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I was messing around with making a map for D&D game. The area is called Iden and its supposed to be the “known world” with five or six great human cities and a large Roman Empire like empire to the north with gnolls and lycans. To the south are inhospitable deserts filled with savage races and the east is blocked by impassable mountains. 

Casual observation that in no way informs the original poster’s politics or ideology: to the South, inhospitable deserts filled with savage races. When I speak about the way that media influences culture (and us, by virtue of media being ubiquitous and a constant presence), I often struggle to illustrate the subtle ways in which said influence takes place.

In Northern Europe (The Netherlands, where I live, but all of the Northern Hemisphere, really), we are constantly told how the “savage Muslims who happen to come from the South”, are threatening our way of life.

If you are in the US, you will hear how the savage Mexicans (and other Latinos) who all happen to hail from the South, are threatening the American way of life.

Is it a coincidence that we internalize the South as an inhospitable place filled with savage races?


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