In kinda relation to the point of WoC fantasy reputation. Do you have thoughts (Doubtless you do) on how that translates over to PoCs in a fantasy setting where the implcation that the PoCs are not directly human, but a fantasy race? (Orcs or Trolls in Warcraft comes to mind)
(Disclaimer: I hate the term PoC but for the sake of discussion itâs easy to use so I will use it.)
I donât think anyone should equate fantasy races that are inspired by real-life cultures/races/ethnicities as âPoCâ. Itâs inaccurate and does not reflect actual representation or diversity that is significant or impactful. Trolls are humanoid but non-human creatures and they arenât actually of any non-white race. They are inspired by various Afro-Caribbean, South American, African, etc. cultures, but that doesnât mean they are representative of that culture or peoples from it. Similar to the Naâvi from Avatar. They are heavily inspired by Native Americans, and their story can be interpreted as an allegory for the experience of indigenous people in America, but they arenât actually Native American. So to say that trolls or tauren are the âPoCâ of WoW because theyâre inspired by non-white peoples is all shades of wrong.
One of my major issues with the racial or cultural âcodingâ of fantasy characters is that itâs often shallow or surface level, ignoring the actual ethnic and cultural nuances of race. For example: Drow being perceived as PoC/Black because theyâre dark-skinned. Being a person of color or a black person isnât just about being dark-skinned, and nothing else about Drow (to my knowledge) is inspired by dark-skinned peoples to the point of being reflective of them. This relates to my issue with the term and general understanding of âPeople of Colorâ. Itâs often reduced to only skin color and a generic not-white labeling rather than a specific ethnicity.
I think a more interesting adjacent discussion is what I call the âbetter implied, but not seenâ presence of PoCs in fantasy. There is an old joke that the only black actors in any of the Lord of the Rings movies were the orcs. I donât know if thatâs true, but itâs an appropriate metaphor for the absence of visible PoC in the fantasy genre. Meaning, when/if PoC are in fantasy, they are masked or obscured to the point of being unrecognizable and racially ambiguous.Â
Game of Thrones has very few black characters with actual prominent speaking roles and characters; yet among the masked Unsullied army, you can spot several brown arms and necks. Still, the major and minor casts are primarily white. Lupita Nyongâoâs role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was anticipated with much hype, as she would be the first black woman in a Star Wars movie. Yet her character is a CG, non-human alien with absolutely no reflection of her actual physical features, including her race. Similarily, consider all of the PoC actors in Avatar, or that Ruth Negga was the only non-white actor in the Warcraft movie whose features werenât obscured by makeup or CG. Relatedly, World of Warcraft is another example of better implied, but not seen. Blizzard has built several fantasy cultures around Asian, African, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern peoples, yet is still slow to include a more inclusive and varied skin tone system for humans and human-like races.
Now this isnât to say PoC canât play non-human characters or non-visible roles. As I said in my Overwatch post, we should celebrate PoC actors/actresses in prominent roles regardless of their visibility. And non-visible roles for PoC can be just as significant and celebrated. Garnet from Steven Universe, despite being an alien, is presented as a black woman. Is she actually black? Debatable, but she is voiced by a black woman, looks like a black woman, and is celebrated as a black fantasy character.
But visibility is still significant. When the majority of PoC actors are primarily being hired to play non-humans and covered by makeup and effects that hide what they look like, thatâs an issue in the genre and an effect of racism. Roles for PoC in fantasy shouldnât be limited when their white counterparts collectively color (pun intended) the perception of race in fantasy and the perpetuation of sentiments like âElves can only be white.âÂ
Itâs awesome when world building of fantasy races, cultures, or characters is inspired by real-life peoples in a way that is respectful and thoughtful. But itâs even more awesome when people of color are included and actually visible as ACTUAL PEOPLE of color in fantasy. Not just reduced to monsters, aliens, or voices.
blakekathryn
andulkaphoto
kianamaiart
germansingergirl
areudirty
dededos
izzy806
