First off, let's get one thing straight. This isn't a how-to manual on how to be a racist and this isn't a defense of racism. Racism and prejudice in real life is something we all have to deal with on a daily basis. Such is the same within the game of Shadowrun. And that is what I will be focusing on, racism and prejudice within the world of Shadowrun.

We all know that racism is supposed to play a significant role within the world of Shadowrun. There was the Night of Rage in 2039, major terrorist actions by Alamos 20,000, the Humanis Policlub and on the flip-side, the Metahuman Rights Activists. We also know that orks and trolls aren't generally thought very well of by society as a whole, and there even some game mechanics to reflect this and racism in general.

But so often GM's and players shy away from portraying racism at all and when it is done, the Humanis members are heartless thugs and the Metahuman Rights Activists are the soul of purity. Cartoon caricatures, not much more.

Why? Racism, like sex, is a topic that requires thought and careful consideration. One false move, one poorly chosen word and things can explode in your face. People are too often scared of doing that.

But not here. Fire your slings and arrows at me all you want. This section and this site as a whole is designed to educate and to inform people, not to insult anyone.

Made, Not Born

A racist is made, not born. Look at the animal kingdom; cats and dogs don't much like each other. But when a puppy and a kitten are raised together they don't form those "instincts" and treat each other as brothers and sisters. People are pretty much the same way. A child will very often play with anyone else on the playground, regardless of color, as long as they play the same game.

Prejudice is mainly taught and mainly by parents. If dad is a "redneck" then that certainly gives an inclination for the child to have to same sorts of views. It's not guaranteed, and the child may end up going in the opposite direction, but chances are pretty good that redneck beget redneck children through simple socialization.

It's also a product of the environment outside the home. If all the kids that Johnny hangs out with are racists, then chances are that Johnny will have those same views. He may acquire them in order to be accepted by that group or he may have had them before meeting them. But who a child decides to be friends with will have an affect on their attitudes towards other races, creeds and belief systems.

Prejudice isn't simply formed in childhood however. It's actually quite easy for an otherwise normal adult to develop a raving hatred for another group of people. Someone from a particular group killed someone in their family. Took their job. Or otherwise treated them "wrong." Doesn't really matter what the real circumstances, some black/white/Mexican/Asian/whatever did something to me I didn't like, real or imagined. Actually far more common than I think people realize or are willing to admit.

Racism isn't all about wearing white hoods and doing lynchings and such. It can manifest in a whole host of other ways. Losing dinner reservations, subtle price increases, giving preference to someone, perhaps anyone else.

Before we move on to the next section and a discussion of racism within the game world of Shadowrun, there's a myth that needs to be exploded.

The racist is not always a monster, nor is the civil rights activist an angel.

A racist very often has a family and children. All of whom they love very dearly. Wait a minute, did I just state that a racist is capable of love? That's right. That Grand Wizard of the KKK may have monstrous views, but they are still human beings, just like anyone else. They still have families, they still have friends and almost certainly have other opinions that are valid and more mainstream.

The civil rights activist is sometimes the mirror image of the racist, just as guilty of hatred and prejudice though directed in a more acceptable target. This isn't to denigrate people like the Reverend Martin Luther King, who fought and suffered for rights that should have been theirs from the start. What I am trying to say is that these folks are capable of hatred and injustice and all the other faults and foibles of any other human being.

Just because you fight for a just cause doesn't mean the rest of you is good and just. And just because part of you is wicked doesn't mean that the rest of you is evil too. As human beings, we are all complex creatures capable of both incredible deeds of wonder and justice and sulfurous depths of pure evil, all within the same human being.

It may be easier to deal with a racist in cartoonish, one-dimensional terms but that's not the truth, that's not reality.

Shadowrun Reality Bites

Virtually everything I said on this page also applies to the reality within Shadowrun. While members of the Humanis Policlub are too often portrayed as brutish thugs, there are a lot of average sorts of humans that are members also, with small children of their own that they dote on and elderly parents that they support. And there are certainly those within various metahuman rights organizations that are just as wicked and corrupt as anyone within Humanis or Alamos 20,000.

As FASA has said itself, racism has moved largely beyond skin color and into metahumanity. Which makes perfect sense. To be honest, I would be afraid of having a troll as a neighbor. Now before you run off at me half-cocked, let me finish.

The average black man and the average white man are pretty much the same, at least physically (legally, politically and economically it may be a different story). The average troll is far, far bigger and stronger than the average human. A nine-foot tall pile of really angry troll muscle is FAR more intimidating that an angry six-foot black man. That troll can really punch holes through walls and snap human bones with too much ease for human comfort. Factor in things like tusks, horns and skin protuberances like dermal deposits that quite simply make a troll or even an ork look more like a monster than a human.

So think about it and be honest. Wouldn't you be naturally afraid of a troll?

Orks, elves and dwarves generally look more like humans (though some orks really push it) and are not the victims of as much prejudice and hatred as trolls are. Though to be honest, even elves are looked at with wary eyes by many humans.

Racism isn't strictly the province of humans however, much as today it isn't the strict province of whites. Based on the two Tir states, elves can be just as guilty, if not sometimes more so. Orks and trolls sometimes refer to humans as "breeders" and may think themselves superior for their better physical attributes.

So any individual, regardless of race, can be just as racist and filled with just as much hatred and vitriol as any other.

How does this racism express itself?

Sometimes, as in the Tirs, quite blatantly. Non-elves are excluded from political and economic power with methods that range from the subtle to the brutally blatant. Other times, such as with many corporations, racism is quite subtle.

Items can cost more. Promotions can be given to someone else. That doctor may not give all the medicine that's really needed or may not even do a thorough enough examination to determine the real problem. Magicians may hold back their powers (in game terms, not putting as many dice into a spell as they might normally, for the net affect of fewer successes). Fixers and merchants may try to sell defective goods.

For dwarfs and elves, I can see cutting the tops of their ears off as something particularly nasty to do to them. For orks, the same sort of thing might be pulling their tusks, while for trolls cutting off their horns might be equivalent. Brutal and nasty, but also very possible. I'd imagine it would be the ultimate insult for a troll to have a horn sawed off or for an elf to have their ears clipped.

Remember, this sort of chicanery can come from any race against any other. Nothing saying that the fellow sawing off troll horns can't be an elf or a dwarf or even an ork.

Can your PC be a racist? Why not? In fact, it makes more sense than for them to be some crusading goody-two-shoes. Many shadowrunners probably came up from the streets and have had ample opportunity to learn first hand from gangs or simple street life to hate one group or another, one race or another. Or they may simply be mercenary and not care as long as someone is paying the bills for them.

The thing to do with a racist, NPC or PC, is to be realistic about it. As I said before, these are not cartoon characters. A PC can be quite a nice guy or gal except when it comes to, say, dwarves. When dealing with dwarves, this PC will not share all the information, they won't trust them as much as other teammates, may perhaps hold back everything from nuyen to information to dice (in game mechanics) to gear. They may be willing to sell out that team member, but not anyone else.

All the while, working with the hated dwarf the PC maintains a professional attitude and may even be friendly to the dwarf. And if that opportunity should fall into the PC's lap to remove the dwarf, they will surely do so and do it in such a way that they can't be blamed for it.

Conclusion

The net result of what I am trying to say is that racism is an extremely complex issue and should be dealt with as such. Those Humanis thugs are people too, even if they are people you wouldn't want to have lunch with.

There are so many potential adventure and character hooks that can be used with the broad topic of racism that it would be a shame to ignore it completely. But it would also be a shame to reduce it to cartoonish characters

Use racism and prejudice in your Shadowrun game to make it more gritty, more realistic and ultimately, more interesting and fun for you and your fellow gamers. Force them to make tough choices now and again, but keep it all fun.

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