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<blockquote data-quote="Bedrockgames" data-source="post: 8862361" data-attributes="member: 85555">My point has nothing to do with the existence of many people around the globe. It is a problem with conflating peoples (which is a term we use to designate human groups) with species/races like dwarves, elves, etc. Because I think that gets you much closer to the kinds of ethnonationalist concerns I am talking about (which thought of peoples not just as different ethnic groups but as people with hugely varied physiology, which was used to justify racist policies and violence). I never made the statement you seem to be thinking I was making. Again though I don't think this is handwringing. If it isn't handwringing for people to express concern about race (and I don't share their conclusions but I think the concern they raise is a fair one), then I think worrying about how describing species in a setting as peoples has stronger parallels to the kind of ethnic nationalism I was talking about is also fair (and frankly that kind of ethnic nationalism is much more of a concern to me personally). My point is if you are worried about the connotations of the term race, peoples seems just as, if not more, prone to issues. Species I think at least clarifies we are speaking about something very different from human groups. In terms of humanizing or othering fantasy races. I am pretty neutral on that, because they are fictional groups. They don't represent real people, they are mythic beings in a fantasy game and aren't people in the real world. So if you want to humanize them more, I certainly think that can lead to interesting stories. But if you want more monstrous, detached or aloof fantasy races that can also create an interesting feel as well.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Bedrockgames, post: 8862361, member: 85555"] My point has nothing to do with the existence of many people around the globe. It is a problem with conflating peoples (which is a term we use to designate human groups) with species/races like dwarves, elves, etc. Because I think that gets you much closer to the kinds of ethnonationalist concerns I am talking about (which thought of peoples not just as different ethnic groups but as people with hugely varied physiology, which was used to justify racist policies and violence). I never made the statement you seem to be thinking I was making. Again though I don't think this is handwringing. If it isn't handwringing for people to express concern about race (and I don't share their conclusions but I think the concern they raise is a fair one), then I think worrying about how describing species in a setting as peoples has stronger parallels to the kind of ethnic nationalism I was talking about is also fair (and frankly that kind of ethnic nationalism is much more of a concern to me personally). My point is if you are worried about the connotations of the term race, peoples seems just as, if not more, prone to issues. Species I think at least clarifies we are speaking about something very different from human groups. In terms of humanizing or othering fantasy races. I am pretty neutral on that, because they are fictional groups. They don't represent real people, they are mythic beings in a fantasy game and aren't people in the real world. So if you want to humanize them more, I certainly think that can lead to interesting stories. But if you want more monstrous, detached or aloof fantasy races that can also create an interesting feel as well. [/QUOTE]

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