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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Snarf Zagyg" data-source="post: 8026264" data-attributes="member: 7023840">I think that many people overlook the nature of certain myths and tropes. Many of the concepts we have of the "Wild West" for example are completely false; a total mythology built out of a very short period of time.Many of the concepts we have of "Medieval Europe" are completely false as well. The actual resemblance between D&D (or, for that matter, dinner, drinks, and turkey legs while watching a joust in Las Vegas or Orlando) is approximately 0. It's interesting, because I don't think many people fully understand exactly how .... well, how much of a cultural wasteland America was in in the early 80s compared to today. I remember that as late as, oh, I want to say 1989, "bagels" were an ethnic food that you couldn't find outside of major cities (except maybe, if you were lucky, you could get Lender's in the Super Market frozen section), and "sushi" was unheard in most places outside of the West Coast / Chicago / NYC. While Japan was looming large in American consciousness in 1985 (thanks largely to Shougun in the 70s, and economic fear akin to what we feel now toward China), Korea was largely unknown (this is pre-88 Olympics), China was still opening up (and before the square). The word "oriental" didn't have the same connotation that we now associate with it (outside of Ramen flavors and Rugs, I can't think of another time I really see it anymore).All of which is a long-winded way of saying that while it might not have aged well, when judged in the context of its time, it provided an avenue that many people were unfamiliar with- I would argue that it was "progressive" for its time. That does not mean that it is appropriate now (without a disclaimer), but we aren't looking at something like the virulent racism of H. P. Lovecraft, or even whitewashing culture and absolutely terrible tropes like Carradine in Kung Fu.</blockquote>

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