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(Anecdotal) conversations with Asian gamers on some problems they currently face in the D&D world of RPG gaming
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<blockquote data-quote="WayOfTheFourElements" data-source="post: 8078209" data-attributes="member: 6904757"><p>Your experience with film reminds me of my experiences living abroad. After growing up in the US, I've spent more than a year living in each Morocco (1 year), Vietnam (3 year), and Georgia (the country; 7 years). While each country has many differences, most of those differences are surface level. In Georgia, most people refused to eat octopus. Likewise, in Morocco wearing a tank top is considered scandalous. Ultimately, though, I've found more similarities than differences between people in those countries. Cultural differences always boil down to different expressions of the same underlying principles and desires.</p><p></p><p>Let's look at an example. All humans categorize substances into the categories <em>food </em>and <em>not food</em>. In Vietnam, people tend to considered it <em>food</em>, while in Georgia, people tend to place it into the category <em>not food. </em>Nevertheless, I've met individuals in Vietnam who refuse to eat octopus, while in Georgia I met individuals who enjoyed eating octopus.</p><p></p><p>Standards of dress are similar. In America, everyone would be surprised if I decided to tan at the beach in business suit. Likewise, they would be similarly astonished if I showed up to a business meeting in a speedo. While showing up to a business suit to tan would be ineffective, the inappropriateness of wearing a speedo to a business meeting is mentally constructed. This is because style of dress is rarely an objective principle, but a means of communication.</p><p></p><p>A woman wearing a tank top in public tells Moroccan society that she does not abide by the traditional norms of femininity. Choosing to wear a tank top is more of a speech act - a declaration of values - than a fashion choice. Many modern westerns see this practice as the the result of a male patriarchy limiting a woman's clothing choices. To some extent, that is true. Society has defined standards of dress, which are limiting. Those standards are meaningful as social signals (communication). The choice to wear a tank top is not one of style, but rebelliousness. It is no different than my showing up to a business meeting in that speedo: by doing do I would characterize myself as unprofessional - not because there is anything inherently wrong with the speedo, but because I am deliberately bending social norms in order to provoke a reaction.</p><p></p><p>That is not to say that such rebelliousness does not have a place. Perhaps, a set of social norms are tyrannical. Perhaps, the social norms of one country alienates its citizens from the rest of the world to the detriment of human well-being inside that country.</p><p></p><p>Nevertheless, I believe these social norms to all stem from (and are physical expressions of) the same human instincts: the desires for survival, comfort, pleasure, status, reproduction, cooperation, acceptance, love, competence, ingenuity, and domination.</p><p></p><p>I have lived in four continents and done extensive reading on the subject. Skins color to my mind has no affect on the essence of what makes us human. As such, I do not find racial categorization particularly useful. Knowing that a man is Black, white, Asian, Latino, etc. tells me much less about that person than whether he/she is a teacher or financial manager, for instance.</p><p></p><p>Two men, both Black, one from Detroit, the other from Morocco will have less in common than a Black and a white man from the Detroit. Likewise, two whites, one from California, one from Georgia will have similarly less is in common than a white man and an Asian man from California.</p><p></p><p>I have, therefore, concluded that the act of racial categorization is a racist one. It promotes the ridiculous claim that race imbues individuals with meaningfully different characteristics, a claim that fits neither with my research nor life experience.</p><p></p><p>As for racial identity, I am open to the idea that the average Black American may share certain experiences, different from those of the average white American. However, I skeptical that those differences stem from the person's skin color, as opposed to racist perceptions of skin color in American society. In other words, while I believe racial categorization is a racist act, I do not deny its prevalence.</p><p></p><p>Personally, I believe the solution is to reduce and eliminate the concept of racial identity. I would like to see skin color reduced a physical characteristic as inconsequential as the presence of a mole on an individual's left butt cheek.</p><p></p><p>The recent anti-racism movement and especially its influence on media and literature directly conflicts with my values. To my mind, it has enlarged racial divides, not reduced them. As a long term strategy, it does not coincide my conception of a just world; therefore, I oppose it. To characterize me as an "angry write man" or a "defender of western civilization" is simply incorrect. I do not see myself as a white man. I see myself a human being who happens, by chance, to possess a penis and white skin. Likewise, I find many faults with western civilization; I would certainly not describe myself as one of its defenders. If I loved western society so much, I wouldn't have chosen to live outside western society for nearly all of my adult life.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="WayOfTheFourElements, post: 8078209, member: 6904757"] Your experience with film reminds me of my experiences living abroad. After growing up in the US, I've spent more than a year living in each Morocco (1 year), Vietnam (3 year), and Georgia (the country; 7 years). While each country has many differences, most of those differences are surface level. In Georgia, most people refused to eat octopus. Likewise, in Morocco wearing a tank top is considered scandalous. Ultimately, though, I've found more similarities than differences between people in those countries. Cultural differences always boil down to different expressions of the same underlying principles and desires. Let's look at an example. All humans categorize substances into the categories [I]food [/I]and [I]not food[/I]. In Vietnam, people tend to considered it [I]food[/I], while in Georgia, people tend to place it into the category [I]not food. [/I]Nevertheless, I've met individuals in Vietnam who refuse to eat octopus, while in Georgia I met individuals who enjoyed eating octopus. Standards of dress are similar. In America, everyone would be surprised if I decided to tan at the beach in business suit. Likewise, they would be similarly astonished if I showed up to a business meeting in a speedo. While showing up to a business suit to tan would be ineffective, the inappropriateness of wearing a speedo to a business meeting is mentally constructed. This is because style of dress is rarely an objective principle, but a means of communication. A woman wearing a tank top in public tells Moroccan society that she does not abide by the traditional norms of femininity. Choosing to wear a tank top is more of a speech act - a declaration of values - than a fashion choice. Many modern westerns see this practice as the the result of a male patriarchy limiting a woman's clothing choices. To some extent, that is true. Society has defined standards of dress, which are limiting. Those standards are meaningful as social signals (communication). The choice to wear a tank top is not one of style, but rebelliousness. It is no different than my showing up to a business meeting in that speedo: by doing do I would characterize myself as unprofessional - not because there is anything inherently wrong with the speedo, but because I am deliberately bending social norms in order to provoke a reaction. That is not to say that such rebelliousness does not have a place. Perhaps, a set of social norms are tyrannical. Perhaps, the social norms of one country alienates its citizens from the rest of the world to the detriment of human well-being inside that country. Nevertheless, I believe these social norms to all stem from (and are physical expressions of) the same human instincts: the desires for survival, comfort, pleasure, status, reproduction, cooperation, acceptance, love, competence, ingenuity, and domination. I have lived in four continents and done extensive reading on the subject. Skins color to my mind has no affect on the essence of what makes us human. As such, I do not find racial categorization particularly useful. Knowing that a man is Black, white, Asian, Latino, etc. tells me much less about that person than whether he/she is a teacher or financial manager, for instance. Two men, both Black, one from Detroit, the other from Morocco will have less in common than a Black and a white man from the Detroit. Likewise, two whites, one from California, one from Georgia will have similarly less is in common than a white man and an Asian man from California. I have, therefore, concluded that the act of racial categorization is a racist one. It promotes the ridiculous claim that race imbues individuals with meaningfully different characteristics, a claim that fits neither with my research nor life experience. As for racial identity, I am open to the idea that the average Black American may share certain experiences, different from those of the average white American. However, I skeptical that those differences stem from the person's skin color, as opposed to racist perceptions of skin color in American society. In other words, while I believe racial categorization is a racist act, I do not deny its prevalence. Personally, I believe the solution is to reduce and eliminate the concept of racial identity. I would like to see skin color reduced a physical characteristic as inconsequential as the presence of a mole on an individual's left butt cheek. The recent anti-racism movement and especially its influence on media and literature directly conflicts with my values. To my mind, it has enlarged racial divides, not reduced them. As a long term strategy, it does not coincide my conception of a just world; therefore, I oppose it. To characterize me as an "angry write man" or a "defender of western civilization" is simply incorrect. I do not see myself as a white man. I see myself a human being who happens, by chance, to possess a penis and white skin. Likewise, I find many faults with western civilization; I would certainly not describe myself as one of its defenders. If I loved western society so much, I wouldn't have chosen to live outside western society for nearly all of my adult life. [/QUOTE]
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