Let’s just get this out of the way right now: Oliver North was part of a group within the US intelligence structure that sold weapons to Iran in order to raise money for a war Congress had specifically told the executive not to fund, because the people in question were also drug dealers. He admitted as much in public. By all rights, the man should be in jail, and it’s only through a few loopholes that he isn’t.
Instead, he’s promoting “Call of Duty”, to which I’ve got to say…seriously?!
Granted, we’ve learned that a good chunk of the game takes place in Central America in the ’80s, where America got fairly adventurous. The Iran Contra affair in particular was very, very ugly, and actually a pretty good setting for a game about black ops.
The “Call of Duty” games tend towards historical revisionism of the worst sort, although that’s a consequence of gameplay decisions and marketing choices, not any sort of deliberate agenda. Activision just wants to sell lots of games.
But this is pretty morally indefensible; sure, Ollie knows all about black ops, but so do lots of other people who haven’t been convicted of major crimes against the United States. Maybe, Activision, you should have considered hiring one of those?
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From what I’ve read and have been told, Ollie was there as a poltiician anyway. He wasn’t that knowledgeable with the actual tactics and such of SpecOps.
In all hoensty, any guy who says he’s been deeply involved in “Black Ops” is probably bullshitting, mainly because he’d probably be admitting to a few crimes. That is why guys like Marcenko, Ventura and Haney should set off our bullshit detectors.
That is not to say that certai nevents didn’t happen or that the guys in question weren’t involved, just that things probably didn’t happen and they weren’t involved how they claim.
Oh, absolutely. North wasn’t in Nicaragua with a knife between his teeth. He was just an arms dealer. Even so…
Oh, I agree he was a criminal. My point was I have no idea why Activision would bring him in. Wouldn’t they value someone with actual field experience?
Do they think Ollie North is going to ring any bells for their targeted demographic?
Since North’s involvement was largely in the Iran Contra affair, and Iran isn’t in Central America, where this game is set, if you’re Activision, why would you bother?
/realizes it’s Activision, shows self out
I know what the marketing department was thinking: he’s a recognizable military figure, he’s pretty good on camera, he was involved with the place and era the game is set in. It’s just nobody stopped to consider the unfortunate implications.
“Oliver North’s endorsement totally makes me want to buy this video game” said nobody ever.
A combat veteran with two purple hearts, a bronze star, and a silver star, who also served as a battalion operations officer would qualify him as a decent consultant. And by all rights if he should be in jail, it would have been served 1989-1992.
There’s that whole “sold weapons to our enemies” thing that’s a little hard to swallow.
it was unfortunate, as it was to facilitate the freeing of American hostages and to fund anti-communist forces in central America.
And fund drug cartels.
And all of this was specifically forbidden by Congress.
Mutato, I know the motives can be considered good ones, but it’s a question of whether the ends justify the means. Either way, it’s safe to call him a controversial figure and thus a bad choice.
But MrMutatoHead, I thought us big tough Murican Hero types didn’t negotiate with Terrorists? And isn’t selling arms to the Ayotollah and drug cartels, y’know, bad and stuff?
It’s simple really… he’s the “face” of the whole scandal. Him and his secretary… what’s her face… the blonde who helped him shred documents. And that’s what Activision is betting on: Name recognition.
I’ve never played it. But if they gave you the capability to repel into his office, take him out and ‘copter out with his secretary over your shoulder that would be worth a few minutes of time.
I doubt that. There’s this weird netherworld that games like CoD float in: they try to paint the semblance of being geopolitically and historically accurate while avoiding anything that may offend anybody.
The result is, weirdly, its own statement in a way: there’s a longing for the Cold War in these games that can only be called a kind of false nostalgia for an era most of the personnel involved maybe saw the end of in grade school.
Once people said, “Remember the 50s? What a simple time.” We just had Korea, Nukes, Cold War, Sexism, Racism. The 80′s are the new 50s. Loaded with problems yet somehow so “simple”.
Time does that. It files off all the genuine emotion of the era and substitutes nostalgia, and fuzzes out the details in favor of headlines and soundbites.
As if I needed a reason to hate Activision more … has Halliburton bought them yet?
This brings to mind the “Nostalgia” episode of Pen & Teller’s Bullshit.
I’m pretty sure Bobby Kotic wake every morning and spikes his coke with infant blood. Oh btw expect more coca-cola product placement in Activision games cause Satan/Bobby is now on their board of directors too.
the “moral outrage” here is self-serving, and after watching the documentary style trailer, he is a good choice
Mutato, HE SOLD WEAPONS TO OUR ENEMIES. THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR THAT. No matter what Fox News tells you.
He sold arms to a hostile nation to fund a war in direct violation of the elected congress. The funds went to drug dealing thugs who raped and murdered their way through a war against a democratically elected regime.
Fuck North, fuck Activision and fuck anyone who sees nothing wrong with giving credibility to this treasonous hack.
I’m not a fan of Colonel North, but his record is clear. He is NOT a convicted felon, as his three convictions were overturned by a Federal Appeals Court. You can call them loopholes, or say the fix was in, but he is a decorated military officer who was accused of crimes, received due process and was ultimately not guilty. There is nothing remotely morally questionable about using him as an endorser. If you were tried, and at the end of the day, came out with a clean record, I’m sure you’d like to be afforded the same courtesy.