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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Helldritch" data-source="post: 8491314" data-attributes="member: 6855114">In short, what we have here is second to third degree references. The orcs are emulating a fictional nation that is inspired by a real world culture (or more than one as a mixed bag of references). Taken as is, at the first degree as you do, these references are distasteful and are some point shocking for some. But taken at the second and third degree as these orcs are supposed to be taken, the distasteful aspect becomes cynical and easily ignored. Here we are seeing a noble nation being inefficively copied by a race. The real world nation being the fantasy nations thus copies are nobles and not depicted in any negative way. These orcs are thus a parody of a fantasy nation and have nothing to relate to a real world culture but to a fantasy nation inspired by a real world culture. In essence, you are saying that the fantasy cultures should be offended but they do not exist...Also, a lot of references to pop culture of the time are made, the boom box comes to mind and so are the punk references. At that time, we had a say that Punk's not dead! These orcs are a clear reference to that too...With a product that is supposed to be taken at second and even sometimes third degree, there are some that will not see what you see. This is what is highly debatable. The parody of an inspiration is not mocking the culture that inspired the nation that is parodied. Was it well executed? Nope. Can it be badly interpreted? Of course.Can it be seen in different light? Definitely.Could it have been better executed and written? Most definitely yes.This Gaz, has very little going for it. But I take it for what it is. A badly written book that did not think every aspects of its approach carefully. But I really doubt that bad intentions were in mind in the first place.I really like to think that this way of writing is past us.</blockquote>

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