Gears of War's Cole singled out as a racial stereotype
by Dustin Burg 
{ Apr 10th 2008 at 10:15AM }
When asked his opinion on how black Gears of War character Cole Train is portrayed in the game, Gray responded by saying "Cole Train is basically like every other effin' black character in a video game. Like here comes the urban stereotype. Where is this 1990's - not even 2000 - black slang, where does this fit in this futuristic world that doesn't even take place on Earth? They go really far to do a lot of fictional justifications for this culture that they've built, and they go right back to this urban stereotype for the black character." Gray went on to say that a character like Cole Train, "all it does is reinforce dumb stereotypes and it sort of reinforces casual racism." Yes sir, this is one loaded and passionately argued topic indeed ...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Zoot Suit Jedi @ Apr 10th 2008 10:23AM
So it doesn't matter that he was one of the heroes in the game? Because he doesn't talk pretty we're to criticize Epic? I'll be sure to climb atop my soapbox the next time I see a bumbling thin white dude in a lab coat with glasses.
mike @ Apr 10th 2008 12:44PM
I agree, but what we have to realize is our media is stereo typical period. No matter where you turn there's stereo types everywhere.
Mexicans robbin places or cant speak english, Black people super big and athletic having a different way of verbally expressing themselves, asians being quick agile, advanced knowledge in martial arts, bad drivers, Women being bad drivers, overly emotional, white people, skaters, rockers, weak, not street smart, can't jump, stupid etc.
It's everywhere so why target one game. I'd say the game industry is just the target in general.
I'd say the movie and tv industry is more stereo typically racist than video games in general.
And I am a male, that's half black and korean and I am not the stereotypical black or asian.
heavensent @ Apr 10th 2008 10:23AM
lmfao. cole train is hilarious.
i wouldn't want him any other way.
ffs.
rv @ Apr 10th 2008 11:26AM
He really is racist if you think about it, though
Peacefuloutrage @ Apr 10th 2008 1:22PM
I liked Cole Train. People aren't reading the original article. I think the issue is not "Cole Train", but so many characters are similar big, dumb, atheletic stereotypes.
There isn't much to balance Cole Train out.
He was making the argument that Cole Train by himself was fine, but when most characters are like Cole Train or thugs, pimps, rappers, or atheletes, there isn't any diversity in black characters.
Platinum_Skeet @ Apr 12th 2008 2:34PM
I'm black and Cole was my favorite character in the game...
gtpunch @ Apr 14th 2008 11:41AM
Who isn't big, dumb, and athletic in GoW?
Nathaniel @ Apr 15th 2008 5:05PM
"Look at all that JUICE!" -The one and only...Cole Train. You know, last time I checked, The Train did not mention having illegitimate children, being unemployed, and a dedication to taking down the white man. Now THAT would be racist and uncalled for, attaching him to negative stereotypes of African-Americans. Instead, he was a famous professional athlete, who now is doing his job (and a damn good one at that) to save his planet. Racist? I don't think so.
Besides, video games in general are FULL of stereotypes and cookie-cutter characters, why pick on The Train, and what was actually a good game? -Beat it for the first time yesterday :)-
TyR1N @ Jun 27th 2008 8:18AM
I'm not a raciest man, i never have been. but i'd agree that Cole is a perfect example of most "ghetto" African Americans; Loud, obnoxious and annoying. I live twenty minutes from Detroit, I'd love for anyone to question my opinion lol
J @ Apr 10th 2008 11:17AM
Maybe you are not a "raciest", but you are indeed a racist.
meinnit @ Oct 31st 2008 1:05PM
...and your opinion is based on the fact you live 20 mins out of detroit? Let me paraphrase your ignorance... "im not racist, i just think that most ghetto african americans are loud, obnoxious and annoying". I question your opinion... your racist pig-head dont make sense!!!
Bucfann @ Apr 10th 2008 12:50PM
Why is it when the truth is spoken, they are labeled a racist. Facts are facts. Ghetto blacks ARE loud and obnoxious. What part of that isnt true?
Why dont Gary get on the hippity hop world? They are loud and flamboyant. They help shape the way people perceive hip hoppers and blacks.
Its common sense, NOT ALL people of a certain color act like the majority of them. But the fact is, a majority of blacks that you run into or a lot of the ones that are put into the spot light, act a certain way. Its just the truth.
And atleast Cole isnt smoking crack or acting like a hoodlum. His character in the game, actually makes him very likeable. He is a little loud but seems like a fun guy.
If someone has a problem with how the people of their colored are viewed as a majority, then why dont you complain about the majority who GET the spotlight in this country and act a certain way, or preach/sing/hiphop a certain way.
Dont go after a video game company for creating a game character slightly based on blacks who are in and out of the spot light in our day and age.
wraith808 @ Apr 10th 2008 1:17PM
Because it's a generalization. And I assume you know what the point is with generalizations. True, there are some people from the ghetto- black, white, hispanic, asian, mixed- who fit the stereotype. But not all, and that's the point. Why does the character have to fit the stereotype? The media is what causes the problem- putting these people up on platforms as the example, when they are not what we should strive to.
braincake @ Apr 10th 2008 10:26AM
hard to call it stereotypical when the majority of blacks sound exactly like him or worse. anyone watch mtv lately?
DiscoGhost @ Apr 10th 2008 10:35AM
Wow...that was ignorant.
I don't know what Mr. Gray's talking about though. Did Cole talk like an idiot in the game or something? I didn't notice if he did or didn't. May I was too taken by the voice actor being the same guy who played Terry Tate - office linebacker, "YOU FINISH THE JOE, YOU MAKE SOME MO!". But i guess those commercials were prolly also stereotypical (if so I blame Terry Tate).
B1gg Randall @ Apr 10th 2008 12:12PM
See now thats racists...What If I say All white people hurt them self repeatly....(Scared)And all white people are spoil lil brats(Sweet Sixteen)...Would I be wrong...Hell yes I would cause all those statements are wrong...And not all white people do things like that....Dumb Ass
Dr Other @ Apr 10th 2008 10:29AM
Yeah, THIS post wasn't flame bait.
Lordy. Unfortunately 'loaded and passionately argued topics' tend to only bring out the worst in people, as it seems to be doing in the comment section here already.
Hockle @ Apr 10th 2008 10:32AM
I'll simplify this argument - all of the dialogue in Gears of War is horrible.
Ysleiro @ Apr 10th 2008 11:48AM
I would say that it is somewhat of a stereotype.
Is it possible to add a character to a game and have everybody think of him as a non-stereotype?
The way I see it isn't really a stereotype thats just how the cole train is. If he had any other attitude it would still be like "oh yeah what a stereotype".. people can't make up their minds and you can't please them all.
andyg8180 @ Apr 10th 2008 10:33AM
everything is racist...
xbox360fanboy is racist because the center of the page is white... WHY IS IT WHITE??? YOU ARE RACIST 360FANBOY!!!
see? I can do it too... Let's complain that sonic is blue... And he totally acts like a hedgehog... Oh, how come Mario hasnt been singled out because he'sa italiano and totally acts like an italiano??
Ummm, Cole's voice is done by a black guy... and ummmm cole is a football player... and ummm, how is it racist again? im confused...
edward camp @ Apr 10th 2008 12:13PM
yeah the pages should be black with white letters
black power
SugarDaddy @ Apr 10th 2008 10:33AM
Oh c'mon. Cole Train was bad ass. I thought that was a favorable character to blacks.
andyg8180 @ Apr 10th 2008 10:37AM
oh and one more point.... if cole train acted like a southern lawyer and talked like a thesaurus, this guy would be complaining that it doesn't portray the black community and then we'd have an entirely different conversation here... This guy is full of shit...
Dick @ Apr 10th 2008 11:43AM
Oversimplifying arguments as complex as race only leaves people like you shouting nonsense.
You make so many ridiculous points with no grounding in reality it's laughable.
You're stupid. And probably a racist. Everyone is.
Don't believe me. That's fine. But think about it next time you want to classify or quantify someone, and race is used as a metric. You will find that racism is hardwired into most of our DNA.
Unless you're one of the unfortunate multi-racial people, like myself. Then people look at you crazy from every direction. Mr Non-White (from the whites), non black (from the blacks), is he mexican? (from the mexicans), or the most common lately, this guy is an arab terrorist, let me clutch my bag/cross the street/change train cars, etc.
(I'm Mexican and Italian, btw... I kinda look like Dom)
Dick @ Apr 10th 2008 11:48AM
Oh, and to add to the racial mania, my mom remarried a Black dude when I was two years old. He is my Dad, (since real dad is a turd burglar) and it's impacted my life from the all black elementary school I went to in our all black suburb, to the little league baseball team where the black coach didnt like the fact my black Stepdad was married to my "white" (mexican/french) Mom.
andyg8180 @ Apr 10th 2008 1:17PM
@Dick
I just really think people scream out racism because its the easiest thing to scream... You cant say anything to a many black people without thinking twice and making sure its not racist... Nor can you make a video game without saying, oh is the NAACP gonna scream at me if this guy isnt up to spec?
I mean, seriously, there needs to be a "how to not be racist" manual when making video games... Or speaking out in public...
yes, you are right, everyone on this planet is a little racist... I've known that for years... and the people that are in denial need to wake up...
Delgado @ Apr 10th 2008 8:50PM
It's funny, because your name is Dick and you talk like a dick.
Frank @ Apr 10th 2008 10:39AM
I look at Cole train as a friggen lunatic football teammate from high school, not as a stereotype-reinforcing "token black".
If only the rest of the world were color blind.
andyg8180 @ Apr 10th 2008 10:39AM
oh and i have to say one more thing...
WHO SAID MARCUS FENIX WAS WHITE?!? MAYBE HE'S A LIGHT SKINNED BLACK GUY!!
jeezus christ... someone call the wahhmbulance for this guy...
Billy Dee Williams @ Apr 10th 2008 11:57AM
Marcus Fenix is Jewish, so it all works out. So there's a black, a Jew, a Spanish guy, and a regular American. What is this, Archie Bunker or something?
RudyHuxtable @ Apr 10th 2008 10:39AM
Cole is my favorite character in Gears. And I'm white. Does that make me racist or do I have survivor guilt?
...
Cmon, it's time to stop. Seriously. Love thy neighbor.
DiscoGhost @ Apr 10th 2008 11:13AM
ur totally racist bro.
RudyHuxtable @ Apr 10th 2008 11:16AM
You just proved my point. Thanks.
EddieGreens @ Apr 10th 2008 10:43AM
hey, at least they killed Carmine first
Lewis @ Apr 10th 2008 10:50AM
hI-YOOOOOO! Good point.
ryan @ Apr 10th 2008 12:09PM
but was Carmine black or white? we don't know do we?
i mean you can say he sounded black, mexican, other, white, asian and the minute you do, you are "upsetting" a certain race.
how's that for the world we live in today? :/
D Boy Flex @ Apr 10th 2008 10:46AM
I don't see it as racist. Not to point fingers at anybody, but it seems as though some minorities see the only way to get attention to themselves is to scream rascism. So this guy is an idiot. Big deal. He is full of crap and just trying to gain attention to his cause, whatever that may be. I thought Cole was the best character in Gears and he was always my MP character (assuming I was playing as COG). There are plenty of instances in which the white guy is portrayed as an idiot and we don't cry rascism about that, do we? All I have to say is leave it alone. People are goining to be doing this forever and we can't do anything about it. Let him say what he wants, then blow him off. That was he doesn't get what he wants: attention.
chris @ Apr 10th 2008 3:13PM
cole is awesome that fagg can say what ever he wants doesn't matter to me
wtfwazthat @ Apr 10th 2008 10:50AM
we should just make him sound like Michael from RSV2...blimey got the bugger! bloody hell of a shot!
Azshros @ Apr 10th 2008 10:57AM
Morgan Gray is Ignorant.
ericdrum @ Apr 10th 2008 10:58AM
This dude offers a lot of bitching and no solutions. He says that he doesn't like this or that, but doesn't offer up a character that would fit into this void. IMO, this guy does more harm than Cole could ever do.
And whenever someone says: "I'm not knocking"(Epic in this case) or "no disrespect" or "no offense", all that means is someone is going to get knocked, disrespected or offended.
Alphonse Romano @ Apr 10th 2008 11:06AM
WTF! Get over it already! These people really have nothing else to do but look for something to complain about all the time. Listen!!! I'm not racist, but come on... would you really want Cole to sound like a white guy? And how come we never hear this kind of crap from anyone else?
Chris @ Apr 10th 2008 11:08AM
Whatever. Look - Cole is the best guy in the game outside of Fenix.
Seriously, people can whine about crap like this all they want. . .Cole's not a stereotype. He's a bad-ace that you'd love to have at your side in a war against a superior alien race. For crying out loud - what did they want, some lame white chemist?!
I remember the first time I played this game, it was co-op with someone who already had played through it. When we were introduced to Cole, he said "You'll love everything this guy says!" He didn't say, "Oh, this is one funny black guy!" or "Can you believe they put a black character in here and made him speak in this stereotypical way?" Geez - what was Cole supposed to say anyway? Was he supposed to use perfect grammar and speak in German? C'mon, people - get over yourselves!
xFenixKnightx @ Apr 10th 2008 11:09AM
I loved Cole. Hes funny as hell in the game.
"Aint enough freeks to stop this man!"
joey @ Apr 10th 2008 11:10AM
I would think they'd point the finger at San Andreas.
Talk about racial stereotype, San Andreas' got them all.
Kokomadeta @ Apr 10th 2008 11:29AM
I guess he never played Half-Life 2 or Perfect Dark. There are black scientists in the former series, and a black president in the latter series! Black people aren't stereotyped in games, he just only plays games where black people could be considered stereotyped. Anyway, who cares about which races play videogames? What's next, are we going to ask Asian gamers how they feel about Asian characters in fighting games speaking Asian languages? I wonder if my Xbox 360 Elite feels stereotyped because it plays a lot of sports games? Maybe we should ask Germans how they feel about Wolfenstein, Call of Duty, and Medal of Honor!
This is ridiculous.
Jay @ Apr 10th 2008 11:32AM
I guess its racist when the game regards its black character as a famous athlete envied by the rest of the white Gears?
I didn't realize it was racist to consider Cole Train to be strongest and toughest and therefore the only surviving member of his squad?
Because when I make racial slurs... I always say "You're good at sports and you're really tough and strong, so there! Take that you colored person!"
ZEBRA NINER @ Apr 10th 2008 11:37AM
Really? Whatever, you can't please everyone.
MDJ2010 @ Apr 10th 2008 11:41AM
Unfortunataly to me this is a case of being 'in the eye of the beholder' - the best way to treat racism is to ignore it, as this topic and the subsequent comments demonstrate too clearly. I mean look at how this small pretty meaningless article has created about 15 comments that are eithre purposefully demonstrating racist views or at least forcingpeople to demonstrate their ignorance. Personally I didnt see a racist character in the awesome Cole Train whilst playing Gears of War, and to me the only stereotype he really hit spot on was the stereotypical dumb ass meat head character that is a part of nearly every FPS. Maybe morgan Gray should have taken the time to think before blurting that crap answer out of his mouth, cos quite frankly it makes him look as ignorant as half of the idiotic comments posted here.
Tony @ Apr 10th 2008 11:43AM
I went to a mostly black high school in Chicago and I'm sorry, but the examples listed here are NOT how "most" people African descent act whatsoever. Some of these examples are ridiculous. If I was a normal person living next to a horrible trailer park (and yes, I know there are perfectly nice ones, but let's go with the negative), would it be fair for me to assume all white people are white trash? Of course not because it's ridiculously stupid and close minded.
This is obviously really touchy, but you know, there's nothing that isn't stereotypical about Marcus either. Almost every hero or heroine of any race in recent memory in video games is nothing but a stereotype. Cole isn't an exception here, obviously, but I never sat there thinking "haha, that's so funny!" during anything Cole did because of any race related reasons. I never even put that together because the rest of the characters were so shallow, thin and generalized that he was just yet another one of many in a single game. Every last one of them was as flimsy.
I think how black people are treated within games is a very important topic. And I would like to hear about how people feel about these things. Some one mentioned offering a "solution", but that's not really the interviewee's responsibility. What could he say beyond the obvious "stop doing this!" comment to begin with? That and how rare their appearances in games have been until the last several years to begin with.
There's always going to be disagreements with this sort of stuff though. Back when Good Times was on, the older cast members wanted the series to show good examples to urban blacks. They of course found themselves more and more annoyed with the attention JJ was getting (the "dyn-o-mite" guy) as he was a character they felt did nothing but "talk jive" and push other black stereotypes further out. The mom wound up leaving for a season and the dad was killed off entirely. She only returned once the producers told her JJ would be made more "respectable" again.
My point is probably more that I think more black people are going to have to stand up against these issues if they truly agree it's a problem. Only bringing it up when someone wants to write a feature is not going to make much of a difference.