The Banning of Earthbind and the Censorship of artistic expression 2 2

[grapeape]

🛑 This is NOT an MTG thread misplaced in the art section. This is a take on censorship supported by corporations and offended ilk deciding what is art and what is inappropriate. I am not an MTG player but I have a strong interest in the art created to make the cards.

 

*Wizards (Wizards of the Coast)said it had removed six Beta cards - Contract from Below, Darkpact, Demonic Attorney, Earthbind, Weakness and Crusade - from the set due to failing to meet “modern standards”, as well as changing flavour text. Crusade was previously among cards banned in 2020 as the result of being racist and “culturally offensive”.

Where are we going with censorship in the future? Take this from any position you want. 
Mine is simple. That's a killer looking card that many people admire, although I believe it had very little power in the MTG tournament world.

The power it seems had to do with what the image might suggest to the person viewing it.

Ultimately the actual power lay in the hands of the sh**birds at WOTC who used their power to ax it and those offended by it who made WOTC tremble.

They sure didn't ban this card for the text.

Speculators are happy as a very affordable card is being held for ransom now. Sorry if you needed that one to complete a cube 😢 

There's  a four letter  word for what is happening here and it starts with W. Better start speaking up say I before INGSOC completes their mission.

* Please focus your comments from the POV of censorship of art. Arguing functionality of card or power of card is irrelevant. Particularly when WotC did not reprint this specific card to reflect modern times (not offend)

 

 

Edited October 14, 2022 by grapeape

[Bronty]

I like to think most people aren't sensitive enough to be bothered by that and its a case of corporations paying too much attention to the squeaky wheels.   

Its a great, fun piece of art and its been a fan favorite from day one.  

There's no sensible argument for banning it.    (Heaven forbid some of the artwork be slightly erotic).

Edited October 13, 2022 by Bronty

[Tatterdamillion]

Make it your screensaver? 

[grapeape]

On 10/13/2022 at 1:28 PM, Tatterdamillion said:

Make it your screensaver? 

That's a good idea!

[Tatterdamillion]

They were never going to print that card again for one as it is never played, and that mechanic isn't very red in many ways anymore (being an enchantment that causes the loss of flying). While I love Q Hoovers art, this one didn't do it for me in any form. Really all their bans aside from crusade were really non factors in so many ways as none of those cards really saw any play (crusade aside). WotC can always make a different enchantment for white weenies similar or even exactly the same as crusade and just call it something else. Of course they will have to deal with the backlash of all the "in the good'ol days" crowd, demanding their crusade back..

Also, the genie is out of the bottle. The damn cards can be found whenever you want them.  

While I am not offended by the cards, I am happy that they are exiled (mtg term).  

Saying you are sorry is better than saying nothing. 

[Lazyboy]

On 10/13/2022 at 2:07 PM, Bronty said:

I like to think most people aren't sensitive enough to be bothered by that and its a case of corporations paying too much attention to the squeaky wheels.   

Its a great, fun piece of art and its been a fan favorite target of mockery from day one.  

There's no sensible argument for banning it.    (Heaven forbid some of the artwork be slightly erotic).

Fixed.

They aren't banning it, they just aren't including it in their ridiculous, insanely overpriced, unplayable, garbage product.

[Lazyboy]

On 10/13/2022 at 1:26 PM, grapeape said:

Speculators are happy as a very affordable card is being held for ransom now. Sorry if you needed that one to complete a cube 😢

It's an unplayable card that has been out of print for literally decades. It's not being included in an unplayable product created for some target audience that I can't believe even exists.

[Lazyboy]

On 10/13/2022 at 4:22 PM, Tatterdamillion said:

They were never going to print that card again for one as it is never played, and that mechanic isn't very red in many ways anymore (being an enchantment that causes the loss of flying). While I love Q Hoovers art, this one didn't do it for me in any form. Really all their bans aside from crusade were really non factors in so many ways as none of those cards really saw any play (crusade aside). WotC can always make a different enchantment for white weenies similar or even exactly the same as crusade and just call it something else. Of course they will have to deal with the backlash of all the "in the good'ol days" crowd, demanding their crusade back..

Also, the genie is out of the bottle. The damn cards can be found whenever you want them.  

While I am not offended by the cards, I am happy that they are exiled (mtg term).  

Saying you are sorry is better than saying nothing. 

There have been multiple equal or better versions of Crusade for years.  But yes, unlike the other cards banned from sanctioned play, it actually had a chance of being played.

[grapeape]

The Earthbind card is another one that's fairly easy to guess why it won't appear in Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Edition. The artwork on the card is overtly sexual, with a scantily-clad fairy being tied up in a suggestive position. Earthbind was one of the cards that weren't reprinted in Fourth Edition back in '95, along with other cards that featured controversial artwork, such as depictions of religious imagery and violence
-- Scott Baird ScreenRant October 6, 2022

 

[Bronty]

On 10/13/2022 at 6:55 PM, Lazyboy said:

There have been multiple equal or better versions of Crusade for years.  But yes, unlike the other cards banned from sanctioned play, it actually had a chance of being played.

Not in old school meta.    
 

Besides, there’s all kinds of garbage that is being reprinted, and crusade and earthbind because of what, patriarchy and half a boob?    It’s ridiculous all around. 

[Lazyboy]

On 10/13/2022 at 6:39 PM, Bronty said:

Not in old school meta.    
 

A non-sanctioned format that barely exists and is not affected in the slightest by any of this.

On 10/13/2022 at 6:39 PM, Bronty said:

Besides, there’s all kinds of garbage that is being reprinted, and crusade and earthbind because of what, patriarchy and half a boob?    It’s ridiculous all around. 

They also removed the ante cards, just because they're long-outdated ante cards.

What I really want to know is why they removed Weakness.

[grapeape]

On 10/13/2022 at 3:42 PM, Lazyboy said:

It's an unplayable card that has been out of print for literally decades. It's not being included in an unplayable product created for some target audience that I can't believe even exists.

The target audience doesn't matter.

WotC making an attempt to 💰 grab that doesn't matter.

The card was not left out of the 30th anniversary edition  because it's "unplayable."

It was left out because WotC finds Earthbind offensive in these enlightened times. 
 

I'm interested in what people think about censoring art. Those are the takes I'm looking for on this OA thread.

[Lazyboy]

On 10/13/2022 at 7:04 PM, grapeape said:

The target audience doesn't matter.

WotC making an attempt to 💰 grab that doesn't matter.

The card was not left out of the 30th anniversary edition  because it's "unplayable."

It was left out because WotC finds Earthbind offensive in these enlightened times. 
 

I was responding to "Speculators are happy as a very affordable card is being held for ransom now." Again, Earthbind has been OOP for decades. It was already a notoriously mocked and maybe occasionally admired card.

On 10/13/2022 at 7:04 PM, grapeape said:

I'm interested in what people think about censoring art. Those are the takes I'm looking for on this OA thread.

Well, since that's not censorship, I have no idea what you're actually looking for here.

You want to see Earthbind, including the uncensored art? Here it is, on the official site.

[Bronty]

On 10/13/2022 at 8:02 PM, Lazyboy said:

A non-sanctioned format that barely exists and is not affected in the slightest by any of this.

 

None of this “matters”.   Magic as a whole doesn’t matter.    That’s not the point.    The point is that the majority of people don’t like having someone else’s viewpoint crammed down their throat at every turn.    
 

We’re talking about an ABU common that shows half a boob.   The fact anyone felt it necessary to censor it is pathetic. 

Edited October 14, 2022 by Bronty

[grapeape]

On 10/13/2022 at 5:13 PM, Lazyboy said:

I was responding to "Speculators are happy as a very affordable card is being held for ransom now." Again, Earthbind has been OOP for decades. It was already a notoriously mocked and maybe occasionally admired card.

Well, since that's not censorship, I have no idea what you're actually looking for here.

You want to see Earthbind, including the uncensored art? Here it is, on the official site.

You seem lost here so I'll type slower.

The Earthbind card is NOT included in Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Edition. Pulling it up from MTG archives is not the same. That decision to not reprint the card is based on the desire not to OFFEND.

You're point that the Earthbind is out of play has nothing to do with why WOTC did not include it in the 30th Anniversary.

I'll take the hit that maybe I didn't make it clear. My interest is in Original Art. The reason it wasn't included in the 30th anniversary is they don't want to take heat for reissuing "offensive" material.

Thats the death of artistic expression.

Can you speak to that? 

 

[Will_K]

The only thing I know about MTG is that it stands for "Magic The Gathering".  And then I know nothing else.  In the world of fantasy (or whatever), it's amazing that there can be so, so many images and this image has to be singled out.  I'll bet that there were a lot more that were targeted that somehow made it through the gauntlet.

When the artists create the art, what's the process?  Are they told to come up with certain imagery ?  Or do they just create "whatever" and then someone decides what kind of text / attributes go with the art ?

[Bronty]

On 10/13/2022 at 9:19 PM, Will_K said:

The only thing I know about MTG is that it stands for "Magic The Gathering".  And then I know nothing else.  In the world of fantasy (or whatever), it's amazing that there can be so, so many images and this image has to be singled out.  I'll bet that there were a lot more that were targeted that somehow made it through the gauntlet.

When the artists create the art, what's the process?  Are they told to come up with certain imagery ?  Or do they just create "whatever" and then someone decides what kind of text / attributes go with the art ?

This reprint set that’s being discussed is the original set only, so it’s only 300 cards or so.   To your point though even in that there are other cards you could take issue with if you were looking for cards to take issue with. 
 

As for art direction, my understanding is it’s changed a lot over the years with the initial years, such as this set, giving the artists a lot of freedom, and the later sets reigning that in considerably as the product got more corporate.    
 

 

Edited October 14, 2022 by Bronty

[Tatterdamillion]

Silently removing a card = cramming down ones throat, got it. 

[Tatterdamillion]

I think we can all agree that this card would not have been printed nowadays (hopefully we can). They are all but saying this. WotC is putting a foot down and saying they didn't recognize that some may be offended by the image on the card, so they are retroactively removing said card from their further releases. Are they not allowed to have free reign of their own business? I would say they are. When Burger King discontinued The Whaler, the Captain Ahabs of the world went effin nuts I am sure. Relax son, that aint even whale meat, it's cod at best. This move is

A)  not hurting the artist (who has already been paid) -   RIP. #legendstatus

B) not hurting the value of the original art of said card.

C) not Wizards using this as a money grab, if so , how? Do they have stockpiles of Earthbind up in the dragons hoard? If so then just keep printing up Moxes and Black Lotus' for days. It would be a quicker road to more riches.

 

Who is losing out in this situation? If you want the original of this art it is probably more expensive now, I will grant that. But make a big enough offer and I bet you can pry it from someones hands. 

Is the only place where earthbind doesnt exist, the archives of the MTG database? I actually don't know... 3 seconds later, I just checked. Still there.  I feel like I am being punk'd. Is this a meta-argument?  Like a marvel What if? comic? Color me intrigued. Picture this pitch to Feige, 

Pitcher: "The multiverse has infinite iterations right?",

Feige: "Uhh yeah"..

Pitcher: "One of which is a world where everything is exactly like the world in which you live. The Tigers stink at baseball, blue raspberry is still a flavor, people like the Mandolorian, BUT.... a card called Earthbind from the non mattering game of Magic the Gathering ceases to exist on the internet".

Feige: "Umm what"?

Pitcher: "People are still seeing things like Deadpool 2 and other nonsense like that, but one tiny facet of the multiverse has changed...but only in the internet".

Feige: " So what you're saying is you want to do a Dr Strange Threequel crossover with Oracle from Birds of Prey?" 

Pitcher: "uhh"

Feige: "I love it, Im gonna get DC on the horn"

[The Voord]

On 10/14/2022 at 1:04 AM, grapeape said:

I'm interested in what people think about censoring art. Those are the takes I'm looking for on this OA thread.

Well, a few years ago CGC here deleted my thread (and I got a temporary ban) for posting the image of a movie poster painting I bought . . . the printed poster from which would have been displayed on front-of-house cinemas where people of all ages would have seen it at the time of the movie's release!

THE VICTORS (1963) - movie poster painting, in Terry Doyle's 2. MOVIE POSTER paintings Comic Art Gallery Room (comicartfans.com)

What do I think about that?  I think that some people have an over-active imagination and see what they want to see . . . 

Bit like someone looking up at the skies and seeing the shape of a face in the clouds.

Nah, they're just clouds . . . 

 

Edited October 14, 2022 by The Voord