214red said:
why are the majority of the decks not a true reflection of society? most decks seem to only depict people with european features (not sure how to say that without affending anyone).
The Tarot tradition seems to have developed mostly in Europe before people (other than the wealthy, military, or seafarers) traveled very much, so that might explain some lack of ethnic diversity in the more historical decks, and I suspect the early Tarot decks were in some ways poking fun at the European aristocracy and church.
More recently I think a lot of modern decks are probably modeled on those older ones, and perhaps by people who are also of European descent -- just my guess.
Of course it's possible that some of our modern Tarot designers need to open their eyes and look around them more often. Look beyond their own front doors, so to speak. Or hopefully come from more varying backgrounds themselves.
Other than that I think the reason the figures in Tarot don't seem realistic, even to many people of European descent, is that they're archetypes. They represent human processes, experiences, and transitions, not real people.
I for one, though, would love to see more decks that are diverse in their depiction of people of various ethnicities, genders, ages, and culturally perceived standards of beauty.
But I don't think any one deck can possibly please everyone.