It’s a lot of hand wringing “I am fully justified in systematically exterminating all of you but because I, A Blonde Fair Skinned Human, am so Morally Superior, I instead show mercy and help save you Noble Savages from yourselves (Again) and tell my Savage Noble peers to not kill all of you”
6 Likes
Is this playing in the background when he is monologuing this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JYHk_D5A44&ab_channel=MATTIACUPELLI
2 Likes
Not European Sadness enough.
Was thinking more this
With some sunlight breaking through the sky as it stops raining, breeze flowing through Anduin’s (or Jaina’s) hair, etc
3 Likes
…as the rain washes away the savages’ black blood and the sunlight streams across their green flesh, with their bodies piled high, upon which Anduin and Jolly English Company each have one foot placed, their blue-eyed gazes turned to the heavens?
1 Like
Is it racist if I want a different scenario with this playing in the background?
I won’t mention what kind of scenario though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T12ygsp9Mvg&t&ab_channel=ANGEL4EVA
1 Like
Does it involve Anduin suffering the same fate as Grandpappy Llane?
Andiun is too white for that.
If Anduin was black, would he somehow be a better character?
1 Like
I’m going to stop you right there - no.
Anduin is a problem because he is the personification of the writers condescendingly lecturing us on what is moral and decent and right in World of Warcraft. The skin that personification takes is immaterial past that.
6 Likes
Could we finally stop with this ongoing racism nonsense, every discussion is somehow just about
Charkter X is white, character Y is standing for Africa, therefore everything X does is evil if it makes Y look bad, but if Y makes X look bad, everything is fine…
It is annoying… I don´t play wow to discuss such topics.
1 Like
Thank you both. Considering I have already been called racist several times in this thread, it is nice having other people say what I am thinking.
I think it would be less racially-problematic if this weren’t true. Sadly, it is.
Put another way, Anduin’s skin color isn’t the primary issue; his character is. Anduin’s classically-European appearance (fair skin, blonde hair, blue eyes) is the additional insult on top of that, to be sure, but it’s not the initial issue in itself.
2 Likes
I mean, if you gave him a different skin color, the problem would be the same. The coding would carry nonetheless.
However, that is not the extent of the problem. The Pandaren shared it. Blizzard has twisted, whacky morality, and their attempts to shove it down people’s throats often is at conflict with the objectives of the game. Faction conflict is a huge part of this game’s theming and appeal - why would you go out of your way to make that miserable for all involved, before some kid from one of the two completely untouched countries in the conflict descends from on high to teach the aggressors how to be good people, and to lecture the primary victims of that aggression (who his nation let down hard and let down repeatedly when we consider the obligations of an Alliance) on how they should act?
I just don’t even think the coding is even an issue. That just feels like people looking for things to be mad about. The issue is the character is bad, full stop. The fact that his appearance is considered an “insult” by anyone is honestly disgusting.
“How dare this character be white” F-off with that.
1 Like
Well, this is rather ironic. Sounds almost like
2 Likes
I mean… we live in a world that has been shaped by racism. We can argue about the details about that until we’re both blue in the face, but first of all - look at us, we ARE blue in the face, and second we wouldn’t be getting to the point of the criticism.
European colonialism was extraordinarily damaging to the cultures that are coded into the Horde’s representation. Establishing an avatar of European culture to lecture those races on what is moral has disturbing implications when modern audiences go to consume that media. I think that Anduin is a bad character beyond that and independently of that, certainly, but this is another damaging element that we shouldn’t ignore.
8 Likes
A bit of a reach there, but if that helps you rationalize your position, then whatever.
I just think the idea of “This character has “X skin color” therefore it’s problematic” is a pretty gross take, regardless of context.
I hardly consider Anduin an Avatar of European culture. I just think a character, regardless of who it is, designed to be the perfect, infallible moral compass, is just bad character design.
It’s both. Anduin is the stereotypical leader of the MegaBlocks medieval Europe playset. That’s pretty much the identity that Stormwind has been left with - and it’s what gets represented when he’s onscreen.
It’s kind of unbelievable how far WC has fallen.
Arthas is an interesting character because he behaves as if he’s aware he’s a handsome prince in a fairytale setting. He’s the strong jawed, fair skinned knight in shining armor with beautiful long blonde locks of hair. If he’s not the hero, who is? The Orc?
Turns out, yeah.
Jump to today and you might expect this red eyed ghost lady to be the villain, and this handsome young king to be the hero, but it turns out - yeah that is entirely the case.
11 Likes
The key word(s) here isn’t even “white.”
It’s “colonialism” or “imperialism.”
The issue isn’t that, “oh, there are white people, racist!”. I don’t think anyone could truly make that argument in good faith.
The issue is, however, the repeated honoring/revering/exalting (you see what I did there) of historical figures who went out of their way to victimize their fellow human beings because of skin color.
A very accurate RL comparison would be how many countries continue to celebrate Columbus Day, for example.
1 Like