Lego Accused of Racism With Star Wars Set 514
Ch_Omega writes "According to this article over at The Telegraph, Lego has been accused of racism by the Turkish community in Austria over a Star Wars model that supposedly resembles one of Istanbul's most revered mosques. The anger was provoked by 'Jabba's Palace,' a model of the home of Jabba the Hutt from Lego's Star Wars product range based on the blockbusting series of science fiction films. 'The terrorist Jabba the Hutt likes to smoke a hookah and have his victims killed,' said the statement posted on the organization's website. 'It is clear that the ugly figure of Jabba and the whole scene smacks of racial prejudice and vulgar insinuations against Asians and Orientals as people with deceitful and criminal personalities.'"
And the dancing girls? (Score:0, Interesting)
I guess they're cool with the scandalously-dressed females Jabba keeps around, but Allah forbid he actually kills someone to make an example of them. That doesn't sound like any terrorist or criminal organization that exists today in that region of the world.
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Interesting)
well.. nobody better tell 'em history of hagia sofia either...
Re:here we go (Score:5, Interesting)
That's not a Lego Haggia Sophia (Score:4, Interesting)
This is a Lego Haggia Sophia:
http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=67199 [eurobricks.com]
Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:here we go (Score:5, Interesting)
"Never colonized" is actually a lot harder to figure out then you'd think. The only actual clear-cut case is Thailand/Siam.
Liberia technically counts, but it was a) an outpost of thoroughly Westernized African-Americans, and b) a de facto protectorate of the United States. Afghanistan was de facto a condominium between the Czar and the Brits, which was allowed technical autonomy to keep those two countries from fighting each-other. Within 5 years of figuring out that he no longer had to worry about the Romanovs their Amir decided that he was now prestigious enough to be a full-King, but as long as those Russian troops were on his northern frontier he was very careful to never say or do anything to offend them. Persia and China kept technical independence, but were cut up into competing spheres of influence. The only other countries to successfully fight off all attempts at Western colonization were the Japanese and Ethiopians, but the Japanese were basically colonized after WW2 and the Ethiopians were actually colonized during the War.
Depending on whether Turks count as European the Turks were a) never colonized by Euros/Westerners or b) are by definition colonized by themselves. The Saudis always maintained significant autonomy from the Sultan in Istanbul.
Re:here we go (Score:4, Interesting)