I'm all for LGBTQ+ support, everyone should be able to be whoever they are or want to be(come). And well, currently some or many can't - so any form of awareness or support is welcome. But this feels forced, very forced. Not even the shirt or logo, but the attempt to forcefully talk it out of "rainbow capitalism". We all can see that this logo (a simple recolor job) was used in 2019, heck, even Valentine says so. And then calling it a "labor of love" and saying something like "After a lot of hard work by some awesome people at this company, we made it happen" makes it feel like Valentine is telling us what to see and think. We can see fine, we all have eyes, we all can see a very basic shirt/hoodie with an already existing repainted company logo on the front and we are all free to create an opinion around it...aren't we?Nothing wrong with the shirts, and on its own a fine theme, but this could have been made in a mere afternoon. Hard work and labor of love does simply not suit a "copy-paste -> send the design to the default company who prints their shirts"-job. Side-node: quite ironic that they specifically use "Men's" at a shirt and the hoodie and "Women's" for the other shirt in the store. Isn't that...weird?
I honestly don't like it because it's so simple
no matter what blizz does weather you are apart of the LGBTQ or other community's you people can never be happy with what blizz does SMH
Removed
I support lgbtq+ but do so keeping in mind that we/they are just people like everyone is just people. We are not categories or labels. Be GLAD of WHO you ARE, and PROUD of WHAT you DO. Eventually, everyone, we will need to let go of mascots, labels, categories, genres, and representatives (living or in concept) if we're to be normal and natural part of the world -which we all already ARE, simply by being here, now. Our planet is capable of creating every possible reality on it so by being created and existing in our world, we are all already normal and natural and part of this world. We shouldn't continue to separate and segregate ourselves with themes, mascots, representatives, logos, etc, those things reinforce that we are in fact different and 'other' when our hope is to be normal an natural. Otherwise we are not normal and natural, we're at that point simply 'other' and needing something to represent, define, identify us with -which will only make us separate and unnatural and abnormal. I understand we're not there yet, unfortunately, and having a way to feel we're included in things can feel right, but if that way continues even after it's needed, it's dangerous because it is no longer a way that leads to normalcy, it's a symbol which means it's an 'us' vs a 'them,' and there is no us vs them, there is only everyone. I'm sad we use pride as our tagline because we shouldn't have to appear/act/be proud of what we are, we should simply exist normally and naturally, without the extra added pride that only bored its way into being because the world chose to oppress instead of embrace/recognize we're normal and natural part of the planet. I honestly don't know anyone who is or wants to be proud being what they are, being lgbtq+ is a small part of WHAT someone is, and is not WHO they are. In my experience or upbringing or view of existence, we can be proud of what we do, of who we are, but what we are we have no control over, so it doesn't quite make sense to be proud of it, and I think pride in the lgbtq+ is more of a retaliation against the crime, ostracization, punishment, oppressions, segregations, separating, being different, being other, etc, instead of actually being proud. I'm Irish and gay and and though I'm glad of those things, and I have faced a lifetime of depression and anxiety and waste of life due to being what I am in a world that doesn't want it, I still can't claim being proud as I have not chosen or tried to be Irish nor gay, and so I am proud of things I accomplish, put effort into such as artwork, friendship, helping others, but can't truly say I'm proud of having my traits, attributes, features, etc, because they are not within my control, I can, however, be GLAD of the things/WHAT I AM and be PROUD of WHO I AM. I'm not proud of being gay, to me that doesn't make sense, I an proud that I uphold and defend and am there for lgbtq+, those are things I DO and I am proud of WHO I am for doing and being, but I am GLAD that I'm gay because, well, I like that's it is part of what I am. If we keep separating ourselves lgbtq+ from the rest of the world via labels, genres, categories, etc (there is an lgbtq+ genre of book now, and that is frightening because it truly separates us from straight people, and we are trying, I thought and hoped, to create a world where we're not separate, we're all just people, not categories. Now kids will grow up seeing how prideful lgbtq+ peeps/concept is and instead of thinking they're normal and natural part of the world, they will associate themselves with pride, instead of simply being themselves. It seems lgbtq+ is getting it wrong in areas, such as willfully creating a category or niche that lgbtq+ can appreciate, but in doing so separate themselves and prevent us from simply existing as we are, without needing a tag or special label. Once we're 'accepted' and no longer need announcement or tolerance and are 'considered' normal and nature in the eyes of the world (-_-) our lgbtq+ category and pride and Lgbtq+ books, apparel, etc, will just create a division between us and straight people, when we should all simply be people, not straight AND/OR lgbtq+. Once the world and us exist without borders and we're all simply one, I hope we can drop the representation because no one, in a wonderful world should ever have to have/need representation - we all deserve to be here, we're all already here, no one should need announcement. I fear we perpetuate everything being so announced all the time, even when it doesn't need to be. This blizzard lgbtq+ apparel isn't good for anyone because it doesn't support us as people, it supports a concept, and the concept is that we (or they) are proud of what we are, when the only message nowadays should be that we are ALL proud of WHO we are, not WHAT we are, and we can and should be GLAD of WHAT we are. That way, everyone everywhere, no matter their background, religion, profession, ancestry, etc, can and will all exist as one, normally and naturally, as a part of our awesome planet which by default creates everyone on it as we are. Categories need to go. they take the place of the one truth and that is we're all here, now. we're all part of the planet and our differences don't make us different. All we need to know is that our world is capable of creating all kinds of everything, and if we're on our planet, then we were created and don't' need any special answers or treatment other than the safe knowledge that everyone here is welcome and loved. We're not categories.
Good cause, and the shirts are just beautiful.
I appreciate the clarification. It does change how I view the products and take away some of my annoyance at the rainbow capitalism. It's an act of bravery to be out at work and I commend Valentine for speaking up.And I want to note for people who say that it's just a recolor and how much work could that be... you are forgetting to include the work involved with convincing the company to make them available to the public and with getting anything approved in a corporation the size of Activision. That by itself is a massive feat that probably included hundreds of hours of work across multiple teams. Just thinking about the number of meetings and PowerPoint presentations that probably went into this makes me want to crawl under my desk and hide.
As a bisexual man, it is amazing to see myself represented inside the company. Keep it up, representation matters!
This could have been such a nice shirt, but instead they went for the easy option.A Blizzard logo in lgbtq+ colors? Come one.Give us some Blizzard characters with rainbow banners or something like that?This is lazy.
Honestly this just makes the shirts worse somehow. Its an overpriced low-effort design, there's no way around that. It was fine on a pin because it was a pin, on a shirt its just lazy.Given it was before pride month it wasn't really ticking the boxes for rainbow capitalism. Its a step forward for blizz, but that doesn't mean the shirts are great.
I don't see how anyone can call this rainbow capitalism when the proceeds are being donated to the Trevor Project. This isn't just some empty gesture designed to squeeze more money out of us. Activision Blizzard is actually helping the LGBT community.
How exactly is that a "Labor of Love"?What labor? They literally just colored the logo as a rainbow.