5 Things FFIX Can Teach Us About Racism
You know what's not cool? Racism! Cool kids are not racist, and they get their homework done on time and listen to their music at an appropriate volume. Do you know how I know that? Because I played Final Fantasy IX, like all the cool kids. In fact, Final Fantasy IX can teach us a few things about racism.
1. Racial slurs are okay... if you're the bad guy
If you'll notice, despite all of the different races we find around Gaia, you never really walk up to an NPC who makes a remark like “Those darn fish people, stealing our jobs!!” However, I can think of that one fish person who was terrible at his job. Remember the Innkeeper in Alexandria? Seems like he always had complaints. But never once did one of his angry customers throw something out like... gill... haver... I don't know I'm not good at racial slurs. The point is, that didn't happen. Where you do see racial slurs are from the bad guys. Queen Brahne goes around insulting the rat people, as does Kuja. So racial slurs are okay if you plan to be the villain. They'll just make us hate you more.
2. It doesn't matter if you're black or white... or green... or ambiguously swine-like?
Gaia is populated by a vast number of different races of various colours and animal people. There are cat people, rat people, hippo people. And I don't mean fat people when I say hippo people, I mean literal hippo people. But no one seems to take any notice to this. The world is filled with all kinds, and no one even seems to care. Queen Brahne is... actually I don't even know what Queen Brahne is, but she still ruled for a long time with the respect of her people. You know, before she went all crazy and stuff.
3. Doesn't matter if you're one of a kind*
*Or at least think you are. Zidane arrives on Gaia complete with tail and less-than-cool hairdo. He doesn't know who he is, what he is, or where he's from. But as he adventures throughout the world and meets new people, no one pays any mind to his differences. They've never seen anyone like him before, but no one stops and stares, avoids contact with him, or tries to set him on fire for being a mutant. The same can be said for Eiko who arrives on the Mist Continent with a horn like no other, and it never even crosses people's minds to treat her any differently or to condemn her for being different. The most attention she gets is from Dr. Tot, curious about the Summoner's Tribe.
4. Don't judge a book by it's magic
The one exception we have to the above rule would be the Black Mages. People sure do hate them, as shown in Lindblum after the attack. On the one hand, it is a bit justified considering people think they're mindless tools of war, not to mention the fact that they just finished killing a bunch of people. On the other hand, we get to see that the Black Mages can and do become self-aware, and struggle with their own issues of self-identity and everything that's happened. As time goes on, the Black Mages are no longer being used as tools of war, which will hopefully result in a world of peace for them along side all of the other races. Zidane says it best when he says maybe humans and Black Mages can live alongside each other someday....
5. Eventually it all blends together
Just like our previous four lessons, it all blends together in the end. Gaia is filled with all different types of people from every walk of life, some sporting fur, some with tails, some being weird combinations of animals, and some I can't even begin to guess what they are. But in the end they all treat each other the same, and no one pays any mind to the many differences you can see just taking a walk. Everyone is judged based on who they are and not what they look like or what group they belong to. Is it because they have so much diversity that they're used to it? Was there a rough period of adaptation that everyone had to go through, much like the Black Mages are going through now? Who knows, but I feel pretty confident in saying that the Black Mages will soon be accepted, as will the Genomes. Because Gaia is a cool place and cool kids don't discriminate!
These are a few of the lessons Final Fantasy IX can teach us about racism. What were your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!
