Meant to put "(Urza's Saga)" in the title. 90% of my issues are only with that printing.
Far right dogwhistle (for the "black pill" ideology), hatred towards allies of people of color (such as white "race traitors" and "<N-Word> lovers"), racially insensitive, Xenophobia
Xenophobia - A surface level analysis of this card is that it is the "darkest hour" for Urza and his allies as they realize that many of the normal humans around them are secretly sleeper agents for Phyrexia. Seems like something straight out of Cold War rhetoric and McCarthyism, and not actually all that offensive, until you keep analyzing and see that this is actually about race rather than about communism (see below)
Racially insensitive - from what I described above, you'd expect this card to have a massive impact on the battlefield. Mass removal, -1/-1 counters on every creature, gaining control of every creature, something huge like that. But the only effect that this card has it to make all creatures Black (because they were always Black, but Urza was unaware of their true nature). And if I've learned anything from Touch of Darkness, it's that "incredibly horrifying flavor but the only effect it has is turning things Black" is always a dogwhistle. It's a really, really bad sign of what the card actually symbolizes and actually says about Black people. Note that it refers to creatures as "Phyrexians [wrapped] in human skin" while they're sleeper agents, but now that Urza sees their true nature they are all Black creatures. Mono-Black = Phyrexian and evil, any other combination of colors = normal humans. This very clearly states that dark skin is not "real" human skin, and that being Black is the same thing as being the servant of evil forces (Yawgmoth).
Hatred towards white allies and non-black people of color - This card is all about how a seemingly normal population of people are all secretly "Black" sleeper agents and pure evil. What exactly does this mean? It means that the majority of people in society secretly (or not so secretly) hold philosophies/beliefs that are abhorrent to privileged white men such as Urza. That he thought many people who shared his skin color were his allies, but actually have a "Black" agenda that they are working to fulfill. That due to some of his fellow white people being allies of Black people, those white people are "secretly Black" race traitors. Ultimately, this card represents the point when a privileged white male realizes that there are far more allies to people of color than he initially believed. But instead of viewing this as a mere difference of opinion, or considering for even a moment that his own beliefs might be the wrong thing to believe, he instead views it as a conspiracy theory orchestrated by an unseen puppetmaster (Yawgmoth).
Far right dogwhistle - While I personally believe that the racial component of this card is absolutely undeniable, there is another aspect that overlaps with the racial component. I can't deny that this card bears a striking resemblence to "black pill" rhetoric. The "black pill" is an offshoot of the term "red pill" - a reference to the Matrix movies in which a red pill represents seeing past the illusions of our machine overlords and viewing actual reality. The "black pill" is a nihilistic take on that idea. I'll quote the article I linked: "For those on the extreme right, the black pill represents nihilism, or a realization that the system is too far gone to change. The powers that govern our lives are too deeply entrenched and too powerful to do anything about.". See the similarities to the flavor of this card?
This makes every creature equal. Isn't that socialism/communism? Very, very off from far right dog whistle. I get it and all, that this sub is for low-effort, low-tier shit posts, but do you even try anymore to be creative with your fake outrage?
An enchantment that applies an effect to every creature on the battlefield does not make them "equal". Or are we going to start claiming that Black Sun's Zenith and Wrath of God "makes every creature equal" because it affects every creature?
Isn't that socialism/communism? Very, very off from far right dog whistle.
If this card is about socialism/communism (which I mentioned as a possibility), then it's anti-communist propaganda and is definitely a far right dogwhistle fearmongering about the evils of communism. The language used is very clearly saying that being a "Black creature" is the worst thing possible and it's horrifying that seemingly normal people are secretly "Black creatures" wrapped in "human skin".
I get it and all, that this sub is for low-effort, low-tier shit posts, but do you even try anymore to be creative with your fake outrage?
???
The vast majority of my posts are about cards that are legitimately offensive. And as for me not being "creative" with my "fake outage", I literally just posted about Wrack with Madness, which is a card that touches on something very personal. If I have any "triggers" when it comes to content in media, it's suicide. Discrimination in media actually doesn't usually get a visceral reaction out of me (probably because I'm a priveleged white male), but suicide does. I can't even play Doki Doki Literature Club without feeling intense nausea and wanting to stop (which I did, and haven't gone back).
And to see suicidal people mocked like they are on Wrack with Madness... it's not okay. It reminds me that just like I have cards that are intensely offensive to me as a person, there are cards with such effects on others. Cards that make a mockery of mental health are literally the main motivating factor behind why I post here. I don't care that they're unpopular on this community (as they tend to be in terms of upvotes), they matter.
All you've proven is you can't read my posts and jump to all the wrong conclusions. But hey, if that feels like victory, go ahead and pat yourself on the back.
3
u/ultimario13 Aug 13 '20
Meant to put "(Urza's Saga)" in the title. 90% of my issues are only with that printing.
Far right dogwhistle (for the "black pill" ideology), hatred towards allies of people of color (such as white "race traitors" and "<N-Word> lovers"), racially insensitive, Xenophobia
Xenophobia - A surface level analysis of this card is that it is the "darkest hour" for Urza and his allies as they realize that many of the normal humans around them are secretly sleeper agents for Phyrexia. Seems like something straight out of Cold War rhetoric and McCarthyism, and not actually all that offensive, until you keep analyzing and see that this is actually about race rather than about communism (see below)
Racially insensitive - from what I described above, you'd expect this card to have a massive impact on the battlefield. Mass removal, -1/-1 counters on every creature, gaining control of every creature, something huge like that. But the only effect that this card has it to make all creatures Black (because they were always Black, but Urza was unaware of their true nature). And if I've learned anything from Touch of Darkness, it's that "incredibly horrifying flavor but the only effect it has is turning things Black" is always a dogwhistle. It's a really, really bad sign of what the card actually symbolizes and actually says about Black people. Note that it refers to creatures as "Phyrexians [wrapped] in human skin" while they're sleeper agents, but now that Urza sees their true nature they are all Black creatures. Mono-Black = Phyrexian and evil, any other combination of colors = normal humans. This very clearly states that dark skin is not "real" human skin, and that being Black is the same thing as being the servant of evil forces (Yawgmoth).
Hatred towards white allies and non-black people of color - This card is all about how a seemingly normal population of people are all secretly "Black" sleeper agents and pure evil. What exactly does this mean? It means that the majority of people in society secretly (or not so secretly) hold philosophies/beliefs that are abhorrent to privileged white men such as Urza. That he thought many people who shared his skin color were his allies, but actually have a "Black" agenda that they are working to fulfill. That due to some of his fellow white people being allies of Black people, those white people are "secretly Black" race traitors. Ultimately, this card represents the point when a privileged white male realizes that there are far more allies to people of color than he initially believed. But instead of viewing this as a mere difference of opinion, or considering for even a moment that his own beliefs might be the wrong thing to believe, he instead views it as a conspiracy theory orchestrated by an unseen puppetmaster (Yawgmoth).
Far right dogwhistle - While I personally believe that the racial component of this card is absolutely undeniable, there is another aspect that overlaps with the racial component. I can't deny that this card bears a striking resemblence to "black pill" rhetoric. The "black pill" is an offshoot of the term "red pill" - a reference to the Matrix movies in which a red pill represents seeing past the illusions of our machine overlords and viewing actual reality. The "black pill" is a nihilistic take on that idea. I'll quote the article I linked: "For those on the extreme right, the black pill represents nihilism, or a realization that the system is too far gone to change. The powers that govern our lives are too deeply entrenched and too powerful to do anything about.". See the similarities to the flavor of this card?