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Racism in Avernum.


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Thats kind of dumb how every race in Avernum or exile is hated by humans except for themselves. How realistic. And more realistic because of the races. The Nephilim are hairy and ugly, like the French. And the Slithsizarski are cold and scaly, like the Canadians. Was Jeff thinking of how stupid France is when he designed these games?

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With some notable exceptions like Commander Johnson, most Avernites seem to take at least a neutral view towards other races. I guess being the banished dregs of a society teaches you acceptance?

 

—Alorael, who thinks you're looking at it backwards. If humans on Earth can't get along with each other, why would they get along with non-humans on Ermarian? If there's anything dependable about people, it's bigotry.

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You would rather have the each race love and respect each other as equals in Avernum? That would be a tad too unrealistically fluffy, and where would the conflict be if everyone respected each other?

 

I disagree with the statement that most people in Avernum have neutral views about the other races. In certain cities, racism is a pervading theme with everyone's personality.

 

By the way, when I first looked at this topic's title, I seriously thought that this would be about how almost all characters are white and there are few dialogue pictures (from Exile) with black faces.

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The Empire's complete fear of heterogeneous and complete willingness to practice genocide ensures a uniform skin color, more or less. Besides, it becomes more difficult to identify Avernites by skin color if there are already a variety of skin colors, including those that don't became translucently pale in the absence of sunlight.

 

—Alorael, who only assumes that some skin colors don't turn translucent when away from light. As far as he knows, it hasn't exactly been heavily tested.

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There are more reasons than what they look like that is separating the races in Avernum. The Slithzerakai don't like humans because they have invaded "their lands". Nephilim don't like humans because humans were the ones who sent them to their icy cold doom in Exile in the first place. The Vahnatai don't like humans/The Empire because they stole their Crystal Souls. The Empire doesn't like Exiles because they killed Hawthorne. Its not just the fleshy outside that is keeping them separated but what each society has done to eachother in the past.

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The Sliths and Nephilim are both feared and hated by the Empire as a whole. Maybe not individuals, but the leadership of the Empire is very biased against them.

 

Perhaps they are viewed as "strange" or "outlandish". In real life, Americans might be the same towards people from China. They would be more inclined to believe someone from their own country, holding a gun to their head, rather than someone from across the world, holding a loaf of bread.

 

They try to see similarities in someone who they think they might be able to relate to and connect with, rather than try to understand a new type of person and open their mind.

 

That aside, the Empire sent people down to Avernum/Exile because they were either dissenters or they weren't very nice people. Would you trust people like that if you had no conception that it was all the Empire propaganda machine?

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I am from South America, here we don't have the same views as in other coutries. So, when I first read your analogies between the races in the game and the people of France and Canada, I couldn't help but think that YOU are the real racist by making such interpretations. What is the connection between sliths and Canadians anyway? why them?

C'mon!

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As much as this threads offends my sense of taste, I can't find any specific reason to lock it, so it lives.

 

And XK, it's actually not spelled "Slithzerakai," but slithzerikai.

 

There are those of us who are trying to break free of the racial stereotypes in the Avernum world via BoA scenarios (my Bahssikava), but it is a losing battle, I fear.

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well, I guess the slith nephil stuff is worth a thought.....

 

thinking...

 

Thinking...

 

thinking still...

 

okay, here's what I think. You can really not play all the quests until at least 1 of your players are from other races except human, like the "find iron for Hunter nephils" & stuff.

so Jeff must have kept THAT in mind while fashioning the game.

 

However, the game is not really racist, its the people who are in the game that are prejudiced against the heroes. Generally, the prejudices are against Avernites (And sometimes against the respective genus), still, its all part of a greater process. I mean, do you people mind recalling the A1 & A2...

 

They were a struggle for freedom, & this is no exception. We must see that the whole thing on racism does not exist when the struggle has a common goal. So fellow players, keep this in mind when you further comment on so-called "racism", I mean, why does people have to think in such a manner confused

 

From where I hail, there are more than 55 different races living together. Sure, we have our differences, Yet, we never put racism before ourselves. This topic, I can conclude, can only come from a highly snobbish & narrow mind who cannot see anything but petty cases.

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Do any of those 55 races have scales, or fur, or protruding tusks, or hairless, gray, ovaloid heads? No, I didn't think so.

 

—Alorael, who is actually surprised that more surface people don't completely lose it when accosted by a humanoid lizard. It would make Avernum 3 hard to play with a slith PC, but the Empire seems to be more open-minded than accused.

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Quote:
Originally written by Without Issue or Error:

—Alorael, who is actually surprised that more surface people don't completely lose it when accosted by a humanoid lizard. It would make Avernum 3 hard to play with a slith PC, but the Empire seems to be more open-minded than accused.
In Avernum III in Kriszan Province, Some of the wandering Guards say "Woa, a giant lizard creature, kill it!" and then you battle. this happens along the roads to the west adn the east of Kriszan.
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The Empire doesn't have a history of dealing well with mysticism or, I would guess, mutants. And if you were living in Valorim among evil necromancers, liches, vampires, demons, and whatnot, would you be happy to see completely concealed humanoids wandering through town with a bunch of "Worms" who just may have a terrible grudge against the entire surface?

 

—Alorael, who was disappointed to see the Empire transformed from the wholly controlling and authoritarian force with complete control of all magic cited in A1 and, to some extent, in A2 to the relatively impersonally oppressive power it is in A3. Sure, Valorim is the rough frontier, but it's still not the Empire everyone ranted about.

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you may have a point there. Personally, I love a couple of nephils & a large hairy slith (whom I call 'saru' meaning rotten) to mere humans. laugh

 

Quote : "Do any of those 55 races have scales, or fur, or protruding tusks, or hairless, gray, ovaloid heads?"

 

Ans: well, some of the finer species posesses them quite often, though they may be acquired (from a fur shop or dentist's)... as far as ovaloid heads go, well......that may be inherent.

 

laugh

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Hey, we french aren't useless. Granted, I'm a U.S. citizen who simply inherited french blood, but hey, lay off the Frenchy/Canadian jokes, they get old REALLY fast. As far as racism in Avernum goes, people will always have something to hate. If it isnt racism it's sexism. If it isn't that they start up with the religions. If it isnt that they divide the religion into 50 sects and fight over that. And failing that they kill each other because they aren't in the same family. Trust me, I've studied enough history and psychology to know......bias is ALWAYS prevalant ESPECIALLY in a medieval setting :p

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