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<blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 8326626" data-attributes="member: 82106">Right, and I agree. I would only say, additionally, that issues can be subtle, and it can be hard to know where one might have simply overlooked something because we've been exposed to some negative idea for so long it has vanished from conscious consideration. Nor do people all give the same factors equal weight. You might portray orcs as both technologically advanced in some respect (maybe they make really awesome weapons or something), and yet seeming more primitive in some other sense (governmental institutions perhaps). You might even portray each as being a range that overlaps with other races, etc. That might TO YOU AND ME seem pretty fair and reasonable, they're different but not worse. The orc tribe you are dealing with is 'tribalistic', but over the next mountain is an orc republic. Some player may still interpret this scenario as having a dimension of portraying a negative stereotype. Maybe that player is included in a stereotyped ethnic identity, and maybe they are simply more aware of, or from YOUR perspective &quot;overly sensitive to&quot; certain factors.So, yes, I think giving the 'orcs' a more nuanced character does work, but it won't work perfectly, that's all.Also, it inevitably does leave out a lot of the more 'black and white' sort of RP. A lot of people DO enjoy that. We could ask if that kind of play is INHERENTLY relying on some negative stereotypes. Its a tough question. Obviously if you want that kind of play maybe the only way to avoid them really is to make the bad guys 'neoghi' or something that is really super alien and thus further removed from comparisons with the real world.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="AbdulAlhazred, post: 8326626, member: 82106"] Right, and I agree. I would only say, additionally, that issues can be subtle, and it can be hard to know where one might have simply overlooked something because we've been exposed to some negative idea for so long it has vanished from conscious consideration. Nor do people all give the same factors equal weight. You might portray orcs as both technologically advanced in some respect (maybe they make really awesome weapons or something), and yet seeming more primitive in some other sense (governmental institutions perhaps). You might even portray each as being a range that overlaps with other races, etc. That might TO YOU AND ME seem pretty fair and reasonable, they're different but not worse. The orc tribe you are dealing with is 'tribalistic', but over the next mountain is an orc republic. Some player may still interpret this scenario as having a dimension of portraying a negative stereotype. Maybe that player is included in a stereotyped ethnic identity, and maybe they are simply more aware of, or from YOUR perspective "overly sensitive to" certain factors. So, yes, I think giving the 'orcs' a more nuanced character does work, but it won't work perfectly, that's all. Also, it inevitably does leave out a lot of the more 'black and white' sort of RP. A lot of people DO enjoy that. We could ask if that kind of play is INHERENTLY relying on some negative stereotypes. Its a tough question. Obviously if you want that kind of play maybe the only way to avoid them really is to make the bad guys 'neoghi' or something that is really super alien and thus further removed from comparisons with the real world. [/QUOTE]

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