Discomfort (RPG All)

I recently took a final pass at a project that's been in gestation since 2021 (my God that seems like forever ago) and was reminded that, in that scenario, I mention a discomfiting subject: the Windrush Scandal. 

I often do these things. I will touch on a sensitive subject. I will acknowledge that racism exists, for example, and existed in a historical context. I live in a country shaped by racism; I can hardly ignore it, any more than I can ignore the air I breathe. 

I might touch on abortion rights next. The Americans put abortion on the ballot, after all, and that affects us directly. We're small; we lack facilities. If someone needs an abortion and we lack the ability to carry it out here, for whatever reason, then the next step is somewhere on the East Coast. Which will be a bit tricky if the East Coast is closed for business. 

I dislike forcing morality or mortal topics down anyone's throat, but I will say this: roleplay is one of the few arenas in which we can discuss discomfort at one (fictional) remove. We can explore ideas. We can see, and foresee, consequences. I think it is important that we do so. Without discussion, without discomfort, we do not examine our preconceptions. If we do not do that, then we carry blindly on doing whatever damage we do, without thought for the future. 

I have some sympathy for the argument that the gaming table is not the best place for political discussions. That this is where people come to relax, not debate. I would have a great deal more sympathy for that argument if I thought for a moment that the people who made it are, in fact, discussing and debating outside the gaming environment. They are not. They ignore. They stifle. They look the other way, and keeping the gaming table pure (and silent) is just one more part of a long-term campaign to keep everything else pure (and silent). 

I was reminded of this when reading a recent horror setting. I shan't name title or author. It's a fairly complex piece and, as I got to the end, I suddenly realized I hadn't seen a single mention of a black character of any kind. More than 200 pages, American location, and the one African American character I saw in the entire text is an alternate description of a named NPC. 

Pure. Silent. 

Perhaps I'm howling in the wind, but someone's got to. I admire Chris Spivey's work; I hope he has a long and distinguished career. I wish there were twenty more of him. It boggles me more than I can say that in this year of our Lord 2024 there aren't a surfeit of creators out there telling stories like these. 

There are some. Not nearly enough. 

Short post this week. Next week: stuff!