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Message: <blockquote data-quote="VelvetViolet" data-source="post: 8359391" data-attributes="member: 6686357">I don’t want to bring in politics, but I’d like to note that people’s approach to the “evil races” debate depends on their existing biases.<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">One group thinks that fictional species can be coded with traits reminiscent of real world ethnic stereotypes/caricatures, whether intentionally or subconsciously, and that this can potentially become offensive. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">One group thinks that it’s categorically impossible for fantasy to be racist because it’s fantasy, even if a fictional species is heavily coded in way that should be impossible to ignore. Anyone who sees this coding is therefore a racist. (E.g. the Terra Formars comic codes Martian cockroach people with numerous stereotypes of black people, such as spiral hair, athleticism, holding guns sideways, wearing bling, phallic symbols, rape symbolism, etc along with having a couple named Eva and Adolf, depicting an engineered perfect human as a Nazi Aryan stereotype stud, tons of seemingly extreme right-wing social commentary… but fans insist that this doesn’t exist.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">One group is prone to overreaching and seeing coding even where there is none, neither intentionally or subconsciously planted by the creator. This reinforces the beliefs of group #2. (E.g. someone wrote an article arguing that the aliens and predators from the movie franchises of the same name are anti-black caricatures.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">One group thinks that it’s impossible for a fictional species to have evolved in such a way that peaceful coexistence with humans is impossible, and that any depiction of such is inherently racist towards real minorities. This reinforces the beliefs of group #2. (E.g. that notoriously controversial Extra Credits video.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">One group just doesn’t want to think too hard about their elf-games and categorically rejects any attempt to insert what they perceive as “political correctness.” </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">One group thinks that any kind of coding is inherently offensive. (E.g. someone wrote an article arguing that dwarves being coded as Scottish Jews is inherently offensive even though dwarves are normally characterized as heroes and even as an unfairly persecuted minority.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Etc</li> </ol>I have seen all of these positions argued at some point and I can provide receipts. There are nonsensical leaps of logic in most of these positions. It makes discussions very frustrating.Like, there’s basically only two takes on HPL’s fish people: they’re either irredeemably evil monsters that must be exterminated to protect our pure human bloodlines (and our women!), or they’re a persecuted minority who looks weird but are otherwise normal people. There’s no nuance here, and in neither case do they feel like aliens.</blockquote>

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