3 ms·

And let’s be honest: The “satanic panic” had no basis in fact. The idea that role playing gamers were going to do actual magic (or even think they were doing ma

And let’s be honest: The “satanic panic” had no basis in fact. The idea that role playing gamers were going to do actual magic (or even think they were doing magic) is clearly nonsense. But if you use human ethnicities as the basis for your games monsters… yeah, that’s a real problem. It doesn’t mean you have to ban D&D, but it does mean it should address those issues. Same with rock music. I don’t care if bands write about demons and wizards, but maybe try not to objectify women so much.

concordDance 5y ago
> But if you use human ethnicities as the basis for your games monsters… yeah, that’s a real problem. But they don't? The concept of an orc (big, strong and dumb) does not depend on the existence of any real races.
- scollet 5y ago
  You picked the one fictional species that does have a questionable origin.
- cgrealy 5y ago
  In a private letter, Tolkien described orcs as “squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes: in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types.” Again, not saying we have to “cancel” Tolkien, but we should be aware of the issues and do better in future.
  - angelzen 5y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean%E2%80%93Nogai_slave_raids_in_Eastern_Europe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean%E2%80%93Nogai_slave_ra... Same register as the vastly more mediatized Atlantic slave trade. This raises a fundamental question: Is it possible to mend centuries of abject & violent abuse across racial lines, where the most common interaction with members of the other racial group was through a slaver's whip. Not sure that 'do better' scolding, especially if inconsistently applied, is sufficient.
dnlp100 5y ago
If you go to YouTube via a CGNAT with all cookies cleared you'll always get one or two top suggestions with extremely well endowed women in the thumbnail. That is the woke Google who delivers what everybody wants to see. But it is easier to go after the nerds because they are "icky".

concordDance 5y ago

> But if you use human ethnicities as the basis for your games monsters… yeah, that’s a real problem. But they don't? The concept of an orc (big, strong and dumb) does not depend on the existence of any real races.

scollet 5y ago
You picked the one fictional species that does have a questionable origin.
cgrealy 5y ago
In a private letter, Tolkien described orcs as “squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes: in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types.” Again, not saying we have to “cancel” Tolkien, but we should be aware of the issues and do better in future.
- angelzen 5y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean%E2%80%93Nogai_slave_raids_in_Eastern_Europe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean%E2%80%93Nogai_slave_ra... Same register as the vastly more mediatized Atlantic slave trade. This raises a fundamental question: Is it possible to mend centuries of abject & violent abuse across racial lines, where the most common interaction with members of the other racial group was through a slaver's whip. Not sure that 'do better' scolding, especially if inconsistently applied, is sufficient.

dnlp100 5y ago

If you go to YouTube via a CGNAT with all cookies cleared you'll always get one or two top suggestions with extremely well endowed women in the thumbnail. That is the woke Google who delivers what everybody wants to see. But it is easier to go after the nerds because they are "icky".