Ep. 13 - Racism in Fantasy and How to Change the Narrative

Zoe and Hannah are joined by special guest Kimberlee in this episode! Kimberlee is a seasoned Live Action Role Player (LARPer) and shares her experiences with real-world racism entering fantasy spaces—a long-standing 'tradition' that we found in how Tolkien pictured orcs, and how the image of orcs has morphed over time in other Role-Playing Game (RPG) settings. Still, all three of us continue to love fantasy and the joy it can bring to all kinds of people... as long as everyone has space to live their fantasy dreams. Kimberlee has some great stories about her long-running LARP, The World of Oz! We highly recommend reading the two-part article, "Orcs, Britons, And The Martial Race Myth" by James Mendez Hodes, for more insight into Middle Earth's real-world racist roots. Here's the link to Part I: https://jamesmendezhodes.com/blog/2019/1/13/orcs-britons-and-the-martial-race-myth-part-i-a-species-built-for-racial-terror  Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - "Bagopolier Freylekhs" by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash