Skyrim as Tamriel's Syria

Syria is not on the map of Tamriel, but Skyrim is.

I make this apparently random observation in response to a popular meme that has made the rounds on Facebook. The meme is cool, but it encouraged me to also draw a link between Syria and the Elder Scrolls universe.

Credit: Михаил Мартинович Шевчук

Just like Syria, Skyrim is also a litmus test for whether a person's regard for the truth and justice trumps their pet peeve. This point can be seen when comparing the Syrian Uprising to the Stormcloak Rebellion.

Pro-Assad 'anti-imperialists', out of spite for US imperialism, not only conveniently ignore the actual history of the Assad regime's relationship with imperialist powers (including the US), but they also allow their geopolitical fetish to override any concern for the human rights of those opposing the Assad regime.

Yes, even if it means falsely branding Syrian revolutionaries as agents of US imperialism, defaming Syrian revolutionaries as being violently sectarian or ignoring the pro-Assad bias of the Obama administration.

The pro-Empire crowd likewise, out of spite for the Aldmeri Dominion, conveniently allow the supposed imperative for Imperial unity to trump concerns over the rights of those in Skyrim who want to secede from the Mede Empire.

Yes, even if it means falsely branding Ulfric Stormcloak as a Thalmor agent, defaming the Stormcloaks as vicious racists or ignoring the anti-Stormcloak bias of the Aldmeri Dominion.

Perhaps in the near future, these unwarranted misconceptions can be addressed deftly.