I asked plenty of questions with context a little higher up, but I’m happy to clarify:
You cite cultural differences being significant as differentiating factors for the Shaldorei and Kaldorei, but you rely heavily on superficial physical traits for the Sin’dorei and Quel’dorei.
Are you conceding that there’s no cultural difference between the Sin’dorei and Quel’dorei, or that it requires 10,000 years of seclusion to create that cultural difference?
Are you sure you understand his argument? He doesn’t believe there is a cultural difference between Sin’dorei and Quel’dorei.
Are you perhaps trying to make a point about the Ren’dorei and the Sin’dorei?
I understand his argument. It seemed to me that he’s willing to grant cultural differences between one group of similar elves, but not the other group. It seems inconsistent to me.
He may not believe there are no cultural differences between the two, but he’s mistaken. I’d be interested in how he defines cultural differences, because I’d argue it’s far more broad than insular things. Seems to me that cultural differences include ideological, value, philosphical, but also political differents, and in those regards High Elves and Blood Elves are only share their fair skin color and affinity for the arcane.
Do you? Because
The reasoning for this was explained over 1,000 posts ago.
And this answered.
It seems to me if you understood his argument, you’d be able to actually address his argument, rather ask for clarification he’s already given. And demands that he confirm he believes something he said he believed over 1,000 posts ago.
I’m not constructing a straw man. And I’m not going to talk second hand about a person who’s clearly announced his departure from the thread for the time being.
I’ll speak to you, though. Is it your opinion that the cultural values I laid out, such as ideology, philosophy, and political allegiances are not worth observation?
But you literally are.
This is a weak version of his argument designed to be easily refuted. That is the text book definition of a strawman. Easily identified by your refutation itself.
Being so general, irrelevant, and devoid of specific examples and arguments that it could only ever hope to counter the weakened version.
These seem clear on their face, but if you’d like me to clarify I can.
If you’re more content to try and frame my inquiries as a failure to understand, you may do that too.
i said differently, not necessarily better. for example, theoretically, the ancient egyptians had access to scientific knowledge some cultures didn’t. at the same time they were designing high culture with gorgeous gleaming monuments, high quality fabrics and so on, other places in the world were still in mud huts. yet the people of the mud huts were physically healthier and as a result, likely happier. they developed their sciences for the hunt, whereas the egyptians developed their sciences for the universe. who’s to say which one is superior since life quality is the final arbiter.
Alliance getting High Elves wouldn’t mean that the Horde loses Blood Elves. They wouldn’t be “taking” anything more than they already did with Void Elves.
I’m sure you feel they are very clear. Which is why it’s important to address the actual argument and not fall into the trap of reducing someone to a strawman. Had you presented your argument against his actual point.
It would become clear that your counter argument lacked any examples of ‘ideaological, value, philosophical but also political differents’ and failing to provide those you’ve done nothing but assert without evidence.
An assertion that has been dismissed as casually as you made it.
So next time you try this, rather than trying to ask obtuse questions to prove a point central to his argument, maybe spend that time providing actual examples of these multiple differences.
Well, no, this isn’t exactly correct. Presenting High Elves as an Alliance option will take away any chance the Blood Elves have of getting a story that isn’t about their conflict with High Elves.
You say that as if you know it to be a fact. It is absolutely possible to write separate stories for the two groups. Doing so would allow Blizzard to differentiate them further, which is apparently one of the major issues people in this thread have with making them playable.
My questions were rather direct and if you felt they were obtuse, you could ask for a clarification instead of assuming they’re baseless.
For example, I mentioned political allegiances.
Is the Quel’dorei allegiance to the Alliance, to such that they were the major military force representing them on the Isle of Thunder, not a significant factor when discussing what sets them apart from the Horde-aligned Sin’dorei?
True, it just seems like a very real possibility, and not a chance I’m willing to take. Sure, it’s possible to write separate stories, but it wouldn’t happen. Blizzard would see the ability to write one story for two races, and they would do that every time or Blizzard would see the ability to write a story that sets the factions at odds, and they would do that every time.
Either one of those two are far far more likely than Blizzard sitting down and writing stories that set them on two separate paths.
Blizzard could do this while writing a story that puts them in conflict. Hell, it’s easier to do this if the two of them are fighting, because then we can see the contrast up close and in a way that’s exciting.
I’m sorry, the Blood Elves do not get enough story attention as it is, realistically nobody does. The High Elves will just be a source of that story being diluted to appeal to both factions, and split to give equal time.
Your question was
Obtuse. You may have asked direct questions above, I don’t know. But you definitely asked one that was obtuse.
You can continue to insist on that if you want.
So you’re honestly claiming the question quoted was direct and simple? A question with no context, about complicated topics and presented in the form of a “loaded question” fallacy?
I’m not going to continue to insist on it. I pointed it out to you, you’ll either take the information on board, or you’ll ignore it. No hair off my nose either way.
How many times will the high elf supporters post their junk?
They’re just a broken fraction of the Elves of Quel’Thalas. Calling them Blood/High Elves is merely political but in essence are the same race.
I could see a bunch of Night Elves or Humans wearing red tabards and go Squinting “Pretty sure those are Horde races honey.”
Too many objecting, attempting at ‘correcting’ because they simply disagree or being just pure-salty from last I checked.
Tbf, I always found it odd Void Elves joined the Alliance the same time the ‘Lightforged Draenie’ did.
Two literal opposing forces.
Anywho, I imagine this thread is going to go deep into debate & argument for a while. Enjoy the show 
theoretically, living amongst humans, dwarves, gnomes and draenei would also change:
their diets
their hairstyles
their beard styles
their posture (idling animation)
their choice of attire
their social animations
etc.
maybe they appreciate pink haired gnomes, and adopt the practice of dying their hair pink. something you dont find in horde culture.
maybe they appreciate the dwarven propensity for ale consumption and thus take up the practice. something that isn’t as commonplace in horde lands (if you dont count the nightbornes taste for arcwine).
or find they enjoy snow, something you dont find in horde lands, thus resulting in them losing the sunnier skin shades of the blood elves.
etc. there are so many ways they could develop differently, its near endless.
The question was a deliberate attempt to direct his attention to where I levied the same claim about his convenient inclusion and dismissal of cultural factors being relevant to the differentiation of two races.
And even though I’ve fielded you a question about one of the value differences I’m arguing in a very important factor between defining the groups as different, you’ve chosen instead to bypass that and continue claiming I’m being obtuse.
I can see where you’re trying to take this and it’s unproductive. If you’re going to remain insistent that I’m being obtuse-- when I’m not-- it’s evident who’s building the straw man here.
Sure, I expect third generation “high elves” to be significantly different from those still native to Quel’thalas. Second generation will probably be pretty different as well. If the game has been going on long enough for us to have an entire population of adult High Elves who were raised amongst humans, dwarves, gnomes and draenei this would be a very different argument.
But the game hasn’t been going on that long. The third war was, what, 15 years ago? And even at the launch of vanilla, we mostly find High Elf populations isolated from the rest of the Alliance within their self contained lodges.
Yeah, I know. You asked a loaded and obtuse question in order to get attention. And I’m telling you, your time would have been better spent actually providing these supposedly significant differences.
Yes, you built the strawman. When you simplified his position by leaving out the significant qualifier between the Kal’Dorei/Shal’Dorei comparison and the Sin’Dorei/High Elf comparison. Even after he spent multiple points and paragraphs outlining it.
I thought we had put that to bed, and I’m not sure why you felt the need to circle back around to it.