Card name change suggestion
Malachy wrote:
Ratadin wrote: I gotta say that if Gypsy is actually understood as a slur by romani-people, it should be changed. It would be like having a card called "Nigger". Literally.
It is nothing like the "n" word. I advise you to do some research before jumping into such conversations. I have empathy as well, but it is far from that, and restraining/erasing/overruling the past is actually more barbaric and simple-minded, than empathetic in my opinion. VtES also have Rom gypsies and Tsigane by the way.
But what I'm saying is not "It is a slur, so change it", but "If romani people do think that, we should do it". I do not know, I haven't done any research nor is english my native language.
Here in spain "Gitano" is used as an insult toward non-romani people (implying that romani people are bad), but it is their name, and I feel they are quite proud of being considered "Gitano".
But, again, it doesn't affect any of us (as far as I know), so it should be the romani community, and not a bunch of randos on a web forum, who should say if thei feel offended or not by the card name.
TwoRazorReign wrote: I mean, the rulebook includes a paragraph explaining how this convention works. If one has to explain a convention being used in a written piece to avoid confusion, that should be a sign to look for a better solution...
I don't think so. If you are setting a new convention, it is but logical that you explain it. D&D used "she" as the default gender for the whole print of 3.5 and it had its explanation of this convention, and it was great.
These things are not confusing, you never will feel that you don't know who they are refering to whenever they use "she" or "he". This is all about feeling represented, and I have to say that the VTES rulebook is one of the most elegant ones I have seen so far.
The chances of a reprint in a bundle is slim, and you can’t change what’s out there.
Not necessarily. It is like saying "through this rulebook, we will consider that the player's cars will be the blue ones, while his opponent's will be the red ones.", or "the player to the left is called prey, and the player to the right is called predator".TwoRazorReign wrote:
Ankha wrote: I know people who were offended because there is a vampire called "Ganesh". Well, you'll always find someone offended because of something.
Today, someone complained vehemently about the rulebook because, for clarity, Methuselahs are referred to as "she" and vampires as "he". That someone is "enraged" about it. Duh? Enraged? Because of a convention used in a rulebook?
That's an interesting anecdote. The perceived gender bias in the "he/she-vampire/methuselah" convention personally doesn't bother me. What does bother me is how much awkward language use of this convention introduces. I mean, the rulebook includes a paragraph explaining how this convention works. If one has to explain a convention being used in a written piece to avoid confusion, that should be a sign to look for a better solution...
"French gitan, English gypsy, Spanish gitano, Italian gitano, Turkish kipti, all from Greek Αἰγύπτιος Aigýptios "Egyptian" (corrupted form: Γύφτος Gýftos), and Hungarian fáreónépe from Greek φαραώ pharaó "pharaoh" – referring to their allegedly Egyptian provenance.[73] Usage of "gypsy" and similarly derived words differs between groups as some Roma groups use this word as a self-identifier while others consider this word a racial slur."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people#Names
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An anecdote:Not necessarily. It is like saying "through this rulebook, we will consider that the player's cars will be the blue ones, while his opponent's will be the red ones.", or "the player to the left is called prey, and the player to the right is called predator".
In my BA thesis I did interviews, and in order to maintain informant anonymity I established that "in this analysis a gender neutral 'he' will be used to hide informant gender", blah blah blah.
Well, my peer group was like, "WTF, why would you use a masculine pronoun when actually gender neutral pronouns exist?!". I had no idea. I actually had thought that I was considerate enough.
At first I was, like, what's the fuss, but decided to just establish a gender neutral 'they' instead. Shrug, no real trouble for me, and seemed to work.
Not really pivotal to the thread itself, but just this: if it takes very little extra work, these kinds of word sensitivities could just as well be considered.
I have no opinion on the Gypsy thing, though. And I do understand what's done with the rulebook. It's all good. This story just popped to mind.
"Oh, to the Hades with the manners! He's a complete bastard, and calling him that insults bastards everywhere!"
-Nalia De-Arnise
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