Is it? I dunno, honestly. Obviously it's dehumanizing, but is it actually racist? I don't think this counts as a racial slur, it doesn't have the history, but I also don't know enough orc lore to argue. Seems more like a nerdy version of calling people barbarians...

Either way as a Russian I've waited long enough for us to get our own n-word analogue that only we get to say.

The tweet .

  • ShmoneyShmillions [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    This isn’t exclusive to this conflict only. You can go back to WW1-WW2 where western powers/Nazis referred to the Russians as “asiatic” hordes. They are to be portrayed as backwards, uncivilized destroyers of “civilization”(West). So yes, it’s racist.

      • culpritus [any]
        ·
        2 years ago

        squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes: in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types

        had to look it up so dropping the link:

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orc#Debated_racism

      • GreenTeaRedFlag [any]
        ·
        2 years ago

        I'm gonna defend Tolkien here and point out that he acknowledged a. This is an exaggeration of their traits and b. This perspective wasn't universal and was unique to Europeans. However, anyone else saying a race looks like orcs deserves to be called racist.

          • GreenTeaRedFlag [any]
            ·
            2 years ago

            That's fair. The modern use.of orc for Russians is definitely racist, and Tolkien was racist(he was British in the 1940s, of course he was.). I just hate people going after him for this line in particular.