This is the one bug or idea that I haven't seen posted by someone else first, so I'm finally putting it up!
Quoth Frogboy from Understanding The Fallen, Elemental, and Middle Earth:
They’re called “Fallen” because the history books are written by men and have a man-centric bias. [...] Obviously, Elemental takes place in a totally different universe. But hopefully this helps players understand where some of the terminology comes from and how it is relatable.
Speaking of man-centric bias, Tolkein really kinda had one. So it's unsurprising that he, like many folks, called humans "the race of men". But it does surprise me that Elemental is calling it "races of men", given that we've gotten to the point where we realize that the essential characteristics of humanity include women, too. Also, "The (fantasy) Race of Man" been repeated to the point of risking being more tired trope than anything. Given all that, the race option "Men" has stuck out like a hammered thumb that got stuck into a pot of boiling oil and then caught on a rusty nail every time I've started up a new game.
Yeah, yeah, I know "that's just the way humans were called", but while it's not a huge deal, it remains a deal. It won't keep me from playing (I've been off/on since day 1 of beta), but it's the one big scuff on this stellar game, and it's jarring every time.
So! This isn't just a gripe, it's an honest suggestion -- Given the lore, how's this for some ideas on things that might work as a decent replacement for Men/the races of men?
One can't make a political argument for changing a game, and then claim that discussion of politics has no place in the discussion and we should just focus on the game. Political arguments, by their nature, require political discussion.
The term man (from Proto-Germanic *mannaz or *manwaz "man, person") and words derived from it can designate any or even all of the human race regardless of their sex or age. The word developed into Old English man, mann meaning primarily "adult male human" but secondarily capable of designating a person of unspecified gender, "someone, one" or humanity at large (cf. also German Mann, Old Norse maðr, Gothic manna "man"). More restricted English terms for an adult male were wer (cgn Latin vir) and guma (cgn Latin homo; survives as the second element in "bridegroom").
go go wikipedia....
So the root of the word man comes from the proto-germanic word manwaz meaning person. so therefore if you ignore the general assosiation of the word with meaning adult male and take it at its root value the 'race of man' means race of people, no gender implied.
/political correctness off.
Well, I suppose women will want their haberdashery now too. But us men get to keep our finely trimmed mustaches! Hazaah!
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
Sign in or Create Account
