Talking to Dorian about slavery is pretty interesting, however. He says he hates it but then he points out how slaves have better homes and food and lives in general than Alienage elves. Sadly, he has a point, though there are much worse downsides to being a slave than poverty and Chevaliers, namely having your children sold to strangers and your life at the whim not of essentially random violence but your master who might choose to slit your throat for a party trick.
In truth, a Lavellan that hasn't really been exposed either to city elves or slaves probably never really thought about what their lives were like or what would happen if what little good (be it community or simple sustenance) were taken away.
Yeah, I rather agree. It's kind of sticky because while Dorian makes a point about how inescapable prejudice and poverty is a different kind of slavery, in its own way... he's never been a slave or part of a systematically oppressed and impoverished minority, is not part of the elven community, hasn't experienced life in their shoes (or lack thereof), and still on some level defends the practices that the elves deplore.
While Lavellan hasn't experienced it either, I still feel it's a little different since they're part of a people that internalizes ancestral slavery as part of their racial/cultural identity, might feel kinship with other elves in the world whom they know are still slaves, and are aware that they could still become slaves themselves if humans ever caught them. Dorian's family never has been and he never will become a slave because he is a human noble mage altus whose father is a magister. He sits on a comfortable perch of privilege, so telling an Inquisitor (especially a Dalish one) that slavery is not that big a deal and they still have it good in some respects feels... ugh, it feels icky, and a bit disingenuous, especially if you're an elf and you're like, "Back up, slave-owner. You've never experienced what my people have, so don't be so quick to tell me how my people do and don't have it."
Maybe that's just me. (Sorry to write a long text, I'm just trying to articulate my feelings effectively.)
I feel like you pretty much said what the blogger was saying 'cause you're both saying "saying sorry ain't jack but you can still take action." There's only so much one Tevinter noble can do if he doesn't have more people to back him up but he can still do something. Not only that but his family still owns slaves and he defended slavery in Tevinter on multiple occasions.
Is that what the person was trying to say? I couldn't tell.
It seemed to me that the person was implying that Solas was coming down too hard on Dorian and asking the impossible; that Dorian really does feel sorry and really can't turn back the clock to undo all of what Tevinter has done, so he can't live up to Solas' expectations so Solas saying "Then how sorry are you?" is unfair.
Which I don't think is entirely accurate. I don't think Solas expects Dorian to completely restore everything Tevinter took from their slaves and victims (that's not possible), but rather, to put his money where his mouth is. "I know you're sorry for what Tevinter did to the elves in the past, but it's not just in the past. Many elves (and non-elves!) are still slaves now and still need freedom now, so what are you doing to help them now?" "Nothing." "Then how sorry are you?"
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At least no one can catch through the internet.
