Casual Racism

On the "Most fun character" thread, Asmor talked about playing a racist southern preacher, and the fun role-playing involved between his character and another PC--a black ex-boxer.

It reminded me of my own racist character: Matthias P. "Sharpshot" Smith.

Smith was transported from the 1880's American Southwest to the world where the campaign took place, and the Other PCs were similarly transported from different worlds and eras.

As far as racial attitudes go, Smith was what you might call "a product of his time". He had little respect for Maka-San, the party's Wu-Jen (and it didn't help that Maka-San was a paranoid and greedy misanthrope).

Things go even more interesting when we met the campaign's sometimes-patron, sometimes-BBEG: An encyclopedia salesman who'd emigrated from a place just a little bit east of (and a little bit after) Smith's hometown. This dude was a firm believer in the "White Man's Burden" to civilize all of the other "primitive" races inhabiting the mystical world. And with the knowledge gained from his supply of turn-of-the-century encyclopedias, he had made an excellent start on the goblinoids.

It made for an interesting campaign. And because the character was ignorantly racist, rather than maliciously racist, he was actually pretty fun to play--Like playing a character with Int 4, but he was only stupid in certain specific respects.

So who else has played racist PCs, or dealt with racist (but not villainous) NPCs?

In a non DnD game I once played a giant cleric who was a racial purist.

He was a dedicated and faithful member of his sect of the Grand High Church known as 'The Hand of God' a militant sect of 'warrior-priests' dedicated to the Archon who lead the Legions of Heaven. This Archon had originally created giants to assist in 'crafting the world and completing creation (or so the giants claimed)

However a newer doctrine of The Grand High Church he was a member of taught that humans who were newcomers to the land had swept all the previous inhabitants aside because of the favour of the High god who had eventually taken a Human bride 'Diana' and elevated to divine status her son becoming the first emperor.

My character argued against the new doctrine claiming that Diana and her hooman slave-race was an imposter who had beguiled the Heavenly Court. He also preached that the giants as the chosen of heaven would soon reunite and reclaim the empire they once controlled.

When the human emperor chose to assert his right and take over as Prelate of the High Church my giant reacted negatively and set about organising resistance which eventually developed into a heretical sect, a schism and all out religious war (which unfortunately my side lost causing my giant to have to flee into exile)

My basic "Old Era" Homebrew, which I attempted to run twice in the past with varying success, was very racially charged.

Humans, like pretty much every other humanoid race, were a slave race to a more powerful natural magic-using race, the Calaseans. The campaign was set in a neutral zone between that powerful empire and their rivals, a space-faring psionic race. Dragons were the other Evil Empire, whose slaves were the Goblinoids, and they were allies of the Calaseans.

The Humans of "The Wild Lands" (as the neutral zone was known) were mostly descendents of escaped slaves, or themselves recently escaped slaves. Other than a few Dwarves, who were in a similar situation, every one else was "The Enemy". Especially Orcs, who were the basic expendable soldier race of the Calaseans.

The bottom line is that the Racism of this campaign world was a fact of life. Other races *are* the enemy. When a strange and unknown humanoid wanders into town, there's no historical or experiential basis for considering it to be anything other than hostile.

(So when you see me complaining in the Bad Roleplaying Experiences thread or others about the guy who insisted on playing Half-Ogre, Half-Dragon or Half-Troll; remember that the campaign to be was set in this world, and thus his demands were wildly inappropriate.)

Japanese

arscott said:

So who else has played racist PCs, or dealt with racist (but not villainous) NPCs?

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In one of my current campaigns, we play samurai in low-magic, fantasy Japan. "Gaijan", made up primarily Europeans, are treated worse than dogs: at one point, one of our PCs was pissing on a captured gaijan prisoner.

Racism is a major theme in my campaign world. The Human nations are unified into a decaying, but still continent-spanning Empire, and Humans are dominant over the other races. Demi-humans, who have largely been relegated to reservation-like "freeholds", are treated as second class citizens almost everywhere. Humanoids are considered animals, and can be enslaved or hunted for sport.

The Campaign opened with the Gnomish Illusionist and Half-Elf Fighter passing through a village where a racist comedy was being staged in the town square. I used it as a narrative device to demonstrate human stereotypes about the Demi-human races: Elves are lazy, drug-addled loafers who use sex to seduce humans into lives of debauchery; Gnomes are dishonest schemers who pull cons on trusting people and are conspiring to control human society; Dwarves are dull and stupid, and care only about gold; and Halflings are ignorant, maudlin bumpkins who will steal anything that isn't chained down.

Goblins slaves are bought and sold in the marketplace, and killing one to test out a blade isn't considered wrong (although it's a waste of good money). There's even a holy festival (the warrior's festival) where its considered traditional to hunt "wild" humanoids.

And no, the wild Humanoids aren't just misunderstood; they really are filthy creatures that will rape, kill, and eat (not always in that order) every human they can get their hands on. The racism against humanoids (as opposed to that against the Demi-humans) actually is justified.

I am playing a human Chelaxian in the first Pathfinder adventure path. Chellaxians are expansionist colonist whose empire has fallen a century ago. Chellaxian treat halflings as second class citizens. My character is a cloistered cleric of Irori with a non-combatant halfling assistant. The thing is that she considers herself good and not a racist. But it is clear from the way she treats halflings that she regards them an inferior race. It's not something she says out loud or even thinks overtly. It's just in her bones.

She speaks to halflings as a social superior. She commands instead of requests. She doesn't look at them when she speaks. And she ignores them when not speaking to them. She will speak about the obvious "facts" about the sad state of the halfling people and culture to others, even while in the presence of halflings. Not at all to be malicious. But the points she brings up are so obvious to her that she can't imagine halfings doing nothing but agree with these clear truths about themselves if they have any sense at all.

She calls them "slips" which she considers a polite and proper term because there are uglier terms that other Chellaxians use that she won't. On the surface, "slip" doesn't seem bad. It can mean "slight", which halflings are. But the word has some other meanings that implies certain qualities to halflings.

• "Slippery", as in the qualities of a rogue. "Slip" from justice when they do something wrong. "Slip" away from a situation where bravery and courage are expected.
• There is also "slip", as "something that is the barest fraction of something complete or whole."
• Also, there is "slip", as to fall. "Slip" from being an honorable race. "Sllp" from morality and decency. "Slip" from respectability.

On top of it all, "slip" is a term coined by the Chellaxians, denying the halflings the right to be named what they want to be named. The ability to name another represents dominance.

She believes she is rescuing her halfling apprentice from the degredations of her race. But doesn't really believe that the slip will fully discard her slip background despite her best efforts. But she is happy to do what she can. Maybe this slip will inspire other slips to not be so pathetic.

She will find an accusation of being racist extremely absurd. After all, if the speaker only knew how other Chellaxians treated slips they would realize that she is a virtual saint of the slips. She doesn't know anyone else who would take a slip as an apprentice and she suffers much scorn and ridicule for doing so.

Clavis mate: by it's definition "racism" is never justified. The word implies a prejudiced (ie: pre-judged) decision. Not a decision based on experience.

In the situation you described I think it is perfectly understandable for humans to hate goblinoids. And I think it's perfectly understandable that the goblinoids hate the humans. (I'd hate people that engaged in "religious sacrifice" of my people too.) But these are decisions based on direct experience.

I don't mean to start a flame war, it's just that the phrase "justified racism" really is not one that I like to see. It's an oxymoron.

As to how I use racism in my games: usually to indicate a particular character is a bit of an <expletive>. I use sexism the same way.

It can make for interesting role play situations when the PCs have to deal with a racist, especially if they need to get the racist on side for some reason. And BBEGs who happen to hate the PCs because of their race is good PC motivation for an ass-kickin.

I played an Orcish racial supremecist in a short lived game. He was fun. Going on about the struggle of the Orcish Race (he always used capitals) and all that clap-trap. HE was also extremely sexist. He really was unlikeable. He was also a complete nut job. Went around thinking the gods talked to him. (OK, in DnD they can, but they weren't in this case.) Considered himself an avatar of Ilneval. I was really hoping to die leading a charge against the filthy Stunties but wound up in a troll's belly instead.

There is something very interesting in playing the darker side. Wouldn't want to do it all the time. But now and then...

DrunkonDuty said:

Clavis mate: by it's definition "racism" is never justified. The word implies a prejudiced (ie: pre-judged) decision. Not a decision based on experience.

In the situation you described I think it is perfectly understandable for humans to hate goblinoids. And I think it's perfectly understandable that the goblinoids hate the humans. (I'd hate people that engaged in "religious sacrifice" of my people too.) But these are decisions based on direct experience.

I don't mean to start a flame war, it's just that the phrase "justified racism" really is not one that I like to see. It's an oxymoron.

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I see your point. Perhaps "justified" is the wrong way of explaining it, since it has connotations of "right". Maybe "understandable" would be better. The point I had in making the humanoids actually be rotten, vile creatures was to:

1. Make the players not feel too bad about slaughtering lots of them. As many people have said, D&D is essentially about killing things and taking their stuff.

2. Also ask the interesting question of whether or not it is right to behave in an evil manner to things which are themselves evil. Are we obligated to treat the unethical ethically? Does that encourage their unethical and/or immoral behavior? Or does it lower our humanity when we behave inhumanely, even when it seems justified? Is mercy compatible with justice? The humanoids are vile, but has humanity become just as vile by hunting and enslaving them?

While I can't remember actually playing a racist PC, I have played PCs who would be victimized by racism in a given campaign- Minotaurs and Drow (years before it was fashionable) for instance- but also by other "-isms" as well, like sexism or classism (in both the societal and game-mechanic sense).

I find it gives me a convenient "wall" to prop my PC against, which makes it easier to figure out how to RP the PC.

I have played so many different kinds of characters in my years of gaming, but never have I played a racist, maybe because its so hard for me to understand.

The ignorance of times past with racism just completely eludes me- and mind you I have played characters that are so far from me that I have hated to play the character, but I understood them.