D&D General RA Salvatore Wants To Correct Drizzt’s Racist Tropes

In an interview with Polygon, the author talks about how the drow are currently being redefined in D&D, and how he wants to be part of that process.

”But on the other hand, if the drow are being portrayed as evil, that’s a trope that has to go away, be buried under the deepest pit, and never brought out again. I was unaware of that. I admit it. I was oblivious.

Drow are now split into (at least) three types — the familiar Udadrow of Menzoberranzan, the arctic-themed Aevendrow, and the jungle-themed Lorendrow. Salvatore's new novel, Starlight Enclave, helps to expand the drows' role in the narrative.

D&D’s Drizzt books were built on racist tropes. R.A. Salvatore wants to change that

‘If the drow are being portrayed as evil, that’s a trope that has to go away’

www.polygon.com

In 2020 WotC made a public statement about how they would be treating drow and orcs going forward -- "Throughout the 50-year history of D&D, some of the peoples in the game—orcs and drow being two of the prime examples—have been characterized as monstrous and evil, using descriptions that are painfully reminiscent of how real-world ethnic groups have been and continue to be denigrated. That’s just not right, and it’s not something we believe in. "

Commitment to Diversity | Dungeons & Dragons

D&D continues to be made as diverse as possible with the reminder that only a diverse group of adventurers can overcome obstacles.

dnd.wizards.com

 

[wellis]

You see the white male gaze through and through. You see it in the bikini armor, the "American native" portrayed as white (a la Dragonlance), and the fact that for years, the only people of color portrayed in D&D were black-skinned drow, the mostly male leadership.

What bikini armor? Seriously, I see more drow bikini armor in erotic fan art than in any official products I've looked at.

And please, don't whip out artwork from the 1980s to support an argument. I want some artwork from now at least to support it.

The drow aren't "people of color." The Chult, the Mulhorads (or whatever the not!Egyptians are called), the Thay, the East Asian expy nations, those are all people of color.

The drow depict no real world ethnicity. And frankly, maybe it's just me, but equating the drow to real world ethnicities really sounds, kind of insulting honestly, to actual ethnicities.

 

[guachi]

I find it telling that the bigger hang up about Drow is that it's supposedly racist against African people and not the obvious sexist portrayal towards women. When I look at a typical picture of a Drow I don't think "African". Drow look like, well, Elves.

But I DO see evil women in charge because there ARE evil women in charge. Evil Drow society is absolutely a women dominated society. An evil, scantily dressed women dominated society.

 

[Charlaquin]

Oh, I have no doubt that dozens of articles have been published on this subject in many platforms since the drows were first described back in the 70's.
What I can't wrap my mind around is the notion that ACTUAL black people would be ACTUALLY offended by the skin color of a fantasy species in a fantasy game... Nobody would say in good faith that they actually think the Drow are some attempt to depict an ethnicity from the real world.

You’re correct, nobody would say that in good faith. And yet, real people do have good faith critiques of the portrayal of drow. Meaning, logically, “the drow are some attempt to depict an ethnicity from the real world” must not be the critique they are making. Maybe instead of being dumbfounded at a critique no one is making, your energy would be better spent looking into what critiques are actually being made.

 

[Nefermandias]

Do you think, back in their own folklore, the natives of the African continent associate a dark skin color with evil, and a light skin color with good on a regular basis? When, as has been shown, jet-black skin is a natural tone there?

White skinned people doesn't even exist in most black cultures folklore and religions.
Also, you guys have to make up your minds if that's about African people or not.

 

[whimsychris123]

What bikini armor? Seriously, I see more drow bikini armor in erotic fan art than in any official products I've looked at.

And please, don't whip out artwork from the 1980s to support an argument. I want some artwork from now at least to support it.

The drow aren't "people of color." The Chult, the Mulhorads (or whatever the not!Egyptians are called), the Thay, the East Asian expy nations, those are all people of color.

The drow depict no real world ethnicity. And frankly, maybe it's just me, but equating the drow to real world ethnicities really sounds, kind of insulting honestly, to actual ethnicities.

I think you missed the point of my post entirely.

 

[lyle.spade]

Being "apolitical" is just as much of a political choice as taking one side or the other is. It's a signifier that you're okay with the status quo and don't see a need for change.

That's a very totalitarian idea: that everything is, or should be, political. No action or thought of the individual is outside the political, and is therefore fair game for criticism. There is no room for difference based on preference - it's either on the right side of history or wrong. Creepy.

For the record, the difference between authoritarian and totalitarian is clear, and important to remember: the former want to drive politics out of public discourse in order to maintain power. Saddam Hussein was a great example of an authoritarian - he stood on no idea other than that he wanted to stay in power. Totalitarians, on the other hand, seek to politicize everything and hold it up against their measurement of right/good and condemn any and everything that doesn't align with it, per their standards. There is no room for otherthought for the totalitarian, no middle ground, no neutrality.

You seem to assume that there must be "change," whatever that might mean, and that because I do not share your view of it, I therefore stand in the way of it. You're framing the issue as binary with two antagonistic sides, and have placed me on the 'wrong' one.

That said, the Drow still aren't real.

 

[Sacrosanct]

And please, don't whip out artwork from the 1980s to support an argument. I want some artwork from now at least to support it.

Let me see if I'm following the conversation

Salvatore: Let's change how the drow are depicted, because it was bad in the past
Others: No! They never had a problem! Nothing needs to be fixed!
Others: here are some really problematic depictions
Others: No, nothing from before, I demand modern depictions only!

That seems...pretty contradictory to me. If they never were an issue and don't need to be changed, then then how they were represented in the past is inferred to be OK by that statement. But if you don't want the first 40 years of depictions to be used, then that seems to infer that change is in fact OK, and thus no one should be upset by Salvatore's comment.

 

[lyle.spade]

And why should we be shackled by our prejudices, even those built into our biology? We have the privilege of being sapient animals with the capacity for complex thought. Let's not squander that.

Agreed! We should start by agreeing that the Drow aren't real and that their color or behavior has zero bearing on reality.

 

[Nefermandias]

You’re correct, nobody would say that in good faith. And yet, real people do have good faith critiques of the portrayal of drow. Meaning, logically, “the drow are some attempt to depict an ethnicity from the real world” must not be the critique they are making. Maybe instead of being dumbfounded at a critique no one is making, your energy would be better spent looking into what critiques are actually being made.

I'm still not sure if you guys are all on the same page here. Just read the latest reply by Unbran.

 

[Charlaquin]

"sometimes a snake is just a snake"

If one is going to make the assertion that drow or orcs are a racist stereotype, you will have to show me more than " drow have dark skin = racist" More than anything else, you will have to show me INTENT, that the people behind these creations meant to portray real world peoples with them.

The critique of drow isn’t about intent. Nobody is claiming that they were intended to be a racist stereotype, and “drow have dark skin = racist” is not an argument anyone is making.

Good rule of thumb: if a good-faith critique seems totally asinine to you, you’ve probably misunderstood it.