I'm back.
I think there are several issues here that people are worried about:
1. Censorship, changing sensibilities and the ability to have discussion.
Why not just excise the objectionable stuff?
To
Kill a Mockingbird is a classic Novel that has, on and off in history, has been the target of censorship. Pulled from schools and libraries and various special interest groups wanting to take it out of print.
Would it be better to 'edit' the book to make it less offensive to more modern sensibilities or does it have value for what it is?
I have on my shelf a "superhero" story. It falls under fantasy in that it is not real. Superheroes do not exist, superpowers do not exist. Within this story the main organization for superheroes abducts children with powers and trains them to be child soldiers, sent on kill missions against any hero that leaves the organization, because that person is a villain (by the way, this is the Velveteen Vs. series if people are interested)
Is this organization right to do so? Wrong to do so? By your premise, I cannot say. I literally cannot say that training children to kill traitors is wrong, or evil, or good, or anything. It is a fantasy story. Real World Ethics do not apply.
So should you no longer have stories about child abduction or child abuse or are these stories only acceptable if the villain is doing it? What if someone is the victim of child abuse, should the book be changed or taken down?
In this book, which I do not remember the name of, nor will I give the author any business if I could, a man recieves a message in his brain that he will gain power if he kills three people in the next minute. He hates people, so he does so. And he is reborn with the ability to control insects. He is a tiny gemstone, buried underground. He gains more power by killing more living things. At the climax of the story, he is controlling a swarm of wasps to torture and kill a family of five. He takes great pleasure in doing so, and finds the act very rewarding. Funny too since he has the insects stalk them for about a day, and the people are completely unaware that he exists, or that these are anything other than normal wasps.
Judging this story based solely on the morality it presents, in this world of the book, murder and torture are fulfilling and amusing actions that have great rewards attached to them. This is truth, because it is presented to us in this story, and this is a fantasy story, so only the morality within the story applies.
Is it wrong or even in bad taste to have a book that glorifies torture and killing? Are there no discussions to be had? Is a book to be changed or shelved because it is morally depraved? To me, That conversation, in itself, is worth having.
This is why your continued assertions fall apart Mercurius. We have to be able to apply real world ethics and reasoning to our stories. Otherwise every author would have to explain why kindness is good and torture is bad.
I'm not sure Mercurius is saying we should divorce our own experience and morality or that of society from the book. I think he's saying that something isn't inherently immoral just because it depicts immoral/amoral behavior.
Just because literature depicts something that people find offensive, must it be changed?
2. Future Materials
It's been stated several times that 'only orcs and drow' are going to be changed so people should just stop arguing and that discussing things like Necromancers isn't an issue so stop playing gotcha.
The issue is that sensibilities change. Today it's Orcs and Drow but what about in five years? It really is an issue if the answer to #1 is, change it, take it off the shelves and censor it. That limits discussion. It sets a precedent as well. Today, Necromancers(or goblins, or Giants) aren't a big deal but it doesn't mean they won't be in the future. It just might be the thing you didn't think was offensive. Will there be no room for your opinions or sensibilities when they change it?
What kind of effect will it have on published materials if writers must worry about their stories being changed or censored because it no longer fits the sensibilities of the day, or a specific group? Does it limit the material we will have access to? That is a personal concern for me. Who should be the judge of what material I'm allowed to read? Whoever shouts the loudest?
2. WotC responsibilities
Is it the responsibility of Wizard of the Coast to censor the content they provide? Are they essentially selling 'toys' that should be moral or can they be edgy and provocative? Is it their responsibility to be the moral compass of their consumers? In the end, They are a company and they have a reputation and they want to sell books. I think it goes without saying that they want to publish material that is 'responsible' and inclusive, and they should. But Should all past material be changed? Can we still be inclusive by saying, "This was thing back then but now it's not."
This illustrates progress and understanding for the society we were. "can you believe people used to smoke in airplanes?! that's crazy!"
In the end, I feel, they want to expand their base so they'll do whatever makes them more successful.