I mean, it didn't really shape my opinion of teachers. I'd say 90% of my student/teacher relationships have been thoroughly positive. It just stuck out as such an incredibly weird behavior. I never had any actual classes with that teacher, even. I was only in that classroom for outreach purposes (pitching Speech & Debate team) between classes, so it wasn't even like I could be seen as challenging her "in public" so to speak. But it did show me that sometimes, even people who should be open to knowledge and truth...just aren't. Even if they're rare, it's important to think about their impact.
Good to know and definitely something to always consider.
I'd say it's less "incredible" luck and more just good luck, but I'm glad you've had such a good run. I find, like with most semi-insular communities, "gamer" tends to result in one of two attitudes. Either there's an inherent tendency to trust and support, because "we're in this together" so to speak; or there's an inherent distrust, because "how do I know you're safe?" The majority tend to fall into the first group, but a sizable minority make up the second--and, unfortunately, I find the latter is slightly more driven to seek the DM role, because then they know things will be done (as they see it) "right."
The "we're in this together" is definitely pretty tight, especially among a certain age group that had to grow up through the age of
geeks are bad and stupid. Middle school, high school, heck even college I can remember people making fun of us. Again, I got lucky. Had good friends. We enjoyed it and basically spent our 8th grade lunch years in our Algebra's teacher's room (Mr. Seman no less!) playing D&D. But that second group in today's world seems to be mixed in with the crowd that just wants to try it because it is popular (which is a good thing) which can cause its own problems.
Well, if you've seen the same plotline done a hundred times, and all but the first have been done poorly, indeed a general trend of each being more poorly-written than the last, I can see fatigue setting in. Tolkien gave a clear reason for the unease between dwarves and elves in his cosmology....and also prominently featured a dwarf sorta-prince who thought Galadriel was the most beautiful woman on (Middle-)Earth and whose mutual best friend was an elf. A lot--and I really do mean a LOT--of later works never bother to give an explanation. They JUST assert "dwarves and elves dislike each other" and explain nothing.
It's the Planet of Hats problem, just in microcosm form. We don't have to do the balls-to-the-wall worldbuilding that Tolkien did, but even for a lot of well-loved, famous fantasy literature, they just don't do any of that stuff. They rely on cliches and dead-horse tropes. Consider The Belgariad or the Inheritance Cycle. The problem isn't even restricted to fantasy; consider comic books. The 90s Dark Age of Comics happened in the wake of bold, nuanced works like Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns that prominently featured dark themes but weren't solely ABOUT being super ultra dark. They then spawned an enormous wave of entirely plastic, hollow imitations that pumped the GRIMDARK to 11 without justifying it, and (more importantly) without showing that this is a mistake that powerful-yet-disconnected-from-humanity figures are prone to experiencing.
Great example. And so true. That is one of the reasons I always liked The Witcher's world. Xenophobia is seeped into culture. Elves were killed through genocide. And now, despite their long life, they can't procreate with one another, which makes for only half-elves - which of course is a huge slap in the face to elves. Dwarves are wanderers and subject to the same racism although not as much. But I also get that that world isn't for everyone. Even though it is explained in the books, not everyone wants to play that in their game when there is enough already in real life.
So frame it in those terms: If you see a new, black-trenchcoat-clad, blood-dripping-down-his-sword "dark and troubled" super-so-called-"hero" with a name like "Youngblood" or "Darktalon" or "Slayter" etc., who "doesn't play by the rules" and all that...are you honestly going to say that 100% of the time you'll excitedly say, "Ooh, I wonder what they've done to make this concept actually work?" Because I'm going to be very surprised if you don't have at least a little reaction of "oh God, another one of THESE?"
I'll be honest. If it is that cheesy, then I grab popcorn and want to bathe in the cheese, generally Mystery Science Theater in my head style. You are talking to a person who sat in a line at midnight (it was only us), playing D&D (inspired by the movie), to watch the premier Wrath of Titans - and we knew it was gonna be bad.
That said, a whole campaign of it, depending on how good the DM is, it might fall to the wayside for me. I have had some DMs that never bring something new or fresh in, yet they and the table are just good, so it makes it just as fun as any other game. But, your point is taken and absolutely agreed with. (I am sure my wife can tell you about my eye rolling towards many of her reality shows - which are tropes I am tired of.)
That's the problem. All too often, there aren't nuances. It's just an author (or, in this case, DM) riding on Tolkien's coattails.
Fair enough. For some though, maybe it isn't an important part of the story line. My rule has always been this:
- Show don't tell
- If it creates conflict in the story it had better been shown prior to the conflict (unless I want it to be a complete surprise)
