How to Tell if Your Fun is Wrong

[imagineGod]

This article contradicts itself, since, it is impossible to know if a table is having fun with racial slurs if nobody at that table ever complains to the wider world, thus, nobody in the wider world will ever know if a table without a mole is playing a game full of racial slurs.

Obviously, if you try to sit at such a table in a public place. and the other players look at you uncomfortably, yes, I had experienced that when I approached one table of all white guys at a convention to join them seeing an empty seat, then maybe that table is one of those that was having fun using racial slurs, and your presence suddenly made them all suddenly uncomfortable, since the world will now know. ;-)

 

[MGibster]

Obviously, if you try to sit at such a table in a public place. and the other players look at you uncomfortably, yes, I had experienced that when I approached one table of all white guys at a convention to join them seeing an empty seat, then maybe that table is one of those that was having fun using racial slurs, and your presence suddenly made them all suddenly uncomfortable, since the world will now know. ;-)

I've played at a few conventions where I wanted to smack one of the other players over the head and say, "We're in a public venue. Maybe you ought to watch your mouth." Not for racist stuff, because either they'd leave the table or I would, but just general potty mouths. I think when you're in a public venue like a convention you've got to be considerate of the people who aren't at your table. I know there are some horror scenarios I won't run in a public venue because I want to be considerate to everyone around me even if they're not at my table.

This article contradicts itself, since, it is impossible to know if a table is having fun with racial slurs if nobody at that table ever complains to the wider world, thus, nobody in the wider world will ever know if a table without a mole is playing a game full of racial slurs.

I've gotta say, Fun with Racial Slurs is perhaps the most terrifying title for a children's book I could think of.

 

[aramis erak]

The 1920s and 1930s were definitely a more overtly racist time, but Lovecraft was still above average. I'm reasonably sure most of-the-time racists didn't have fantasies about minorities getting gassed...

The 1920's saw the legalization of the Jewish faith in the US. The 1930's saw the legalization of Islam. Prior to those particular federal court decisions, it was legal in the US to deny jobs, housing, marriage, and even the right to shop, to members of those faiths. Likewise, Women got the vote in the US in 1920.

It was a time when a lot of the nation was rethinking its bigotry. Sure, the KKK made a resurgence... but there was a movement in the judiciary to extend civil rights to all. Likewise, the courts overturning laws banning the Chinese and Japanese immigrants from being citizens.

Most-of-the-time racists still ran the full gamut at the time, and some still do, and at least some probably would have preferred to have enacted what the SS did within the US. And there still are some who would love to see it now.

The thing is, the KKK was probably more strengthened by the news of those laws being struck down than the film industry. They felt they were at the heart of a culture war. And they weren't wrong about it being a cultural shift... it has continued to shift since, too. Radio brought news to even those who couldn't read, and exposed many to subcultural musics they would never have encountered prior. Any period of tech upheaval of society breeds both nationalism and racism; it often also breeds a nasty strain of ageism.

 

[imagineGod]

Any period of tech upheaval of society breeds both nationalism and racism; it often also breeds a nasty strain of ageism.

Speaking of "ageism" the pandemic lockdown brought both the beauty of online play and the anxiety/horror of it for older GMs not comfortable with all the Virtual Tabletops' bells and whistles.

I now encourage a sort of simplicity in online play and help convince older GMs, those used to traditional pen-and-paper, to just run their games via Discord without need for the fancy moving parts of Fantasy Grounds or Roll20. A simple dice roller on Discord like DiceMaiden is all you need extra. And just cut and paste images from your PDF books using a simple crop tool, again, not strictly necessary. This brings the experience back to human imagination.

Obviously, I also happily run and play in full VTT mode with battlegrids and fog-of-war and spell effects.

 

[Scott Christian]

Bad-wrong-fun is so 2020.

No, seriously, it can be viewed just like a movie. You need to know your audience. I am not going to take a bunch of 14 year old's or a group that really hates graphic violence to watch Kill Bill.

Everything is context and audience. It is also intent. And it should be viewed through those lenses.