(08-02-2015, 07:26 PM)Nero Wrote:(08-02-2015, 05:06 PM)Graeham Wrote:(08-02-2015, 05:00 PM)Kellach Woods Wrote: you seriphyn etc.
Racist characters are interesting - especially if they have a good reason to be the way that they are. A soldier who fought against the Garlean invaders and lost his comrades during the Battle of Carteanau is very likely to distrust anyone and anything related to the Garlean Empire.
So when that soldier meets a Garlean who happens to be reasonable and morally pure...there's a good deal of room for interesting conflict in my opinion.
But it's not just about creating conflict; its about making conflict that is compelling and believable. The thing with racism and prejudice in Eorzea is that as far as the general population goes, creating a character who is racist for reasons that aren't arbitrary is rather difficult because the setting emphasizes a mingling of cultures and a certain open-mindedness that comes from being constantly exposed to different races and customs.
An Ishgardian might be racist to Au Ra. A Gridanian might be racist to Keepers and Duskwight. Eorzeans in general will be heavily prejudiced against Garleans. Eorzeans might also discriminate against Ala Mhigans, particularly Gridanians and Ul'dahns. Ala Mhigans might be particularly distasteful of Ul'dah.
When you get outside of the realm of ethnic and social conflicts--of which Eorzea does not have very many with the notable exceptions above--a character's reasons for being a racist very quickly boils down into an amalgam of Freudian excuses and anecdotes, which are often as easy to dismiss in RP as they are in real life.
I'm not against racism and conflict in RP. I am very much against those things being arbitrary, poorly defined, or difficult to justify.
Experiences differ, I suppose. I can't say I've seen many role-players who have handled racism poorly or made it the primary driving point of their character. Nor is anybody suggesting that every other character should be racist or that there needs to be more of it.
It's merely a matter of people suggesting that since the setting actively portrays and supports such themes then it'd be pretty great if there was more of it to be found within role-play.
Otherwise there's a real risk of stagnation.
