Is the term "Awakening babies" rude?

[redlight]

I recall seeing someone once talking about how those that got introduced to Fire Emblem through Awakening as "Awakening babies". At first I thought it as just slang for newcomer, but after using it once I got negative feedback for saying. I did some reading up for examples where it has been used to understand why I got backlash

What are your thoughts on the term?

[Dragoncat]

Tbh I thought the term would be the Awakening 2nd gen units. I've never heard it before, so not much of an opinion.

[Jingle Jangle]

I consider that petty name calling. While yes, there are many newer fans who's first Fire Emblem game is Awakening and enjoyed it (including me). There is no need to rub it in their face of their inexperience of the franchise previous games. 

[Michelaar]

Yes, I think it's rude. It pretty much implies that the person who is saying it thinks they are better than others.

[DisobeyedCargo]

At first I thought it was a term for the awakening children oof 

 

now that I know what it actually is, yes very much so. You shouldn't need to tease them about their inexperience, or how their not a "true" fire emblem fan for that matter.

[Ertrick36]

I'm pretty crappy with social conventions, and even I know that's a pretty rude thing to call someone.  If you're calling someone "baby", you're either sweethearts with that person, a rockstar who is too fab to talk like a normal person, or just a condescending dickhead, and nine times out of ten it's the last one.

Now, it probably isn't as rude as using a racial slur, but I imagine most people wouldn't receive it positively.  I personally wouldn't be offended because I don't have a thin skin, and I really don't think I'd hold them in contempt like I do the people on GameFAQs who fetishize rape and other such atrocities, but I certainly wouldn't take the person who used the term seriously from that point on.  To me, it amounts to a childish insult and belies the supposed "maturity" and "experience" the fans who use it would claim to have.

[X-Naut]

It depends on the context. There are people who throw it around as an insult, but there are also those who identify themselves as such to say that it's how they got into the series and/or it's what they're most familiar with.

[KnightOfNohr]

It's kind of rude, I feel. I personally, got into the franchise though Awakening (well, more accurately through Smash Bros; my first ever game was technically FE7 from the eshop), and I wouldn't want to be called a "Baby" because I was too young to understand the sophisticated elements of the Fire Emblem series beforehand. Seriously, Awakening came out when I was 9.

[Punished Dayni]

1 hour ago, Dragoncat said:

Tbh I thought the term would be the Awakening 2nd gen units. I've never heard it before, so not much of an opinion.

Same. That's what I expected from the title.

As is, it's petty, but I also feel a bit awkward: It is the first title I bought in the series.

[DragonFlames]

I wouldn't be offended by it if someone called me that (they would be wrong, anyway). Granted, I am that weird person who is completely unfazed by all kinds of insults, because I believe in the philosophy that words only have as much power as you permit them.
I do, however, agree on it being pretty shitty to resort to insults and I usually just stop listening to the person insulting me / stop reading the post insulting me, as I do not deem them worthy of my attention (wow, that sounds more asshole-ish than I intended it to. Still true, though.)

[Zapp Branniglenn]

It's a petty term outside the context of 2013. A lot of players that started with Awakening went back to play other games - just like those of us who got our start in the GBA era. It's almost as if there's no difference between these groups players besides one group discovering the series first. Fancy that.

When FE Switch comes out, we'll have the next batch of "babies". Actually, I think we already have 'em with Fire Emblem Heroes. A LOT of people playing that game readily admit that is their only experience with Fire Emblem.

[Lau]

It depends really. I prefer to hold it in the same regard as, say, millennium babies, though I can see how some people can get offended by it.

I've never used the term myself, I'm not that inconsiderate, and I never take anyone who uses it seriously. You don't see anyone calling people a Blazing Blade baby or a Kaga baby or whatever. Why should Awakening be any different?

[Emperor Hardin]

To answer the topic, mildly rude, though the context can lighten it a bit.

6 minutes ago, Lau said:

I've never used the term myself, I'm not that inconsiderate, and I never take anyone who uses it seriously. You don't see anyone calling people a Blazing Blade baby or a Kaga baby or whatever. Why should Awakening be any different?

People who dislike the older games usually use terms like "elitists" or "Kaga Sucks ups."

Edited May 11, 2018 by Emperor Hardin

[Lau]

2 minutes ago, Emperor Hardin said:

To answer the topic, mildly rude, though the context change change it a bit.

People who dislike the older games usually use terms like "elitists" or "Kaga Sucks ups."

Believe me, I know. I was just stating the variations of 'xx baby'. I tend to pair Elitist and Casuals together.

[Emperor Hardin]

1 minute ago, Lau said:

Believe me, I know. I was just stating the variations of 'xx baby'. I tend to pair Elitist and Casuals together.

Gotcha.

[Strullemia]

Eh, personally it wouldn't really bother me if someone called me that, I mean I did start with Awakening so eh.

Edited May 12, 2018 by Hekselka

[FootwaySublong]

I did start with Awakening, but tbh I think it's the worst FE game. Casually it's pretty fun, for more hardcore fans, it kinda falls flat. I'd say i'm somewhere in the middle.

 

 

btw what do people see in cordelia and lucina their supports are really meh

[KnightOfNohr]

Well, there is such a thing as a True Classic run. I'm doing one currently, and I've been struggling (not in a bad way, though).

[Cute Chao]

Like some here, I thought it meant the second gen units xD 

As for referring to people... I guess people can refer to themselves as it and be fine - as in they started off as an Awakening baby or something, but I feel like it's the sort of term that sounds like an older fan would use it in a more snobbish way. I feel like it would be used by the kind of people who say the series should have stopped at 10 (11/12, w/e) and not continued, which instantly gets my back up. I could be stereotyping, though.

I say this as a older fan who loves both the new and old games and am interested to see what the series brings next. 

[Interdimensional Observer]

There are better words than "baby" to use. Newbies is slightly better, as is greenhorn, then you have novice, newcomer, new to FE, beginner, casual (which can be take on a derogatory tone in some circumstances), recent fan, etc.. 

[edgelordweeaboo]

i don't even like awakening that much but the term sucks, i'm sure someone could come up with something better than "awakening babies" that would mean basically the same thing

[eclipse]

General rules:

- If you take off the "Awakening" part, would you be insulted if someone called you that?
- Would you say this to a random adult in a supermarket?

If the answer to the first is "yes" or the second is "no", then it's not okay to refer to people on the Internet as such.  This also applies to any other (FE-specific adjective) (adjective) term.

[Gaado]

Having spent a good chunk of my time as an FE fan being a haughty elitist, and realizing how stupid that phase was, I find the term a bit rude. I'm by no means a huge fan of Awakening, but I do appreciate the interest it sparked in the franchise. It's really not worth calling anyone that considering people are drawn to the games for different reasons. 

[Loki Laufeyson]

Thats dumb. Id never be able to take someone seriously if they went around judging people for what game they started playing. Im going to think people who use that unironically, are probably children or just really immature. Like who does that shit?