Elon Musk Calls for Wizards of the Coast to "Burn in Hell" Over Making of Original D&D Passages

Elon Musk, the owner of the app formerly known as Twitter, is calling on Wizards of the Coast and its parent company Hasbro to "burn in hell" for the publication of Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons. On November 21st, former gaming executive turned culture warrior Mark Hern posted several passages from Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons on Twitter, criticizing the book for providing context about some of the misogyny and cultural insensitivity found in early rulebooks. These passages were pulled from the foreword written by Jason Tondro, a senior designer for the D&D team who also worked extensively on the book. Hern stated that these passages, along with the release of the new 2024 Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide for D&D's "40th anniversary" (it is actually D&D's 50th anniversary) both "erased and slandered" Gary Gygax and other creators of Dungeons & Dragons.

In response, Musk wrote "Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets to trash E. Gary Gygax and the geniuses who created Dungeons & Dragons. What the [naughty word] is wrong with Hasbro and WoTC?? May they burn in hell." Musk had played Dungeons & Dragons at some point in his youth, but it's unclear when the last time he ever played the game.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets to trash E. Gary Gygax and the geniuses who created Dungeons & Dragons. What the [xxxx] is wrong with Hasbro and WoTC?? May they burn in hell.

- Elon Musk​

Notably, Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons contains countless correspondences and letters written by both Gygax and Dave Arneson, including annotated copies of early D&D rulesets. Most early D&D rules supplements as well as early Dragon magazines are also found in the book. It seems odd to contain one of the most extensive compliations of Gygax's work an "erasure," but it's unclear whether Hern or Musk actually read the book given the incorrect information about the anniversary.

Additionally, Gygax and Arneson are both credited in the 2024 Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide. The exact credit reads: "Building on the original game created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and then developed by many others over the past 50 years." Wizards of the Coast also regularly collaborates with Gygax's youngest son Luke and is a participant at Gary Con, a convention held in Gygax's honor. The opening paragraph of the 2024 Player's Handbook is written by Jeremy Crawford and specifically lauds both Gygax and Arneson for making Dungeons & Dragons and contains an anecdote about Crawford meeting Gygax.

Musk has increasingly leaned into culture war controversies in recent years, usually amplifying misinformation to suit his own political agenda.

 

[Gradine]

Oh man, the Frank Mentzer stuff was from forever ago, I'm surprised so many people either forgot or never heard about it in the first place. There was the GenCon harassment stuff and the career threats that's been referenced already in the thread; before that there was all SA-victim-blaming that he consistently doubled and tripled down on.

It's rough out there for an old straight white man with Big Thoughts About Women

 

[the Jester]

and I disagree with it being hard. If the entire pressure is that you are being raised with it, then that is a very small hurdle to overcome.

Part of what makes it hard is that, from the inside, it can be pretty hard to see your own prejudices. When I think back on things I said or did in my youth, I realize that there was a lot of sexism and racism in them- but I never thought of myself as sexist or racist. I didn't realize that they were sexist or racist at the time; it was only as my awareness grew that I learned that I actually did have a lot of prejudice lurking inside me.

To give one example, I remember losing a button off one of my work shirts at work one time during my late teens, and when my manager suggested I should learn to sew so I could fix it, I scoffed at her, because sewing was "women's work". I wasn't intentionally being sexist; it didn't even occur to me until later that what I had said was sexist. I was simply not conscious of it, because the notion of "women's work" was something that had been passively inculcated in my beliefs over the years of my youth.

Ever since I did realize it in a moment of reflection, I have felt mortified whenever I reflect on that moment.

Self-awareness ain't always easy, and if you're surrounded by people and immersed in a culture that reinforces those prejudices, you may never see them unless someone points them out to you.

None of this is to defend Gygax's sexism; rather, I'm just saying that the way you are raised can be a lot stronger of an influence than you realize, and sometimes you need someone to point it out to you to overcome it. Gygax's willing refusal to change even after having it pointed out is a damn shame, and it's not excused by his upbringing. But I think it's worth understanding that one's upbringing has a massive influence on their thought patterns.

 

[Zardnaar]

Part of what makes it hard is that, from the inside, it can be pretty hard to see your own prejudices. When I think back on things I said or did in my youth, I realize that there was a lot of sexism and racism in them- but I never thought of myself as sexist or racist. I didn't realize that they were sexist or racist at the time; it was only as my awareness grew that I learned that I actually did have a lot of prejudice lurking inside me.

To give one example, I remember losing a button off one of my work shirts at work one time during my late teens, and when my manager suggested I should learn to sew so I could fix it, I scoffed at her, because sewing was "women's work". I wasn't intentionally being sexist; it didn't even occur to me until later that what I had said was sexist. I was simply not conscious of it, because the notion of "women's work" was something that had been passively inculcated in my beliefs over the years of my youth.

Ever since I did realize it in a moment of reflection, I have felt mortified whenever I reflect on that moment.

Self-awareness ain't always easy, and if you're surrounded by people and immersed in a culture that reinforces those prejudices, you may never see them unless someone points them out to you.

None of this is to defend Gygax's sexism; rather, I'm just saying that the way you are raised can be a lot stronger of an influence than you realize, and sometimes you need someone to point it out to you to overcome it. Gygax's willing refusal to change even after having it pointed out is a damn shame, and it's not excused by his upbringing. But I think it's worth understanding that one's upbringing has a massive influence on their thought patterns.

A our school boys did cooking and sewing age 10 or so girls did wood work and metal work.

They still had the strap and cane until 86. If you said sonething like that here off to the head masters office (context you're getting the strap). Hit a girl you're looking at the cane if you were old enough you could hit each other up to a point.

By age 18 or so I could iron my own shirts, sew the buttons on and cook lol.

 

[Maxperson]

Or maybe you need to read the rest of the thread to see what 'product of his time' is actually being used for. There's no actual use for 'proving' he was a product of his time except to mitigate what he said or did... assuming one isn't trying to say he was being sarcastic, or frustrated or some other weird sane-washing double-speak to ALSO try to mitigate it.

The bolded portion is categorically false as I am using it that way and have since my first post using the term. And I have made that apparent numerous times, so it's wrong of people to try and twist what I am saying to be in agreement with how others may be using the term. I'll also note that folks have been liking the posts where I use it that way, so others also view the term the way I use it. It's not just me.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

"Did they torture and kill the children in front of their parents before killing them? "

Columbus did that - and there are statues, countries, provinces, and holidays named after him!

 

[mamba]

Self-awareness ain't always easy, and if you're surrounded by people and immersed in a culture that reinforces those prejudices, you may never see them unless someone points them out to you.

and this right here also is why it is not that hard. Once you realized it, you changed. No one expected Gygax to never say anything sexist during his lifetime, but he still was sexist in his 30s and when being made aware of it (assuming he wasn’t already…), he doubled down instead of trying to change.

It was him, his choice, not an unfortunate confluence of circumstances that meant poor Gary never stood a chance.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I scoffed at her, because sewing was "women's work".

Which is, and always has been, a ridiculous assertion. What do you think a tailor does? Sewing is only "women's work" to a lazy "50's-style" husband who's making things up so he can get out of a little domestic work. Men have been able to sew for many thousands of years.

 

[mamba]

The bolded portion is categorically false

no it isn’t, if showing that he was a product of his time is not being used to argue for his innocence / lessen his responsibility, then what is the point of even showing it? If it changes nothing, why go through the effort?

I'll also note that folks have been liking the posts where I use it that way, so others also view the term the way I use it.

or maybe they just like that you defend Gary, there are enough people here who do that

 

[S'mon]

I saw the video. It's pretty bad faith and if posted here would run afoul of EN World's rules regarding anti-inclusive content. He more or less presents Grummz and Musk's statements read out loud, and when showing his detractors he shows them briefly in text but doesn't read it in full. For instance, focusing on Gygax saying "damn right I am sexist" and not reading out his creepy views on inserting rape in gaming sessions.

The video is nearly 12 minutes long, and he doesn't come around to y'know, directly addressing Gygax's own words beyond this. But has a lot to criticize about the D&D movie not listing Gygax and Arneson's names in the opening, or WotC's legacy content disclaimer on their Drive-ThruRPG/DM's Guild products.

Content Warning Pedophilia

Spoiler

He then brings up famous figures who were abusive to women and children (Pablo Picasso and Roman Polanski for the latter in particular) and how their movies and artwork don't have similar content warnings. Which is ironic, as I don't know if he realizes this but he's actually comparing Gygax to a pedophile in this analogy, and for all his faults, I don't think Gary did anything near remotely bad as that.

Just 10 minutes in does he actually get to "what did Gary Gygax do again?" but again doesn't directly address it, complaining about people being branded with scarlet letters and judged forever for things they might have said once a long time ago and how "picking on Gygax" is "picking at a scab." He then shouts out his Facebook page where there's "no crapping on Arneson and Gygax." Aka a dogwhistle for "you won't be allowed to criticize him in my community!"

He also has Troll Lord Games as a sponsor, who are more or less fanboying Musk in their tweets. While Professor DM has since gotten rid of his "following on YouTube" section, in the past he was subscribed to bigoted YouTubers who definitely supported sexist views, like Ben Shapiro and Dennis Prager.

He's not a good faith arguer.

Your standard for "bad faith" seems to be more that he holds different values from you. It's not "bad faith" for him to like people you don't like. He probably doesn't think Shapiro & Prager are bigoted & sexist.

What's this about Gygax's "creepy views on inserting rape in gaming sessions"? Never heard that one before. (Sorry if it came up already, I've not read all 140 pages of this thread).

 

[S'mon]

IMO, it would have been sexist to have rules that one can tell whether a woman you just met is a goodwife just by her appearance, because it's actually sexist to judge women just by their appearance.

When it comes to 'Karens', i find the description in the goodwife entry pretty spot on, possibly exaggerated a bit when compared to real life examples, but still, there's a remarkable resemblance in that description and to what we refer to as a Karen today. Nor do I see sexism in it. As the old addage goes, if you look for it you'll find it.

Man - that's a beautiful woman - 'stop objectifying her sexuality'
Man - let me hold the door open for a woman with her arms full - 'stop viewing her as weak and in need of your help'
Man - let me buy your dinner - 'stop treating her like she's dependent on you'

As demonstrated above, completely innocuous words and actions are able to be viewed as sexist if one so desires. That said, Sexism is a very real thing. I believe Gygax held sexist views (I think most men his age at his time did, and many women as well, just maybe not most of them), but some of the examples (not all) being used to 'prove his sexism' are total weaksauce, such that using them actually detracts from the case.

Look if your best examples of his sexism are random harlot tables and goodwife tables, then you won't convince many (I don't think they are your best examples). But if it isn't one of the stronger examples of it, then why are we spilling virtual ink over it?

I think Gygax could often be sexist, and it's ok to criticise him for it. Heck I remember teasing him about his stupid Harlot Table here on ENW, back in the day (he took it in good spirit). I don't think it's ok to have the kind of attacks on Gygax and co that appeared in the foreword of a book purportedly celebrating D&D.

On cultural norms, I do think the 1970s was an amazingly sexist decade. A lot of the stuff produced then looked weird even in the mid 1980s. That's much less true of earlier eras eg the 1930s-1940s.