Half elf or orc, silly and pointless. I stand by that.
You're entitled to your opinion on half-races when it comes to elves and orcs, but they too can be important when it comes to representation. As such WotC is unlikely to erase them from their worlds.
1. Realism, fantasy game, not real. Who cares?
2. Representation, fantasy game, not real. Who cares?
People care. People who play this game.
Real people, in the real world.
That's who cares.
Also apparently: You.
Since you have spent a fair amount of words on the subject even before I started posting.
I am not interested in RPPUNDIT simulation games. If I wanted "real", I could do that Society re-eanctors medieval fighting stuff instead of playing a tabletop game where my fat ass in sitting comfortably in my wheelchair. To repeat what I said earlier to Charlequin, I told her, I have zero interest in "being represented" or FORCED to have my character in a wheelchair in game. If anyone offered me a wheelchair character in a game I would be grandma unfriendly words well beyond being offended by it.
I want characters and art that depict the FANTASY world, not this one.
Things burn down when Bessie kicks over the lamp, I better not see any firetrucks sirens blaring coming to put the barn out.
That is the first time I have seen anyone even imply that people be forced to play characters with the same complications that they have. Are you engaging in hyperbole, or do I have someone on ignore?
You don't want to play a character in a wheelchair? Good for you! That is fine; no one is suggesting that you have to. The existence of wheelchairs in the setting doesn't requite you to play a character who is in one.
There are people other than you in this hobby however, and they have different preferences. Some of them want to play characters who do use a wheelchair, or need glasses, or whatever other part of diverse representation offends you so. Both WotC and many other D&D players want those people to feel comfortable within the hobby.
Now, to be blunt, I doubt that we'll see more than one person in a wheelchair in the D&D 2024 PHB art, if even that. But I hope there will be diversity depicted in attractiveness, skin tone, gender, and other factors that may have traditionally been excluded.
People seem to be blurring the line of fantasy and reality a bit too much in modern escapism.
. . . Its . . .
escapism. For people.
All people.