D&D (2024) How did I miss this about the Half races/ancestries

"Looking to be offended' is basically a conspiracy theory at this point. It assigns all sort of allegations with zero motive.

What advantage or profit does it do people to have problems with these things if they aren't an actual issue to them especially when the result is usually being mobbed by people who really want to do the offensive thing to the point of trying any tact to 'prove' it's not a problem and is actually a vast conspiracy against.... what? Because it's apparently not racism, so what is it?

Incenjucar said:

Not every setting is chock full of racism. Why should "fantastic" be less of a default than "bigoted" in a fantasy game for which there are books for toddlers?

Click to expand...

Where are the toddler books? This seems ridiculous to me.

Faolyn said:

But why is it OK? What does baked-in racial bigotry do that any other sort of conflict doesn't do? How is racial bigotry even interesting?

People often complain that the nonhumans races are just humans with rubber masks. Wouldn't racial bigotry just be part of that mask?

Click to expand...

Stuff like this exactly why I assumed that you don't want these things in gaming at all.

gban007 said:

To be fair, I think what WOTC said was that the 'half' bit of the naming was racist - as could echo real life insults. It isn't that a race of beings that are a mixture of elf and humans is an issue / racist, it is call them half-elf instead of say Khoravar like in Eberron. Then there are the issues around them seemingly called out more for discrimination than other races in the core book, rather than just in setting specific books.

Click to expand...

They could have come up with a name. Instead, you are either a human or an elf in terms of mechanics. You show your heritage by cosmetic appearance.

I liked that the half-elf has special mechanics.

Micah Sweet said:

Where are the toddler books? This seems ridiculous to me.

Click to expand...

I bought the ABCs book for my sibling's kid for X-Mas.

D&D also had a children's cartoon in the 80s, as I expect you're aware.

Micah Sweet said:

Stuff like this exactly why I assumed that you don't want these things in gaming at all.

Click to expand...

But that's not an answer.

Why is racial bigotry interesting and fun?

Micah Sweet said:

It does seem a little personal.

Click to expand...

I don't condone personal attacks, but defending and advocating the depiction of racism in the core of a game itself (as opposed to the privacy of one's home game) is going to be taken personally by many. It's not coming off as subtle. You're going to ruffle feathers.

Micah Sweet said:

Where are the toddler books? This seems ridiculous to me.

Click to expand...

Micah Sweet said:

And the pool of things that are considered problematic also seems to getting bigger and bigger.

Click to expand...

Because humans have a horrific history, and there is a lot not to glorify or perpetuate.

Mirrorrorrim said:

I don't condone personal attacks, but defending and advocating the depiction of racism in the core of a game itself (as opposed to the privacy of one's home game) is going to be taken personally by many. It's not coming off as subtle. You're going to ruffle feathers.

Click to expand...

I feel like I need to weigh in on this as I initially thought Hussar's comment was directed at me. I don't think this is a fair way to treat posters taking Micah's position (or mine for that matter). There was a lot in the post that came off as personal but the last line in particular accused Micah of being on the wrong side of history. That is a pretty hostile claim to make over someone saying they think it's okay for elves and dwarves to have bigotry towards each other. I also think describing that opinion, or the opinion of half elves as outsiders and facing bigotry being okay for the core, as 'advocating for depiction of racism in the core game' a little misleading because no one is talking about including hatred between black people and white people or any other real world groups, we are talking about racism among demi human races which is more of a species based bigotry and fictional to boot*.

*And this does matter because half the problem in these discussions is when they get repeated later on in the forum or elsewhere online, people will say "Micah the poster who advocates for racism in the core book" and that sounds a lot worse than what Micah is saying