20060725 15:09:00 webmaster<\/p>\n
Il musicista Bono, degli U2, che partecipa a campagne contro la fame e l\u00b4AIDS in Africa, adesso sta sponsorizzando un videogame che simula l\u00b4invasione del Venezuela per deporre il presidente Hugo Ch\u00e1vez.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.venezuelanalysis.com\/articles.php?artno=1770
\nThursday, Jul 06, 2006
\nBy: Venezuela Solidarity Network<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON D.C. – U2’s Bono, well recognized for his campaigns to reduce
\npoverty and treat AIDS in Africa is backing a videogame which promotes the
\ninvasion and destruction of Venezuela in order to check "a power hungry
\ntyrant" who has "seized control of Venezuela and her oil supply." Bono has
\nfailed to respond to concerns raised by the Venezuelan Solidarity Network
\nabout his funding of this project.
\n"Mercenaries 2: World in Flames," created by Los Angeles based
\nPandemic\/Bioware Studios, simulates a mercenary invasion of Venezuela in the
\nyear 2007. Pandemic is a subcontractor for the US Army and CIA funded
\nInstitute for Creative Technologies, which uses Hollywood techniques to
\nmount war simulations in California’s high desert in order to conduct
\nmilitary training. "Mercenaries 2: World in Flames" simulates destruction
\nin downtown Caracas, and promises to leave no part of Venezuela untouched.
\nElevation Partners is an investment firm that Bono helped create in order to
\nexploit marketing opportunities between U2 and its fans, including projects
\nfrom Pandemic\/Bioware Studios. Pandemic states that as a partner in
\nElevation Partners, Bono "has visibility into all projects at Pandemic and
\nBioware."
\nPandemic’s target market is young men of military recruitment age and indeed
\nthis is not Pandemic’s first military adventure. MSNBC reported that the
\nvideogame "’Full Spectrum Warrior’ was created through the Institute for
\nCreative Technologies in Marina Del Rey, Calif., a $45 million endeavor
\nformed by the Army five years ago to connect academics with local
\nentertainment and video game industries. The institute subcontracted work
\nto Los Angeles based Pandemic Studios."
\n(http:\/\/msnbc.msn.com\/id\/3131181#storyContinued)
\nOne cannot escape the irony that today, July 5, Venezuela celebrates its
\nindependence — just one day after the US celebrated its own. The most
\nenduring aspect of an independent country is assertion of its sovereignty
\nand demand that the world recognize international laws protecting that
\nsovereignty. Yet, amid relentless US threats against Venezuela, a US-based
\ncompany, Pandemic, which collaborates with the US Army to promote war, plans
\nto market a videogame which advocates a most violent violation of
\nVenezuela’s sovereignty.
\nAlthough Bono remains silent on the matter and Pandemic insists that
\n"Mercenaries 2: World in Flames" is "a work of fictional entertainment" and
\n"Venezuela was chosen for the setting of Mercenaries 2 (because it) is a
\nfascinating and colorful country full of wonderful architecture, geography
\nand culture," members of the Venezuela Solidarity Network are appalled by
\nthe game’s openly racist, interventionist attitude. Says Chuck Kaufman, of
\nAlliance for Global Justice, "if it’s ‘just a game’ and it’s all about
\nselecting fascinating and colorful locales, why didn’t Pandemic select
\nDublin or Washington, D.C.? Because people would be outraged, that’s why.
\nPandemic is simply capitalizing on negative and inaccurate U.S. press
\nstories about Venezuela and its leader, Hugo Chavez, in order to make a
\nquick buck. It’s another piece of anti-Venezuelan propaganda that serves
\nonly the U.S. military, pure and simple."
\nGunnar Gundersen of the Oregon Bolivarian Circle says, "We have family and
\nfriends in Venezuela and many of us have walked and stayed in the places
\nfeatured in the war game. To us, these are not just clever abstract
\npictures. They are scenes of a place we consider our second home. Please
\ntry to imagine how Venezuelans must feel viewing a bulky, blonde, military
\nman laying waste to their country, a country that is finally rising above a
\n500-year history of oppression and exploitation by foreign powers."
\nThe Venezuelan Solidarity Network calls for Bono, who has appealed to the
\nworld on many occasions for peace and poverty reduction, to apply those same
\nvalues to block the manufacture and distribution of this videogame.
\nFor more information contact: Shirley Pate at +1-202-277-8252<\/p>\n
Fact Sheet on Mercenaries 2 (PDF File)<\/p>\n
Letter from Chuck Kaufman, Actions\/Emergency Response Committee:<\/p>\n
Bono (of U2) c\/o Principle Management 250 West 57th Street New York, New
\nYork 10019<\/p>\n
Dear Bono,
\nOn the "Hearts & Minds" page of your website, you open with an appeal to
\nothers with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, "We must become the change we want
\nto see in the world." Your appeal goes on to highlight the many
\nphilanthropic efforts of U2 over the years. These have included benefit
\nconcerts and other worldwide campaigns for issues such as human rights,
\nsustainability, debt reduction, AIDS, poverty, disease, militarism, and
\npolitical oppression.
\nGiven this background, many people around the world have been shocked to
\nfind out that you are a part owner, through Elevation Partners, of
\nPandemic\/Bioware, producers of "Mercenaries 2".
\nAs you must know, "Mercenaries 2" is a war game that simulates the invasion
\nof Venezuela in the year 2007. Of course, at this point, we have only been
\nable to see the web-based sample of the game. However, even this is enough
\nto see that the game is designed to demean the Venezuelan people, to
\nundermine the democratically elected government of Venezuela, and to strike
\nfear in the hearts of ordinary Venezuelan citizens who, through this game,
\ncan witness their very neighborhoods, villages, and capital being blown up
\nand their virtual selves being massacred by a band of marauding mercenaries,
\nwho are clearly working for foreign interests who want to take control of
\nthe country’s oil industry. Please note that in one of the scenes in
\ndowntown Caracas one of the buildings being blown up belongs to the
\nstate-owned Petroleos de Venezuela. This building is amongst a group of
\neasily recognizable residential buildings, in which it is presumed thousands
\nof innocent people are being burned alive. You may also want to note that
\nthis oil company (PDVSA), which owns CITGO, is the only oil company to offer
\ndiscounted heating oil to residents of poor neighborhoods in the United
\nStates.
\nWe have family and friends in Venezuela and many of us have walked and
\nstayed in the places featured in the war game. To us, these are not just
\nclever abstract pictures. They are scenes of a place we consider our second
\nhome. Please try to imagine how Venezuelans must feel viewing a bulky,
\nblonde, military man laying waste to their country, a country that is
\nfinally rising above a 500-year history of oppression and exploitation by
\nforeign powers. To them, this game is simply another sign of the racist,
\ninterventionist, arrogant, and uncaring attitude of the United States and
\nEurope toward Venezuela.
\nClearly, this issue goes beyond Venezuela. As you know, your company,
\nPandemic, has developed video games with military applications for the
\nPentagon and the CIA. "Full Spectrum Warrior" is one example of this.
\n"Mercenaries 2" is obviously an offshoot of this Pentagon\/CIA funded
\ndevelopment. Here is a web reference about this:
\nhttp:\/\/msnbc.msn.com\/id\/3131181#storyContinued.
\nIn addition to the concerns we have expressed, it seems that you would want
\nto give some consideration to how this "game" will be received by people in
\nVenezuela, Latin America, and throughout the world. We can only imagine that
\nthe general impression will be very negative and this negativity will
\nreflect on you and on U2. Is there any "upside" to the release of this game,
\nother than some shortterm profits in the U.S. and European markets?
\nPotentially, all of the work you have done for the causes mentioned on your
\n"Hearts & Minds" page could suffer because of your association and ownership
\nof this game. One would think that you might also give consideration to how
\nthis video game, like many others, may be used as a recruiting tool. The
\ngame is targeted to teenage and 20-something males, the same target market
\nfor military recruiting. Bono, are you now joining the recruiting efforts of
\nthe U.S. military?
\nIn addition to impressionable young people who may be stimulated by this to
\njoin the military or become mercenaries, it is clear that another side
\neffect of such a game is that it contributes to the process of desensitizing
\npeople to the horrific violence of war. In the case of "Mercenaries 2," it
\nalso could help people rationalize the invasion of countries by the United
\nStates and its allies for the sake of controlling natural resources. Given
\nyour "public persona," it is hard to imagine that you think this is a good
\nthing.
\nWe realize that for you this may seem like a smart investment and you may
\nnot even be aware of the nature of this video game. That said, on behalf of
\nreasonable people everywhere, we appeal to you to re-think your association
\nwith this game and your ownership of this company. Please take steps to stop
\nthe release of this game.
\nOur hope, and that of many, is that you will do the right thing and stop the
\nrelease of this virtual rape and devastation of a small, developing country.
\nWould you see fit to release a version of this game set in South Africa,
\nHaiti, or Ireland?
\nIf that would be objectionable to you, then why are you singling out
\nVenezuela? One can only conclude that there are motives beyond the immediate
\nprofit that may be gained by selling the game. Thank you for your attention
\nto this matter and we would appreciate a response.
\nSincerely, Chuck Kaufman Actions\/Emergency Response Committee<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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1826-u2s-bono-backs-videogame-with-venezuela-invasion-theme<\/p>\n
2608<\/p>\n
2006-2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"