10-05-2011, 11:31 AM
Hello once more friends!
I thought I would talk about something other than decoration today and make yet another post about my ramblings on-
![[Image: thats-racist.gif]](http://gifninja.com/animatedgifs/60901/thats-racist.gif)
OKAY. NO. HOLD ON.
Before we move on I'm going to put in my disclaimer here. Racism in real life is a terrible, terrible thing. In no way do I mean to inadvertently support this kind of behavior. As well, remember that my views are not being directed at any specific person. These posts I make are based off multiple incidents I have seen, building up over the months and forming my disposition towards the topic.
Okay. We good? Let's go.
When it comes to racism in RP it seems that for some reason it gets looked down upon rather harshly. People seem to have a skewed view towards it, and it isn't very difficult to understand -why- that mindset exists. But when RPing a character there are a few things that come to mind as a given.
1. You Know More Than Your Character
The orcs of the first and second wars were addled by bloodlust, and essentially controlled by demons. They were not truly responsible for their misdeeds during this time, and at heart are truly honorable warriors who have been subjected to misfortune for years for the mistakes of their ancestors.
That's fine.
Does my character know that, and if so, does he fully understand it?
My human may know -why- the orcs did something, but those were still his friends, family, or so on that were lost to the orcish horde. It's natural then for him to have resentment towards the orcs as a people, especially when he has been raised in the Alliance; he has heard only of evil committed by the Horde, more likely than not, and has no real reason to trust an orc. He knows there is bad blood between the two races, and by cultural differences knows that the orc does not likely hold him in high regard. The key notation here is that this orc is an alien creature to him-- something he is not used to seeing.
Simply put, it is natural inclination to be put off by the unknown or the oddities. There are exception, but most will prefer to associate with those similar to them than those who look different. Just on that alone, combined with cultural boundaries and historical feuding-- why should my human wish to trust an orc, or even speak to it?
In many cases it is because the player knows the truth. He or she knows that the orcs aren't really bad. And my character is a nice guy! He'd know better. Except in most cases, he wouldn't. There's a massive difference between what you the player perceive to be racial qualities and what you're character would likely assume. Part of RPing a race is knowing its history and how that pertains to your character-- if your character cannot justify being huggy to blood elves, orcs, humans or Nelves, then just don't have them be. You certainly don't have to make them offensively set towards them, but they need not be prone to shake hands and have dinner together either.
2. Racial Perceptions of Beauty
One reason some give to have their characters overcome racism is to have them infatuated with the appearance of a race generally viewed in a negative light by them; this is very applicable in terms of pretty much any race and elves, but Draenei are also another target by many of these characters.
Looking back to the notation about alien creatures, this also applies. It may have a feminine or masculine shape, but to most characters (such as an orc), a blood elf would not be quite as appealing as a orc. Why? Simple, really; you're an orc who has grown up with orcs. Your culture has geared your perception of beauty in a way, and naturally you are more inclined towards those who have similar features and mannerisms to you.
It's for this reason that the more acceptable couplings of Human/Dwarf/Gnome or orc/troll make a bit more sense; to most they have grown up around these races, and in terms of the two examples each share physical qualities. The Humans and their smaller brethren are only really separated by height, and thus they can still relate these other races as familiar-- because they are.
Just more compact.
On the other side of things the orcs and trolls are now being raised alongside one another, and are growing into the same culture. They are similar in a few ways; tusks, skin tone at times; it makes sense then that there could be obvious overlapping. Humans and elves easily apply in this way as well, though I refer back to cross-faction mindsets in my previous note-- and even then, a neutral human would likely see no issue in attraction to an elf.
When you get to humans and Draenei or orcs, though, you're in the realm of differences. They have a figure similar to the gender that these characters are familiar with, but realistically there is a disconnect. While not impossible, an inclination towards these races would likely simply not be as common. To us it is quite easy to see why an orc or a human might want to be with a Draenei, or an elf; but that's because we view the setting from a perspective that our own characters should not be able to, and thus our perception is inevitably colored some.
3. Reactions to Racism
Alright, alright. Remember that disclaimer up there, people.
Racism is normal. Whether you attempt to dissuade yourself from it or not, there is a primal aspect to a different looking person that compels you to think of them in a certain light. Some people have it worse than others, and some almost completely negate it-- but it was there at one point, even if just as a child.
My point is that people shouldn't look at the human back-talking orcs and balk. I have no issue with you playing your neutral characters, but what you must realize is that in the grand scheme of things, your character's mindset is a minority opinion. You are the small voice of amongst a crowd, not the other way around. This is something you should be prepared to accept as a neutral character, and it's something that can either be done well or poorly.
Even as a neutral character though you should be able to realize -why- these reactions to other races exist, and understand that these people are not necessarily evil for holding the views they do. These people could have been terribly harmed in the past by these other races-- in fact with the history of Warcraft there's a good chance any member of the opposite faction could have killed someone's relative. Keeping this in mind it is easier to understand why they have reservations or hostility.
Simply put: It may be more pleasant to think of the normal character as being bereft of any racial boundaries; realistically though you're the equivalent of walking up to a grieving family just beset by orcs and saying 'Yeah, stop that. Those greenskins aren't that bad'.
In conclusion, please remember my disclaimer before posting below. By no means am I telling you that your characters should be acting this way but, similar to my post on villains, I feel we're missing that extra bit of diversity in character personality now and then. Hopefully this has been something of interest to someone!
Back to building for me. I'll shut up now.
I thought I would talk about something other than decoration today and make yet another post about my ramblings on-
OKAY. NO. HOLD ON.
Before we move on I'm going to put in my disclaimer here. Racism in real life is a terrible, terrible thing. In no way do I mean to inadvertently support this kind of behavior. As well, remember that my views are not being directed at any specific person. These posts I make are based off multiple incidents I have seen, building up over the months and forming my disposition towards the topic.
Okay. We good? Let's go.
When it comes to racism in RP it seems that for some reason it gets looked down upon rather harshly. People seem to have a skewed view towards it, and it isn't very difficult to understand -why- that mindset exists. But when RPing a character there are a few things that come to mind as a given.
1. You Know More Than Your Character
The orcs of the first and second wars were addled by bloodlust, and essentially controlled by demons. They were not truly responsible for their misdeeds during this time, and at heart are truly honorable warriors who have been subjected to misfortune for years for the mistakes of their ancestors.
That's fine.
Does my character know that, and if so, does he fully understand it?
My human may know -why- the orcs did something, but those were still his friends, family, or so on that were lost to the orcish horde. It's natural then for him to have resentment towards the orcs as a people, especially when he has been raised in the Alliance; he has heard only of evil committed by the Horde, more likely than not, and has no real reason to trust an orc. He knows there is bad blood between the two races, and by cultural differences knows that the orc does not likely hold him in high regard. The key notation here is that this orc is an alien creature to him-- something he is not used to seeing.
Simply put, it is natural inclination to be put off by the unknown or the oddities. There are exception, but most will prefer to associate with those similar to them than those who look different. Just on that alone, combined with cultural boundaries and historical feuding-- why should my human wish to trust an orc, or even speak to it?
In many cases it is because the player knows the truth. He or she knows that the orcs aren't really bad. And my character is a nice guy! He'd know better. Except in most cases, he wouldn't. There's a massive difference between what you the player perceive to be racial qualities and what you're character would likely assume. Part of RPing a race is knowing its history and how that pertains to your character-- if your character cannot justify being huggy to blood elves, orcs, humans or Nelves, then just don't have them be. You certainly don't have to make them offensively set towards them, but they need not be prone to shake hands and have dinner together either.
2. Racial Perceptions of Beauty
One reason some give to have their characters overcome racism is to have them infatuated with the appearance of a race generally viewed in a negative light by them; this is very applicable in terms of pretty much any race and elves, but Draenei are also another target by many of these characters.
Looking back to the notation about alien creatures, this also applies. It may have a feminine or masculine shape, but to most characters (such as an orc), a blood elf would not be quite as appealing as a orc. Why? Simple, really; you're an orc who has grown up with orcs. Your culture has geared your perception of beauty in a way, and naturally you are more inclined towards those who have similar features and mannerisms to you.
It's for this reason that the more acceptable couplings of Human/Dwarf/Gnome or orc/troll make a bit more sense; to most they have grown up around these races, and in terms of the two examples each share physical qualities. The Humans and their smaller brethren are only really separated by height, and thus they can still relate these other races as familiar-- because they are.
Just more compact.
On the other side of things the orcs and trolls are now being raised alongside one another, and are growing into the same culture. They are similar in a few ways; tusks, skin tone at times; it makes sense then that there could be obvious overlapping. Humans and elves easily apply in this way as well, though I refer back to cross-faction mindsets in my previous note-- and even then, a neutral human would likely see no issue in attraction to an elf.
When you get to humans and Draenei or orcs, though, you're in the realm of differences. They have a figure similar to the gender that these characters are familiar with, but realistically there is a disconnect. While not impossible, an inclination towards these races would likely simply not be as common. To us it is quite easy to see why an orc or a human might want to be with a Draenei, or an elf; but that's because we view the setting from a perspective that our own characters should not be able to, and thus our perception is inevitably colored some.
3. Reactions to Racism
Alright, alright. Remember that disclaimer up there, people.
Racism is normal. Whether you attempt to dissuade yourself from it or not, there is a primal aspect to a different looking person that compels you to think of them in a certain light. Some people have it worse than others, and some almost completely negate it-- but it was there at one point, even if just as a child.
My point is that people shouldn't look at the human back-talking orcs and balk. I have no issue with you playing your neutral characters, but what you must realize is that in the grand scheme of things, your character's mindset is a minority opinion. You are the small voice of amongst a crowd, not the other way around. This is something you should be prepared to accept as a neutral character, and it's something that can either be done well or poorly.
Even as a neutral character though you should be able to realize -why- these reactions to other races exist, and understand that these people are not necessarily evil for holding the views they do. These people could have been terribly harmed in the past by these other races-- in fact with the history of Warcraft there's a good chance any member of the opposite faction could have killed someone's relative. Keeping this in mind it is easier to understand why they have reservations or hostility.
Simply put: It may be more pleasant to think of the normal character as being bereft of any racial boundaries; realistically though you're the equivalent of walking up to a grieving family just beset by orcs and saying 'Yeah, stop that. Those greenskins aren't that bad'.
In conclusion, please remember my disclaimer before posting below. By no means am I telling you that your characters should be acting this way but, similar to my post on villains, I feel we're missing that extra bit of diversity in character personality now and then. Hopefully this has been something of interest to someone!
Back to building for me. I'll shut up now.