Good idea to look at the whys and wherefores.

> Part of the problem may simply be the fear of the unknown. Roleplaying games are still relatively new in our society and appear weird to the conventional types of games that exist.
True. John and Jane Q. Public know next to nothing about RPGs.

> We use dice, which have negative connotations with them of gambling and fortune telling.
I don't buy that. Lots of conventional games, like Monopoly and backgammon, use dice. Nothing inherently scary there.

> it seems to have attracted a lot of social outcasts, individuals who don't seem to fit in the molds that society has formed.
True. Gaming carries a sizeable social stigma. "Geeks play RPGs" --> "RPG players are geeks"

> People are simply unwilling to accept this new thing so eagerly.
Hardly. How many new fads and trends have spread through the mainstream like wildfire? Newness alone isn't a factor.

> Consider also that society teaches us more and more to be an audience. We watch and react; it is not our job to create. We consume. Our job is to buy and use what others decide is good for us.
Hear hear! Hollywood loses box office revenue if people create their own stories, instead of buying into the crap they foist onto us *coughmummyreturnscough*

Mitch

>> We use dice, which have negative connotations with them
>>of gambling and fortune telling.

>I don't buy that. Lots of conventional games, like Monopoly >and backgammon, use dice. Nothing inherently scary there.

Right, right. Part of that is more of a regional gripe. There are some people here in the "Bible Belt" who get nervous from young adults slinging around handfuls of dice. Of course, their number is dwindling.

>> People are simply unwilling to accept this new thing so
>>eagerly.

>Hardly. How many new fads and trends have spread through
>the mainstream like wildfire? Newness alone isn't a factor.

Well, by the time something becomes mainstream, I don't know if it is very "new" anymore, although this certainly could be debated.

Thanks for your comments.... I think it is an interesting mystery of why many are really frightened of RPGs. One of my friends back in high school -- he played D&D with us, but we had to keep it a secret from his dad. His dad was positively frightened of RPGs. To this day, I never actually figured out why. This was a guy who was not religious, but he absolutely wanted nothing to do with RPGs.

Thanx,
Nathan

Why are they afraid? That's simple enough to answer:
In the early 80's, stories spread about kids who played D&D getting involved in the occult, going insane, killing people (including themselves), etc. None of the stories were conclusively verified, but they got around anyhow. The movie 'Mazes and Monsters' added fuel to the fire.
As a result, gaming went underground, and the stories became what passes for "common knowledge". It's like that Dork Tower strip ("Hey Marcie! Come and see the Satanist!").

Mitch