A watchdog group has criticized the controversial Michigan State University chapter of the Young Americans for Freedom for promoting Border Patrol, a racist Flash game released in 2006.
The charge came after MSU YAF linked to Border Patrol via a recent blog post.
YAF Watch, a site dedicated to tracking activities of the MSU YAF, writes:
The game, Border Patrol, encourages the player to shoot Mexican immigrants dashing over the border. When the player shoots one of the immigrants, a blood splatter appears. The various targets for the player include a pregnant woman, a baby and man carrying a backpack...
This is not the first time YAF has been involved in degrading immigrants. They first made headlines with a proposed "Catch An Illegal Immigrant" game in 2006. The game would have featured a person portraying an illegal immigrant, and encourage game players hunting the person down. The game was condemned by MSU officials, including President Lou Anna K Simmons. It eventually was canceled.
According to Wikipedia, the MSU YAF was cited as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2006. In 2007 the group hosted Chris Simcox, head of the Minuteman Civil Defense League, a group which aggressively targets illegal immigration.
Border Patrol, anonymously released to the Internet, has been widely condemned. As GP correspondent Colin McInnes wrote in our original 2006 coverage:
Most of the debate about illegal immigration centers on America's border with Mexico, so it's especially troubling that in Border Patrol the player's tasks include shooting "Mexican nationalists," "drug dealers," and "breeders" - pregnant Mexican women - who try to rush the border towards a welfare office.
Comments
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
*sigh* So instead of dealing with the problem of illegal immigration we now have to deal with a bunch of idiots shooting at illegal immigrants.
Problems add up to more problems.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
lol, I honestly don't think many people are going to seriously act out this game (not that nobody will, but not that many). There will always be extremes, but I don't think this will cause any moderates to act out
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
You're probably right. This game won't encourage any more boarder-state civilians to shoot at immigrants illegally crossing than there are already. The thing is that too many people already do just that.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
Why are they so focused on Mexicans in Michigan?
When I was up near that area I saw a taco stand named "Bill's Tacos." Hell, I think they could use the influence. If you want to complain about illegal immigrants, then you should probably be in a state that actually bears the brunt of the financial burden caused by illegal immigrants, like California, Nevada, Texas, etc.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
Well you can find illegal immigrants in a lot of states even those no where near border. I think i once recall hearing that illegal immigrants in NY was seen as a serious problem... It seems that immigrants don't just stay near the border after they cross, but are willing to go where ever they see opportunity... if the states closer to the border started getting to crowded with illegals, they would think to move on to other states
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
Er... Immigrant doesn't always imply Mexican. Most NYC immigrants are from Europe, not Latin America. The "border" there would be Ellis Island.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
It's not as if it's even a particularily good game. Of course it's Flash, so...
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
As if I wasn't ashamed of the state I live in enough.
This game should have faded into obscurity already.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
You think that's bad enough? That's my alma mater.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
You're from Michigan? Me too.
My opinion is...while, yes, it's racist, I do feel that all illegal immigrants should be deported. Period. And that the border between the US and Mexico should be tightened extremely. There are plenty of legal ways for Mexicans to get here.
My question is, how is the game offensive at all? People that get offended at this are like people that get offended at other games.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
Problem with the current system is it's so convoluted that it literally could take years.
Pretty much the system is causing the problems.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
That's more or less what i've been hearing...
Essentially, the main reason their are so many illegal immigrants is because the legal methods for immigration are too difficult or time consuming to get through. It seems that the first best step for getting rid of the illegal immigration problem, atleast in the long term, would be to fix the immigration system... Fix the system and then you have a lot fewer people who go the illegal route. The ideal that might just come from this is that illegal immigration is vastly cut down without the need to put a strict enforcement over the border... granted, this doesn't do anything for the illegal immigration in the short term
Another related problem would be the citizenship tests; from what i've heard those things are pretty damn difficult... hell i think i've heard that most americans would not be able to pass the test themselves.
For some reason i'm remined of Spore's DRM issues... the legal way to get the game comes with some real negatives and can be a real pain in the ass because of DRM and SecuRom... so what have thousands do? they get the game illegally and avoid the major baggage that comes with the legal version. And what might happen if EA got rid of the DRM and SecuRom issue? Many of those pirates might just buy the game if they actually enjoy it, and those who have been considering pirating will go the legal way... its a very, very, very loose analogy =p
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
So why not build a border fence with motion sensors for now? It would cost the same as about 2-3 fighter planes... so basically nothing considering how much our government throws at this problem already...
As for citezenship test, it was so simple, oh my god...
My grandfather has altziemers(wasn't diagnosed until after the test) barely spoke english(though surrisingly better then some people working at fast food places) and guess what? He is a US citizen...
He took and passed the test, no special things were requested for the test either...
I found the test so simple that I was very annoyed with my parents for making me very nervous about it...
As for most americans not being able to pass it, well we do need to fix the school system and putting millions of kids who's parents don't pay taxes in those schools just might be the problem...
oh and I agree that entering the country legally should be made easier, my family waited for like 8 years before we had the permission to come here...
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
Getting my wife over from the Philippines has definitely confirmed my belief that the legal system for getting someone across is far to time consuming and expensive. It isn't hard and they are not really thourgh with background check or anything, it seems like they (INS) just has alot to do and not many people to do it with.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
As a Legal Immigrant to this country, the test is extremely easy. They give a handout/book to you when you sign up for a test of which you have a few good months to go over it, of which this handout/book contains everything question on the test. The actual test is ten questions, all from the handout/book you were given, and you only have to get seven of them correct. After that you have to write a sentence given to you by the proctor and then you are done. The test can be hard if you don't study but it is fairly easy if you do.
Personally I feel that the amount of paperwork and the cost of filling for citizenship is which the real killer is involving becoming a citizen. It can take a real long time just to get to the test along with quite a deal of money. Of which if you miss deadlines and such it can take you even longer.
Re: Ultra-Conservative Student Group Criticized over Border
I think its more of the thing that its promoting the ideal of shooting illegal immigrants and mexican in general as yes alot of illegal immigrants are Mexican but not every Mexican is an illegal immigrant and I'd be ticked if I got shot just because I was thought of as an illegal immigrant.
Plus I'm pretty sure its not the violence but the fact it sort of saying "Hey go shoot a Mexican they are evil illegal immigrants." And yes illegal immigrants should be deported, just not shot at.