1136
Had this conversation with someone who chose to no longer be at my table after meeting a blind NPC
(files.catbox.moe)
Another player who was at the table during the incident sent me this meme after the problem player in question (they had a history) left the group chat.
Felt like sharing it here because I'm sure more people should keep this kind of thing in mind.
In addition to the list of explanations for why disabled people can exist in a fantasy setting that [email protected] provided, I'll also just say:
Using diegetic explanations for why a problematic aspect exists in a piece of fictional media does not address the substance of the problem. The problem is that disability is often not represented in fantasy stories. Pointing out that there's an in-universe explanation for why this may be the case doesn't solve the lack of representation. These stories are fiction, and you can add any explanation for why disabled people exist as easily as you can erase disability completely.
This video does a good job of explaining this some more: https://youtu.be/AxV8gAGmbtk?si=YRvXjpZv_YP9Z5sC
Compared to a high fantasy setting, everyone is disabled. I cannot fight a dragon any more than a blind man can be magically cured of blindness.
I'm not arguing the representation angle, i just wouldn't expect to see many disable people in fantasy, because of magic and the other weird stuff that happens in there. Same with cuberpunk literature tbh
In cyberpunk and most futuristic settings, the only real disability is being poor
Dan Olsen, my beloved.
Absolutely a good point, answering the question 'why is it a problem?', to go alongside 'how can it be fixed?'. Thanks for the thought provocation