Lost In Translation
The character in the English translation of the game is sometimes criticized as being a stereotype of African Americans, due to his speech mannerisms which (unlike in the original Japanese version) are quite different from those of the rest of the characters in the game. Some even say he also sounds suspiciously like Mr. T. because he cusses a lot and uses broken English. Personally, I can see the point of this accusation. Why is he the only character who speaks this way? Is it because he is one of the few Final Fantasy characters that happens to not be a hybrid blend of asian & white, but is actually African American? Well that's not really a good reason. I think it was chosen to make the game feel more "American". I believe it can be a bit unnecessary at times but hey, he's a character, a fictional character, and his speech further acknowledges his outgoing, outspoken and tough personality. He's lived a hard life and even if he speaks with this so called "sterotypical" mannerism, it doesn't portray him as stupid, uneducated or ignorant. I think it was just an idea pushed by marketing so that more diverse groups of people would play this game.
It's still really interesting and sometimes scary to read people's thoughts on this matter. Many forums have discussed it and continue to do so. Here are a few posts I found from people. I won't mention names.
A trend I've noticed is that a lot of the people who bleat "racist!" are not of African descent at all. A lot of people are just programmed to scream "racist" at anything that shows a black person with a bad attitude or a black person being attacked. Some people even whined that FFVII was "racist" because Barret Wallace was bitter and had a bad attitude. Further in the game, his past was revealed and the guy couldn't be blamed for having a little negativity (not to mention Cid Highwind -- a white guy -- had an even worse attitude).
As for other games, I've noticed stereotypes, especially in fighting games and RPGs. Mostly it's the way black characters in those games are portrayed. Like Final Fantasy VII, poor Barret Wallace, portrayed as a steroid using madman who's only goal in life is to talk about the kid and cuss. Ah @$#% Where the $#@* are we going? If you ever seen Taxi Driver and that crazy black guy walking down the street yelling. Well that is Barret.
Japanese Culture
Now, there is also much to say about Japanese culture and their views on other ethnicites & races (not to say this goes for every single person in the country). I have come across an article that sheds some light on the situation. Apparently "Black Sambo" merchandise is very popular in Japan. It pretty much portrays African Americans in the most offensive way possible. There are catch phrases such as, "Grow your own palm tree just like the ones Sambo likes to sit under!" and "Put Sambo’s black face on your back with one of these buttons!" If one were to tell the average Japanese person that “sambo” was a racial slur similar to the N word, and that the book “Little Black Sambo” was an offensive book full of racially insensitive imagery, one would probably be met with a response of surprise or confusion. To many, a Sambo is just a cute little character in a cute children’s book, and it is hard to understand what could be so offensive about it. When a new edition of the book was printed several years ago, Metropolis had an article mentioning Japanese views of the book:
In the June edition of Bungei Shunju, Zuiunsha’s Tomio Inoue takes the whole “racist vs. insensitive” discussion to a new level, saying that it’s OK to reprint the story since “in the world today, there aren’t feelings of discrimination toward black people because we see them active in many areas and having a positive impact on many people… I think we need to have more faith in the children of Japan.”
Inoue claims that Sambo was a common name in northern India meaning “excellent,” and he describes Dobias’ golliwog-like depictions of the supposedly Indian child as a “bold use of color.” In the US, where the book is also in print and has been a regular bestseller, illustrator Fred Marcellino apparently solved the debate with The Story of Little Babaji, in which he changed the names of the characters to Babaji, Mamaji and Papaji. But the Japanese version keeps the original names and illustrations. And while an online petition protesting the Japanese reprint has sprung up, it has only garnered a few hundred signatures, many from abroad.
In a country where the black population remains small, it seems that many Japanese don’t care that sambo is considered to be as offensive as “darky” or “pickaninny.” In the two months since it was published, Chibikuro Sambo has already reportedly sold over 100,000 copies.
I find this to be disturbing. I know our country has had a ridiculous history of racism, and we have even portrayed Asians in a stereotypical way such in popular novels like, "Fu Machu the Evil Asian" in the 1960s. However, you'd think by now, we'd start to act less ignorant and work on destroying the stupidity behind racism. Then, I read an article like the one above, and I feel like Japan is doing nothing to improve it. Perhaps we are not either. I'm still slightly unsure about their intentions towards designing a character like Barret. I haven't played the Japanese version, as I do not speak or read Japanese. So, I can't really say whether or not he had the same mannerisms as in the American version. Sources keep saying he didn't, so then why did the American version agree to make their one African-American like character in such a way? It just brings me back to the beginning, and they for some reason, they thought it would open the game up to a broader audience.