WotC ICv2 Has A Theory That WotC Will Be Sold

[Scott Christian]

Here is how you successfully land a man on the Moon:

1) Build a rocket
2) Put an astronaut in the rocket
3) Launch the rocket at the Moon
4) Have the astronaut land the rocket.

Just 4 easy steps, right?

The devil is in the details.

1) Just pick some characters
2) Pick a setting
3) Make the story great
4) Don't skimp on the surface

Just 4 easy steps for your plan. Except that the devil is in the details. You have to write the characters and cast the right actors to portray them. Pick a setting? You have to actually come up with a setting and develop it into something more than a sandbox. Don't skimp on the surface? Well, the balance between budget and production value is the whole trick, now isn't it?

I am not saying there is not work involved. It would be a labor of love for many, and a job for others. That is the nature of Hollywood. There are many many details. But, if they can make Walking Dead last as many seasons as it has, they can make a few seasons of a solid D&D story.

 

[Zardnaar]

I’m trying to google the episode. Do you know the season and episode number ?

Itchy and Scratchy 1990 iirc.

 

[Shiroiken]

Hmmm. State of flux.
Orcs racist. Gypsies racist. Maybe they want to avoid any potential new thing that can be perceived as racist. It seems like a lot of things in the rpg communities have been perceived as racist enough in the last few years to become an issue. Maybe they fear the potential of being canceled for whatever is best.

Unlikely given how much WotC has been bending over backwards with the recent policy changes for D&D to address these issues. You don't take those steps if you plan to ditch the brand.

Rpg designers are more well known than action figure designers and have a greater potential to be noticed by the public

Ummm... I'm not really certain if that's true or not, not that the comparison really matters.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Gypsies racist.

Yeah, calling Romani people "Gypsies" is a bit racist. The Vistani people are literally all of the stereotypes of the Romani people condensed into a single package. Of course that's going to end up offending people and called "racist", because it quite literally is.

That has nothing to do with whether or not WotC will be sold. Them moving away from the racist depictions of Vistani and problematic wording and depictions of Orcs and Drow shows the exact opposite of them being likely to be sold. It shows that they want to be around long term, and that this will boost their PR.

 

[Zsong]

Yeah, calling Romani people "Gypsies" is a bit racist. The Vistani people are literally all of the stereotypes of the Romani people condensed into a single package. Of course that's going to end up offending people and called "racist", because it quite literally is.

That has nothing to do with whether or not WotC will be sold. Them moving away from the racist depictions of Vistani and problematic wording and depictions of Orcs and Drow shows the exact opposite of them being likely to be sold. It shows that they want to be around long term, and that this will boost their PR.

Not really disagreeing. Just through that out there because many didn’t know it was racist. And still don’t. Which gets confusing with those that are proud to be called gypsy. It’s just an example of where someone was not intending to be racist. But note i mentioned many other mutually exclusive examples. And I love how that’s the one people focus on.

 

[MGibster]

Not really disagreeing. Just through that out there because many didn’t know it was racist. And still don’t. Which gets confusing with those that are proud to be called gypsy. It’s just an example of where someone was not intending to be racist. But note i mentioned many other mutually exclusive examples. And I love how that’s the one people focus on.

It's somewhat complicated because Americans have a much different idea about the Romani than most Europeans. The truth is that most of us wouldn't know a Roma if he or she walked up to us in broad daylight and kissed us right on the lips. We only have about 1,000,000 people of Romani descent here, which isn't a significant number when placed in the context of 330,000,000 people, and those we do have tend to identify as a nationality rather than as Roma.

In 2012, Oksana Marafioti's American Gypsy: A Memoir was published and that's just one example showing gypsy does not have the same negative connotation here that it does in some parts of Europe. And those few times we do think of Roma, we don't think of them as being a racial group. any more than we think of Hungarians, Italians, or Germans as being a separate race.

This might be a case where culturally Americans just view the Roma in a fundamentally different way from Europe. I'll note that some American and British Romani don't seem to have a problem referring to themselves as gypsies. So it seems a little complicated to me.

 

[Zsong]

It's somewhat complicated because Americans have a much different idea about the Romani than most Europeans. The truth is that most of us wouldn't know a Roma if he or she walked up to us in broad daylight and kissed us right on the lips. We only have about 1,000,000 people of Romani descent here, which isn't a significant number when placed in the context of 330,000,000 people, and those we do have tend to identify as a nationality rather than as Roma.

In 2012, Oksana Marafioti's American Gypsy: A Memoir was published and that's just one example showing gypsy does not have the same negative connotation here that it does in some parts of Europe. And those few times we do think of Roma, we don't think of them as being a racial group. any more than we think of Hungarians, Italians, or Germans as being a separate race.

This might be a case where culturally Americans just view the Roma in a fundamentally different way from Europe. I'll note that some American and British Romani don't seem to have a problem referring to themselves as gypsies. So it seems a little complicated to me.

There are others. I met many Irish travelers, and right now with their boxing hero champion (king of the gypsies he calls himself) they are telling me they are proud to be a gypsy. Actually a few in West Virginia. Both Roma and Irish traveller and some Welsh.

 

[billd91]

There are others. I met many Irish travelers, and right now with their boxing hero champion (king of the gypsies he calls himself) they are telling me they are proud to be a gypsy. Actually a few in West Virginia. Both Roma and Irish traveller and some Welsh.

Continuing to use the term Gypsy for themselves is for them to decide, not for those of us who aren't. We should be respectful of the people who say it's a racist term and not use it except in the very specific cases of people who individually use it.
It's like terms for older organizations like NAACP and UNCF. They continue to use older terms that are considered offensive now because they worked at the time they were created and named themselves. They are not for polite conversation now.
So I'd suggest you stop trying to argue that the term Gypsy isn't broadly considered racist and inappropriate. It is.

 

[MGibster]

So I'd suggest you stop trying to argue that the term Gypsy isn't broadly considered racist and inappropriate. It is.

It's not broadly considered racist here in the US. We don't consider Irish Travelers or Roma to be a race.

 

[Eltab]

Continuing to use the term Gypsy for themselves is for them to decide, not for those of us who aren't. We should be respectful of the people who say it's a racist term and not use it except in the very specific cases of people who individually use it.
It's like terms for older organizations like NAACP and UNCF. They continue to use older terms that are considered offensive now because they worked at the time they were created and named themselves. They are not for polite conversation now.
So I'd suggest you stop trying to argue that the term Gypsy isn't broadly considered racist and inappropriate. It is.

When members of the group in question willingly adopt a name for themselves, accept their decision.
Don't feel a need to berate other people who already have.