A US TV news program has attacked Portal 2 for its "controversial" attack on orphans. WBTV has claimed that Portal 2's jokes are "making fun of adoption," due to the characters of GLaDOS and Wheatley occasionally mocking the player character for being adopted.
Neil Stapel, who has a ten-year-old adopted daughter, said he was "shocked and surprised" by the game's running joke. He calls it "the worst thing I could possibly have heard."
The news station plays a clip of Portal 2, coincidentally using the scene where GLaDOS challenges Wheatley to explain what's wrong with being adopted. Of course, they cut GLaDOS' line from the clip, so the actual joke -- that being adopted isn't wrong and Wheatley's insults are stupid -- has been taken out of context and twisted to suit the idiocy of the news report.
Erik Wolpaw has even stated before that the joke is that adoption isn't a bad thing. Of course, if these news reporters were actual news reporters, they'd know that.
Amusingly, nobody mentions the fact that Wheatley also calls the player character fat and unpopular; likely because Neil Stapel's kid isn't fat or unpopular, it's not an issue. That's the thing about most parents -- they don't really give a sh*t about anything or anyone, just themselves and the one insignificant, pint-sized little monster they squirted out of their genitals (or in this case, borrowed from someone else's).
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"That's the thing about most parents -- they don't really give a shit about anything or anyone, just themselves and the one insignificant, pint-sized little monster they squirted out of their genitals." - Jim
Uh yeah, that's how parenthood works. Your kid becomes your #1 priority. Not defending the silly news report, but I know things that concern my daughter specifically always get more of my attention/annoyance/rage than issues that don't concern her.
That's just what happens, and I don't think I'm wrong for being that way.
Are all people on local news soulless shells? Some of the weathermen seem to try and act like real live people. Though that usually just means they are alcoholics. Ignoring the ridiculousness of this story, it seems to me like all news casters on these local stations are literally human puppets. I think if you cut them open thousands of roaches and spiders would spill out of them. Though I may just have been reading too much Warren Ellis.
Then again I guess it does help me get an early grasp on wormhole physics for when we receive actual working portal guns in 2012.... The game did teach me not to shoot them at the *redacted spoiler*
And explain it as exactly what it is ..... dark humor.
Funny that they weren't in any way offended by Early Aperture labs treatment of the homeless as subhuman labrats ... oh har har har datz funny but you dun goofed when you picked on adoptions. I bet if the kid had been fat they would have taken a beef with the "fatty" part?
Portal is "educational" because it's "rated "E"?
I'll admit it takes a lot of spatial reasoning to complete portal, but it is in no possible way educational, nor is it meant for children.
HEL105: It's a problem when you get all up in arms and righteous about it, because it makes you look like a hypocrite.
There's a distinct problem with parents who become more right-wing and shrieking once they have a kid. I'm not saying all parents are like that, but some people want the entire world to bend around their one little darling.
1: How does portal "Bill it's self as educational."
2: OH NO! NOW I HAVE TO TALK TO MY KID! is what I got from the parent.
3:"The worst thing I could have ever imaged hearing." Really, that's the worst. What a sheltered life you and everyone else in that house must live if, you're fat and adopted are the worst things you can imagine someone saying to you. Try being black and gay people can get real creative with that combination.
Except that adopted kids, by definition, aren't squirted out of their current parents' genitalia.
Making a controversy out of this, though, is still pretty stupid. Those remarks by the AI characters were *meant* to be cruel. It wouldn't make it a misogynistic game if Wheatley had mocked Chell for being female, for instance.
@tuoman - Point taken. However, the parent and the TV station at least should know better.
Why am I not surprised that this story runs in my city? The sad thing is WBTV isn't the worst local news outlet here. You should see some of the stupid shit they run on Fox News Charlotte.
I love how the story was MOSTLY about the father and not the kid. Something tells me the girl barely gave a shit, but the father got all insecure and upset and is using his kid to fight a little pet cause.
This is why americans should all die a horrible death at the hands of Al-Queda myself included. We are fucked our sensitivity is fucked morality is fucked....... im going to go and strategically place myself in areas where suicide bombings are most likely to take place..... I want to die because of that father trying to put an end to comedy
Wow, just wow. I would say the guy is more torn up about it than the orphan. Which is fucking stupid. Gotta love how they cut the whole "For the record, you are adopted, and that's terrible, but bear with me" line... but I guess that is to be expected... /sigh
Yeah i was pretty upset that GLaDOS implied i was fat, And i definitely know how to say apple! I'm not adopted, kids that are though are often a bit weird. See ya in court valve!
Im on the phone with them they're really dumb as usual the woman on the phone admitted they dont play the game or even viewed the scene the stole it from youtube to run a report man the news sucks
Im on the phone with them they're really dumb as usual the woman on the phone admitted they dont play the game or even viewed the scene the stole it from youtube to run a report man the news sucks sadly enough the father liked the game and kept it so his point is now not valid
@Synrg023 so true i loved the game unfortunately dumb people watch the news and will get the wrong view of the game and not wannna purchase it for they're kid sad but true
In brighter news, his daughter seemed awesome. I bet Portal 2 will remain one of her favorite games of all time and she'll be facepalming at her father's stupidity when she's older.
The parents of adopted children are always freaking out about shit like this. What's the big fucking deal?
Infidel1990: Actually, Nintendo games historically DO promote violence against animals. Just look at how Mario gets Yoshi to spit out his tongue in Super Mario World. He's hitting that dinosaur in the head!
"That's the thing about most parents -- they don't really give a shit about anything or anyone, just themselves and the one insignificant, pint-sized little monster they squirted out of their genitals (or in this case, borrowed from someone else's)."
This is literally the funniest thing I've heard in weeks!!! You kill me Jim.
As for the news program; these things don't even annoy me anymore. You already know that any press you see on the news about a game is going to be negative, so I just watch them to laugh at how idiotic people are. I like how the daughter says she didn't even hear it, but the dad interprets this as "she's not ready to talk about it yet", and calls all the news stations. This is such a big scoop! Maybe the daughter said that because she doesn't care. Or maybe, in an amazing stretch, she was telling the truth and DIDN'T EVEN HEAR IT!
To sum up, that guy is an idiot, but all the ignorant tards out there are going to completely sympathize with him anyways. Well played fool... well played.
hahahahah your adopted! Portal 2 builds it's self as a kids game? Just cause the rating is for everyone doesn't mean it's for everyone just like thhose Kid movies that are pg, they are mostly for kids but have adult jokes in them Like Toy Story or Kung Fu Panda. DAMN VIDEO GAMES causing kids to question if they fit into to our family. White and Yellow something doesn't fit in the picture
Is the whole news business so fucking stupid that they had to waste everyone's time to air a retarded parent getting butthurt over SHIT? (answer: yes, yes it is) We need to get him the fuck out of our TVs because he not only wasted our time but he got the balls (tiny as they are, and here I could make an inappropriate joke about that too, gasp!) to twist the truth to his own convenience just so he could get a bit of air time. So he's now not only a stupid parent and a shitty reporter (using the word loosely here), he's also a liar. What a great person to raise kids *sarcasm*
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Contest:
9:00 AM on 05.18.2011 | 
This is why I had to stop using Facebook. X(
haha. I'm sure that's totally true. You wacko.
Oh well, let the dude have his 15 minutes, everyone is entitled to that.
That's just what happens, and I don't think I'm wrong for being that way.
Grow a pair.
Then again I guess it does help me get an early grasp on wormhole physics for when we receive actual working portal guns in 2012.... The game did teach me not to shoot them at the *redacted spoiler*
And explain it as exactly what it is ..... dark humor.
Funny that they weren't in any way offended by Early Aperture labs treatment of the homeless as subhuman labrats ... oh har har har datz funny but you dun goofed when you picked on adoptions. I bet if the kid had been fat they would have taken a beef with the "fatty" part?
I'll admit it takes a lot of spatial reasoning to complete portal, but it is in no possible way educational, nor is it meant for children.
Or in this case did not (see: adoption).
/sarcasm
Basically if it's not Associated Press, I'm annoyed.
There's a distinct problem with parents who become more right-wing and shrieking once they have a kid. I'm not saying all parents are like that, but some people want the entire world to bend around their one little darling.
2: OH NO! NOW I HAVE TO TALK TO MY KID! is what I got from the parent.
3:"The worst thing I could have ever imaged hearing." Really, that's the worst. What a sheltered life you and everyone else in that house must live if, you're fat and adopted are the worst things you can imagine someone saying to you. Try being black and gay people can get real creative with that combination.
So i assume every film that ever showed an adopted kid being mistreated by it's adopted parents is now to be banned? or at least called into question?
Making a controversy out of this, though, is still pretty stupid. Those remarks by the AI characters were *meant* to be cruel. It wouldn't make it a misogynistic game if Wheatley had mocked Chell for being female, for instance.
@tuoman - Point taken. However, the parent and the TV station at least should know better.
Oh my god you're right! We have to get out there and destroy every copy of Orphan Annie and Matelda ASAP!
Infidel1990: Actually, Nintendo games historically DO promote violence against animals. Just look at how Mario gets Yoshi to spit out his tongue in Super Mario World. He's hitting that dinosaur in the head!
Also, I'm going to call it: LA Noir will be on the news for fully female nudity (corpses) and racial slang (common for the 40's)
This is literally the funniest thing I've heard in weeks!!! You kill me Jim.
As for the news program; these things don't even annoy me anymore. You already know that any press you see on the news about a game is going to be negative, so I just watch them to laugh at how idiotic people are. I like how the daughter says she didn't even hear it, but the dad interprets this as "she's not ready to talk about it yet", and calls all the news stations. This is such a big scoop! Maybe the daughter said that because she doesn't care. Or maybe, in an amazing stretch, she was telling the truth and DIDN'T EVEN HEAR IT!
To sum up, that guy is an idiot, but all the ignorant tards out there are going to completely sympathize with him anyways. Well played fool... well played.
Grow the fuck up Neil Stapel.