Did anyone think Leopold Strauss was based on Strauss Zelnick?

[Zello]

Aside from the name. Just the loansharking missions and how Arthur gets fed up and kicks him out of the camp. Maybe I'm reaching.

Edited June 1, 2019 by Zello

[Jabalous]

Unless T2's Strauss is a loan shark, then no, I don't believe so. 

[SinisterRaccoon]

Someone at r* is trying to get the word out lol. 

[Shadowfennekin]

Zelnick Strauss is a LOT worse

 

At least Leopold has some sort of decency

[gonnaenodaethat]

20 hours ago, Shadowfennekin said:

Zelnick Strauss is a LOT worse

 

At least Leopold has some sort of decency

Oh my I believe I may have some witty competition

[Gtaman_92]

Doubt it.

[DM the Pro]

Could be a reference, but I tell you that HE'S WORSE!

[Spadge]

Lmao, nice post bro. I'm glad I'm not the only thinking/noticing that. I'm pretty sure some discouraged men at Rockstar got fed up about Take2 and their predatory monetization practices. Maybe it slipped right under the radar of Houser and the lead writers, or they themselves shared that sentiment and greenlit the idea. Comparable to shows on Fox like Simpsons or Family Guy making fun of their own networks.

 

Both Leopold & Zelnick practice immoral/dubious actions and get away with it by abusing the legal framework of things.

 

Now, I'm gonna deviate from teletubby talk, so don't get your panties in a twist, but hey, it's a discussion forum, so don't mind me if I discuss some more.

 

It's mentionned multiple times that Strauss is an Austrian moneylender/loaner, giving the fact that lending money was historically considered a sin by Christians, so most of that activity was done by Jews, it's even referenced in the missions you do for Strauss, called "Moneylending and other Sins". Also note that pre-WWII Austria, especially Vienna had one of the highest Ashkenazi Jew populations in Europe, so given his nationality, profession, and last name, Strauss being a common hebrew family name, it's very likely that Strauss is Jewish, even though they never say it explicitly.

 

Don't take it from me, Nadia Oxford, describing herself as a "Jewish woman" who also wrote this article here says, and I quote:

https://www.usgamer.net/articles/how-red-dead-redemption-2-successfully-uses-an-antisemitic-trope-to-deconstruct-arthur-morgan

 

"Jewish identity, or "Who counts as a Jew?" is an extremely tricky and complicated topic that's still hotly debated amongst Jews themselves. That said, some surnames are very common amongst Jews and people of Jewish descent. "Strauss," a Germanic title, is one such name. It's not exclusive to Germanic Jews, of course, but considering Strauss' line of work and the general make up of the Van der Linde gang, identifying Strauss as Jewish doesn't require a wild leap." ; "Jews have been associated with moneylending since at least the Middle Ages".

 

Another nudge from the creators of Leopold's character, pointing us into the direction their character could be a satire of the Take2 CEO Strauss Smalldick, since he aswell is an ethnic Ashkenazi Jew.

So it might just be that some cheeky lads at Rockstar pulled a sneaky one on Zelnick, got fed up with his sh*t and satirised him as a greedy Jew right under his nose. Quite ballsy.

 

The only way we'll know for certain, is if we Hogtie Strauss and bring him to Herbert Moon in Armadillo, he'll tell us what's really going here.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Spadge

[Ripstart01]

I would say it's definitely a notable comparison. Strauss preys on the misfortunate and the weak, those stuck in the poverty cycle. He loans money to those who he knows cannot pay him back simply out of greed and desperation with the knowledge he will be using thugs like Arthur to shake them down when he needs to.

 

Zelnick is also somebody that preys on the weak, he goes after children for every last dollar and gives them nothing in return, and they are too young to know any better. Zelnick knows full well that those costs will fall on the parent to cover and there is a certain level of manipulation involved. If you don't pay for that shark card you will be made to feel bad about it as a parent.

 

It effects the reputation of the developer who is attempting to make a quality game as the first priority, but is being driven to release unrefined garbage as quickly as possible so Zelnick can clip the ticket on every little thing. Same with the gang, by the end of it Arthur is sick of doing Strauss' bidding and bringing his gang into disrepute as the reputation proceeds them. You could potentially say in this case that Houser represents Arthur and his gang at Rockstar.

 

In my honest opinion, T2 have really ruined these games.. quality content for the fans has been forced aside for meaningless greedy bullsh*t.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Ripstart01

[Zello]

 

[berzelmayr]

Maybe also inspired by Leo Strauss, a political philosopher (and also known for being a big fanboy of the long term western series Gunsmoke). He dies in Annapolis, which is a similar name as Annesburg.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Strauss

[KGBeast]

Yes and I believe Hosea is Leslie Benzies. Founding/senior member of the gang who serves as the brains of the operation and as soon as he 'leaves' Dutch (Sam) just goes completely insane and everything starts to fall apart. This game was Dan's magnum opus and I do believe it was largely about himself and Rockstar. 

[Bob Loblaw_]

Of course it is, and we need an Orthur to kick him out of Take 2, asap.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Ho Diver

[StyxTx]

On 2/6/2020 at 6:01 PM, Ripstart01 said:

I would say it's definitely a notable comparison. Strauss preys on the misfortunate and the weak, those stuck in the poverty cycle. He loans money to those who he knows cannot pay him back simply out of greed and desperation with the knowledge he will be using thugs like Arthur to shake them down when he needs to.

 

Zelnick is also somebody that preys on the weak, he goes after children for every last dollar and gives them nothing in return, and they are too young to know any better. Zelnick knows full well that those costs will fall on the parent to cover and there is a certain level of manipulation involved. If you don't pay for that shark card you will be made to feel bad about it as a parent.

 

It effects the reputation of the developer who is attempting to make a quality game as the first priority, but is being driven to release unrefined garbage as quickly as possible so Zelnick can clip the ticket on every little thing. Same with the gang, by the end of it Arthur is sick of doing Strauss' bidding and bringing his gang into disrepute as the reputation proceeds them. You could potentially say in this case that Houser represents Arthur and his gang at Rockstar.

 

In my honest opinion, T2 have really ruined these games.. quality content for the fans has been forced aside for meaningless greedy bullsh*t.

Wow. That's pretty blunt. I agree with you.

[Zello]

On 2/6/2020 at 7:01 PM, Ripstart01 said:

Zelnick is also somebody that preys on the weak, he goes after children for every last dollar and gives them nothing in return, and they are too young to know any better. Zelnick knows full well that those costs will fall on the parent to cover and there is a certain level of manipulation involved. If you don't pay for that shark card you will be made to feel bad about it as a parent.

NBA 2k microtransactions lol

[Failed Again]

Money lending in itself wasn't considered a sin, but Usury was.

[MisFit-138]

No, I think y'all just have a angry hard-on for Strauss Zelnick. I see nothing comparable beyond the name "Strauss" which isnt an uncommon last name or anything.

 

  It is sad to see all these stupid arguements all to trash a guy you all know nothing about. You all have 'Zelnick Derangement Syndrome' from what I can see.

 

 I dont want to point any fingers, but there is a lot of empty, dramatically childish, projection in this thread. It's a video game. Stop trying to make people out to be criminals because you dont like their business plan. 

[Zello]

On 8/19/2020 at 3:02 PM, MisFit-138 said:

No, I think y'all just have a angry hard-on for Strauss Zelnick. I see nothing comparable beyond the name "Strauss" which isnt an uncommon last name or anything.

 

  It is sad to see all these stupid arguements all to trash a guy you all know nothing about. You all have 'Zelnick Derangement Syndrome' from what I can see.

 

 I dont want to point any fingers, but there is a lot of empty, dramatically childish, projection in this thread. It's a video game. Stop trying to make people out to be criminals because you dont like their business plan. 

I don't really hate Strauss Zelnick at all compared to other companies and execs in the gaming industry there are people who are far worse than him. I actually like Strauss Zelnick.

 

It's just that name Leopold Strauss and Strauss Zelnick made me think that there could have been some kind of a connection.

Edited August 24, 2020 by Zello

[Spider-Vice]

On 8/19/2020 at 8:02 PM, MisFit-138 said:

No, I think y'all just have a angry hard-on for Strauss Zelnick. I see nothing comparable beyond the name "Strauss" which isnt an uncommon last name or anything.

 

  It is sad to see all these stupid arguements all to trash a guy you all know nothing about. You all have 'Zelnick Derangement Syndrome' from what I can see.

 

 I dont want to point any fingers, but there is a lot of empty, dramatically childish, projection in this thread. It's a video game. Stop trying to make people out to be criminals because you dont like their business plan. 

Are you Strauss Zelnick by any chance?

[KGBeast]

On 8/19/2020 at 3:02 PM, MisFit-138 said:

No, I think y'all just have a angry hard-on for Strauss Zelnick. I see nothing comparable beyond the name "Strauss" which isnt an uncommon last name or anything.

 

  It is sad to see all these stupid arguements all to trash a guy you all know nothing about. You all have 'Zelnick Derangement Syndrome' from what I can see.

 

 I dont want to point any fingers, but there is a lot of empty, dramatically childish, projection in this thread. It's a video game. Stop trying to make people out to be criminals because you dont like their business plan. 

Keep buying those shark cards.

[Cutter De Blanc]

On 8/19/2020 at 12:02 PM, MisFit-138 said:

No, I think y'all just have a angry hard-on for Strauss Zelnick. I see nothing comparable beyond the name "Strauss" which isnt an uncommon last name or anything.

 

  It is sad to see all these stupid arguements all to trash a guy you all know nothing about. You all have 'Zelnick Derangement Syndrome' from what I can see.

 

 I dont want to point any fingers, but there is a lot of empty, dramatically childish, projection in this thread. It's a video game. Stop trying to make people out to be criminals because you dont like their business plan. 

Nah, dude's an asshole