The way orcs are traditionally described, they draw on the same supremacist language that has been used toward minorities in the past. It baffles me that people ignore the ONE FACT that ties “Orcs as written are savage, evil, and animalistic” to “Orcs as written are problematic”.

People aren’t saying that they associate these traits with real life minorities, meng’atu. They’re saying that the traits themselves, and the language used to convey them, are linked to the way minorities have been belittled and categorized in the past. And THAT is the issue.

I know you’re all VERY attached to the idea of an inherently evil, mindless, savage, tribal race, but maybe think about the tropes at play there, the fact that all fiction derives in some way from the human experience, and the fact that WORDS MEAN THINGS.

I love that this has already attracted people who are so, SO eager to defend a fantasy race that parallels racist caricatures. Y’all really ARE attached to the concept, aren’t you?

Anyway, I actually like orcs. I think that with revision, removal of the problematic dehumanizing language surrounding them, and more cultural complexity, they’d be a lot better!

The problem is the people who are dead-set on orcs remain as-written, no innovation. How boring.