Does anyone else find this disgusting and offensive?

[cslewislover]

Some of the opinions and nearly fanatical rants discussing this are going too far. If you don't want your children influenced by this, don't let them play it. How hard is that to understand?

Opinions on the good vs bad effects of advertising aside, parents these days are too quick to force everyone else to adhere to THEIR standards and rules instead of enforcing them on their kids themselves. Would I care if my kids played the game? No, but then they'd be my kids. What gives you (the general sense) the right to complain and try to force others to go by your opinions?

Simple as that. If you're concerned about your child's welfare, take an active role in their lives, don't try to make everyone else apart of it too.

I very much disagree with you on parents forcing everyone to adhere to their standards. I'm a parent, and I can't possibly see what you mean. My son seems far more concerned with the standards of the bullies and popular kids he knows than with parents, or even with his own standards. Maybe parents have to work so hard because most kids are so influenced by "peer pressure." And, raising kids IS really hard. You can't just say "take an active role with them," like we live in some sort of a vaccum. Most of the people responding here sound like they want to help others. You can't help your own kids, or your community, by ignoring things that can lead to destructive behavior--it's like sticking your head in the sand. It's too bad that Neopets has this game on their site.

Last edited by cslewislover on Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

[10in2010]

CSLewisLover: Thank you, thank you, thank you for your very eloquent response. I agree with you fully, though I'm nowhere near being a parent myself. Sticking heads in sand is the worst thing people can do--I personally despise ignorance above all else. Once again, thank you.

[cslewislover]

CSLewisLover: Thank you, thank you, thank you for your very eloquent response. I agree with you fully, though I'm nowhere near being a parent myself. Sticking heads in sand is the worst thing people can do--I personally despise ignorance above all else. Once again, thank you.

Thanks back! I don't think it was very eloquent, but that's the nicest thing someone said to me all day (well, except for my son telling my I'm the best mom in the world [honest, can you belive it?] and sticking stickers on my shirt).

[10in2010]

Eh, sometimes eloquent doesn't have to mean wordy, it can just be a good, persuasive statement like yours was.

Say, what do you make of shirt_shinto12? Look on page 4 for his post. He makes use of emoticons.

[cslewislover]

Eh, sometimes eloquent doesn't have to mean wordy, it can just be a good, persuasive statement like yours was.

Say, what do you make of shirt_shinto12? Look on page 4 for his post. He makes use of emoticons.

I thought how you responded was great. I think he was using something that was similar, but different, to make an irrelevant argument. I think that's all I should say

Sorry it took me so long to get this on - my WiFi went down for some reason.

[yvonne_l_d]

Lost in translation, maybe. That puts a nice face on it, anyway.

I want TNT to change the wording, too. Is somebody doing a petition, or a letter-writing campaign to TNT? What's the most respectful and most effective way to phrase it?

The best way to give feedback is through here:
http://www.neopets.com/autoform_other.phtml?other=idea

It will ask whether you are submitting an idea or a comment, and you can choose comment.

For the content of your comment, I would suggest placing a link to the game and telling them you are offended by the game's suggestion that "beautiful" people are somehow better than "non-beautiful" people.

[jxpop]

The message that being "fat" is unwanted, while being "thinner" means you win... I'm sorry, but I can't condone that. We're in a society where people get teased, abused, and on occasion even killed for not meeting certain physical standards. It's not so much the idea that tea will make you slimmer that bugs me as much as it's saying that fat people should become thin.

Oh, and isn't this kinda promoting substance abuse?

As for the Mario-mushrooms comment... I know it seems like the people who are upset about are over-sensitive... but this is a site directed towards a very young demographic, advertising a product with unrealistic promises, and promoting a very unhealthy attitude towards certain types of people.

[matchbow]

Yes, i agree that Mario is based on drugs. You eat "Magic Mushrooms" and become "higher." then you eat "stars" and you feel invincible. clearly drugs.

getting serious, i haven't read through all of the pages, so what i'm gonna say is likely said before. i just have to get my opinion out. first off, this game isn't even properly out yet, and there's no guarantee that it will come out. so it's essentially only us who can play this game, and we're all clearly able to see through the negative messages.
if you play the game, you'll see the 3 girls, but it's a hard game. when i played it, i was eventually concentrating so much on the falling drinks that i had to completely ignore the girls. most people probably won't notice that the girls change size, i sure didn't. the only way to know that this is happening is to read the text on the front page, which i bet few people do. or to see the title bar, which says "slimmer and prettier".
now i'm fairly sure that this has been said before, but the game says "slimmer and prettier". not "slimmer, and therefore more pretty because of it". what it is implying is that by drinking the product, you may become more slim, and by a completely unrelated coincidence, you may also become more pretty. this means that it isn't implying slim=pretty, it's implying Le Tea=slim, Le Tea=pretty. what you may be calling out as a negative message (slim=pretty) is an inference. you can only blame the company for what is implied, not what is inferred. that can only be blamed on yourself.
now as staed before, this game doesn't promote being thin or pretty, it simply says that if you catch falling Le Tea bottles from the sky and avoid falling colourful soda bottles, you become more slim and more pretty in unrelated ways. it says nothing about drinking, that was inferred. it also doesn't promote either being slim or being pretty. it simply states that that is the effect of catching that variety of falling bottle. whether or not it's good or bad is an inference that the player must make. so clearly, it doesn't tell the player to have a certain opinion, but it has the ability to bring out the player's predetermined opinion. (eg. i have liked being slim and pretty since before i played this game, thus i will catch falling bottles to do so; i have hated things that are slim and pretty since before this game, thus i don't like this game)

[Azzie]

what it is implying is that by drinking the product, you may become more slim, and by a completely unrelated coincidence, you may also become more pretty. this means that it isn't implying slim=pretty, it's implying Le Tea=slim, Le Tea=pretty. what you may be calling out as a negative message (slim=pretty) is an inference.

That is kind of a stretch isnt it. There is clearly a statement being made, Le Tea = slimmer & prettier. That's in the title bar, i doubt people will miss that unless they are blind. Even thought eventually you concentrate on the bottles and not on the girls, in the beginning when it's easier they still do change so i also doubt that people will not notice. I understand that they are trying to market it on a more healthy angle but they could have done a better job, like 'Le Tea, keeps you healthier and happier' i think that it would be easier for people to accept than the straight on ' product x = slimness = happiness' which is already out there on tv and in other ads all the time.

I understand some might think that others are just being too picky and it's just a game. And as a 27 year old who is neither slim or pretty i found the game amusing, but it took 27 years to mature into this person. As a teen being non slim was something painful and embarassing and i don't think we need to remind non slim teens or even adults who might be on the 265th diet of their life about being slim and pretty. Let's just leave it at the door.

[Daze]

i just have to get my opinion out. first off, this game isn't even properly out yet, and there's no guarantee that it will come out. so it's essentially only us who can play this game, and we're all clearly able to see through the negative messages.
if you play the game, you'll see the 3 girls, but it's a hard game. when i played it, i was eventually concentrating so much on the falling drinks that i had to completely ignore the girls. most people probably won't notice that the girls change size, i sure didn't. the only way to know that this is happening is to read the text on the front page, which i bet few people do. or to see the title bar, which says "slimmer and prettier".
now i'm fairly sure that this has been said before, but the game says "slimmer and prettier".

This is a real awkward ideal to get my head around.

From what I can make of it, you say the game is ok because you failed to notice the discrimination within the context of the game thus proving that the negative message is only there if you look for it.

Whether the game is hard for you or not, the message is still there, whether it is in a foreign language or not, the message is still there and whether the game will ever be fully released on Neopets is besides the point - the game is on Neopets and can be seen. It doesn't matter if 10 people see it or 10,000 - an innapropriate message is still innapropriate.

so it's essentially only us who can play this game, and we're all clearly able to see through the negative messages.

How do you know who has seen it and who hasn't. How many young girls have found it? How do you know that it hasn't had a negative impact on some young person?

this means that it isn't implying slim=pretty, it's implying Le Tea=slim, Le Tea=pretty. what you may be calling out as a negative message (slim=pretty) is an inference. you can only blame the company for what is implied, not what is inferred. that can only be blamed on yourself.
now as staed before, this game doesn't promote being thin or pretty, it simply says that if you catch falling Le Tea bottles from the sky and avoid falling colourful soda bottles, you become more slim and more pretty in unrelated ways.

All I can say is "what?"
Did you not see the fatter girls get prettier as they drunk this magic elixir? How can it be related to anything but drinking the product.

I am pretty damn sure that it is implied that drinking the tea will make you prettier.

so clearly, it doesn't tell the player to have a certain opinion, but it has the ability to bring out the player's predetermined opinion. (eg. i have liked being slim and pretty since before i played this game, thus i will catch falling bottles to do so; i have hated things that are slim and pretty since before this game, thus i don't like this game)

You missed the point entirely. The game is discriminating at it's best, down right offensive at it's worst.

Catching the bottles of tea isn't the issue, it is how the woman are portrayed - the fatter ones are ugly and untidy, but if you drink this product you become thinner and prettier.

Slimmer and prettier do not go hand in hand. Overweight and ugly/unhygenic do not go hand in hand but the game does imply that.

[_jennythegreat_]

I agree with the original poster. The game is offensive and exploits the very worst in negative body images sent to young girls at an earlier and earlier age. I've written to Neo in the feedback section on the game, and also in the premium reporting section.

To me this is different than not letting your child play a certain video game or watch a certain show, in the sense that it is far easier to monitor whether or not a child is on neopets in general than it is to monitor whether or not they'r on a certain game within neopets. Likewise only active and engaged parents would even be aware that this is on a site their children visit. Besides, a parent can stop their child from playing it, but that certainly shouldn't mean that they can't write to Neopets and voice an objection.

Neopets is a famiily friendly site. There are tons of families that all play neopets together, parents and children, and sometimes even grandparents! It's a way even cousins can stay in touch and play from across a continent. I'm in one of those families. The fact that it's something so many of us can enjoy is one of the great things about Neopia. It makes it all the more unfortunate to see them willing to promote such exploitation for a sponsor.

Lastly, I don't think it's only parents that would want this game removed. Anyone who is aware of the problems young girls face in our society due to the negative body image messaging they are bombarded with from an early age would be concerned.

*chucks two cents in the jar*


Also...

matchbow wrote:

Yes, i agree that Mario is based on drugs. You eat "Magic Mushrooms" and become "higher." then you eat "stars" and you feel invincible. clearly drugs.

getting serious, i haven't read through all of the pages, so what i'm gonna say is likely said before. i just have to get my opinion out. first off, this game isn't even properly out yet, and there's no guarantee that it will come out. so it's essentially only us who can play this game, and we're all clearly able to see through the negative messages.
if you play the game, you'll see the 3 girls, but it's a hard game. when i played it, i was eventually concentrating so much on the falling drinks that i had to completely ignore the girls. most people probably won't notice that the girls change size, i sure didn't. the only way to know that this is happening is to read the text on the front page, which i bet few people do. or to see the title bar, which says "slimmer and prettier".
now i'm fairly sure that this has been said before, but the game says "slimmer and prettier". not "slimmer, and therefore more pretty because of it". what it is implying is that by drinking the product, you may become more slim, and by a completely unrelated coincidence, you may also become more pretty. this means that it isn't implying slim=pretty, it's implying Le Tea=slim, Le Tea=pretty. what you may be calling out as a negative message (slim=pretty) is an inference. you can only blame the company for what is implied, not what is inferred. that can only be blamed on yourself.
now as staed before, this game doesn't promote being thin or pretty, it simply says that if you catch falling Le Tea bottles from the sky and avoid falling colourful soda bottles, you become more slim and more pretty in unrelated ways. it says nothing about drinking, that was inferred. it also doesn't promote either being slim or being pretty. it simply states that that is the effect of catching that variety of falling bottle. whether or not it's good or bad is an inference that the player must make. so clearly, it doesn't tell the player to have a certain opinion, but it has the ability to bring out the player's predetermined opinion. (eg. i have liked being slim and pretty since before i played this game, thus i will catch falling bottles to do so; i have hated things that are slim and pretty since before this game, thus i don't like this game)

The entire point of advertizing is inference.

The intent of this particular game is not subtle.

In saying that you may well *infer* that I mean the intent of the game is obvious.

You'd be right.

[Catgrrrrrrl]

Okay, I just have to point out for those of you who think everyone is being silly, that most of us on this forum are adults but Neopets is increasingly being marketed to children. Children are very susceptible to suggestion. That is a fact.

I think it is pretty clear that this ad wants young girls who play the game to equate prettier with slimmer. No one in their right mind would expect tea vs soda to give you a nose job or comb your hair. A lot of ads imply things that they don't come right out and say.

About the person who didn't notice the girls changing:

The most powerful advertising is the messages that are implied and what as a viewer you don't conciously notice. I have studdied subliminal advertising (which this isn't) and it is much more powerful than something in-your-face (which this is.) What you said isn't a valid argument.

[10in2010]

There's a board about this game over at the Neoboards, the bastion of unintelligent discussion. Basically, it's just a bunch of people getting attitudes about it, talking about tea and soda, and saying "if you're fat this game won't be a sudden revelation...you're fat, you either don't care or can't do anything about it". They can't really understand the underlying message, which is a shame. And then there are two chain letter posts (I reported 'em ). The discussion here on the same topic is much, much more intelligent.

[buttwig]

I have to say I was disturbed by that game. However, if I could get the product, drink it and I didn't get slimmer or prettier, would I then have grounds to sue the tea maker for making false claims? Just a thought...Gosh if there was a drink that made you prettier, then EVERYONE would be buying it, don't you think? I'm not sure who was asleep at the TNT wheel...could it be that they let Greed drive?

[mercurius]

I don't think the game exists on neopets anymore because I can't find it.

edit: From the site: "Sorry, Le Tea has been taken off the site, we hope you enjoyed playing it! Why not play some of the other great games Neopets has to offer by clicking the button below!"