Subject:
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Re: This topic sounds familiar... (was Re: NBA)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Sat, 28 Sep 2002 16:50:30 GMT
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Viewed:
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1449 times
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I just read this whole thread so far (although didn't read the previous
threads on the subject).
This is a tough one. I can see valid arguements on both sides. Make all
mini-figs based on the original yellow standard, or allow for various skin
tones for realism but with the risk of racism or PC backlash. I'm not sure
where I stand on this.
My first thought is that the market studies that led TLC to make
yellow-skinned figs were probably conducted in mostly-white Europe
(Denmark?), and the yellow at the time was the closest to Caucasian color.
But the truth is that Lego yellow is *not* Caucasion. It is pretty much
non-racial. Sure, it is far from black or brown skin-tone, but it isn't
white either. In some ways, that is the safe route for TLC to go. If they
start making brown color mini-figs, then they would need to make black, and
white, and tan, etc. etc. There would be a lot to represent. Could they do
it, yes, but as I say, this is the easier way.
...And if they did do it, then where would all our current yellow figs fit
in? Would they be a separate race? Would the yellow-smileys be persecuted
by the natural colored figs in Castle? Would the yellow-smileys be
discriminated against in Town? Or, since most older collections would have
far more yellow figs, would they be the dominant race of figs? ...Clearly
this line of thinking is just plain scarey, and TLC no doubt wants to avoid it.
However, as an AFOL, I have this dream of taking all my fictional characters
and fantasy worlds in my head and representing them in Lego. I even dream
that some day, when finances and time allow, I might take all my fantasy
inspired MOCs and put my story on animated film. That would be great. But
here's where my opinion can be swayed in favor of TLC making different skin
tones: One of the three major characters in my story is black-skinned. In
the story in my head, I just cannot picture Commander David Bischoff, hero
of the Lunar War, and later the second governor of the Billundia Space
District being anything other than a black man. I was looking through all
the mini-fig head designs to build my characters. I can find faces for the
other two main characters, and some of the minor characters, but not one
fig-face I have seen yet could work for Bischoff. Somehow, adding a
moustache or changing the eyebrows just does not suffice.
So in the end I don't know where to stand on this subject. As a Lego
enthusiast, I can see the good in keeping it all yellow. But as a
story-creator who appreciates some basis in 'reality', I could enjoy a
greater variety in mini-fig colors.
Well, that's my 2 bricks,
-Hendo
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: This topic sounds familiar... (was Re: NBA)
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| (...) I don't think it has to be an all-or-nothing solution. I'm not advocating using realistic skin tones for all, just two - yellow for 'light races' (i.e. most of them) and brown for 'dark races' (african and aboriginal descent). I know yellow (...) (22 years ago, 30-Sep-02, to lugnet.general)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: This topic sounds familiar... (was Re: NBA)
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| I think that TLC is very, very afraid that things might get out of hands once they do such a thing. A few jears ago a Polish artist created -as a work of art- a line of sets of wich you could build the components of a concentration camp. This (...) (22 years ago, 28-Sep-02, to lugnet.general)
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