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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Viktyr Gehrig" data-source="post: 5923469" data-attributes="member: 9249">You know, I'm getting really sick of the kneejerk politically correct nonsense that's being thrown around here.Yeah, there are lot of parts of D&D and fantasy lit in general that come from racist sources. 'Lost cities' are based on colonialists' inability to comprehend that African and South American 'savages' had civilizations and technology of their own. The Drow are cursed with black skin because of their inherent evil and their crimes against the gods. It's okay to kill orcs because they're not really people, because they're less civilized, because they're different. These tropes all have their roots in some form of cultural bias.But you know what? Using these tropes in fantasy fiction is not a racist act. It does not promote the racist ideals they're based on. It does not encourage people to engage in racial discrimination or stereotyping. It does not belittle the cultural sensibilities of real ethnic minorities, nor does it diminish their real struggles for equal rights and recognition in the real world. The only thing this incessant drive for censorship accomplishes is shaming people for having innocent fun with their friends and patronizing the people you're setting out to protect. It's insulting.As far as giving the 'monsters' nuanced motivations... that's all well and good. I do that in my own games. But the thing about playing in a morally nuanced world is that they are, by definition, populated by morally nuanced characters. A lot of the conflict I see between 'nuanced' players and 'black and white' players arises from DMs treating the monsters and NPCs with sympathy... and then holding the PCs to black and white standards. Usually with a walloping dose of <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoodIsDumb" target="_blank">Good Is Dumb</a> on the side.</blockquote>

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