D&D General RA Salvatore Wants To Correct Drizzt’s Racist Tropes

In an interview with Polygon, the author talks about how the drow are currently being redefined in D&D, and how he wants to be part of that process.

”But on the other hand, if the drow are being portrayed as evil, that’s a trope that has to go away, be buried under the deepest pit, and never brought out again. I was unaware of that. I admit it. I was oblivious.

Drow are now split into (at least) three types — the familiar Udadrow of Menzoberranzan, the arctic-themed Aevendrow, and the jungle-themed Lorendrow. Salvatore's new novel, Starlight Enclave, helps to expand the drows' role in the narrative.

D&D’s Drizzt books were built on racist tropes. R.A. Salvatore wants to change that

‘If the drow are being portrayed as evil, that’s a trope that has to go away’

www.polygon.com

In 2020 WotC made a public statement about how they would be treating drow and orcs going forward -- "Throughout the 50-year history of D&D, some of the peoples in the game—orcs and drow being two of the prime examples—have been characterized as monstrous and evil, using descriptions that are painfully reminiscent of how real-world ethnic groups have been and continue to be denigrated. That’s just not right, and it’s not something we believe in. "

Commitment to Diversity | Dungeons & Dragons

D&D continues to be made as diverse as possible with the reminder that only a diverse group of adventurers can overcome obstacles.

dnd.wizards.com

 

[Superchunk77]

Good thing I stopped reading his books a LONG time ago. Just another thing I get to ignore.

 

[Weiley31]

Salvatore: I want to do good and make better and we're starting that with the latest Drizzt book.

Crawford: Will somebody tell me who this bloody Drizzt is!?

 

[Sacrosanct]

Complete BS. He's trying to plead ignorance of how his own work of decades is seen by the readership? Ridiculous. He just wants to avoid social media falling on him like an avalanche.

Have you ever spoken with him, or followed him on social media? This is an unfair characterization. He's been pretty progressive about this for years.

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

It's ironic to pair that with the latest news from the DnD team, that says nothing Salvatore does in canon
He can't fix the tropes because his Drizzt is less official than the one in the RPG books

 

[Guest 7025638]

There's nothing wrong in the world how he portraits the drows or others, the problem would be if he changed them.. :sigh: It certainly looks I can't read the new Salvatore books, then..

 

[Weiley31]

It's ironic to pair that with the latest news from the DnD team, that says nothing Salvatore does in canon
He can't fix the tropes because his Drizzt is less official than the one in the RPG books

And any positive changes made to the Drow via these books aren't canon basically.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Okay... I'm glad he thinks it should be buried in the deepest pit and never shown again.

But he WROTE about Menzoberranzan. About the Drow. For DECADES. And he was "Oblivious" to the fact that they were presented as an evil race?

Oblivious to the allegorical dark skin=evil and women in power=evil I -might- accept he didn't really think too hard on. But not knowing they were "Portrayed as Evil"?

Don't buy that for a heartbeat.

I suggest reading the article. That's not what he's saying when you read the entire context of his answers. Of course he knew drow are evil. He's saying he was oblivious to connection between drow/dark skinned and black people. And in fairness, many people were until recently. His other quote:

“This is something I hope more younger people can understand,” Salvatore, who is 62 years old and white, continued. “You’re seeing all this stuff and it’s obvious to you. If you grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, it wouldn’t have been obvious. Some things are obvious, but it’s the subtle things that you learn about as you continue to grow and learn. And now, finally, we’re seeing it being played out there in the correct way with people saying, ‘This is naughty word.’ And I love it, and I feel like I’m growing.”

Meaning when people started making connections between drow and black people, and the problems with how D&D has portrayed them in that context, he learned and is growing.

 

[eyeheartawk]

It's ironic to pair that with the latest news from the DnD team, that says nothing Salvatore does in canon
He can't fix the tropes because his Drizzt is less official than the one in the RPG books

The whole having two other "good" Drow civilizations (that nobody knew about until just now) is a dictat that came down from WotC themselves I believe. So in this case, it's the other way around.

 

[Umbran]

It's ironic to pair that with the latest news from the DnD team, that says nothing Salvatore does in canon
He can't fix the tropes because his Drizzt is less official than the one in the RPG books

Now, now, let us not pout about canon.

The new Drizzt books are going to include things that will be present in game books. And whether he can fix the tropes in game books or not, he can improve his own work with better ideas he has come by through his own growth as a human being.

 

[Steampunkette]

I suggest reading the article. That's not what he's saying when you read the entire context of his answers. Of course he knew drow are evil. He's saying he was oblivious to connection between drow/dark skinned and black people. And in fairness, many people were until recently. His other quote:

“This is something I hope more younger people can understand,” Salvatore, who is 62 years old and white, continued. “You’re seeing all this stuff and it’s obvious to you. If you grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, it wouldn’t have been obvious. Some things are obvious, but it’s the subtle things that you learn about as you continue to grow and learn. And now, finally, we’re seeing it being played out there in the correct way with people saying, ‘This is naughty word.’ And I love it, and I feel like I’m growing.”

Meaning when people started making connections between drow and black people, and the problems with how D&D has portrayed them in that context, he learned and is growing.

Ehhhhhh...

"If you'd been a -white- man who grew up in the 60s it -might- not have been obvious to you" would be a better thing to write, there.

Black people have -long- known about the connection. And women have long known that Women in Power = Evil is really rough, too. And he's been confronted about it, many times, over the years. On and offline. This isn't new. This isn't "We realized this in 2020".

I'm also shocked by the number of people who are like "He's gonna change it to be less racist? I'm out!" that's... I mean go for it, friends, but that's tellin' all on yourselves.