Today, an argument broke out on Twitter between Anthony Burch, lead writer on Borderlands 2, and a few players who think that Tiny Tina is a racist character.
The issue, as some folks saw it, was that Tiny Tina appropriated African American lingo. See above video, which showcases Tiny Tina dialogue, if you want reference.
The argument on Twitter, which ends with Burch saying he’ll consider changing her, is as follows—note that this is a mix of developers, game journalists, and random fans:
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297863652508319745
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297864908131946496
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297865837602287617
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297868486783406080
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297869198074474496
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297869316672593920
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297869437636317186
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297869508939493377
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297869937794490369
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297870142954696704
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297871376340115456
@reverendanthony @mikesacco @DrShenanigans Its exaggerated stereotypical low class "black" lingo that with Tina amounts to verbal blackface.
— Lithobolos (@Lithobolos) February 3, 2013
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297875460442951680
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297876123533053953
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297876547229081601
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297877536220778496
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297872829234421760
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297876859100745728
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297876994589339648
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297877187158228992
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297884985615077377
@reverendanthony I mean this in a lighthearted way but you found another way to make me sweat bullets, what with the VO session coming up 🙂
— Matt Charles (@djsatis) February 3, 2013
Matt Charles is a producer on Borderlands 2.
Whether or not a change in Tina’s character will actually occur is not clear, though I suspect many fans would be upset if she was altered: she is frequently cited as a favorite character.
UPDATE: Some are even defending Tina, as not all players believe she is racist (including Gearbox president, Randy Pitchford):
@reverendanthony tina is not racist because you are not racist. You're a pillar of tolerance and inclusion.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) February 3, 2013
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297897606762360832
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297897373441589250
@reverendanthony I will be deeply offended if you change Tiny Tina.
— RvLeshrac (@RvLeshrac) February 3, 2013
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297895219750375424
https://twitter.com/embed/status/297890924317536256
Though this is but a small sampling of the response Burch is getting, which you can view here.
I reached out to Burch and have yet to hear back.
UPDATE 2: Burch responds and clarifies:
