Sena Bryer is right: the hatred that Smile gets is highly problematic

[Derio]

Black Gospel music?

Sena isnt black. And most black people who play the game will tell you that Smile is not black gospel music

[Eylirria]

Just another room-temperature IQ take from your favorite VA.

[Genjo]

I hate this timeline. It's all so exhausting.

[LuciferMournstar]

The song was alright but I wouldn't consider it a black gospel song by any stretch of the meaning
It seems a bit harmful to paint it as such, on top of Sena purposefully adding fuel to the fire labeling many of the community bigoted in some way merely for disliking the song

Overall I liked the music in Dawntrail, especially tuliyollal's themes

I fell the Jazz on daylight time was weird myself, though I prefer Smooth Jazz. I liked the night time theme, but daylight was just weird. I also hated Elumore's daylight music. The Jazz just doesn't make any sense.

[Greyhawk]

As Sena Bryer has said:



You can see her tweet here: https://twitter.com/senabryer/status...50775403815132

I think this is a timely reminder to us in the FF14 community right now. With the hatred that Dawntrail is getting - including towards all its elements like the music Smile or the character Wuk Lamat - we must learn to separate criticism from bigotry.

Sena Bryer is completely right here. She is pointing out how the hatred towards Smile can often be a result of bigotry and intolerance than actual substance. I believe Sena Bryer will also agree with me that FF14 has up to now often used White Classical music (like orchestral music or opera-style music). So the use of Black Gospel music is a welcome change and a breath of fresh air. But apparently this musical diversity has provoked certain elements of the playerbase into outrage mode for bigoted reasons. As a community we need to stand against this bigotry and look at ourselves and ask ourselves: are we living up to FF14's ideals of tolerance, acceptance, and hope?

Of course, this does not apply to everyone. As Sena Bryer has said: "Weird how so many people are getting defensive to this instead of going 'ah, she's not talking about me though.'"

Wow it's almost as if someone ran out of something to bitch about this game, so we had to start with the music.

Imagine that, and I never would have taken this as 'gospel music'. If Sena and you are so onboard with just flat out trolling, I think you had better then go examine that last 100 years or so of music and complain about that too. I mean, you'll have enough content there to last your self-righteousness a lifetime, so you never run out of something to complain about and be recognized for something (else).

FFS.

[Rehayem]

By the Twelve, why is this still going on lmao

[ZXN]

Also, since this new thread is about the song Smile specifically, I get to ask this again: What do the Japanese players think about the song Smile? Do they love it? Hate it? Is it somewhat split like it seems to be for us overseas players? While the Japanese side is sometimes really blunt with feedback and criticisms, like they were with Wuk Lamat and Dawntrail as a whole, it's mainly been about just the characters and MSQ Story. I haven't seen too many Japanese players talking about what they think about the song Smile.

[DynnDiablos]

I fell the Jazz on daylight time was weird myself, though I prefer Smooth Jazz. I liked the night time theme, but daylight was just weird. I also hated Elumore's daylight music. The Jazz just doesn't make any sense.

The really smooth jazz riff with the saxophone reminded me of 1980s Miami Vice.

[NegativeS]

It's got to be frustrating that so many people are fabricating these narratives to drum up controversy and then act outraged on your behalf when you're far more than capable of speaking for yourself. I'm sorry you have to deal w/ that. I wish we could all just get along.

In politics, normal or identity, we're just another vote, donor, consumer, or affirmer to people like this. They will praise "black culture" all night and push for more inclusivity all day, but the moment I or someone like me speaks up in the contrary to the fact that we're just being pandered to harder than toy commercials pander to children, we're ignored... in the best case.

I would like to be recognized as a person, not a statistic, please.

This whole thread is undeniably more bait than a bloodworm on a hook, but even bait can serve to normalize something... or I guess, reinforce something abhorrent that is already normal.

[heynowjose]

Listen. I'm pretty "woke" myself, i'm gay, I'm half black and half puerto rican. Which obviously doesn't preclude me from being problematic. BUT I hate smile because the first time the song is used is soooo unearned. It comes out of nowhere, with characters you barely have an attachment to. It's so cheesy and random you can't help but to laugh. And then it's used again at the ending which is a little less cringe but totally tarnished by its first use.

You can like the song. but I don't have to. And Im allowed to say it's unearned, cheesy, and random.