What is the most despised race?

[Dark Jezter]

On the claims of fantasy's racism, I have to wonder about the climate that made drow happen. The big evil race, eternal foes of the "good" race (most source seems to hold up elves as paragons of good), bane of all they encounter, dwelling in a society based off cruelty, torture, and hate...are black-skinned and ruled by women. Does this plague no-one else?

Drow are the result of a racist and misogynistic moment in a developer's life.

I'm no drow fanboy, but I do think you guys are being a wee bit oversensitive.

 

[Gez]

*nods* Indeed. Thankfully, both of these are generally confined to Dragonlance.

Sadly, no, they ain't. Kenders polluted all halflings, gullies polluted all dwarves, and tinkers polluted all gnomes (which are cool when you burn the DL stuff that crept everywhere, from FR to SJ and PS).

In fact, any race that is either:

• Angsty, tormented; or
• Silly, comical; or
• Proud and noble and better-than-thou.

 

[Darkness]

I'm no drow fanboy, but I do think you guys are being a wee bit oversensitive.

I agree. Bad guys come in all colors so why not in black and the drow being completely matriarchal is only notable because, well, they're about the only prominent D&D race (evil or otherwise) that is.

 

[Darkness]

Sadly, no, they ain't.

True, tinkers polluted all gnomes (who'd otherwise suck in a different way).
Halflings' preference for the Rogue can let some of them appear kenderish.
Though gully-like dwarves aren't common IMX.

In fact, any race that is either:

• Angsty, tormented; or
• Silly, comical; or
• Proud and noble and better-than-thou.

What about these races?

 

[Testament]

And the only Largo that comes to my mind is the one of Megatokyo fame, who you probably aren't talking about here, but I agree about the Drow fanboys.

Actually, I was talking about that Largo. I mean, look at how rabid and insane he can get for anything Bioware?

I place much of the blame on the artists, with their shameless sexualisation of any and all Drow females (*cough* Kiaransalle...Lolth...Elistraee *cough*). Even Todd Lockwood fell into that trap when he did the cover art for the Starlight & Shadows novels. I mean, he turned Liriel Baenrae into the Jennifer Love Hewitt of elFRealms, do her shirts lack the top three buttons or something?!

My real hatred from them stems from what I said earlier, their overuse, and the fact that the enemies of all good (except for the near limitless supply of CG renegades :\ ) are black and matriarchal. I'm a white male and find it offensive!

*EDIT: I stick by this opinion, although it may just be coincidence. Damn, studying literature for so long may have caused me to read too much into things.*

Anything coming from Dragonlance and less than 6-ft.-tall must die a bloody, cruel, painful, and gruesome death. This includes any halfling that behaves in a Kenderish way, any gnome that tinkers with abandon, and any dwarf that is crude, stupid and dirty.

I'm with you on that one, all the way. Kill them all!

Tinker Gnomes I don't think merit the use of much by way of military resources. We'll just give them one Phoenix Firebomb and stand back. Otherwise I like the idea of a race being experimenters, although Races of Stone did it very well by giving them a Renaissance style culture, in search of enlightenment.

Kender definetely infected Halflings, and although that may well be responsible for them changing from rebadged hobbits, the other changes have not been so beneficial IMHO.

Gully Dwarves did irreperable damage to Dwarves, and they still havent recovered from the image of dirty and uncouth. Warhammer Dwarves may yet be their salvation though. For this, however, Gully Dwarves deserve the most brutal genocide possible.

 

[Jesus_marley]

Where's the option for Kinder?

It would have to be Drow.

However, on the subject of gnomes, it's not that they're dispised as much as just never played. I don't think I've ever seen somebody even play one or run across one as an NPC.

I take exception to that! I have a very cool gnome Barbarian named Sulik. in the campaign he's in right now I have gotten him to level 7. He has got to be one of the most popular characters I have ever played (with me AND the other players).

 

[Darkness]

Actually, I was talking about that Largo. I mean, look at how rabid and insane he can get for anything Bioware?

Oh yeah.

I place much of the blame on the artists, with their shameless sexualisation of any and all Drow females ...

Yeah, it gets tiresome - though, I suppose, not for the target audience.

My real hatred from them stems from what I said earlier, their overuse, and the fact that the enemies of all good (except for the near limitless supply of CG renegades :\ ) are black and matriarchal. I'm a white male and find it offensive!

*EDIT: I stick by this opinion, although it may just be coincidence. Damn, studying literature for so long may have caused me to read too much into things.*

IMO, there's not enough evidence to indicate bigotry. For one, there aren't many other black or matriarchal evil races - certainly not prominent ones. Instead, many monsters are rather goofy-looking. Also, *ahem* I think a bigoted author out for some racism wouldn't have made the drow as smart and cunning - the racist clichés I'm aware of are quite the opposite (i.e., dumb thug).

Gully Dwarves did irreperable damage to Dwarves, and they still havent recovered from the image of dirty and uncouth.

I haven't seen it. Where is that? Greyhawk, maybe? I'm not exactly a GH scholar so I wouldn't know if they were there...

 

[beeber]

first i thought the poll meant "most despised overall" to which i'd have to say i hear people make the most fun (and have the most hatred for) gnomes. second place would be a tie between the short races as a whole and drow.

personally, i despise the myriad half-x/half-y races that have popped up in 3.x. and drow.
for some strange reason i don't hate kender, though. maybe because i played tasselhoff when we did the original DL modules eons ago. . . . :\

 

[Darkness]

I have a very cool gnome Barbarian named Sulik.

Did you have to pay for damage he caused? More importantly, is he looking for his sister and carrying a bone that speaks to him?

 

[rounser]

and the fact that the enemies of all good (except for the near limitless supply of CG renegades ) are black and matriarchal.

Yeah, and TSR obviously had something against short albinos with beards because duergar and derro exist in the game...

I mean, really...

And I think the demons and devils, demodands and daemons - you know, the bona fide Forces of Darkness - would begin to sulk if they heard you say that. Undermine and clash with the forces of good for all eternity and what do you get? Overlooked at the awards ceremony because of some giant fairies with an attitude problem and a sunlight aversion. And they had speeches prepared and everything. :\

"I'd like to thank the Abysmal Academy..."