questions
1) should companies (ie tv studios) not pander to the majority of their target audience?
2) what does any of this have to do with overwatch; a cartoon laser beam shooter?
3) what does any of this have to do with hating virtue signaling?
here are answers, since you asked nicely
1. "pandering" refers specifically to satisfying an immoral desire, and is therefore a subjective term. i was using it ironically. if you are asking me if firms should attempt to satisfy the needs of their consumers, i think that is true. producers in the entertainment market (and other markets) are embracing d&i because there is a recognition that it helps them reach consumers to whom they did not have access. u.s. consumers are also getting more diverse and the notions of race, ethnicity, sexuality, and gender in their traditional terms are becoming broadened and less simplistic, and anyone holding on to that census-driven paradigm is rapidly becoming a dinosaur doomed to eventual failure. as a free market capitalist, the fact that the market is responding to consumer needs should appeal to you.
2. well, i didn't really bring it up in the first place so i'm not the best person to answer the question, but i think that some people don't like a gay person in overwatch because it forces acceptance of that gay character upon them, particularly after they already bought the game with the understanding that it contained no gay characters, or at least if it did, their sexuality would not be explicitly stated. if firms are to be successful in the long term, it is this type of baby-step social inoculation that is necessary to eventually reach the broadest range of consumer appeal, by wearing down and chipping away at biases until passive acceptance occurs. the fact that this thread even exists is a win for overwatch, as it drove this conversation about their game and the topic of inclusion on a gaming forum. thank you for your contribution.
3. i had to google "virtue signaling" because no one talks like that in real life in my experience, and my answer is this: i don't know. if you or others hate when a company takes a moral stand, that is your perspective, and i'm sure that the firm in question is taking your possibly negative reaction into account when making the decision to manage their product a certain way. if you hate it because of the principle of the stand they are making, then you are likely amoral. if you hate it because you feel that it insults your intelligence, then you are perhaps either smarter or more emotionally wrought than their average consumer and are likely not their intended customer. wikipedia referenced one guy who said it was "public, empty gestures intended to convey socially approved attitude without any associated risk or sacrifice", and i think this is what you mean. pushing back, by virtue of the fact that many of the people in this thread are customers expressing outrage, the overwatch move most definitely comes with the risk of losing customers, so i don't think it's fair to characterize it that way. i would also say that there is not universal social approval of gay hero video game characters (again, referencing this thread). ergo, it's not "virtue signaling". therefore, hating "virtue signaling" has nothing to do with overwatch, and if that is what you thought as well, then we agree.
