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Message: <blockquote data-quote="halfling rogue" data-source="post: 6470538" data-attributes="member: 6779182">There is much here. I will charitably assume that you weren't calling me a racist, but rather were making a point clear (I think there was a mixed signal somewhere, but I'm okay to let it go).I also accept your respectful disagreeance that Fantasy excels and even thrives on stereotypes, as long as I can respectfully assume you don't understand Fantasy. A word about inclusiveness. I'll still stand by my statement that I think our modern perception of Fantasy has shifted and that it has become less and not more. I am speaking about stereotypes. When we lose a stereotype of Evil (for instance) then Fantasy takes a hit. In Fantasy, when the Evil Queen/Wizard/Monster becomes simply misunderstood, and perhaps might even be the good guy wearing a black cape, then we've relinquished Fantasy and have moved on to something else. We've taken a step closer to real life. Those steps lead us away from Fantasy. In real life, villains might actually be misunderstood, and even might be the good guys. In Fantasy, good is good and evil is evil. That's the point I was making. I wasn't saying that inclusiveness is a bad thing. In fact you can find inclusiveness all over Fantasy. The Fellowship of the Ring jumps out at me. Many races working together for good. But if you want the inclusiveness to trump certain stereotypes then you start to leave Fantasy behind. If you want Sauron to be the secret good guy you've missed the point. That's what I'm talking about. If you want to have a Political Correctness campaign, have at it. It just might not work for Fantasy.Now to address the "bombshell".Sexist is the word that comes to mind because you equate stereotype with "-isms". The knight rescuing the damsel in distress is a Fantasy stereotype worthy of defense not only because it has been passed down for ages, but that in Fantasy it communicates things unspoken. The reason you are uncomfortable with it is because the things it communicates to you (or a particular society) is unsettling. Unsettling may be a good thing or may be a bad thing, but since neither you nor I, were the ones who invented the stereotype, the only thing we can do is accept it or reject it. I accept it, maintain the tradition, and am labeled a sexist. You reject it (and let me be perfectly clear: it is your right, I'm okay with it, reject away, no one is saying you cannot reject it), but you must accept the fact that it is indeed a rejection, that you are shifting/rewriting/retelling and therefore moving away from Fantasy as it has been handed down.Let me flip it real quick. I love the movie Brave. It is a brand new legend and creates/maintains good stereotypes in its own way. I think it succeeds as Fantasy. But if I were to retell the tale of Merida as a male character I would be moving away from Fantasy as handed down. Especially if I were to use the excuse that She should be a He because it's not inclusive or tolerant otherwise. I've a right to do so, but what I've done is rejected it. I reject what it communicates to me as handed down and rewrite it so that I might be the one who communicates to myself because it makes me comfortable or it makes me feel empowered or whatever reason. The point is that I've moved away from Fantasy.And that's my argument here, which is why I think you've misunderstood me. I'm not saying "Woe is me! Look what we've lost!" I haven't lost it. As you've said, I still have my knight and damsel. But in taking the stereotypes as they are handed down to me, understanding them for what they are within Fantasy, I am just one in a long line of stewards and, hopefully (as all who play Fantasy type RPGs desire) participators/creators of Fantasy. Those who deconstruct Fantasy should at least own up to it. I would assume that they'd wear such an accomplishment as a badge of honor.</blockquote>

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