Having seen what I can only describe as a "trollish viral marketing campaign" via several people on facebook, the organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has released what they call a "game parody" of Pokemon Black and White, where all pokemon are treated as slaves and it's up to Pikachu to break free from the shackles of his oppressors...
For those who have not yet played the game, here is a link
I guess here's the part where I do a little disclaimer... I'm not a hardcore Pokemon fan, in fact, I probably only watched a few series before it became boring, I've only played three Pokemon games (Blue, Yellow and Gold) but I have seen the English-dubbed movies. Having said that, I was a fan as a kid, though the only real reason I'm posting my rant here, is because facebook will only allow so many characters and I know this is going to be a long one... it also draws attention to the actual Pokemon fanboys and if there's one thing that trolls like, it's annoying the fanboys. One problem that has only just occurred to me is that I'm not allowed to use profanity... bugger.
So, where to start off? - I guess the first thing to do is to take apart their actual arguments, followed by their implications and then in conclusion why this is stupid when put into context:
From what I can gather, the implication is that in the "fantastical world of Pokemon" the trainers are the masters and the pokemon are treated as slaves, ok, it's an exaggerated view, but the implication is there... and what makes it even worse is that there is a more realistic view on things in the actual show. There are already villains who treat their pokemon badly, so you would think that they would be the focus of this... but no.
One of the arguments is that, "The amount of time that Pokémon spend stuffed in pokéballs is akin to how elephants are chained up in train carts, waiting to be let out to "perform" in circuses. But the difference between real life and this fictional world full of organized animal fighting is that Pokémon games paint rosy pictures of things that are actually horrible." - which would be all well and good, but the series / games / manga etc already suggested that pokeballs actually encourage pokemon to heal quicker and that the environment inside the pokeball is actually "pokemon-friendly" - and there's also the one giant plot hole, which comes from the very first episode: Pikachu doesn't stay in the pokeball, and you can make an argument that there are several other pokemon who aren't in pokeballs either. And while I'm on it, what about those huge pokemon that can't exactly fit in your backpack? or can only travel across certain terrains, like water?
PETA also says: "If PETA existed in Unova (I'm assuming that's the name of the city), our motto would be: 'pokemon are not ours to use or abuse. They exist for their own reasons.' We believe that this is the message that should be sent to our children" - now for me, this takes it to a whole new level of seriousness... I can accept it as a joke, as an exaggeration for dramatic effect, but what the actual heck, people?
This implies that this is how they really see the world of Pokemon, which is pretty much the exact opposite of the actual show, which promotes mutual friendship and protection between human and pokemon alike, hell, in the first or second episode (it's been a while) Ash and Pikachu actually fight at first, with Pikachu being the aggressor, then they get attacked by a... um... swarm? flock? of spearow and a fearow and they end up protecting each other. Ash has put his life on the line several times if it meant protecting pokemon.
There is even an episode where Ash frees pikachu, so he can be with another group of pikachus... and Pikachu actually chose to return to Ash, probably the only event in a cartoon I have ever cried to... granted I was 8 years-old and by grandfather had past away about four months (or so) prior to the episode being aired, so it was justified, but still, there is a strong bond between trainer and pokemon. Some trainers are good, some are bad, but the same goes for pokemon as well, but that again speaks to the villains of Pokemon: Team Rocket, who steal and abuse pokemon all the time, yet the focus is on the protagonist instead... WIEAOTF?!?
I suppose there's one last counter argument, but to be fair, it's probably the most important:
THIS ARGUMENT WAS MADE OVER 14 YEARS AGO... BY POKEMON THEMSELVES!
- and yes, for those who don't feel old yet... Pokemon: The First Movie, Mew Vs Mewtwo was made fourteen years ago, and in said movie, the plot was that the antagonist, Mewtwo believed that pokemon were being treated as slaves, so what does he do? - He kidnaps them, clones them and uses the clones as slaves to fight the originals... thus doing exactly what he's just accused them of doing. Oh and Ash actually dies whilst protecting the pokemon, making Mewtwo realise that he was, in fact completely wrong.
So are there any reasons why would need to keep pokemon as pets, or guards or whatever?
YES... of course there is... and this is how the real world is different from the pokemon world... pokemon have powers... they can shock the shampoo out of your hair, they can set you on fire or hit you with psychic blasts... this is not normal, everyday happening's people... this is dragons and rock monsters and ghosts. For one thing, pokemon actually help in society, they are postmen, firefighters, police "dogs" etc. If they were "set free" I'm pretty sure that society would grind to an immediate halt and let's give these pokemon some credit, shall we, some of them are, in fact self aware, sentient beings, a large number of them have even been protagonists, so it's clear that at least some specific pokemon pose a threat, even if it's not all of them.
So is it right to put pokemon in cages, no, is it right to do anything that you see in this game, no... but does that actually happen to all of the pokemon. no. It's just another organisation trolling for attention and bad-mouthing something that kids actually like and learn from... something that I liked as a kid, as well..; so WTF PETA... WTF?
also comment on your thoughts etc... as if you didn't know to do that...
Log in to comment