Topic Two: Race

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

Everyone who posts something on this discussion will get 2 character points.

I have noticed in running rpgs that people tend to play Caucasian characters. Even people who themselves are not Caucasian in real life, play Caucasian characters. I have sometimes wondered why this is. Now, it is a fantasy, so we could play as any race that we would like. However, people generally pick Caucasians, with Asians being the second most popular race.

I think that maybe this is because Caucasian is seen as the standard in American society. It is the standard for who is considered beautiful, powerful, and sometimes, even worthwhile. To not be white is deviant. History as it is taught is usually the history of white people. Politics is usually the politics of white people. Commercials, TV, news, movies, and so on, feature white people more often than African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, etc.

I often play white characters. I find that it is what I am familiar and comfortable with. It also helps me to avoid stereotypes.

So, why do you think people prefer playing Caucasian characters?

What does race mean in the life of your character?

In this world, white people do have more power in politics and business...even religion. There are very few non Europeans with power in the rpg. This is similar to our own world. Those in power in the rpg claim that racism doesn't exist any more since anyone can accomplish whatever they dream as long as they work hard and have talent.

There are sometimes Asians with power in the rpg though. In the real world, Asians are sometimes seen by Caucasians as "almost white." The acceptance of Asians over other racial groups stands out especially when it comes to adoption. White people often adopt children from China or Korea, but are reluctant to adopt African American children who need families and live here in the United States.

In any event, how does racism impact your character, this rpg, or your own life?

[gunther]

My character really has nothing to do with race so much as theme; I based him off The Major from Hellsing and made him a Null member because it made sense to me.

Not surprisingly, most of my characters are caucasian because like you, it's more familiar to me and I don't want to end up making stereotypes; which is harder then you think. I have made "some" characters that are not caucasian, very few but they do exist.

As for how it impacts my life... all I can really say about that is that every time I hear a racist biggot talk about race, I want to punch them in the face, but I don't because I've evolved passed that impulse. However, it isn't just caucasians that are racists; my girlfriend's dad I believe is also racist toward me... she's of hispanic persuasian. So that's been a headache for me. Otherwise it really doesn't bother me personally aside from that instance.

[Jack Kruschev]

Race is an interesting subject. Ethnicity, even more. However, none of my characters deal with race on a regular basis as a large impact or influence.

I feel that race plays an enormous role in today’s life in general. Whether it be politics, economics, and son on until the cows come home. The whole matter may sound silly, at best, but it still greatly influences life in today’s world.

Personally, I’m mostly Mexican, German, and Hispanic. However, in my hometown, you’re either rich, middle class, or Mexican (harsh and sad, but true.) Seeing as my skin is just as white as most other Caucasians, I “sided” with them, because I was less accepted in the Hispanic community. As far as most are concerned, I’m white.

Historically, the Western Europeans have accomplished the most, it seems at a glance. While the Chinese invented the crossbow (highly advanced weapon for it’s time), the Aborigines invented the boomerang (at the time, a valuable hunting tool and extremely advanced aerodynamic weapon), the Arabic identified alcohol (with various chemistry methods), and other non-white civilizations did various things considered advanced for the time period. While the Indians (not native Americans) were doing brain surgery, the Europeans were swinging from trees. The list goes on, but for some reason, the European races were leading the race in colonialism, technology, and all-around trades starting in the mid-1000s.

Basically, Europeans started late, but led the race all the same in due time; they won the wars and wrote the history books.

However, in today’s world, matters involving race seem to slowly be decaying away. Germany was passed by China in the list of economic powers of the world a few months ago, Japan has lately been creating even more advanced technology, and Korea is becoming more and more a global economic power. People are inter-breeding with other races to create (what I consider more beautiful) new people of various ethnicities. By all means, race is slowly becoming less and less of an issue.

Interesting enough, the biggest minority in the US are of German descent. Historically, the majority of immigrants to the United States are from Eastern Europe. Only recently are the majority of immigrants from Mexico and other parts of Latin America. In Europe, most blacks and other non-white can be fond in Southern Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, and Greece and the Western countries.

Still today, most economic powers reside in the western world.

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

I definitely think there have been advances made in terms of getting rid of racism or barriers on the basis of race...and certainly new challenges as well.

As far as rpg characters go, I do play some characters stereotypically. For instance, Li Violette has some stereotypical aspects of how Asian women are portrayed. They are either portrayed as submissive, reserved and weak, or, hypersexual, seductive, dangerous, feminine, and exotic. I think in both cases they are made to look exotic and erotic, one on the basis that they are more willing to submit to men, the other because they are alluring, mysterious seducers. I think I try to play the character in a way that she is aware that her behaviors are stereotypical, but that they serve a purpose in furthering her career.
Ariel Tal Shachar, in somewhat stereotypical since he is an asexual, unemotional, intellectual, Jew concerned with economics. To further castrate the masculinity of the Jewish character, he isn't even male. I think that the character is aware that he is in some ways stereotypical and he is uncomfortable with being Jewish.
I don't think I am sending a message that is anti Asian or anti semitic, but, I think I could do a better job showing the diversity of experiences of race or ethnicity.

[Akira 69]

Which is why I normally try and stick with fantasy races- in all honesty I believe myself to be an elf or atleast I fancy myself as one.

Fun fact: in Majora's Mask, people treat you VERY differently depending on which race's mask you're wearing. Racisim is even in video games >.>; but those are made up so they don't count quite as much.

While I will agree that Western Europeans did manage to accomplish alot; but at what cost? Let us not forget that in the early days that the Western Europeans not only pushed Native Americans off of their lands, but also took African slaves which more or less had a negative impact that has lasted to this day. Still, Obama was elected so I agree that racisim is slowly decaying- but I will only be happy once the KKK gets removed... I don't care how so much as when.


Now briefly going into stereotypes, it all depends on the enviroment. I have an african american friend for example who is far from the stereotypical gangster wannabe rapper. The reason being I think was that he has been homeschooled like me and so wasn't exposed to that in public schools. Asians are said to be good with math... which while a good stereotype, really means nothing because ANYONE can probably be good at math if they really tried. I think people in Asia simply advocate hardwork and encourage their kids to do good in school... something which we really should be doing here in America >.>;

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

Speaking of elves...I've come across a body modification that actually alters peoples ears so that they look like elves.
I guess there are people who also indentify as elves





www.massively.com/photos/the-best-of-masssively-our-top-5-weirdest-news-stories/1080180/


Hmm..the story mentions it improves your hearing.

It also shows to a small degree how race is socially constructed. Race is usually something that society has decided is based on skin color or other physical features, but these can only be generalized. Racial categories change over time, such as with the census. On the rpg, I list Hispanic and Middle Eastern as a "race" in the joining profile, but really, it isn't a race on the current census. I could omit it entirely, since there is the ethnicity part on the profile, but, I figure it is a way to classify characters in a way that is easy for members to understand and that more people are aware of race over ethnicity.

Long ago, Chinese was listed as a race on the census, when really we would classift them broadly as Asian today. Even Finnish people were considered to be Asian at the turn of the century...since they are not from Indo European language groups and back then, it was thought they originated in Asia. This was to restrict immigration from Finland so that they would fall into asian immigration rules.

"Racial prejudice against Finns sprang from a belief that they were related to Mongolians. Some 19th century scientists cited the Finns' exotic language, which is completely unrelated to other European languages, as evidence that Finns were racially unrelated to Europeans as well. It was said that they descended from a tribe that migrated from Mongolia. At a time when federal law barred all immigration from Asia, a federal immigration committee investigated the Finns' racial background, examining them for such physical characteristics as small eyes, high cheekbones, round heads, or stocky stature. Historian Marianne Wargelin:

After the 1907 strike, they tried to make the Finns be seen as Asians. There was an Asian exclusion act, and if the Finns could be seen as Asians, they could get them kicked out of the country. "

Anyway, if a person decides to become an elf and consider that to be their race, it is probably just as authentic as present interpretations of race.