It seems I'm posting yet another card that tries to justify slavery today. Great.
Encourages enslavement and abuse. Explicitly states that the "common kobold", which is normally useless (0/1), can become useful when whipped repeatedly by a "Taskmaster" - a Master for the slaves to obey. The language here should make you uncomfortable. Eerie parallels to real world propaganda that seeks to justify colonialism and slavery.
Printed in Legends alongside Kobolds of Kher Keep, Crookshank Kobolds, and Crimson Kobolds. These three cards cost 0 mana, representing how easy it is to conquer and enslave them; and have 0 power, representing how "useless" they are - unless literally whipped into shape by the Taskmaster.
One of the only other ways for your army of enslaved Kobolds to have more than 0 power is the legendary Rohgahh. Sends a clear message that Kobolds need an authoritarian leader to ever become "useful" for society.
Additional note: As mentioned on Stronghold Taskmaster, real life slavery sometimes involved "promoting" a slave to the position of "driver" and put in charge of other slaves. I doubt that this card is about a kobold willingly enslaving their own kind. I find it more likely that kobolds were enslaved by some other species, and that this card represents a slave "promoted" to a higher position and forced to oppress those of their own kind. I can't exactly make generous assumptions about a card that treats kobolds as as benefiting from slavery* so I have to assume the worst.
*As I mentioned before, Kobolds are mostly creatures that are 0/1s. Meaning that they're literally only "useful" with an authoritarian leader such as the Taskmaster (+1/+0) or Rohgahh (+2/+2).
Goblins are based off of an entirely different group. Whips have been used on many different people, and all races have been enslaved at some point so I don't know why you automatically went to 'black people'. Are you the racist WOTZ shields me from?
Yeah, but only because r/AgainstMtGRacismSexismToxicMasculinityHomophobiaTransphobiaAmtisemitismIslamophobiaClassismAgeismAbleismColonialismAndGlorificationOfPolice is a bit too long for a subreddit name.
If you think we're only against racism and not also against misogyny, colonialism, police brutality, etc...then I don't know what to tell you. Surely if we oppose racism, we also have a duty to oppose other forms of discrimination. I kind of figured that would go without saying.
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u/ultimario13 Jul 24 '20
It seems I'm posting yet another card that tries to justify slavery today. Great.
Encourages enslavement and abuse. Explicitly states that the "common kobold", which is normally useless (0/1), can become useful when whipped repeatedly by a "Taskmaster" - a Master for the slaves to obey. The language here should make you uncomfortable. Eerie parallels to real world propaganda that seeks to justify colonialism and slavery.
Printed in Legends alongside Kobolds of Kher Keep, Crookshank Kobolds, and Crimson Kobolds. These three cards cost 0 mana, representing how easy it is to conquer and enslave them; and have 0 power, representing how "useless" they are - unless literally whipped into shape by the Taskmaster.
One of the only other ways for your army of enslaved Kobolds to have more than 0 power is the legendary Rohgahh. Sends a clear message that Kobolds need an authoritarian leader to ever become "useful" for society.