Well, I have been trying to avoid writing this post for sometime for two reasons. The first one being I do not like real politics in my hobbies. The second one being that this blog is a labor of love and I enjoy writing but I know I will not enjoy writing this post. But I digress, here I am writing this post. I have been motivated to write it for one reason and one reason only, which is simply - SILENCE IS CONSENT!
On June 6th, 2020 Wizards of the Coast published an article titled "Diversity AND Dungeons and Dragons.
This article talks about how WotC is changing various wording in their future reprints to fix racially insensitive language, how they view Drow and Orcs as being racist and they are going to change their presentation, fix some stereotypes in Curse of Strahd, and hire sensitivity readers to review all future products. How they are going to include a legacy clause (talking about how they don't support) products like Oriental Adventures, etc. It even talks about how they are going to release a product where ability increases are not going to be set by the chosen race but free floating (this usually happens at tables anywhere if a player talks to the GM about it). At casual glance this sounds great, diversity and inclusion in black and white. Though, the article does not hold up to any type of critical thinking and many games have come before this that already include some from of a diversity/inclusion clause clause.
The first thing that stands out is how hypocritical this move is. This is not out of the kindness of their hearts, this is due to the current political air and whatever hate mail they are getting over various topics. If this was brought up a year ago, two years ago, in 4th edition, 3.5, etc. Then alright, I would say it was sincere or at least mostly so. This observation also goes for everyone else who was followed in the WotC footsteps (or predated them in the current political climate). Has everyone forgotten how horrible WotC's practices are? How they bought out Last Unicorn Games and filled LUG with promises only to fire just about everyone, kill their game lines, and absorb the company like a Gelatinous Cube? Or how WotC still has not truly addressed the accusations about how Mike Mearls covered up abuse allegations? Or how they continuously mistreat their freelancers and other employees? With this final statement, I would like to direct your attention to the viewing screen:
These are just a handful of examples of how WotC has a history of saying one thing and doing something completely different behind the curtains.
With the elephant in the room out of the way, we can move on to the whole idea of Orcs, Drow, and other things being racially insensitive or stereotypical. I have had countless conversations with people in the community about this and there are some people that really try to make this idea hold water. These people are convinced it does because they are superimposing real world politics and creating intent of racist connotations where there is not be and never was (it is all just real world agenda pushing). Any person or organization (like WotC) can apply real world politics, stretch/bend/alter the intent or purpose of x, y, z to try to make any aspect of fantasy/sci-fi/etc gaming racist/biased/etc. But, in the end, it does not hold water because it always leaks.
Orcs, Drow, etc. are not racist. There should be no real world parallels to Orcs, Drow, etc. to any people of color or cultures. Any attempt to make them so is to put one's own politics and agendas into the game. This also takes away powerful metaphors of good and evil, chaos and law, order and disorder, etc. I am not the first to cry shenanigans about this and I wont be the last. Some examples of people that have come before me Orcs and the End of Symbols, The Orcish Enlightenment, Woke D&D, and Dystopia-Totalitarianism and 05R.
All of this really blows my mind and makes me want to yell WTF! at the top of my lungs. What really just floors me about all of this is that all of these people are attacking what is in black and white by bending things to fit their agenda, splitting areas, and straight up going on a witch hunt. All this effort is so misguided it isn't even funny. What is in black and white is not the problem. The real problem with inclusion and racism at the table is with the people at the table. It is with the people who make racist comments, racist jokes, and everyone who makes other people feel unsafe or uncomfortable at the table. It is the responsibility of everyone at the table to make sure the experience is inclusive and no one is made to feel unsafe. This is done by having a conversation about everyone regarding game content and using in game tools like the X-Card.
All those people out there who are racist, sexist, jerks that make people feel unsafe at the table (and other worse acts) will be left without people to game with and the community will drop them like yesterdays dirty underwear.
Don't get me wrong, I think it is great (and welcome these changes) for games to have inclusion clauses, multi-cultural art, multi-sexual orientation art, flexible rules to move around bonuses, etc. But do not expect me to give you a pat on a back because companies are caving to political pressure or be impressed by all of those self flogging authors rejecting their works, rejecting gaming awards, and trying to turn themselves in a martyr. The timing and the current inquisition are not your friends.
All these people who are this witch hunt really need to refocus their efforts in other areas - like demand gaming companies to treat their employees better, demand them to take responsibility for their unsavory actions, and demand them to take allegations seriously. You can also you know get out and vote, volunteer their time at their local civil rights movements, right letters to their government representatives, get a job where they can make change, and anything else along those lines. The possibilities are endless to make real world changes.
REAL WORLD POLITICS DO NOT BELONG IN GAMING AND PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THIS ARE DAMAGING THE HOBBY.
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Well said. The proof is in the pudding as they say based on what your group is doing at the table. Some of this political correctness and social justice crusading has gone over the top and become quite absurd. WotC's response to virtue signal in order to not have to "face the mob's wrath" is even worse than the effort to create controversy where none should exist. I'm not one for cancel culture and boycotting stuff, but I do have plenty of options other than WotC that aren't pandering to the PC mob.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! Glad to see that people in the community are keeping rational discussion alive and healthy even when the big players (such as WotC) are using pretzel logic to try and create a surface layer of unearned virtuosity.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little reluctant to demand that a company change its policies, and then complain that they only did it for selfish reasons, and shouldn't be given any credit for it. That's how change happens.
ReplyDeleteAs I stated in my post, I am all for the change. Though, WotC is waving the look at me flag and they want high fives for being progressive when they turn around and do backroom discriminatory things. That is why I am angry.
DeleteI'm...skeptical that the delineations you draw are there.
ReplyDeleteYou say, "All these people who are this witch hunt really need to refocus their efforts in other areas."
Never mind the fact that I disagree that this can be fairly summed up as a witch hunt - even if I were to grant you that, nearly everyone I know who is involved in calling for some of the forms of change you find less valid are also calling for better accountability, better treatment of employees, etc.
It's not like there's a faction that only cares about orcs and not about people. People disagree with what counts as a problem, and some people disagree with what counts as sincerity. But there isn't this...vacuum of sincerity, or whatever. Nor is there a binary split in what people believe or prioritize. Everyone I've talked to who AGREES that orcs are a problem, still has nuanced takes on the why, and what should be done, and also HOW MUCH of a problem they are (ranging from minimally irritating to hugely troubling).
It's more a matter of "how much weight we give things" (for instance, you maybe don't give much weight to the idea that symbols might have a causal relationship to microaggressions people experience at the table) or "how we attribute things" (for instance, you might say that those microaggressions are the responsibility, in full, of the bigots at the table, not the creators of those symbols).
And I think that's a much kinder, inclusive way of discussing your anger at those people, rather than presenting them as just...deluded activists who focus on orcs and not on people, who don't care about the Right Problems. As someone fairly entrenched in the conversation as well, I just don't see that as reality.
As I stated in my blog, I am all for all of this progressive change. What is my problem is that WotC is making sure everyone knows about all of their progressive reforms but still really haven't addressed bigger issues or changed their policies. I think they are using it as a smoke screen and people are already calming down. But I digress, I am going to do a follow up post regarding Orcs themselves.
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