Robert E Howard is kinda racist :(
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I was really enjoying the Conan stories but I kept noticing some possible racism creeping in, then I got to one story that just laid it out bare. Such a bummer. Anyone else notice this?
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I listened to a Conan story on YT the other day and that struck me too. Conan sure does have a problem with “blacks” doesn't he?
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Sure seems to. I suppose Robert may think he was just channeling Conan's stories so it's just Conan that is racist but it sucks either way, not cool. Although I do wonder if people like the Vikings and Mongols were racist as well, perhaps he was just trying to be realistic, but that sounds like an excuse.
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It suppose it depends on your concept of racism.
The Mongols in particular were notorious for integrating conquered peoples into their nation, hell the Mongolian horde that people think of actually would have included people who were racial Turkic or Caucasian, several different strains of Eurasian and so forth, but they were all supposedly considered Mongol because of shared social practices.
On the other hand they initiated several ethnic genocides.
Does one negate the other?
I really think racism is a modern paradigm, back when you were slinging swords and bows about it was just common sense to despise anyone who you were unfamiliar with because anyone you didn't know was probably going to attempt to kill you, rape your womenfolk and wipe out your way of life and you would most probably attempt to do the same thing to them.
Racism really only becomes an issue in a slightly more civilized world, where those actions aren't on the menu, and that may be what you're seeing in the actions of Conan.
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true and had these stories not been written in the 1900's it would excuse things. i wonder if Robert ever addressed this in his time, perhaps his explanation would be much like what you said, that would be nice vs him just fearing “the blacks” himself.
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Howard grew up in Texas in the first decades of the 1900s. that explains a lot right there
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btw, which story was it where the racism became more explicit?
one of the things that always bummed me out the most in the stories was the fact that Conan was always only into ultra pale white women.
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yeah me too, i like at least some pigment and dark hair dammit heheheh yeah texas could explain a lot.
i forget the name of the story and i'm on the audio book which is harder to reference. but basically he agrees to rescue this white princess from the evil blacks because how could he leave her to that fate.
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not that i know much about Conan… but!!!! i'd say “The Vale of Lost Women”
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that's it! there are hints in other stories but that one just sounds down right blunt racist.
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