"Racism" and "Speciesism" (?)

[Snoteye]

Seriously.

[Nihm]

Murdering, thieving pcs are common and acceptable, racist and slaver pcs are not, seemingly oocly tabboo.

[Big Orc Man]

Actually, I think there is good IC precedent for being anti-slavery.

It's more the race thing that's silly.

Racism isn't inherently evil.

[Porkolt]

I must admit I've always associated the term 'speciesist' with the manner it is used in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, which is for sheer comedic effect.

Similarly, the only times I have used the given term in EFU is when being disfavored for being a goofy gnome.

[The Old Hack]

I must admit I've always associated the term 'speciesist' with the manner it is used in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, which is for sheer comedic effect.

"Rincewind had always been happy to think of himself as a racist. The One Hundred Meters, The Mile, The Marathon -- he'd run them all. Later, when he'd learned with some surprise what the word actually meant, he'd been equally certain he wasn't one. He was a person who divided the world quite simply into people who were trying to kill him and people who weren't. That didn't leave much room for fine details like what colour anyone was."

-- Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent

[TeufelHunden]

I think this needs to be brought up again as I am seeing a lot of people claiming people are "Racist" or "Prejudiced" and acting like it is some rare horrible thing. Racism is the norm in the world we are playing in and tolerance is what should be viewed as strange. So lets do as the DM team has said many times over and stop using words like this in game as though it is the 21st century and we have been through civil rights and sensitivity training.

[GoblinSapper]

On this subject, there have been few examples in Faerun of races actually co-habitating, and those that exist are considered exceptional examples. Baldurs Gate, Watersdeep, Silverymoon, and most historically Myth Drannor (which was considered an idealised, integrated society - even though it still had racial tensions and racism, mostly on the part of the elves towards everyone else)
 
So it is possible to have ideals of racial equality by all means, but to most people, the others races are alien and strange, and the fundamental tendency of people to hate things that are alien and strange is pan-universal.

[Gotham]

That being said, let us not imagine racism is in any way an intelligent stance, and doesn't justify evil alignment actions.

[Pup]

When my Order char refers to beings of a race other than human, he calls it "it".  Makes me smile.  It's simple, and relevant.

[HalflingPower]

Playing a xenophobic human character makes it entirely fair play to smack around the cute little halflings just for being halflings.

[The Old Hack]

Prejudice and bigotry, while certainly not in any way 'nice' stances, are part and parcel of not only the real world but also storytelling. Many a story are driven either by conflicts created by them or by one or more characters struggling to overcome them, or even both.

The key here is as always to remember: this is IC, not OOC. It is OK to ICly despise someone for being a half-orc/woman/whatever subgroup you dislike. However, always try to remember that there is a real person behind the IC appearance on both sides of the equation. Try to keep the RP below levels where it may be actively hurtful and remember that this is an attempt to have fun. If you start to feel really uncomfortable, it is better to OOCly tell the other player so and ask him to please let up on you a little bit than it is to start getting resentful and showing it.

As to IC responses... as always, we need to keep a careful eye on our modern perspective. Not all places in the FR share them; a great many of them hold entirely different ones. Orc-ravaged nations might fear and hate half-orcs. If something is a major taboo where you come from, you will obviously recoil from anyone violating that taboo. (Cannibalism being a case in point!) In short: throwing 'racism' at someone as if it is an automatically BAD THING will often result in confusion if not outright breaking immersion. Try to avoid that!

[Echigo]

Go Mel Gibson on them Half-Orcs!

[Random_White_Guy]

Pft.

Down with Humans

Eldreth Veluuthra for Life!

But yes this issue pops up now and again and eventually it tapers off.

[Balop]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiWocwb8bIQ

SAVAGES, SAVAGES, BARELY EVEN HUMAN.

[Big Orc Man]

Racism is an intelligent stance in Forgotten Realms.

In real life, the different races of people are so genetically similar in almost every way that arguing that there's a substantial difference between the races is dumb.

In Forgotten Realms, the different races are very different.  To their core.  Dwarves are dwarves.  Elves are elves.  Orcs are orcs.  A character would have to be a total moron to think that an elf could be the best metalsmith in Faerun, or that a dwarf could flit about from tree to tree.