D&D 5E Thoughts on this article about Black Culture & the D&D team dropping the ball?

[Shasarak]

The first rule of holes is to stop digging

I always imagined that the first rule of holes is to start digging?

 

[Satyrn]

I always imagined that the first rule of holes is to start digging?

I thought the first rule of holes was grab a shovel

 

[Lylandra]

Interestingly, I had thought you were talking originally about the World War One era German stereotype, with it's Kaiserific blend of modern and medieval, if that makes sense.

Ah, no. But the one stereotype leads to the other as they share a lot of common conceptions: Believing in a surpreme authority figure, law&order, militarism, uniformism, being stern & without humor or fine etiquette, being "steely" and focusing proudly on that (Panzers!) and believing in one's own superiority in one way or another. After all, WW2 and the many events that led to it were stirred by people who didn't want to admit defeat and who didn't want to change. (That so many other people followed them was - simplified - because they were living in pretty bad conditions after WW1 and the depression)

The "Kaiserific" could be more prevalent in RPG settings than in other fictional media though.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[TheCosmicKid]

But, having been a multiracial* black man all my life, I can tell you that if a term is considered racist NOW, blacks weren't OK with it THEN.

Really? I don't want to seem like I'm jumping in on DaJoker's side here, because... wow, just wow. But this statement really surprised me, so I gotta ask for clarification. Is there a subtext to, say, MLK using the word "Negro" that I've been missing? Or DuBois and company choosing the acronym "NAACP"? Because I always understood those to be simply the preferred language of their respective times, which has since evolved as language tends to do.

Or am I just misunderstanding you, and you're referring specifically to certain other terms that, yeah, were definitely always racist?

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Ah, no. But the one stereotype leads to the other as they share a lot of common conceptions: Believing in a surpreme authority figure, law&order, militarism, uniformism, being stern & without humor or fine etiquette, being "steely" and focusing proudly on that (Panzers!) and believing in one's own superiority in one way or another. After all, WW2 and the many events that led to it were stirred by people who didn't want to admit defeat and who didn't want to change. (That so many other people followed them was - simplified - because they were living in pretty bad conditions after WW1 and the depression)

The "Kaiserific" could be more prevalent in RPG settings than in other fictional media though.

I kind of want to see someone go all in on the German stereotypes.

By which I mean mash the Prussian and Bavarian stereotypes together: a stern, militaristic nation with mighty armies all dressed in uniform lederhosen, marching to tuba and accordion, comfortably overweight, and totally drunk.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Really? I don't want to seem like I'm jumping in on DaJoker's side here, because... wow, just wow. But this statement really surprised me, so I gotta ask for clarification. Is there a subtext to, say, MLK using the word "Negro" that I've been missing? Or DuBois and company choosing the acronym "NAACP"? Because I always understood those to be simply the preferred language of their respective times, which has since evolved as language tends to do.

Or am I just misunderstanding you, and you're referring specifically to certain other terms that, yeah, were definitely always racist?

"Negro" and "colored" are kind of *ahem* cultural/linguistic red-headed stepchildren: "n*****r" was clearly not acceptable, and people were searching for a term.

"Colored" was often used as just a more polite slur, the one you used when trying to sound less racist than the blue-collar cross burners. "Negro" had the benefit of being Latinate, but was close enough to the slur- and itself still got used with a verbal sting in its tail often enough- that many remained uncomfortable with it.

Eventually, the anglicized "black" came into vogue, being seen as an equivalent to "white".

I suspect the leadership of the NAACP, UNCF and other organizations keep those archaic terms within their names as a reminder of what went before, kind of like the "Whites Only" sign over a water fountain at the Dallas County Records Building.

 

[Alexemplar]

Really? I don't want to seem like I'm jumping in on DaJoker's side here, because... wow, just wow. But this statement really surprised me, so I gotta ask for clarification. Is there a subtext to, say, MLK using the word "Negro" that I've been missing? Or DuBois and company choosing the acronym "NAACP"? Because I always understood those to be simply the preferred language of their respective times, which has since evolved as language tends to do.

Or am I just misunderstanding you, and you're referring specifically to certain other terms that, yeah, were definitely always racist?

The term "negro" is not generally considered racist by black people, no. I mean, using it in modern conversation will make you seem really old fashioned/out of touch, like referring to a sofa as a "divan" or pants as "britches" which makes it generally tolerable coming from older people as opposed to younger people- who I'd be inclined to think are only using the term as an obvious reference to "the old days".

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I kind of want to see someone go all in on the German stereotypes.

By which I mean mash the Prussian and Bavarian stereotypes together: a stern, militaristic nation with mighty armies all dressed in uniform lederhosen, marching to tuba and accordion, comfortably overweight, and totally drunk.

You forgot "legendarily humorless".

(Look for Patton Oswalt's commentary therupon.)

 

[Lylandra]

I kind of want to see someone go all in on the German stereotypes.

By which I mean mash the Prussian and Bavarian stereotypes together: a stern, militaristic nation with mighty armies all dressed in uniform lederhosen, marching to tuba and accordion, comfortably overweight, and totally drunk.

Hah, you do know that the Bavarians love to hate the "Saupreißn" as they call the Prussians? (which is, to them, everyone north of Bavaria)