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[Lulupab]

So I was thinking and I realized Thedas is a bit hopeless and a bad place to be in, even worse than our world. I need to make an example to make it clear.

 

I think the Anders-Chantry situation is a nice one. So a mage destroys a chantry. The following questions need to be answered

 

Was it wrong? Yes

 

Did Chantry did something to make the act inevitable and a bit deserved? Not that particular chantry in Kirkwall but chantry as a whole indeed did. And the people joing the chantry are completely aware of them. I'm not trying to show chantry as an evil organization, it has its ups and downs like many things in Thedas. Ignorance.

 

What is the reaction to the destruction of chantry? 1. People "demand retribution". Likely they want some mages dead, doesn't matter who as long as they are mages. Clear example of ignorance as even if Anders is not among those mages the people will be satisfied. 2. The Templar order is quite happy to oblige and the prince of biggest city in Free Marches only cares of Anders dies or not and if he lives he swears to attack kirkwall and kill more just to find Anders. I think I don't even have to explain the crazed knight commander. The bothering fact is no one questioned her acts, not the Templars, not anyone. You cannot honestly tell me every single person in Free Marches is evil.

 

Ignorance has very deep roots and morality is on none-existent and dictated. There is no such thing as idealism and close-minded is putting it mildly. In a abhorrent society such as Thedas I find it hard to blame people like Isabela, Zevran or even Anders. They are open about what they are doing in opposed to all the things that happen in Thedas behind curtains that is ignorance. "We must first destroy so that we can rebuild" applies here perfectly. 

[The Baconer]

So I was thinking and I realized Thedas is a bit hopeless and a bad place to be in, even worse than our world.

 

I truly wish it were.

[EmperorSahlertz]

You don't have to be evil or ignorant to demand retribution. Just look at the average US citizen after the WTC attacks. You only have to be a human being.

 

You feel powerless in those situations, and feeling powerless can lead to irrational anger. Anger which has to be vented towards something. In this case Mages in general would be the target. This is a natural human reaction to such stimuli. Now do notice, that this reaction is not "good", and it should certainly be controlled, but it cannot be avoided.

[dragonflight288]

Also, there are many, MANY real life examples throughout history where ignorance, hatred, them-or-us mentalities, or even cultural nuances led to many great and devastating tragedies (not great as in wonderful but great as in scope.)

 

The Holocaust, 11 million Jews, homosexuals, gypsies and so on were all slaughtered. Rowanda, millions upon millions of people were killed with handheld weapons and tools like machetes, hand tools and so on, Pol Pot killed a whole third of his country, and went out of his way to target the educated and tried to literally rewrite history in his own image or as he thought it should be, and killed anyone who could've looked at the actual events and say, "that didn't happen."

 

Then there are the everyday tragedies that happen. Even today, if you see someone on a building or something threatening to jump and commit suicide, the crowd at the bottom isn't always shouting "Don't do it!" or "You've got so much to live for!" Many times, they're shouting "Jump! Jump! Jump!" cheering on someone dying. And there isn't ignorance there at all, as everyday people know full well that if that person jumps they'll die.  

 

I honestly would love to say that Thedas is worse than real life, and many of us don't see the dark and dirty side of it, but so many real life atrocities still overshadow the fictional ones in-game. 

 

EDIT: Simply bringing up those real life stuff probably is enough to get me a warning or even get this thread locked, so I'll stop talking about that stuff and simply say that Dragon Age's people have their ups and their downs, their saints and their jerks, their Saren's and their Shepard's. 

[AkiKishi]

This thread is a bit of powder keg and people are likely to get emotive over any given examples.

[Lulupab]

I honestly would love to say that Thedas is worse than real life, and many of us don't see the dark and dirty side of it, but so many real life atrocities still overshadow the fictional ones in-game.

Even so there were people who were not sheep and thought differently. Such as people who hid Jews in their houses and risked their own life to save them. You rarely see such people in Thedas.

[The Baconer]

Even so there were people who were not sheep and thought differently. Such as people who hid Jews in their houses and risked their own life to save them. You rarely see such people in Thedas.

 

Emphatically not true, given that one of the biggest problems the Order in Kirkwall faced was getting people to cooperate with them. And then there were the large amount of sympathizers within their own ranks.

[EmperorSahlertz]

Even so there were people who were not sheep and thought differently. Such as people who hid Jews in their houses and risked their own life to save them. You rarely see such people in Thedas.

Jews do not psoe the threat of demonic possession or Blood Magic either. People of Thedas face LEGITIMATE threats from mages. Whereas jews were simply persecuted because they were a conveniently rich scapegoat.

 

Even so, we see people who help and hide mages all the time. So your point isn't exactly accurate.

[MisterJB]

Biased OP attempting to portray realistic fears and concerns as "ignorance" and Godwin's Law only seven posts in.

 

Yep, this thread is hopeless.

[dragonflight288]

Sidenote: You act like these two are different. Both potentially are racists (human/turian centrists). Both potentially ruthless hitmen and "dirty cops", if you will. Both potentially have an Asari tagging along with the last name T'Soni, an army of Geth and Krogan, and wish to ally with the Reapers in a union of "flesh and steel".

 

Fair enough.

 

I'll change it to "Their paragon's and their renegades!" 

[KainD]

Was it wrong? Yes.

No.

[Gervaise]

I think that Thedas just illustrates the age old maxim "Power corrupts."   An excellent example is given in Asunder by Lambert when explaining why he is so hard line towards mages.   He started out in Tevinter and was good friends with a number of mages, one of whom become Grand Enchanter.   So naturally Lambert thinks that these mages will now work with him to eradicate the corruption in Tevinter's mage hierarchy.   Eventually he finds out that instead of stamping out corrupt practices, they have been indulging in them themselves for the simple expediency of staying in power (as Fenris also said was the case).   When Lambert remonstrates with his old friend, he told that he is being naïve. 

 

The Chantry has an excellent set of guidelines for a fair and just society.   It is known as the Chant.  If you take the trouble to read the bits about morality, they make perfect sense.   It also stresses that everyone noble and commoner is equal in the sight of the Maker.   It also says that magic is gift to be used for the benefit of society.   What it does condemn is the abuse of power, not just magical power.     So does the Chantry follow these guidelines?  Only when it suits them and in accordance with the interpretation they have put on them.   Do the nobles and rulers of Thedas follow them?  Same comment as for the Chantry.   Both groups claim to rule by Divine right, which essentially gives them licence to bend or break the rules as they see fit.   To date I have yet to see any reference in the Chant to Divine Right.

 

Another example would be Calenhad, the famed ruler of Ferelden, who worked with Parlathan for a fairer society, which the latter took to include mages.  Yet when Calenhad decided that it would be more beneficial to keep in with the Chantry and have the service of Circle Mages, he basically double crossed his old friend. 

 

To be fair to Alistair and Anora, either of them will actually try and enact change to make their society fairer for mages and elves but run into problems with maintaining it in the light of general prejudice against both groups.

 

So I'd say that Thedas is neither worse or better than our world.   People act the same the world over.   That said, that is not going to stop me trying to change things as Inquisitor, although how successful I am is going to largely depend on the writers.   There have been heroic figures in our world who have tried to make it a better place for others regardless of the cost to themselves and on a fair number of occasions they have wound up dead for their efforts, often betrayed by their own side.    I am hopeful that I will finally win out at the end of Inquisition and be a genuine hero and have changed Thedas society for the better, not just for one particular group.   Here's hoping!

[Bob from Accounting]

If the world wasn't a mess, there wouldn't be much need for the hero in the first place.

[TheKomandorShepard]

that peoples wanted kill mages after is no suprise after all they are unstable nuclear bomb and they demonstrated they are danger for everyone by blowing up chantry and thousands times before it is understandable that peoples want safety from unstable nuclear bomb.It would be look the same in our world and in our times.

 

If you could see world by larger picture like you can see universal in da story you would see that humans are by nature pri*** and cruel and that is fun without it would be boring .

[Althix]

 "We must first destroy so that we can rebuild" applies here perfectly. 

and who would rebuild it? Possessed abomination? or a ****** with hands so deep in the blood of the people who died because of her greed?

[AkiKishi]

One of the endings of Bound by Flame allow you to burn the world to ash. But what comes next is left to your imagination. 

 

Can't really think of a game that gave you the option to destroy a world before. I felt a tiny twinge of guilt for the companions as I pressed that button.

[The Baconer]

Can't really think of a game that gave you the option to destroy a world before. I felt a tiny twinge of guilt for the companions as I pressed that button.

 

Of recent memory, there was Fallout 3, kinda. At least, before the Brotherhood of Steel add-on cheapened it all.

[The Ascendant]

Chaos is an excellent source of opportunity. With the Chantry in disarray and Orlais in civil war and well the barrier separating our world from the spirit world, now is the perfect chance to change the lot for the oppressed and disenfranchised. And maybe become a being with a huge amount of power and authority. Insert evil Sith laugh.
Necromancer Dalish Elf Inquisitor for the win.

[Mockingword]

"Worse than our world" is a bit of stretch.