A board game reignites passions in France. “Who laughs loses” is accused by Internet users of transporting xenophobic and racist clichés.
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What is “He Who Laughs Loses” about?
The board game “You laugh, you lose” has been withdrawn from sale in France by the specialist club Toy Club and is based on “a duel of not funny jokes to make your opponent laugh”.
Proposed by Dujardin, editor of the famous Milles-Bornes, the game aims to reproduce the principle of many successful YouTube videos on the same subject, which then gave rise to the LOL franchise, you laugh or you lose on Amazon Prime (LOL : Who has the last laugh in Quebec).
Why is this game talked about like this?
It’s an influencer, Crazy Sally, who wanted to shed light on the content of this game, which she considers uncomfortable, even racist.
If many of the game’s jokes are covers of several pranks from the YouTube videos inspired by “You laugh, you lose”, Crazy Sally, in a video that has been making waves on social networks for a few days, does not understand, why this game is for sale.
The influencer gives some examples of jokes that are not for her:
• “A black man enters the toilet, he comes out white, what happened? He shit on his race”;
• “Why not laugh when you see an Arab falling on a motorcycle? Because it could be yours”;
• “Why do dogs bark a lot in China? Because they are not cooked enough.
“Where is the limit of jokes today? Am I too sensitive or is the limit significantly exceeded in this game? She adds.
She also points to certain cards that encourage players to mimic the Arabic or Asian accent, with the following card as an example: “Why does an Asian kid go play soccer when scolded by his father?” Because his father told him: “vaféfoot, vaféfoot” (go play football).
The comedian who inspired him, Aziz Aboudrar, even took up his pen last week to “apologize to all the people who may have been hurt, offended or saddened by certain jokes” and to ensure that the cards that some considered racist will be removed in the next issue.
What about Quebec?
The most popular board games in France are available in Quebec. However, if marketed in France since 2019, it is still not in the Belle province.