Another revelation is rippling across our little niche of a niche of a hobby and it's having the effects that one would expect. Things said that have no place being said, opinions that are now public that reveal one of our own to be... unsavory and unwelcome.
I suspect that what I'm seeing in the generation around me and the generation before me is no different than the things that folks saw from their generation and prior generations in the 1960s and 70s, as change swept over our country.
Needed changes. And the changes we see today in society are needed.
But... change is never easy, especially societal change. It's violent. It's disruptive. It alters lives in very significant ways. It also changes the landscape and, like it or not, my generation and older are not going to be as nimble to accept or change.
I know, I know... you are the exception. You've kept up with the times, you have no problems with how society works these days, etc. etc... yet I see the "Old School Gamer" groups and forums full of "stupid 5ers" and "why kids these days and their storytelling, precious snowflake D&D, it's not REAL D&D!" (insert South Park rabble-rabble-rabble noise, or reference meme below...)
Let me be clear, if you haven't figured this out already, I'm left-center on a ton of issues. I, unfortunately, see where folks come from, even the ones that I vehemently disagree with. And let me be clear, I vehemently disagree with the things that Bledsoe advocated.
Yet, I know why and how, I know the environment and generation he grew up in and how unlikely it was ever going to be that he was going to change. Even now, he won't. Probably. It's just too hard. At some point, I suspect age is the main thing, people are going to stop adapting. Not all. But dammit, I see it too much to not think that it's a thing. That at some point, at some age, the vast majority of people "lock" and it's usually on the things that they grew up with. The ideals, morals and values that were there when folks were kids and that sort of thing wraps into their DNA.
Jesus, that freaks me out a bit, because I grew up with Archie Bunker and all that wonderful 70s and early 80s TV and culture. I've managed to keep, I think, pretty nimble and adaptable and understanding to how things change and WHY things change... but there's a bit of me that worries that I'm going to hit 70 or 80 and suddenly some dumbshit switch is going to throw and I'm going find myself the equivalent of ... well, the dude yelling at the cloud.
Can I have a Save Vs. Old Age, please?
Look, Bledsoe and the other folks who exhibit bad behavior and won't learn/change/adapt - yea, they're going to get sidelined and that's for the best. Society marches on, changes, and the way things were... well, they're not going to last forever. Sure, folks can gather and do their thing, hell, technically, me having a 1st edition AD&D game could be seen as "not adapting or growing and having a group to stay stuck" - but I think there's a helluva difference between wanting to play elf-games in a particular way and having the anti-Semitic, racist, sexist opinions that were largely accepted without question for a long time.
I suspect that this will get some blow back - most of the posts I've seen are very, very, carefully neutral. I get it. The mob frenzy really fucking sucks.
Welcome to the new world. It's not easy living in it.
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