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Social justice activists: Why do you still like Bionicle?


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I've noticed that many fandoms I'm in have been getting increased awareness of real world issues, and their problematic elements are being brought to light by its fans.

However, there are some series that have so much insensitivity in them that I can't any imagine a socially-conscious person still being an active fan.

 

I personally don't see Bionicle as offensive, but if a person who is staunchly anti-cultural appropriation is also a fan, well I'm a bit puzzled.

 

Bionicle is basically cultural appropriation incarnate. Practically every character, place, and creature name is taken from a Polynesian word. The working title was even "Bone Heads of Voodoo Island". Pretty blatant right there.

 

And it didn't just stop after the Mata Nui arc. Bara Magna is also rife with appropriation of Greco-Roman, Middle Eastern and North African cultural elements.

And I know that something being offensive is subjective, but Bionicle clearly must be offensive, since the Maori sued Lego.

 

What I'm saying is; if you're a person who calls out and tries to eliminate cultural appropriation, erasure, and stereotyping in all its forms, why would you continue to support a series that was cut whole cloth from those same social ills?

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Because, after the Maori issue, LEGO was actually at least somewhat careful in what they used in BIONICLE. You can hardly create a work without borrowing from something, the issue with the Maori controversy was just HOW bad it was in the eyes of the Maori people. I don't blame them. If you look up "Tohunga," I understand why they wouldn't want a company Trademarking the term.

 

When it comes to Greco-Roman elements in Bara Magna, Latin is a Dead Language so I would imagine it becomes rather difficult to really become irate about using that as a base for names. As to the Middle Eastern and North African cultural usage... well they were in a desert, what do you expect to happen? The main thing that keeps LEGO out of trouble in that is that they were careful to not draw SO VERY heavily like they originally did. And even in their early days they were aware enough of how far they could go. There was probably a very good reason "Doo Heads" and "Bone Heads of Voodoo Island" got passed up!

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Because, after the Maori issue, LEGO was actually at least somewhat careful in what they used in BIONICLE. You can hardly create a work without borrowing from something, the issue with the Maori controversy was just HOW bad it was in the eyes of the Maori people. I don't blame them. If you look up "Tohunga," I understand why they wouldn't want a company Trademarking the term.

 

When it comes to Greco-Roman elements in Bara Magna, Latin is a Dead Language so I would imagine it becomes rather difficult to really become irate about using that as a base for names. As to the Middle Eastern and North African cultural usage... well they were in a desert, what do you expect to happen? The main thing that keeps LEGO out of trouble in that is that they were careful to not draw SO VERY heavily like they originally did. And even in their early days they were aware enough of how far they could go. There was probably a very good reason "Doo Heads" and "Bone Heads of Voodoo Island" got passed up!

 

You know what, you're right. The influences of Bionicle were subtle and respectful. They weren't mocking cultures in any way; just using them as inspiration for fantasy worlds.

I see that your viewpoint is different than mine good sir, but it is reasonable, and I think you have some good insights.

Art imitates life after all, and nothing is created in a vacuum.

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Let's face it: We now live in an era where everything has (seemingly) already been thought up and used in some manner in every story currently in existence. As a would-be writer who's been hammering out this one book series for almost ten years, I can assure you that it's not fun finding a similarity between your own work and that of another, and being original is hard. Bionicle nailed originality, but you also have to balance familiarity. As some peeps have mentioned before (and recently), some people enjoy completely alien stories while others enjoy stories that contain elements they know. Most everything we have (and ever will) create has its basis in the real world, and there's no escaping that. Most worldbuilders are going to opt for something that already exists and fits with this fictional culture of theirs, mostly because it seems to be hard-wired into our subconscious. For example, 90% of all fictional desert-based cultures have an Arabic-sounding language, because, hey, it's what we're used to. The problem with Lego was that while they laid out this new and grand and almost entirely original world, they went the lazy route with the language, and that didn't fly with the Maori people. Lego should have hired somebody to help them invent the Matoran language from scratch (or as much as possible), because it actually isn't that difficult for somebody with a background in English/grammar and linguistics. In fact, a friend of mine sent me a link last month to a site that helps you invent your own languages. I'm currently using it for a second book series I started last year, but I can tell you right now that it is no piece of cake. I can see why Lego opted out of the Tolkien approach.


I honestly doubt Lego was trying to insult anyone. I'm half Irish, and I think I've heard just about every Irish-stereotype joke in the book by now, but it doesn't bother me one bit. Heck, I enjoy it. If Lego had based the Matoran language on Celtic/Gaelic, I would have been delighted, but that's just me. If we were all of one mind, we wouldn't even have the vast range of cultures and languages we do, non-fictional and otherwise. ;)

Edited by Silverglass
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I don't know, I've never perceived BIONICLE's phonetic borrowings as being particularly offensive. If Middle Easterners, Polynesians, or North Africans call up to voice their disapproval, then I will be proven wrong, but they never have yet.*

 

*Not since the great Maori lawsuit of the early years, of course. Besides that.

Edited by Angel Bob
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"You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant."
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Guys, I've just deleted three posts that appeared to be just spam. Please if you're going to post, contribute to the subject one way or another. Thanks. :)

 

Anyways, I think Zox probably has the right answer. It's important to resist the temptation to accuse all "inspiration" of being "appropriation." The intent matters, and calls to real-world things can make something more meaningful, rather than just a random made-up name for example. Just as it's important to use inspiration in a respectful, positive way, it's also important to identify that correctly. :)

 

And keep in mind that making up sheer random things has its downsides too. Someone could even hypothetically be offended at it (though let's not recommend it lol) for whatever reason -- virtually nothing would surprise me anymore on that front, heh. Point is that, as you say, there is definitely the danger of taking something subjective and treating it as an absolute, and that never ends well.

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The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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As stated off the bat, there is a difference between stereotyping and negatively mocking a culture and taking inspiration from it. Taking interesting ideas from real life cultures can bring some familiarity to the "atmosphere" of a completely imagined and unfamiliar world without, by any means, insulting the culture! When you think of a desert, you think of those Greco-Roman, Middle Eastern and North African cultures, and that's because those are the kinds of cultures that inhabit deserts on earth. Those cultures "come up" when you think of a desert, and the more the elements of those cultures are used, the more the desert setting seems "real". That's why lego used elements of those cultures, and honestly, never did I think that Lego really insulted them in any way, shape or form.

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