I'm interested in seeing what people's thoughts are on this one. What I often see in discussions on TES races are players who are 100% convinced that all members of a race share the same traits. Nords are stereotyped as racist brutes, Khajiits are known for thievery, and the High Elves are all seen as arrogant. As players immerse themselves in a world that plays into these stereotypes at every level, could the argument be made that this game, and others like it, leave its players more susceptible to believing in real life stereotypes?
Theres a little more to it than that. Stereotypes are for the most part based on confirmation bias. For example: A random Nord man believes all Khajiit are thieves and cutthroats. Do Khajiit thieves infact exist? Yes they do, but for this man to believe all or most of them are thieves is absurd. Confirmation bias assures he'll ignore the multitude of Khajiit he encounters with none of those traits, and use the one instance his sweet roll was stolen to prove what he believes is true.
I'd just like to say, I do not think Racial Discrimination is alright, or acceptable. I do my best to not allow a person's ethnic background influence my opinion of them. I will admit that sometimes stereotypes, even non-racial stereotypes, pop into my head when I first meet someone. If anyone claims that that doesn't happen, that person is a liar. I do my best to look at a person based on their character.
If I have made that unclear, and that has led some to have an incorrect opinion of me, that is no one's fault but mine. I just want to set the record straight. Thank you, Ben, for posting that comment, and making an opportunity.
This will be the extent of what I will post about this.
I tend to think that TES tends to reflect real stereotypes. Stereotypes do come from somewhere, even if the source is obsolete or false. But you see it in Skyrim. The Khajiiti caravaneerswish they were treated better, but acknowledge that many of their kind are in fact thieves, and they are adept at it. Many Nords are bitter, somewhat ignorant racists, and you meet many in-game. You also meet cultured, very learned Nords, as well as all of the examples already cited. In real life this is the case. You will meet people who fit the stereotypes about their race, or gender, or orientation, or creed, or religion, or whatever. And you will meet people who will totally break those conventions.
We're all influenced by our entertainment whether its television, music, or video games etc. In most anything you enjoy, especially if it comes from television, a cultural message is put out that often times go unnoticed because we seldom ask ourselves if the way the characters act represent anything close to true life.
I believe there is a strict line distinguishing Elder Scrolls and real life races. The thing to consider there is that races in ES universe are different in both physical, mental and cultural aspects, they are different species. The phrase "we're all human" doesn't work there. Humanity has not faced similar situation yet and so we can't really say how will we react (I suppose some bigotry would be in place). Another thing is that racial stereotypes in ES are more pronounced and hold true in a lot more cases than those in real life. For example, Khajiit. Sure, they are not all thieves and smugglers but the majority are and it leads to a certain initial distrust when dealing with Khajiit - something that can make the player more susceptible to the real life racial stereotypes. On the other hand, the game has people in all races who do not fit into the corresponding stereotype and from that point of view helps people not to give in to those stereotypes in real life. In the end I think it totally depends on a person. Bethesda had done an amazing job keeping everything grey and it's up to you to make a choice both in game and in real life, if basing your thoughts on the game.