player rarely feels guilt for killing a [38:19] Seraphite warrior. I mean, look at how [38:21] they portray the brutality these people [38:23] have. When we are introduced to Yara and [38:25] Lev, Seraphite Emily has the soldiers [38:27] break Yara's arm so bad she needed it [38:30] amputated. They gut people after hanging [38:32] them. They assign extremely rigid roles [38:35] to their community to the point where [38:37] they assign 13-year-olds to be mothers. [38:38] [music] How can we empathize with that? [38:40] Oh, because we read some of their [38:41] prayers and they ask for the prophet to [38:43] [music] do stuff for them like all [38:45] religions do. I believe this lack of [38:47] perspective, whether conscious or not, [38:49] reflects how Druckmann and many other [38:51] liberal Zionists view the conflict. Both [38:53] sides are wrong for the violence, [38:56] although one is clearly worse to the [38:58] point where they are bigoted, but that [38:59] doesn't 100% exonerate the better side [39:02] from the atrocities they commit. From [39:04] Ellie's perspective, the war is just [39:06] another obstacle in her way of getting [39:08] to [music] Abby. She thinks all [39:09] Seattle's residents are awful because [39:11] they are killing each other non-stop and [39:13] have mistaken her for one of the [39:14] enemies. The violence feels nonsensical [39:16] to her. When we recontextualize this [39:19] through the lens of Israel-Palestine, [39:21] Ellie's outsider perspective is supposed [39:23] to be the neutral party. At least this [39:24] is the perspective Druckmann believes [39:25] that outsiders should take. Those who [39:27] have no allegiance to the Palestinian or [39:29] Israeli cause. This is where the [39:30] complaints of the game's messaging of [39:32] war is bad comes in. The game refuses to [39:35] take a clear side condemning all [39:36] violence universally, treating the [39:38] violence as equal. But the problem is [39:40] outsiders are not seeing the violence as [39:42] equally bad. Most nations outside of the [39:45] ones who have a vested interest in [39:46] Israel [music] [39:47] recognize the genocide. The violence [39:49] doesn't seem senseless, nor is it equal. [39:52] Recently, South Africa has filed court [39:54] proceedings against Israel in the [39:56] International Court of Justice on the [39:58] grounds that Israel has violated the [40:00] 1948 Genocide Convention. The third [40:02] parties see the truth. Abby's [40:05] perspective is one of someone who [40:06] becomes slowly disillusioned with the [40:08] cause she was once fighting for. She had [40:09] at once been adamant that she was on the [40:11] right side, saying the Seraphites [40:12] deserved to die for breaking the rules [40:14] and killing wolves, even [music] going [40:16] as far to justify the killing of [40:17] children. But, when the weight of guilt [40:18] and her instincts drive her to save a [40:20] pair of siblings who she would have [40:21] killed without hesitation, [music] she [40:23] begins to empathize with their cause. [40:25] And with the help of Owen, she realizes [40:27] the war she was waging was pointless. [40:29] That her quest for revenge clouded her [40:31] judgment and made her view the world [40:33] through a black and white lens. And [40:35] although you could view this in some [40:36] sense as noble, there are many [music] [40:38] problems with this framing. Firstly, [40:39] Abby doesn't really change her attitude [40:41] towards the scars. She only changes her [40:43] mind about all the fighting. She finds a [40:45] couple seraphites that aren't very [40:46] bigoted, albeit they're the only two in [40:48] the entire population that we know of [40:50] and decide she wants to leave. This is [40:52] how many liberal Zionists see the [40:54] conflict. They reduce [music] the [40:55] conflict to maybe there are good people [40:57] out there, but all the fighting seems [40:58] impossible to stop. It's all just this [41:01] big cycle [41:04] of violence. This perspective only [41:06] serves as [music] a covert way to [41:08] justify the acts that Israel's [41:09] committing. Because when you really poke [41:12] at that idea, what you find is that in [41:14] reality, liberal Zionists don't want to [41:16] deal with the fact that [music] Israel [41:17] is committing a genocide. They try to [41:19] play the part of the enlightened [41:21] centrist. Well, you see, both sides are [41:23] wrong. It's gotten to the point where a [41:26] a lot of Zionists are just straight-up [41:28] saying, "I'm pro-genocide." [41:29] Honestly, [41:30] uh I'm pro-genocide. Like it's not it [41:32] sounds really shitty, but like I think [41:33] that Israel should just draw up its [41:35] [ __ ] borders about where it is now. [41:37] Both perspectives that the game feeds us [41:38] are left with a blind side. And for a [41:40] game all about empathy, this is my [41:42] biggest criticism. Because how can you [41:44] truly empathize with the seraphites if [41:46] the only perspectives you get through [41:48] the entire game are either them trying [41:50] to kill you or the two who you help [41:52] because they aren't like the others. How [41:54] can you only present the conflict as if [41:56] there were only two valid perspectives [41:58] and nothing more? In reality, there's [41:59] only one valid perspective in real life. [42:01] And listen, I'm willing to grant the [42:03] fact that if they added a seraphite [42:05] perspective, they probably would have [42:06] had to delay the game another two or [42:08] three years in order to polish the [42:10] story. But, for a game that emphasizes [42:12] making the player feel bad for being a [42:15] spree killer as Ellie and for merking [42:17] all of Abby's friends who had some [42:20] justification for wanting to kill Joel, [42:22] it does not extend the same humanity to [42:24] the Seraphites. It wants them to remain [42:27] dehumanized. And like, isn't the entire [42:29] point of the game to get you to humanize [42:31] those you deem [music] inhumane, to [42:33] people the unpeople? Now, don't get it [42:35] twisted. This does not mean I'm pro [42:37] Ellie killing Abby in the end. I think [42:39] the game purposefully has Abby parallel [42:41] Joel as I stated in chapter two. And so, [42:44] for Ellie to kill Abby would be the same [42:46] as Abby killing Joel. And I think it was [42:48] the right decision. But at the same [42:49] time, when I look at this as a [42:51] reflection of Druckmann's Zionist [42:53] ideology, when I look at the symbolism [42:55] of Israel-Palestine [42:57] in the game, I see neglect. I see a [43:00] failing to acknowledge the suffering of [43:01] a people who have been colonized and are [43:03] now crying out to the world for justice. [43:06] Palestinians have been reduced [music] [43:07] to second-class citizens. They cannot [43:10] vote. They cannot go places without [43:12] special permissions. They're harassed by [43:14] police and on top of that, they're now [43:15] once again witnessing their world [43:17] crumble as they're being bombarded by [43:20] the Israeli government again. And half [43:22] the things I listed were already [43:24] problems in Israel before October 7th. [43:26] Israel [music] has continually committed [43:28] violence against these people. They are [43:30] victims of a colonial project, just like [43:32] how the slaves in the Atlantic slave [43:34] [music] trade were victims of a colonial [43:36] project. And the Native Americans were [43:38] victims of a colonial project. You [43:39] cannot both sides this issue. We cannot [43:42] let the world forget about this, which [43:44] is why I wanted to say [43:51] I understand that we live in a [43:52] capitalist society. I understand that we [43:54] live in a society that feels the need to [43:56] justify the atrocities we see regularly [43:58] on the news. I understand liberals want [44:00] their imperialism with a side of [44:02] diversity. [music] And because of those [44:03] facts, these ideologies end up bleeding [44:06] into our favorite media like The Last of [44:08] Us and Arcane. Both media with amazing [44:10] diversity that falls flat because they [44:12] capitulate [music] to the status quo in [44:14] one way or another. But this isn't [44:15] exclusive to these two shows. Our media [44:18] is only going [music] to be so radical. [44:20] Think about Black Panther which had a [44:22] literal white savior in the movie. But [44:24] this shouldn't make us throw our hands [44:25] up in the air and say, "Well, I guess we [44:27] shouldn't engage with any media." Nor [44:29] should it have us going, "Nigga, it's [44:31] not that deep." But instead, [music] [44:32] this media gives us a way to open up [44:36] A way to teach people about how certain [44:37] ideologies [music] fall flat and how to [44:39] truly combat harmful ideologies. A way [44:42] to spread awareness about real issues [44:44] happening across the world. At one [44:46] point, I wanted to title this video, "I [44:48] hate that I love The Last of Us Part 2." [44:50] And it's because I enjoy the story. I [44:52] [music] understand its messaging. I love [44:54] the characters. I enjoy the world. But I [44:56] also understand that it uses diversity [44:58] as a cover for a genocide cover. So what [45:01] do we do with this? [45:03] We use the best tool we have. Critical [45:05] thought. We analyze the stories we're [45:07] fed. We recognize the good that they do. [45:09] We recognize the good messaging that our [45:11] media tries to send. And we contend with [45:13] the propaganda. When we do this, we are [45:15] able to recognize not only when we are [45:17] being propagandized because we're always [45:19] being propagandized, but we could also [45:21] call out the harmful rhetoric in the [45:24] real world. And of course, contending [45:26] with media like this allows us to [45:27] explore the history of ideologies that [45:29] are rooted in oppression and combat the [45:31] rhetoric as well as raise awareness for [45:34] the cause of the oppressed. Making this [45:36] video, I realized two things can be true [45:38] at once. The Last of Us has pretty good [45:39] diversity. It represents women pretty [45:42] well. And its gameplay is extremely fun. [45:43] But it also has terrible messaging [45:45] around the Israel-Palestine conflict and [45:48] ends up [music] being a huge genocide [45:51] apologetic. And to contend with both is [45:53] to recognize the flaws not only in the [45:55] gaming industry, but with media we [45:56] consume [music] as a whole. Everything [45:58] in our world is deeply shaped by [46:00] politics. Jaden Smith was genuinely [46:02] [music] [46:03] right. [46:03] on [46:04] And And I look and I go around sometimes [46:06] and I hang out with other people that [46:07] are my age and they're just kind of just [46:11] Yeah. [46:12] We don't want to hate on media [46:13] uncritically like a lot of the lunatics [46:15] on the right do, but we need to use our [46:17] minds in order to analyze the benefits [46:19] and the harm that the media we consume [46:21] is [music] producing. [46:23] I know Druckmann wanted the story to be [46:24] inclusive. He made it a point to bring [46:26] up the conversation around cycles of [46:29] violence to make sure that the story [46:31] starred queer characters, but in the end [46:33] he excludes a major [music] perspective [46:35] in his story, one that in real life [46:37] needs to be elevated and listened to. [46:39] And this rhetoric [music] can be [46:40] harmful. People are dying because of [46:43] this right now. I will say with my chest [46:45] on this channel, free Palestine. I do [46:48] not stand for oppression anywhere, [46:50] whether that be in the United States or [46:52] outside of it. I implore you, read the [46:54] news about Gaza, read the UN's [46:56] investigative reports, look at what some [46:58] of international aid organizations and [47:01] humanitarian aid organizations have to [47:03] say. Alongside that, free Congo, free [47:05] Sudan, free Cuba. [music] We need to [47:08] advocate for true liberation for all [47:09] people, man, woman, and everything in [47:12] between. Do not let your advocacy be [47:14] [music] limited to trends. Keep speaking [47:16] truth to power, keep bringing awareness. [47:18] Listen, right now I'm in this situation [47:21] where right this is the best activism I [47:23] could do. I don't have much power, I [47:26] don't have access to wealth. [47:28] I still live with my parents and I'm a [47:30] closeted leftist. This is me doing the [47:33] best I can. In the description, I'm [47:35] going to link a lot of Gaza journalists [47:37] that I found um on Instagram cuz we need [47:41] [music] to spread the word. We also need [47:42] to continue tackling patriarchy. There's [47:45] so much intersectionality in our world. [47:46] [music] [47:47] We need to speak out for queer rights. [47:50] They're saying that there is a trans [47:52] genocide in America. [47:55] We have to keep fighting. If you made it [47:57] all the way to the end of this video, I [47:58] want to say thank you. My name is Eli [48:00] and if you couldn't tell, I'm a leftist [48:03] video essayist who enjoys analyzing [48:04] [music] media through a critical lens. [48:06] I've had this idea brewing for a while, [48:08] but as I wrote the script, I just [48:09] realized there was so much to address [48:11] with this game, the good, the bad, and [48:12] the ugly. And I didn't even get to go [48:14] through all of it. If you enjoyed this [48:16] video, please like, subscribe, comment [48:19] your thoughts, and if you're on mobile, [48:21] please hype the video. I want to see [48:23] this video [48:24] get a little farther than last time. I'm [48:26] not complaining cuz y'all showed so much [48:28] love on my last Arcane video and I say [48:30] thank you for that. But, we need to [48:31] spread awareness to Israel-Palestine. I [48:33] should have implored that more in my [48:35] last video. Yeah, I have plans. I'm [48:37] thinking of starting a Substack where I [48:39] could put all my sources for this video. [48:43] I have a lot of Israel-Palestine [music] [48:45] sources, a lot of sources on misogyny in [48:48] the gaming industry cuz this game covers [48:50] a lot. This game has a lot of [48:52] information. I want to talk about [48:55] political messaging in our media. I may [48:57] even do some political focused videos [49:00] cuz my major was poli sci and I would [49:01] like to go back for my master's in the [49:03] future sociology, political science. [49:06] That's down the road. I just want to say [49:07] thank you for the love on my last video. [49:11] Thank you so much. Y'all have been [49:13] showing me so much love, so much [49:14] support. This video has taken me a long [49:17] while to produce. [49:18] Um and it's going to take me a minute to [49:19] edit, so [49:20] [music] [49:20] stick around cuz in the next video, [49:23] we're going to talk about black [49:25] representation in media and media that [49:27] does black representation right. [49:30] Thank you so much for watching. [49:32] Peace.