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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Lit Ignorance is Bias: The Diversity Manifesto

Discussion in 'Literature' started by CooperTFN, Sep 2, 2012.

  1. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    Mon Mothma is a confusing person who hates everyone who isn't human. Well, except for Bothans. She sounded pretty distraught then, though it could be an act. Then again, she also seemed to like Mon Calamari pretty well. So, she likes dogs and fish, but teddy bears and tapirs? Evil, vile, horrible things to Mon Mothma. :p
     
  2. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    Do I really need to remind everybody of "walking carpet"? The Galactic Senate turns reasonable humans into vile racists.
     
  3. The Loyal Imperial

    The Loyal Imperial Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2007
    No, I'm pretty sure Mothma was like that even before she was elected. Recall that Chandrila's population is ninety-six percent human with strict population controls.
     
  4. Robimus

    Robimus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2007
    I would imagine that the more educated circles of society, like those in the Senate and such, would be very familiar with the Ewok's. Voren Na'al for instance has mentioned them many times in his in universe historical works. Cindel Towani wrote about them in Portraits of the Galactic Civil War. Their have been Ewok fighter pilots, Ewok scoundrels and Ewok colonies off of The Forest Moon.

    In addition they were a part of the most famous battle in the history of the galaxy and likely became part of the standard teaching for history classes in the New Republic. At least thats what I would envision happening. They would be almost instantly famous for being in the right place at the right time.
     
  5. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    Think about it like this: everyone knows there's a place called Iwo Jima. And Guadalcanal. And Normandy. But how many actually know the first thing about them? I think the Ewoks' notoriety reached just far enough that they became colloquially understood as cuddly teddy bears--whether or not it's an accurate understanding.
     
  6. JediFreac

    JediFreac Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 2002
    http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=42736

    Go Dark Horse. And good luck trying to hang on to the franchise.
     
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  7. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Yes- it seemed like an video game author was attempting to put a spin on the classic "wolf in sheep's clothing" phrase without thinking about the implications.
     
  8. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    I majored in US history, so I actually know quite a bit about those places. :p

    --Adm. Nick
     
  9. instantdeath

    instantdeath Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 22, 2010
    Fill me in... where does the racist Mon Mothma thing come from?
     
  10. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    Check a few pages back - I think it was the X-Wing Strategy Guide or something.
    But more about Ewoks, I'd wager.
     
  11. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    It was something called The Farlander Papers- which I think was released with the original X-wing game.
     
  12. cthugha

    cthugha Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 24, 2010
    [​IMG]
    So what she's actually saying is... Palpatine is a mostly-naked Rodian? 8-}
     
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  13. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    After becoming emperor, he got some new clothes.
     
  14. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    Or, perhaps Mothma is implying that a Rodian skinned an Ewok and dances in the moonlight while wearing its skinsuit.

    Which is creepy and gross.
     
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  15. cthugha

    cthugha Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 24, 2010
    Well he had to cover his escape from DS2 somehow...
     
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  16. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    I'm not sure if this was brought up already, though I may have mentioned it on the temp boards. Either way, I'm bringing it up again.

    Something that has bugged my brother about EU for years was how non-humans "stink." The Hound's Tooth stinks and Bossk stinks. Rodians stink. The Mist Hunter stinks and Zuckuss stinks. I recall reading somewhere that Mon Cals had a stink. Sardu Sallowe stinks. Jawas stink. Hutts stink (understandably). I highly doubt that any author would describe a wet Wookiee as smelling particularly great, and Bossk said that they stink. The only time I can recall of Humans stinking is when a non-human mentions that Humans stink. But, from the POV of a Human character? Everyone stinks.

    My brother counters it by saying that Fett stinks up the Slave I with his ninja farts.
     
  17. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004
    Well it’s mostly from that novel trilogy no one wants to talk about. :p But yes the Tooth is likely a rather unpleasant place with raw meat and the like sitting around. Zuckuss has ammonia atmosphere on his ship, which is one of those smells that lingers and will actually kill humans in high enough doses. Mon Cal are likely to have a fish smell. Tusken and Jawa will not be able to wash. Hutts apparently keep themselves “soggy” for health reasons and mobility. Bossk like other Trandoshan Hunters is also likely a racist, plus will have trained to catch the smell to actually hunt Wookiees. ;) Rodians seem strange though as Reptiles usually don’t really have an odour, though afaik some will excrete smelling substances when frightened or to attract mates.



    Wedge Antilles verbally back hands Castin Donn when he is being rather racists with the comment that Runt smells and he wants new quarters, and Wedge just tells him to ask Runt what Humans smell like.

    Whats interesting is that there are also some races that apparently smell very pleasant to humans like Twileks (which apparently have a spicy scent), Zeltros and Falleen.
     
  18. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    Note how those pleasant-smelling races have Human faces.

    And, yes, ammonia stinks. But, don't tell Zuckuss that. He's sensitive about his smell.
     
  19. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    There was a reference, in I think the Marvel comics, to wet humans smelling even worse to Wookiees than wet Wookiees smell to humans- when Han's talking with Chewie.
     
  20. Mechalich

    Mechalich Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2010
    Presumably olfactorary aversion to the chemical environment of any one sentient species is liable to be commonplace to just about any other species (or more rarely, produce olfactory attraction), the likelihood that such highly variable conditions would produce no reaction is pretty close to nil. So, being honest, everyone stinks to everyone else.

    One would imagine that, in mixed-species environments throughout the universe some very high level air-flow filtration is going on to minimize this issue, and as a result, transfering from a controlled environment such as a mixed-species ship or the cityscape of Coruscant, to a non-controlled environment would produce rather sudden and perhaps even unexpected changes in the sensory perception of one's fellows.

    Truly mixed multi-species societies in Star Wars are very rare, most of the worlds with dilineated demographics have a small number of dominant species and then a modest 'other' category hovering below ten percent. There's obviusly rather a lot of self-segregation by species going on. The variability of preferred sensory environments: visual, audio, olfactory, and even tactile, across species lines no doubt plays a vast part in that process.
     
  21. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    IIRC, Mon Cals have on a few occasions been described as smelling fishy, but there isn't a single reference I can think of that wasn't intended to be rude or racist. As far as I can tell, the only thing that human characters have complained about regularly before was that Mon Cals need more humid climates, which made early Mon Cal cruiser (before they were designed to be multi-specied) a bit uncomfortable.

    --Adm. Nick
     
  22. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    I've been to enough conventions to know that Humans have smells that can be quite noxious. And my brother had gone to his local comic store one day during their TCG night... He was at a loss for words on how to describe the smell.

    Now, I'm not denying that different species will have different smells. Different body chemistry, different bacteria, different odor. The same scent of cologne smells differently on different people. It won't really matter how much a person showers; they will have a distinct smell to them. And medications can cause people to emit various smells. I was on a medication that caused me to smell. And let's not forget different diets! You like garlic? You had better like smelling like it.

    However, when I see passages mentioning that other beings have a smell, it often seems to be written to the exclusion of Humans. And this can go to the other extreme: if non-humans are used as a basis of beauty for Humans, then from a non-human perspective, Humans are the ugliest things to ever exist. What bothers me about that is there is no middle ground. It's either one or the other. No one can seem to take a liking to something else. You're either an ugly alien or an ugly Human.

    Ask a tarantula keeper and they will tell you that their cobalt blue tarantula is absolutely beautiful. And their P. metallica is a truly handsome creature. And scorpion keepers? They are overjoyed when their emperor scorpion has babies. Just look at those cute little scorps! They're so small and soft! Herpetologists? Just behold their pin-stripe ball python's splendor! Pet parents will gush endlessly about their "children," no matter the species. And their pets love them right back. I had an iguana named Houdini, and he was a gorgeous green and the sweetest lizard you'd meet. He was leash-trained, loved to be held and carried around, and he'd sit on your lap and watch Animaniacs. Did he smell? Of course he did. But, I didn't find the smell to be unpleasant. Was he attractive? I thought so, and Houdini had received many a compliment from admirers.

    That long-winded example shows that everything has beauty. And in a galaxy as vast and varied as the GFFA, I highly doubt that attractiveness would be so black-and-white unless the observer's upbringing dictated it to be so.
     
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  23. Reveen

    Reveen Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 2012
    As an anecdote. I've smelled smells made by lazy college dorm kids that were worse than a shed full of mouse guano.

    Other species being odorous is one of many, many things that humans have no right to call people out for.
     
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  24. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    And making human-faced species smell like roses, while non-human-faced species stink like dog poop is just mean and biased.
     
  25. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    What if someone were to say that they smelled tasty? Would that be pejorative or a compliment?
     
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