Talaura day 6 (lady tabletop): Stereotypes
Hi all, Bunny here. So for Worldbuilding June I decided to take a look at some of the challenges or prompts other people have been posting. To that end, I decided to have a quick go at @ladytabletop‘s prompt for today. It’s something I’ve touched upon in a couple of previous posts, but I thought it could do with its own post.
Because of the diversity of peoples and cultures across Talaura, it’s inevitable that prejudices and stereotypes would arise. In general, these are not intended to be cruel or disparaging. Insensitivity is more often the cause of discomfort or anger than malice.
• Jafleaye’s history has lead to the caricature that the business-savvy humans, dwarves and halflings are obsessively bureaucratic and numerate. The cliché is that Jafleaye’s citizens are constantly counting their coins and writing things down, inundated with information and unable to see the important features of the world. From the outside, a more positive picture is painted of the culture in general, and the wealth of Jafleaye is often imagined as a huge treasure hoard, perhaps even an entire city constructed out of gold.
• Tesman’s community-mindedness leads many to joke about their extreme friendliness and politeness (imagine them like the Canadians of this setting, but without the hockey). They are seen as almost universally gregarious and accommodating, sometimes to the point of naïvité. Charity, hospitality and patience are strained to the point of ridiculity in the stereotypes, leading some to believe that many in Tesman will simply roll over when entreated. The dwarves of Talaura, most common in Tesman and Jafleaye, are stereotyped as obsessive and fixated, never moving from one task until it is complete, no matter the distractions around them.
• The more positive stereotypes of Shabar will simply describe them as “proud” and “proactive”. However, the social structure and history of the country mean that these are often extrapolated to mean “vain” and “violent”. In addition, their status as beast masters leads many to suggest that the orcs are perhaps more at home with animals than other people. This stereotype is inverted by the Shabari people themselves, however, who view the weak as less worthy, historically as not even being people. Shabari art and crafts are incredibly detailed and intricate, which is seen as perhaps incongruous with their warlike nature but not dismissed in any case, as merchant caravans between Shabar and Tesman or Jafleaye often come back laden with riches.
• At best, the merfolk are seen as scavengers and opportunists. The lionfish in the Aspuan often work as salvagers, but charge a great fee and claim to get the first choice of any loot, retaining the right to refuse to hand over whatever goods catch their interests. This is because of the philosophical belief among merfolk that passing The Veil (the surface of the water, seen as a divine boundary between the sky and the sea) washes clean properties such as ownership. The sharkfolk bear the least distorted stereotype, and do the least to try and discourage it. They famously prefer solitude to the company of others and are viewed by many as barely more than animals. Again, though, sharkfolk don’t care about the stereotypes put on them by other people, largely keeping to themselves.
• The archetypal elves are aloof and disinterested. Seated in their ivory towers, Skoia elves are considered to have little awareness of the world around them. A (possibly apocryphal) story exists of an entire city at the base of a tower being destroyed with the elves remaining entirely oblivious to this day. The elves who don’t sequester themselves in archives or universities are generally thought to be cold, critical and scrutinous, with little care for the passion of any of the “younger” races.