--- In SkunkworksAMA_at_yahoogroups.com, "Brandon Payne"
<payne_brandon_at_...> wrote:
> Humans are actually naturally xenophobic, yet that is not set in
> stone because the rate of xenophobia is lower amongst people who
were
> born and raised in mixed neighbourhoods.
>
> But more to the point, xenophobia is not a uniquely human thing.
Just
> look at other species of animals, especially the carnivores. They
> compete with other predators who prey on the same prey that they
do.
> Lions and hyenas are natural enemies.
>
> Then there's dogs and cats. Although it is possible for them to get
> along, this can only be done if there's an intervention of sorts.
> That is, have the puppy and kitten introduced before they are
several
> weeks old, especially the kitten. This also applies to having them
> socialized with other species too because it's actually possible to
> have a pet cat who won't prey on birds or rodents. My younger
> sister's friend's cat won't prey on birds, yet he does prey on
flying
> insects.
>
> My older sister also told me about a woman she knew who had a
Chinese
> Shar Pei dog who HATED Poodles, but not other breeds of dogs.
>
> So even if any such species were raised to sapience, xenophobia
will
> still exist on their part.
True, but the different species in the trio's world are constantly
exposed to others of various species. If two parents have a kid,
that kid is going to grow up interacting with all kinds of different
species of anthros. Those who make up a smaller percentage of the
world population may have to deal with a few odd looks from time to
time, since they wouldn't be too common, however.
That's not to say there isn't some form of "racism" on their
world. Some species may have a bad reputation, perhaps stemming from
ancient history. Vampire bats and wolverines are not particularly
popular, for example. Skunks can also get a bad rep.
Also, one thing I've steered clear of is typecasting. Just because
a character is a bat, doesn't mean it has to be goth. A panda
doesn't have to be Asian, nor is a kangaroo necessarily Australian.
A bat, for example, could be from Texas, Maine, South America,
Britain, Guyana (I hope I spelled that right, but I probably didn't),
or Japan. What they are is not as important as WHO they are. As an
example, the trio was born in Florida, Angeline was born in France (I
do believe), Nicole was born in Florida, Val was born in Vermont,
Mike (a male skunk from one of the folios) was born in England, Peter
(another male skunk from on of the aforementioned folios) was born in
South Africa, and Denise (from Lot 6) was born in New York. They're
all skunks, but they behave differently based upon their upbringing
and environment.
Another thing I wanted to address was the issue of clothing (I
think there was a thread about it earlier). For the most part, in
their world, clothing does not serve quite the same purpose as it
does here (to protect us from the elements). It is used primarily as
an indicator of social status. Some folks would wear clothing which
might show where they came from, while others may wear clothing to
indicate their careers (Val, as an example, often wears business
suits, but on her off-days, would likely wear casual clothing similar
to what she'd wear back in Vermont). Some species, such as lizards,
would need clothing to help stay warm during winter, of course.
Hope this answers a few questions, or maybe even raises a couple
more. I'm back off to the garage to finish remounting the radiator
and highway bars for the Shadow, and try to get some wiring done
before going to the range tomorrow with my brother. His kid wants to
come along, but I seriously doubt the kid is strong enough to handle
the firearms. Punk seriously needs to toughen up. I figure he's
going to get his ass kicked weekly in high school, and the other kids
will probably collect and trade his teeth unless he learns how to be
more...I dunno...masculine, perhaps?
--JMH
Received on Sat Sep 20 2008 - 19:52:34 CDT