Creature Land VS Man Land

by Bill Stark | posted at 2010-02-03 01:58:00
tagged: MTG, Magic, Magic the Gathering, Worldwake, Creature Land, Man Land, Sexism, Gender

 

Today's topic is a tough one kiddos, and for some reason has the tendency to upset people. So sit back, (try to) relax, and let's get started. Today we're going to talk about sex…

 

…ism in Magic terminology.

 

I hope everyone had fun at their Worldwake Prerelease (I had a blast gunslinging in Kansas City with the Feral Events staff and the player community there). I was excited to open new cards, even though I'd seen them all before through previous contract work with Wizards of the Coast, and had fun putting together the Monored Control deck that's received a lot of attention in our Standard forum. I'm also excited about the new cards I feel will have a big impact on Standard, and front and center on that end are a series of lands that can be activated to be turned into creatures. You'll recognize that concept from previous sets, but here are the list of new activatable creature lands from Worldwake:

 

Celestial Colonnade

Creeping Tar Pits

Dread Statuary

Lavaclaw Reaches

Raging Ravine

Stirring Wildwood

 

Previous entries on the list of lands that can attack include tournament mainstays like Mutavault, Mishra's Factory, Blinkmoth Nexus, Faerie Conclave, Ghitu Encampment, and Treetop Village. Affectionately they are known as "man lands." With the resurgence of popularity these lands are sure to be seeing tons of use in the future, and it's time for Magic to correct a long term ill and start referring to these lands by what they actually are: creature lands.

 

The reason for this is simple. Male-centric language is something that has inculcated numerous cultures and modern day languages. Male-centric societies lead to populations thinking nothing of referring to someone as a "garbageman" or for believing "mankind" can de facto refer to all of humanity. Referring to creature lands as "man lands" is simply doing the same thing.

 

So what's the big deal if Magic uses gender-specific language? It is no bigger than the impact of other things using gender exclusive language. In the short term, the perceived impact is minimal. After all, when someone says "that's so gay" or "for the good of mankind" they don't mean "I hate homosexuals" or "I hate women." But by using those terms in a derogatory or exclusive manner, you "other" a grouping of people; the impact in the long term is to normalize males or heterosexuals making anything else out of the ordinary and strange.

 

THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY THE INTENT OF THE WORD'S SPEAKER.

 

But, much as the perpetrator of manslaughter (there it is again) doesn't intend to kill another human being when they back out of their driveway recklessly without checking to see what's behind them, the intended effect of a speaker's words are not as important as their actual effect. In the case of gender-exclusive language like "man lands" it demeans the role of females both as characters within the game and as participants in the game.

 

Show Me One Female Who Is Offended By This

 

It's certainly true that more males than females play Magic. But rather than an argument AGAINST non-gender specific language within the game, that's an argument FOR. The disproportionate gender ratio should be discouraged through inclusive language, rather than encouraged through sexist colloquialisms.

 

The argument that because women aren't really exposed to Magic, and thus its language norms, or that no female specifically has spoken out on the matter means we shouldn't concern ourselves with such heady standards doesn't hold water either. The reality is that there ARE women who play Magic. But even if there weren't, does the fact that no minorities are around clear the air for hateful epithets to be used? Of course not. And the impact of the words, "othering" a gender whether the speaker's intent is to do so or not, is just the same. Just because no one was around to witness a tree falling in the woods doesn't mean it won't impact the forest for having fallen.

 

This Is Part of the Game, Stop Being Such a PC Nazi

 

"Heritage" is a pretty poor reason to continue doing something we've always done. For hundreds of years mankind's fastest form of transportation was a horse. That certainly didn't mean humanity should have avoided inventing the car, simply because it was not what we had always done. Likewise, at points through our history it "wasn't always" the case that some minorities could enjoy their freedom and liberty, or that women could own property and vote. That didn't stop the progression of our society to right those civil wrongs. This is a small area in which the Magic community can step up to the plate to do their (small) part.

 

Come On, It's Just A Word. It's Not Really A Big Deal

 

Fine, let's agree on this: a word isn't a big deal. So it's not a big deal to replace one with the other. This is the unequivocal truth in this matter, and the closing argument of this essay. "Man land" is no more or less hard to say than "creature land." What it is is more harmful to the game, gender exclusive, less accurate (no "man" land has ever actually existed), and needlessly negatively impacting on gender discourse within our TCG. Players will continue using it after this article, but they will be wrong to do so. "Creature land" is just as painless to say, doesn't force into non-existence years of Magic's history, is more accurate, and doesn't exclude any gender from the game or its terminology.

 

When players say or write "man land," they are choosing a gender exclusive term specifically despite the fact a perfectly palatable non-gender specific phrase exists that could easily replace it. Let's work as a community going forward to right this wrong, however small or insignificant we perceive it to be.

 

Do you agree with Bill? Or Disagree? Sound off in the forum link below.

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