An Open Apology to the Forum [Archive] - Wizards Community

An Open Apology to the Forum [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Kevtar
01-31-05, 10:33 PM Hello,

I'm still kind of new at these boards, but recently I posted a thread regarding the issue of racism in D&D, or perhaps more accurately, how do players work through issues of racism in the "game world."

The thread was recently "deactivated," and I was wondering if I had violated a posting rule?

I hope the post did not seem that I was advocating racism, particularly in regards to racism amongst players. Rather, I was trying to address the idea of using opportunities within the game to undestand incidents and effects of racism.

For instance, a white male player may never experience racism in real life due to his affiliation with the culture in power (a white, male-dominated culture in the US for instance). However, in the gaming world, he may gain a certain sense of empathy for people who suffer discrimination if his dwarf character is constantly treated as a second-class citizen by a predominately Elven culture. The mechanics of role-playing provide an excellent opportunity for us as players to explore real issues in a thought-provoking, and hopefully non-threating manner.

Although it is possible for any comment to be misunderstood by the reader, or even miscommunicated by the author, my post was definitely not an attempt to promote racism, or to incite any arguments or debates on the subject in the forum.

I specifically mentioned how an African American member of my gaming group had a character who, in the game, was actively subjected to discrimination. What I failed to express was the reactions from the other players, their comments, and eventually the conversations we would have when the African American player suggested that these things "happen to me all the time."

I just wanted to express my apologies for any unintentional misconduct and to better explain my rationale for the post.

Sincerely,

Kevtar
Habronicus
01-31-05, 10:38 PM AFAIK, your thread wasn't "deactivated", only "moved" to another section of the boards. To be specific, you can find your thread in the "Mature" board.

Last I've checked (about an hour ago), it was there and it was open. If it was closed since then, I do not know.

Anyway, no need to create a thread of apology when you make a mistake. When you do make a mistake, just make sure it doesn't happen again... :) ...but as I said, I think your thread is alive and well, so don't worry.
Kevtar
01-31-05, 11:17 PM Ah, I see. For some reason my account is not giving me access to the post. Is that the "mature supplements" forum? I assumed that when I read the "your not allowed to go here" or "you may be in the process of being deactivated" that something was up. Thanks for the heads up.
SnowbearK
01-31-05, 11:34 PM Also, as an FYI/head's up...it's generally a very bad idea to post things that may draw in Real World politics, events, people, etc.
Escef
02-01-05, 02:25 AM If you want to see your thread again you're going to have to fill out the date of birth information in your profile, be over 17, and wait til the next occurence of midnight for the servers to update your access.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kevtar 01-31-05, 10:33 PM	Hello, I'm still kind of new at these boards, but recently I posted a thread regarding the issue of racism in D&D, or perhaps more accurately, how do players work through issues of racism in the "game world." The thread was recently "deactivated," and I was wondering if I had violated a posting rule? I hope the post did not seem that I was advocating racism, particularly in regards to racism amongst players. Rather, I was trying to address the idea of using opportunities within the game to undestand incidents and effects of racism. For instance, a white male player may never experience racism in real life due to his affiliation with the culture in power (a white, male-dominated culture in the US for instance). However, in the gaming world, he may gain a certain sense of empathy for people who suffer discrimination if his dwarf character is constantly treated as a second-class citizen by a predominately Elven culture. The mechanics of role-playing provide an excellent opportunity for us as players to explore real issues in a thought-provoking, and hopefully non-threating manner. Although it is possible for any comment to be misunderstood by the reader, or even miscommunicated by the author, my post was definitely not an attempt to promote racism, or to incite any arguments or debates on the subject in the forum. I specifically mentioned how an African American member of my gaming group had a character who, in the game, was actively subjected to discrimination. What I failed to express was the reactions from the other players, their comments, and eventually the conversations we would have when the African American player suggested that these things "happen to me all the time." I just wanted to express my apologies for any unintentional misconduct and to better explain my rationale for the post. Sincerely, Kevtar
Habronicus 01-31-05, 10:38 PM	AFAIK, your thread wasn't "deactivated", only "moved" to another section of the boards. To be specific, you can find your thread in the "Mature" board. Last I've checked (about an hour ago), it was there and it was open. If it was closed since then, I do not know. Anyway, no need to create a thread of apology when you make a mistake. When you do make a mistake, just make sure it doesn't happen again... :) ...but as I said, I think your thread is alive and well, so don't worry.
Kevtar 01-31-05, 11:17 PM	Ah, I see. For some reason my account is not giving me access to the post. Is that the "mature supplements" forum? I assumed that when I read the "your not allowed to go here" or "you may be in the process of being deactivated" that something was up. Thanks for the heads up.
SnowbearK 01-31-05, 11:34 PM	Also, as an FYI/head's up...it's generally a very bad idea to post things that may draw in Real World politics, events, people, etc.
Escef 02-01-05, 02:25 AM	If you want to see your thread again you're going to have to fill out the date of birth information in your profile, be over 17, and wait til the next occurence of midnight for the servers to update your access.