We are all human. Different people's just developed more melanin to deal with sun exposure, the closer people lived to the equator, the more melanin. That's it. People hating each other over such a fact is ridiculous. It's tiny brain stuff.
@@fritobandito5374 Nobody said "race" doesn't matter. They said it isn't what it is claimed to be, i.e., it is a false idea, and false ideas matter a lot because, unfortunately, people believe in them. So, the idea of race matters a lot to racists who blame "whites" for all their problems and insist on spreading their hateful and divisive ideologies. Like tyrongkojy up there. He's a good example of the kind of racist I'm talking about.
@@fritobandito5374 Race matters because racists make it matter. Race exists because people created the concept. If we can unlearn it, then a lot of these problems would be solvable. I remember when I was a child and had no introduction to the concept, I saw brown people on TV and just thought "Oh there are people with darker skin, weird/cool." Didn't have any idea about race distinction. Then my father sat me down and told me while black people were perfectly fine, I still shouldn't marry one. And I was just confused as to why it mattered. Because that was the first experience I ever had with racism, with the notion that there were black people and white people, not just people.
I love Star Wars (I saw it in 1977, age 7) and have also been playing RPGs since the early 1980's, so I've developed a habit that is probably frowned upon by the people collecting the info, but whenever I have to fill out a form (doctor's office, application, and so on) and it asks me Race: I always put "human". It's just a habit. I mean, I'm not an Elf, Dwarf, K'kree, Wookie, or Trandoshan. Right? I'm human, just like all the other sentient bipeds on this planet.
Props to you for tackling issues such as these. I would really love to hear how you feel about depictions of race within games i.e. monster races such as Drow and Orcs. It seems that within our hobby there is an implicit reality of race as truth, which creates an unique situation where people are either on team "human" or not and completely side steps racial division amongst humans.
There's also the issue of people think fantasy races or, heck, characters "codes" for a specific "race" or culture, e.g. the Orcs as black people debacle, and that qualities of the fantasy race, implicit or explicit, reflects what the author thinks of that real life "race" the fantasy race codes for. Would be interested to hear his take on it.
Definitely! IMO, RPGs inherently help players (especially young players) learn to deal with different people in different situations in a safe environment. i.e. RPG's help kids learn about and deal with racism in a safe way surrounded by friends and peers. Consider many RPG's have interracial animus ~ such as between Elves and Dwarves. But you throw them into a party together and the players overcome the issues. They also learn to stand up for each other when confronted with discrimination in the game. IMO, all of this translates to real life learning.
Oh man, I get the feeling you are going to cop some backlash off the back of this. But I'm getting the feeling that this is going to be a worthy and valuable discussion even if I'm not 100% sure where you're going with this. Watching with interest. Keep on keeping on and keep a fire extinguisher handy.
Thank you for talking about this, I've been thinking about race and how we are all put into black and white boxes, but I've never been able to verbalize it.
Hail, brother! Your courage is an inspiration! I have long believed that the source of a great deal of the issue of race in America comes down to language and personal accountability. I formulated this belief due chiefly to a handful of quotes by leaders such as Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. Recently, my traditional opinions have been deeply challenged by the work of Dr, Thomas Sowell. Thank you for your hard work, diligence, and courage, SoS. You are doing important work.
Great start and I eagerly await the next video, You have tackled this subject with an intelligence and honesty that is sorely lacking and you have earned my respect. Than you sir.
Thank you so much 🙂. Putting myself through the wringer this week coming out with three vids, but it's due, and I really enjoy tackling these subjects. Happy gaming! 👊🏾
I have said this time and time again. Less eloquently as you have done so here but I’m glad I’m not the only one. Thanks for this video for the tabletop RPG community and for well… everyone
I look forward to the future Gene Roddenberry predicted in Star Trek when we can get past all this. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be alive when it happens.
The heart of your argument is well received by me, I think. I would say though, that the semantics in words like "race", "ethnicities", "heritage", ETC... Is where the debate will end up in my humble opinion. People groups of similar skin colors are categorized naturally, due to the fact that their populations tend to develop unique cultures. The mistake people make, is when a culture they view as inferior or uncomfortable is then made to equal the individuals in that culture. Humans all hold equal value, regardless of their culture.
Those concepts shouldn’t be applied to modern culture though. All shades live everywhere. That used to be different when tribes migrated to different regions and thus they changed with the environment. Pigmentation and all that. We are now living in all connected world and we have to shake off those old prejudices from our old cultures. We need to develop new cultures that break off from this crap.
Good start to the series. Keep at it. As a Canuck, I am very interested in hearing your viewpoint and bringing scientifically-based clarity to this important issue. Keep the social contract of the RPG Tabletop front and center...
RPG designers need to be listening to you. You have many many years in the game. Being older you have a higher level of insight in your gaming experience. The casual gamer will enjoy this video but the publisher/designer will profit from your insight here. Being older myself I appreciate your videos. I feel that we would have enjoyed watching some Thundarr on Saturday morning before we spent the rest of the afternoon clearing out an invested Shopping Mall in Gamma World.
Thank you for you video. I think you accomplished what you we’re trying to convey on a very sensitive topic. and gave people a lot to think about there own beliefs and misconceptions
6:00 to about 10:30 ought to be a stand alone video. And it should be viral. It isn't just for RPG community. I don't say Table top RPG because there are no other RPGs. Video games are video games, not RPGs.
Damn! This video had me on the edge of my seat. Was vibing with every word. I thought the quotes and sources were both provocative and poignant, and it thusly enhanced the points made. This is good content regardless of whether or not you play RPGs. This is content you need to hear if your genus is Homo and your species is sapiens.
I really wanna thank you for tackling this topic. Your first video on why "Black People Don't Play RPG's" was why I subbed to you in the first place. There's a lot of talk about racial discussion in our country, but this is one area in which there haven't been a lot of Black voices, for whatever reason (not meant dismissively). I appreciate the care and concern you give not just for the topic but for presenting your arguments and your reasoning behind them. I look forward to the future additions to this series.
Love this! Finally, someone speaking the truth. "Race", in its common usage, is referring to a folk taxonomy that is socially constructed (and capitalized upon by racist grifters on all points of the political spectrum, most notably Marxist identitarians). "Race", scientifically speaking, is synonymous with "subspecies". We are all members of the subspecies, i.e., *race* called *Homo sapiens sapiens*. No other human race exists today. What does exist, that the folk taxonomy called "race" is loosely based upon, are something called *clines*. These are spatial gradients (falling predominantly into north-south geographical bands) of specific phenoytypical traits expressed in human populations (relative melanin levels, nostril width, hair texture, etc.), which we associate with our folk taxonomic classifications but which don't perfectly map onto them. Thus, the absurd and divisive confusion over whether certain populations should be considered "black" or "white", etc. (Of course, ethnicity is something that also plays a role.) Great analysis here and in Part 2. From a less-brown Homo sapiens sapiens to a more-brown one, let me say that I am a big fan of your videos and have been lurking for a while. Now I am subscribed.
The Indian guy statement made me chuckle, way back I use to work in a retail shop that sold electronic and there was a rule, if you're not busy cleaning or with a customer, you HAVE to stand in the massive opening thats form one wall to the other wall, we had a lot of Indian people come to the mall as it was close to a Indian community. We where standing and waiting for people so we can yelp when all of a sudden my black/brown coworkers went "Damn, that guy is almost navy blue!" I'm glad you made me remember that day, it reminds me the same as that babel book that yes we call are human, to defined by our race, it's just sad that yes you get white poeple that believe in race characteristics, but with that said, calling all white people racist is applying the same racist characteristics to them, we are all humans, yes we have tendencies to do something a certain way, but that has nothing to with race, we humans are creatures of habit and its sad that habbits been dedicated to race. Like it the old video, "you ain't black if you play rpgs" because its a white persons think is idiotic and needs to change, for a lot of black, white, Chinese, Indian people getting into a rpg is expensive if you don't have someone in the community that already has the books, so sometimes you need to bite the bullet and get the expensive books. That in my experience is why race seems like a big reason for rpgs in counties that's not in a rich country like UK or any Europe or America or any power house counties. Here in south Africa its 600 bucks on special so very expensive and a big reason I think rpgs is divid in South Africa.
@@samuelskidmore2704 that would still be a down fall as south africa has issues with paypal and our banks are Dbags when it comes to over seas reoccurring subscription payments, and I have yet to find an official non pirate pdf, which makes me kinda sad. With that said if there is a official wizards of the coast pdfs for sail, our currency is still really poopy, 1 usd is 15,72 south african rand, so even if the price is dropped to half that's still 393,11 R in my currency, that is a lot to spend for a book or pdf, to a small low income family, that amount can feed you if you work right with it for 3 days maybe a week if you eat the ingredients every day. If the book was 50 rand for us that would be a completely different story, the low income family can easily spend that on a gift with out breaking the budget.
Wow! Pretty heavy topic for an RPG based podcast but it is indeed interesting to hear a different perspective. Looking 4wd (forward not 4 wheel drive) to next episode.
Great videos man, all the people are the same in this world, no matter what color is the skin, or ideology, or religion, that is what i think, sorry for my bad english, greetings from Mexico...
*Great Video!* Only one thing... superstitious belief in the myth of race isn't just a USA thing (nor is it new, it's probably as old as history itself).
Dividing people by race is pointless thing because once you divide a group based on a superficial diference you will just keep dividing them to include and exclude groups. It's what happens when people talk about the "white" race but depending who you ask they may say that the Irish aren't white, or the Italians, or the many peoples of the middle-east. It is an arbitrary division based in very little fact. And as you said, it always a useful tool for politicians to manipulate people into hating this or that group and doing as they are told. We should be beyond falling for those tricks by now.
There are so many things deeper than skin tone. This latino dude at my work, he's an average american nerd, would be easy to think he's "white" if you didn't see him. Fits every rpg nerd and otaku stereotype.
when I paint miniatures, no matter their skin color, I always start with the breast cancer awareness pink dropper bottle I got from reaper idk like 10 years ago. And as you say, I shade it to an extent to get that correct color. Pretty interesting little factoid. Keep it up, even though im a funny looking white kid, still enjoy your thoughts brudda.
Nice video. I'm coming to this rather late, and maybe no one will ever read my comment, but anyway... I believe the Goebbels quote was generally accurate in sentiment, but the last part was altered to change its meaning. The basic sentiment came from Hitler in Mein Kampf, where he accused Jews of spreading lies to discredit the Germans of World War I. He never advocated spreading lies to establish state power, but accused Jews of spreading lies to undermine state power. On the broader question of definition of races, you are absolutely correct that the concept has no meaningful basis in biology, but I don't think that's the end of the topic. I remember seeing a video of a talk given by a melanin-endowed gentleman, who stated something to the effect of "Most people say race is real, but it doesn't matter. The truth is that race isn't real, but it does matter." It matters because so many people (essentially everyone in contemporary American society) think that it matters. How exactly it matters, how the lines are drawn, etc. is a subject for endless wrangling. I sure like the idea of ending the wrangling, and I'd like to think we're on the cusp of getting most of it past "all that". I can hope.
Refreshing truths that mirror my beliefs that we are all brothers and sisters to one another. Sadly as a game author I am right now dealing with this very issue in my view of 1886 Victorian New Orleans. I’m struggling with how to avoid the obvious pit falls but decided it best to address it with this Adventure Tour right up front. To have you come in while I’m doing so and drop this- wow man really hit me at the right time. It is hard trying to create that realistic feel of the Victorian age without this topic rearing is ugly head. So that brings up this question- what can game writers and DMs do to steer away from this ignorant past and still provide a colorful romp through a Victorian landscape for games that use Real world places and locals? I know I know- just ignore it right? But how does that tell the truth also? Perplexing spot I feel caught in. Was easier in London i just avoided it but I can’t in America in the 1800s. Thanks again for the amazing content and keeping it real
So, first off I just want to put this out there. Other than religion, I am a poster child for the majority in the US. So I don't have experience with this from any other side. Are you saying you don't feel its valid to state that you identify with an "ethnonym" for lack of a better term, or that you think that we should be striving to move past that, whether it is or is not a valid identity? Thanks for the frank talk. Love this.
I honestly feel stupid now for using the terms white, or black to describe people. Don't get me wrong, I understood that a person's not actually black they're (typically in America) somebody of African descent. I just assumed race was the human category for humans who have a series of shared genetic, and physical characteristics. Well, I guess the whole adage about assuming is true.
The notion of race, darker and brighter, was the unscientific method of categorizing people in history and not too long ago science was made to force valid (and invalid) theories to conform to this paradigm. Now we thankfully know that the anthropology and ethnicities of humans is much more complicated than that. For me, whenever I describe people in my post-apoc games (my fav), I never describe their race and skin colour. They might have a bald spot, they might have black hair, they might be skinny or fat, but I've noticed that I never said they were white, black, or anything else. And I decided some time ago to keep this up consciously. There just doesn't exist the need for it in my games when the giant mutated stag beetles are a bigger concern.
I'm not sure it was a good idea to split this video into two (or more) parts. The way it ends makes it feel incomplete and I don't feel comfortable mulling over one or more premises while missing the conclusion that ties it together.
I come to understand why TH-cam has kept me from finding this channel for so long, in spite of increasingly desperate variations on my search for alternative RPGs. You make far too much sense to be allowed to grow a following. Heaven forbid we be able to judge others by the content of their character. Sorry for the sarcasm. It’s my primary coping mechanism at this point.
😄. Hahha. I held off on doing this video for a while, but the comments in the first video necessitated the series. However, there will be some space in between videos. Though I want to give people what they want in the way of discussing the topic on the channel, I don't want the channel to become only about this stuff. There is too much other content to focus on. Happy gaming. 👊🏾
I understand your point, but "race", or more precisely heritage or ancestry exist. It is mostly superfluous, but it exist. It just that saying white or black is a gross oversimplification.
Thank you for this. Truly. I’m Indigenous and seeing other excluded/racialized/exoticized groups speak up means so much and lights fires in our hearts. Igwien -heartfelt thanks-
I agree that race as it is often defined is a myth I disagree that racism is a western attribute. All cultures have some form of ethnocentrism. Where those ethno lines are drawn is often different based on the history of said culture but it is there. It's due to this tribalism and the idea of us vs them that many societal problems develop. Even is narrow as "we're from this street your from that street stick to your side of town."
Well the question of how does racism still exist. Is it really racism? Or is it a misconstrued anti-other instinct that has been aimed squarely at an Other based on skin color? Long before race was an idea we still divided ourselves by blood lines.
I’m trying to say, perhaps what we think of as racism, is actually just a leftover instinct from our hunter gatherer days, it was dangerous to deal with outsiders. Humans are savages.
Actually we are all orange. Brown is just orange in a saturation context. White and black aren't races, gosh, not even colors, they are just brightness values.
Some controversial points: 1. There cab be no scientific proof or disproof of race, as race is an arbitrary taxonomy not based on specific criteria. 2. A 16th cousin sounds close, but it's really far, far away if you understand exponential numbers. 3. There's no reason to believe that melanine would be the only quality differing between ethnic groups, especially those separated for some 100.000 years.
All three of the points are wrong. 1. The scientific proof has already been established firmly. It's not arbitrary. What is called race isn't. 2. It's 13th cousin, not 16th. Regardless, the point is we're all related. This is, again, another scientific fact. 3. The quote said primary, not solitary which are two different things. Read it again.
@@RPGElite Thanks for engaging. 1. Proof of what? The term "race" can be used in all kinds of arbitrary ways. If you define some of those, you can disprove them. But that doesn't make the idea go away. 2. Let's look at the numbers: For a 13th cousin, the average DNA shared would be 0.5^(1+2*13) = 1 / 2^27. Technically related, sure. But about as useful as saying everyone is related. 3. Fair enough. And "black" and "white" are probably really bad categories for capturing the differences. Can we agree then that racism is about more than skin color?
At 5:18 you put up the Edison quote. It’s the second video I’ve seen you use it and if taken on face value, it means you are an elitist bigot, which runs contrary to what I’m getting from you elsewhere, like your argument against people being characterized as white or black. Edison says only 5% think, everyone else doesn’t, and you emphasize the importance of thinking, therefore, you consider yourself to be superior to at least 95% of your fellow human beings, while you also say it isn’t a physical difference, because we are all cousins. Do you agree there is a contradiction in your beliefs? And if you are bigoted against 95%, while the typical racist is assumed to only be bigoted against at most maybe 75% of the global population, you are then on the extreme end of bigotry. But I don’t really believe that. For one thing, your work on this channel is a laudable attempt to overcome cultural prejudice against TTRPGs, because as a thinking man you believe a game that emphasizes deep thought, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, facing moral dilemmas, analyzing social and political norms throughout the timeline of history, etc., that this thinking man’s game is a way of exercising, therefore, improving a person’s ability to think; which further implies that people who don’t think today, could learn to think tomorrow. You must have more faith in the common man or you would have a more social Darwinist outlook and say “if they are worthy, they will not need help appreciating TTRPGs.” I will not argue semantics in your choice to use the word ‘elite’. Words are a very imprecise method of describing reality. But I will tell you what I think is a more accurate phrase for your work: ‘Best Practices’. I don’t think you are saying people who don’t play your way are inferior, just that they aren’t maximizing the benefits of TTRPGs, and that means they aren’t improving themselves as a result, which would benefit them at work, relationships, school, etc. I would be interested in your response to this comment, which I make with all due respect. Thank you sir 🥸 BTW- I couldn't find a credible source for this Edison quote. It's not on thomasedison dot org. I did find a reference to a NY Times interview in Dec 1921, and the Saturday Evening Post May 1922 in which this quote began with "Some cynic declares that" five percent of the people think... If the original quote was originally qualified by this introductory text, then it would suggest Thomas Edison didn't believe the follow up was true. Likewise, considering the quotes that are actually credited to him, and his statements on the importance of STEM education for children, it is difficult to believe the same man can be credited with the quote the way you assign it to him. If you can prove he said it, and meant it the way you say, then I'm happy to be proven wrong.
when it comes to discussions about race, i like to propose the following thought experiment: it's 2v2 basketball, and the players are: 1 white american, 1 black american, 1 back african and 1 white african. will this game be black v white or americans vs africans?
We are all human. Different people's just developed more melanin to deal with sun exposure, the closer people lived to the equator, the more melanin. That's it. People hating each other over such a fact is ridiculous. It's tiny brain stuff.
This 👆.
Please explain why people with less melanin are currently being blamed for the world's problems if race doesn't matter.
@@fritobandito5374 Nobody said "race" doesn't matter. They said it isn't what it is claimed to be, i.e., it is a false idea, and false ideas matter a lot because, unfortunately, people believe in them. So, the idea of race matters a lot to racists who blame "whites" for all their problems and insist on spreading their hateful and divisive ideologies. Like tyrongkojy up there. He's a good example of the kind of racist I'm talking about.
Truth!
@@fritobandito5374 Race matters because racists make it matter. Race exists because people created the concept. If we can unlearn it, then a lot of these problems would be solvable.
I remember when I was a child and had no introduction to the concept, I saw brown people on TV and just thought "Oh there are people with darker skin, weird/cool." Didn't have any idea about race distinction. Then my father sat me down and told me while black people were perfectly fine, I still shouldn't marry one. And I was just confused as to why it mattered. Because that was the first experience I ever had with racism, with the notion that there were black people and white people, not just people.
I love Star Wars (I saw it in 1977, age 7) and have also been playing RPGs since the early 1980's, so I've developed a habit that is probably frowned upon by the people collecting the info, but whenever I have to fill out a form (doctor's office, application, and so on) and it asks me Race: I always put "human". It's just a habit. I mean, I'm not an Elf, Dwarf, K'kree, Wookie, or Trandoshan. Right? I'm human, just like all the other sentient bipeds on this planet.
You do you man. Bonus tip: under address, put "Earth".
@@vaxrvaxr 🤣😭🤣
Props to you for tackling issues such as these. I would really love to hear how you feel about depictions of race within games i.e. monster races such as Drow and Orcs. It seems that within our hobby there is an implicit reality of race as truth, which creates an unique situation where people are either on team "human" or not and completely side steps racial division amongst humans.
This is coming. Wait for iiiiitttt! 👊🏿😉
There's also the issue of people think fantasy races or, heck, characters "codes" for a specific "race" or culture, e.g. the Orcs as black people debacle, and that qualities of the fantasy race, implicit or explicit, reflects what the author thinks of that real life "race" the fantasy race codes for. Would be interested to hear his take on it.
Definitely! IMO, RPGs inherently help players (especially young players) learn to deal with different people in different situations in a safe environment. i.e. RPG's help kids learn about and deal with racism in a safe way surrounded by friends and peers.
Consider many RPG's have interracial animus ~ such as between Elves and Dwarves. But you throw them into a party together and the players overcome the issues. They also learn to stand up for each other when confronted with discrimination in the game.
IMO, all of this translates to real life learning.
Oh man, I get the feeling you are going to cop some backlash off the back of this. But I'm getting the feeling that this is going to be a worthy and valuable discussion even if I'm not 100% sure where you're going with this. Watching with interest.
Keep on keeping on and keep a fire extinguisher handy.
Thank you for taking the time to build a foundation for this video series Very interested in what is next.
Thank you for talking about this, I've been thinking about race and how we are all put into black and white boxes, but I've never been able to verbalize it.
Glad I could help, and welcome to the channel. 👊🏾
Excellent. Well done on addressing this in such a thought provoking manner. Kudos.
~Fritz
Hail, brother! Your courage is an inspiration!
I have long believed that the source of a great deal of the issue of race in America comes down to language and personal accountability. I formulated this belief due chiefly to a handful of quotes by leaders such as Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington.
Recently, my traditional opinions have been deeply challenged by the work of Dr, Thomas Sowell.
Thank you for your hard work, diligence, and courage, SoS. You are doing important work.
Great start and I eagerly await the next video, You have tackled this subject with an intelligence and honesty that is sorely lacking and you have earned my respect. Than you sir.
Thank you so much 🙂. Putting myself through the wringer this week coming out with three vids, but it's due, and I really enjoy tackling these subjects.
Happy gaming! 👊🏾
I have said this time and time again. Less eloquently as you have done so here but I’m glad I’m not the only one. Thanks for this video for the tabletop RPG community and for well… everyone
No one can ever accuse you of not speaking your mind.
I look forward to the future Gene Roddenberry predicted in Star Trek when we can get past all this. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be alive when it happens.
The heart of your argument is well received by me, I think. I would say though, that the semantics in words like "race", "ethnicities", "heritage", ETC... Is where the debate will end up in my humble opinion. People groups of similar skin colors are categorized naturally, due to the fact that their populations tend to develop unique cultures. The mistake people make, is when a culture they view as inferior or uncomfortable is then made to equal the individuals in that culture. Humans all hold equal value, regardless of their culture.
Those concepts shouldn’t be applied to modern culture though. All shades live everywhere. That used to be different when tribes migrated to different regions and thus they changed with the environment. Pigmentation and all that. We are now living in all connected world and we have to shake off those old prejudices from our old cultures. We need to develop new cultures that break off from this crap.
Good start to the series. Keep at it. As a Canuck, I am very interested in hearing your viewpoint and bringing scientifically-based clarity to this important issue. Keep the social contract of the RPG Tabletop front and center...
The Raven, The One Ring, and Fringe back to back to back. Outstanding. And a Steelers fan! Did we just become friends…Yup.
Awwww fo sheeezy! 👊🏿
Serious stuff, thanks for getting into it. I think you are going to give me a lot to think about.
RPG designers need to be listening to you. You have many many years in the game. Being older you have a higher level of insight in your gaming experience. The casual gamer will enjoy this video but the publisher/designer will profit from your insight here. Being older myself I appreciate your videos. I feel that we would have enjoyed watching some Thundarr on Saturday morning before we spent the rest of the afternoon clearing out an invested Shopping Mall in Gamma World.
Keep up the great work. Love your videos. Anxiously awaiting your Gamma World 3rd Editions Edit Video.
Thank you for you video. I think you accomplished what you we’re trying to convey on a very sensitive topic. and gave people a lot to think about there own beliefs and misconceptions
Glad it was helpful! 👍🏿
Good stuff, keep it up. Elite vids kick arse.
6:00 to about 10:30 ought to be a stand alone video. And it should be viral. It isn't just for RPG community.
I don't say Table top RPG because there are no other RPGs. Video games are video games, not RPGs.
Damn! This video had me on the edge of my seat. Was vibing with every word. I thought the quotes and sources were both provocative and poignant, and it thusly enhanced the points made. This is good content regardless of whether or not you play RPGs. This is content you need to hear if your genus is Homo and your species is sapiens.
I really wanna thank you for tackling this topic. Your first video on why "Black People Don't Play RPG's" was why I subbed to you in the first place. There's a lot of talk about racial discussion in our country, but this is one area in which there haven't been a lot of Black voices, for whatever reason (not meant dismissively). I appreciate the care and concern you give not just for the topic but for presenting your arguments and your reasoning behind them. I look forward to the future additions to this series.
Love this! Finally, someone speaking the truth. "Race", in its common usage, is referring to a folk taxonomy that is socially constructed (and capitalized upon by racist grifters on all points of the political spectrum, most notably Marxist identitarians). "Race", scientifically speaking, is synonymous with "subspecies". We are all members of the subspecies, i.e., *race* called *Homo sapiens sapiens*. No other human race exists today. What does exist, that the folk taxonomy called "race" is loosely based upon, are something called *clines*. These are spatial gradients (falling predominantly into north-south geographical bands) of specific phenoytypical traits expressed in human populations (relative melanin levels, nostril width, hair texture, etc.), which we associate with our folk taxonomic classifications but which don't perfectly map onto them. Thus, the absurd and divisive confusion over whether certain populations should be considered "black" or "white", etc. (Of course, ethnicity is something that also plays a role.) Great analysis here and in Part 2. From a less-brown Homo sapiens sapiens to a more-brown one, let me say that I am a big fan of your videos and have been lurking for a while. Now I am subscribed.
Bold moves from a bold man!
Looking forward to reading the hand-wringing comments as well.
The Indian guy statement made me chuckle, way back I use to work in a retail shop that sold electronic and there was a rule, if you're not busy cleaning or with a customer, you HAVE to stand in the massive opening thats form one wall to the other wall, we had a lot of Indian people come to the mall as it was close to a Indian community.
We where standing and waiting for people so we can yelp when all of a sudden my black/brown coworkers went "Damn, that guy is almost navy blue!"
I'm glad you made me remember that day, it reminds me the same as that babel book that yes we call are human, to defined by our race, it's just sad that yes you get white poeple that believe in race characteristics, but with that said, calling all white people racist is applying the same racist characteristics to them, we are all humans, yes we have tendencies to do something a certain way, but that has nothing to with race, we humans are creatures of habit and its sad that habbits been dedicated to race.
Like it the old video, "you ain't black if you play rpgs" because its a white persons think is idiotic and needs to change, for a lot of black, white, Chinese, Indian people getting into a rpg is expensive if you don't have someone in the community that already has the books, so sometimes you need to bite the bullet and get the expensive books.
That in my experience is why race seems like a big reason for rpgs in counties that's not in a rich country like UK or any Europe or America or any power house counties. Here in south Africa its 600 bucks on special so very expensive and a big reason I think rpgs is divid in South Africa.
Have RPG PDFs helped with that cost issue?
@@samuelskidmore2704 that would still be a down fall as south africa has issues with paypal and our banks are Dbags when it comes to over seas reoccurring subscription payments, and I have yet to find an official non pirate pdf, which makes me kinda sad.
With that said if there is a official wizards of the coast pdfs for sail, our currency is still really poopy, 1 usd is 15,72 south african rand, so even if the price is dropped to half that's still 393,11 R in my currency, that is a lot to spend for a book or pdf, to a small low income family, that amount can feed you if you work right with it for 3 days maybe a week if you eat the ingredients every day.
If the book was 50 rand for us that would be a completely different story, the low income family can easily spend that on a gift with out breaking the budget.
Wow! Pretty heavy topic for an RPG based podcast but it is indeed interesting to hear a different perspective. Looking 4wd (forward not 4 wheel drive) to next episode.
Great videos man, all the people are the same in this world, no matter what color is the skin, or ideology, or religion, that is what i think, sorry for my bad english, greetings from Mexico...
my fingers hurt so hard from snapping so much! such good info, easy to digest, lots to ponder afterward. made me laugh a few times too.
You were snapping your fingers? Why?
*Great Video!*
Only one thing... superstitious belief in the myth of race isn't just a USA thing (nor is it new, it's probably as old as history itself).
Thank you for making this video!! Much love to you 💖
Not really seeing where you're going with all that but so far I can't argue with anything you've said.
I pray that is answered in today's video for you.
I seriously wish you were my neighbor. These days it's hard to find people who truly seek wisdom and apply it.
Dividing people by race is pointless thing because once you divide a group based on a superficial diference you will just keep dividing them to include and exclude groups. It's what happens when people talk about the "white" race but depending who you ask they may say that the Irish aren't white, or the Italians, or the many peoples of the middle-east. It is an arbitrary division based in very little fact. And as you said, it always a useful tool for politicians to manipulate people into hating this or that group and doing as they are told.
We should be beyond falling for those tricks by now.
Good stuff. Looking forward to more of this series.
There are so many things deeper than skin tone.
This latino dude at my work, he's an average american nerd, would be easy to think he's "white" if you didn't see him. Fits every rpg nerd and otaku stereotype.
Thank you for tackling this tuff subject.
Outstanding Video. thank you for doing this.
“We all bleed red, and we all poop brown”. -Mama Bertelli teaching her kids everything we needed to know about race.
when I paint miniatures, no matter their skin color, I always start with the breast cancer awareness pink dropper bottle I got from reaper idk like 10 years ago. And as you say, I shade it to an extent to get that correct color. Pretty interesting little factoid. Keep it up, even though im a funny looking white kid, still enjoy your thoughts brudda.
Nice video. I'm coming to this rather late, and maybe no one will ever read my comment, but anyway...
I believe the Goebbels quote was generally accurate in sentiment, but the last part was altered to change its meaning. The basic sentiment came from Hitler in Mein Kampf, where he accused Jews of spreading lies to discredit the Germans of World War I. He never advocated spreading lies to establish state power, but accused Jews of spreading lies to undermine state power.
On the broader question of definition of races, you are absolutely correct that the concept has no meaningful basis in biology, but I don't think that's the end of the topic. I remember seeing a video of a talk given by a melanin-endowed gentleman, who stated something to the effect of "Most people say race is real, but it doesn't matter. The truth is that race isn't real, but it does matter." It matters because so many people (essentially everyone in contemporary American society) think that it matters. How exactly it matters, how the lines are drawn, etc. is a subject for endless wrangling. I sure like the idea of ending the wrangling, and I'd like to think we're on the cusp of getting most of it past "all that". I can hope.
Oh come on, what a cliffhanger, seriously?!
Cool video, keep it going! :)
(I think I'm one of those people who think they think ... :D)
Refreshing truths that mirror my beliefs that we are all brothers and sisters to one another.
Sadly as a game author I am right now dealing with this very issue in my view of 1886 Victorian New Orleans. I’m struggling with how to avoid the obvious pit falls but decided it best to address it with this Adventure Tour right up front. To have you come in while I’m doing so and drop this- wow man really hit me at the right time.
It is hard trying to create that realistic feel of the Victorian age without this topic rearing is ugly head.
So that brings up this question- what can game writers and DMs do to steer away from this ignorant past and still provide a colorful romp through a Victorian landscape for games that use Real world places and locals?
I know I know- just ignore it right? But how does that tell the truth also?
Perplexing spot I feel caught in. Was easier in London i just avoided it but I can’t in America in the 1800s.
Thanks again for the amazing content and keeping it real
Cliffhanger!?!?
We saw what one that poll a while back.. RPG Elite Discord server when? 😉
Still considering some other options, but I'd like to have one once the channel gets to five figures (10k) subs.
Happy gaming! 👍🏾
So, first off I just want to put this out there. Other than religion, I am a poster child for the majority in the US. So I don't have experience with this from any other side. Are you saying you don't feel its valid to state that you identify with an "ethnonym" for lack of a better term, or that you think that we should be striving to move past that, whether it is or is not a valid identity? Thanks for the frank talk. Love this.
I wish more people would except this. Just see heart not color.
Good video
I’ll be back tomorrow
This is good content!
I honestly feel stupid now for using the terms white, or black to describe people. Don't get me wrong, I understood that a person's not actually black they're (typically in America) somebody of African descent. I just assumed race was the human category for humans who have a series of shared genetic, and physical characteristics. Well, I guess the whole adage about assuming is true.
Well said.
The notion of race, darker and brighter, was the unscientific method of categorizing people in history and not too long ago science was made to force valid (and invalid) theories to conform to this paradigm. Now we thankfully know that the anthropology and ethnicities of humans is much more complicated than that.
For me, whenever I describe people in my post-apoc games (my fav), I never describe their race and skin colour. They might have a bald spot, they might have black hair, they might be skinny or fat, but I've noticed that I never said they were white, black, or anything else. And I decided some time ago to keep this up consciously.
There just doesn't exist the need for it in my games when the giant mutated stag beetles are a bigger concern.
I'm not sure it was a good idea to split this video into two (or more) parts. The way it ends makes it feel incomplete and I don't feel comfortable mulling over one or more premises while missing the conclusion that ties it together.
It's a great video about ignorance.
I come to understand why TH-cam has kept me from finding this channel for so long, in spite of increasingly desperate variations on my search for alternative RPGs. You make far too much sense to be allowed to grow a following. Heaven forbid we be able to judge others by the content of their character.
Sorry for the sarcasm. It’s my primary coping mechanism at this point.
😂 This made my day. 👍🏿👊🏿
Facts, Looking for another sub bump are we.
😄. Hahha.
I held off on doing this video for a while, but the comments in the first video necessitated the series. However, there will be some space in between videos. Though I want to give people what they want in the way of discussing the topic on the channel, I don't want the channel to become only about this stuff. There is too much other content to focus on.
Happy gaming. 👊🏾
I understand your point, but "race", or more precisely heritage or ancestry exist. It is mostly superfluous, but it exist. It just that saying white or black is a gross oversimplification.
Race exists. It's just not what people say it is. And there's the rub.
💖💗💓
First off...I don't even know where the hell to play em! or..."how"?
Thank you for this. Truly. I’m Indigenous and seeing other excluded/racialized/exoticized groups speak up means so much and lights fires in our hearts. Igwien -heartfelt thanks-
I have long said, that a racist person is someone who believes there is more than one race. That is, the Human Race.
I agree that race as it is often defined is a myth I disagree that racism is a western attribute. All cultures have some form of ethnocentrism. Where those ethno lines are drawn is often different based on the history of said culture but it is there. It's due to this tribalism and the idea of us vs them that many societal problems develop. Even is narrow as "we're from this street your from that street stick to your side of town."
Also, newcomers are munchkins.
Argh, cliffhangers.
Well the question of how does racism still exist. Is it really racism? Or is it a misconstrued anti-other instinct that has been aimed squarely at an Other based on skin color? Long before race was an idea we still divided ourselves by blood lines.
I’m trying to say, perhaps what we think of as racism, is actually just a leftover instinct from our hunter gatherer days, it was dangerous to deal with outsiders. Humans are savages.
Actually we are all orange. Brown is just orange in a saturation context.
White and black aren't races, gosh, not even colors, they are just brightness values.
Some controversial points:
1. There cab be no scientific proof or disproof of race, as race is an arbitrary taxonomy not based on specific criteria.
2. A 16th cousin sounds close, but it's really far, far away if you understand exponential numbers.
3. There's no reason to believe that melanine would be the only quality differing between ethnic groups, especially those separated for some 100.000 years.
All three of the points are wrong.
1. The scientific proof has already been established firmly. It's not arbitrary. What is called race isn't.
2. It's 13th cousin, not 16th. Regardless, the point is we're all related. This is, again, another scientific fact.
3. The quote said primary, not solitary which are two different things. Read it again.
@@RPGElite Thanks for engaging.
1. Proof of what? The term "race" can be used in all kinds of arbitrary ways. If you define some of those, you can disprove them. But that doesn't make the idea go away.
2. Let's look at the numbers: For a 13th cousin, the average DNA shared would be 0.5^(1+2*13) = 1 / 2^27. Technically related, sure. But about as useful as saying everyone is related.
3. Fair enough. And "black" and "white" are probably really bad categories for capturing the differences. Can we agree then that racism is about more than skin color?
@@vaxrvaxr but race is a prejudice, and as any prejudice, it's a wrong simplification.
You cite Bodie Hodge who is a creationist. You should not confuse his opinions with facts.
Good job brooo 😍 race is a stupid concept. We don't distinguish people by hair color, why should we do it by skin color .-.
At 5:18 you put up the Edison quote. It’s the second video I’ve seen you use it and if taken on face value, it means you are an elitist bigot, which runs contrary to what I’m getting from you elsewhere, like your argument against people being characterized as white or black. Edison says only 5% think, everyone else doesn’t, and you emphasize the importance of thinking, therefore, you consider yourself to be superior to at least 95% of your fellow human beings, while you also say it isn’t a physical difference, because we are all cousins. Do you agree there is a contradiction in your beliefs? And if you are bigoted against 95%, while the typical racist is assumed to only be bigoted against at most maybe 75% of the global population, you are then on the extreme end of bigotry.
But I don’t really believe that. For one thing, your work on this channel is a laudable attempt to overcome cultural prejudice against TTRPGs, because as a thinking man you believe a game that emphasizes deep thought, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, facing moral dilemmas, analyzing social and political norms throughout the timeline of history, etc., that this thinking man’s game is a way of exercising, therefore, improving a person’s ability to think; which further implies that people who don’t think today, could learn to think tomorrow. You must have more faith in the common man or you would have a more social Darwinist outlook and say “if they are worthy, they will not need help appreciating TTRPGs.”
I will not argue semantics in your choice to use the word ‘elite’. Words are a very imprecise method of describing reality. But I will tell you what I think is a more accurate phrase for your work: ‘Best Practices’. I don’t think you are saying people who don’t play your way are inferior, just that they aren’t maximizing the benefits of TTRPGs, and that means they aren’t improving themselves as a result, which would benefit them at work, relationships, school, etc.
I would be interested in your response to this comment, which I make with all due respect.
Thank you sir 🥸
BTW- I couldn't find a credible source for this Edison quote. It's not on thomasedison dot org. I did find a reference to a NY Times interview in Dec 1921, and the Saturday Evening Post May 1922 in which this quote began with "Some cynic declares that" five percent of the people think...
If the original quote was originally qualified by this introductory text, then it would suggest Thomas Edison didn't believe the follow up was true. Likewise, considering the quotes that are actually credited to him, and his statements on the importance of STEM education for children, it is difficult to believe the same man can be credited with the quote the way you assign it to him. If you can prove he said it, and meant it the way you say, then I'm happy to be proven wrong.
when it comes to discussions about race, i like to propose the following thought experiment:
it's 2v2 basketball, and the players are:
1 white american, 1 black american, 1 back african and 1 white african.
will this game be black v white or americans vs africans?