History Main / UnEqualRites

Much like the [[FantasticRacism rivalry]] involved in MagicVersusScience, magic users will be prejudiced against each other based on their philosophy regarding magic, how they study it, and/or how they cast spells. You'll frequently see mages versus wizards versus witches versus clerics versus shamans [--[[LongList *deep breath*]]--] versus druids versus warlocks. Put another way, a wizard of RitualMagic will sneer at a bard who approaches magic as [[MagicMusic music]], casting spells based on poetic rules. And of course both will scoff at the cleric whose magic is based on [[ReligionIsMagic articles of faith]] rather than academic or artistic viewpoints. And then you have things like PsychicPowers and KiManipulation, which carry the additional question of whether they're magic at all or something else entirely.

* The Order of Hermes in ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'' tends to look down on non-Hermetic magic[[note]](Not [[HermeticMagic this kind]].)[[/note]] as uncivilized, to such a degree that a member can take "Hedge Wizard" as a social Flaw. Consequently, they tend to get a bit peeved when "primitive outsiders" pull off stunts that their own Art can't replicate. Different Houses within the Order aren't immune either: the Faerie based spells used by House Merinita get a measure of distrust, and House Verditius' inability to cast spells without special tools gets them something of a bad rap.

->''"A wizard being called a sorcerer is sort of like having a [=PhD=] and someone telling you that you only managed to graduate because you have natural talent.\\
A wizard being called a warlock is like [[SuccessThroughSexAccusation having a [=PhD=] and being told you only managed to graduate because you gave the dean a quickie in the alley behind the movie theater."'']]

** Some of his frustration stems from the fact that, while it's never stated in as many words, Xykon himself is ''not stupid'', nor wholly reliant upon brute force, even though his magic isn't as complex as that of research-dependent wizards. In a setting where wizards often waste time looking for ''exactly'' the right spell, Xykon uses complex sequences of spells to achieve effects that no single spell can manage (such as using energy drains to de-level someone to the point of losing a level-dependent immunity, then hitting them right in the newly-exposed weakness, or using spells to draw fire to drain resources or open up a counter-attack, or even physically beating someone when the situation calls for it). He wins the vast majority of victories simply by ''using what he has'', rather than trying to grasp for an ideal solution that he lacks.

A wizard being called a warlock is like having a [=PhD=] and being told you only managed to graduate because you gave the dean a quickie in the alley behind the movie theater."''

*** In the [[WizardingSchool College of Winterhold]], Colette Marence, the in-house master of [Restoration magic, would have you believe that it's the Restoration school that is discriminated against by her peers in the facility. The very first thing she asks you when you speak to her is whether or not you yourself consider Restoration magic to be as worthy of study as that of the other schools (and you can indeed respond to the negative if you wish). In addition, the lectures she holds on the subject come across as overly defensive, and, while her colleagues are somewhat dismissive of her, this more seems to be an aversion to her overbearing personality than of any specific problem with the school of Restoration.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'':

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': The various books feature Force users who are ''not'' Jedi Knights. They have some very different ideas about what the Force is or how to use it, and some of them have fallen under condemnation from both the Jedi Council and Creator/GeorgeLucas because of it. Naturally, the main rivalry (which rose to multiple galaxy-spanning wars) has been between Jedi and Sith (originally formed from rogue Jedi) who use opposide sides of the Force, with opposing philosophies as well.

** Waterbending is all about reaction and flexibility, and places great emphasis on using an enemy's attacks against them. It's similar enough to Airbending that Aang learns it quickly, but his predecessor Roshi (a Firebender) had a lot of trouble as Firebending is ''not'' a defensive style and Roshi considered indecision his FatalFlaw.

* The Literature/{{Discwortld}} of Creator/AAPessimal runs with the logic and philosophy of canon and suggests several refinements. For instance, the Eight Orders of Wizardry that nearly destroyed the world in canonical books like ''Literature?{{Sourcery}}'' still exist. But these days, they have become the Unseen University equivalent of American student frats, and are just drinking and dining clubs for Wizards and Students of a like mind. Some applications of magic, as they evolve, are blending the analytical Wizard approach with the intuitive Witch approach: the [[Fanfic/ThePriceOfFlight City Air Watch]], now it is accepting Wizards as aircrew, is the examplar of this.

* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Practitioners of the various Bending Arts would often do this. Being subject to nationalistic propaganda since birth, Firebenders in particular would sneer at Earthbenders, but even Sokka wasn't above saying "fire is a stupid element anyway" when Aang lamented that he had yet to master it. Although Sokka's dislike of firebending may have come more from his animosity towards the Fire Nation than pride in waterbending, which he can't even do.
** This is an obstacle that [[TheRedMage Avatars]] always have to overcome, as the [[ElementalPowers different elements]] require different frames of mind and techniques. Each Avatar always seems to have one element that they struggle with, traditionally the "opposite" element from the one they started with.
*** Avatar Roku struggled with learning waterbending, which typically deals with redirection and using other's strengths against them. It's also an incredibly reactional element, while Roku had always been about moving forward and felt that indecisiveness was a FatalFlaw.
*** ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Aang has difficulty with firebending, which requires an offensive mindset, the desire to strike first in a conflict, have a pit of rage that a firebender can draw from, and using overwhelming force, all of which a pacifist like Aang abhors. While he did all right with firebending on a technical standpoint, his overeager nature caused him to hurt Katara during his first firebending excursion with Master Jeong Jeong, who himself was a cautious firebender. His second master, Zuko had to learn the original source of firebending in order to help Aang learn.
*** Aang also had notable difficulty with learning earthbending, though in that case it ''was'' from a technical standpoint rather than any animosity towards its practitioners. Earthbending simply requires the exact opposite philosophy to airbending: that is to say, airbending is about avoiding attacks and staying on the move, earthbending is about standing your ground, taking the attack head-on, and forcing the other person to move instead. Because of this, he just couldn't get his head around it until the end of an entire day of rigorous training, whereas with waterbending and firebending, he was able to use (albeit basic) techniques the moment he'd been taught about them.

* ''Videogame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' and its sequels delve into a much deeper exploration of the two major Force-using factions in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe. The movies tend to present it as a basic good vs. evil conflict, but the games show it as more nuanced, with the Jedi adhering to a stoic discipline and the Sith following their passions. There are several [=NPCs=] (and [=PCs=], for that matter) who prefer to take a middle ground, seeing both philosophies as flawed extremes.

** Furthermore, different academic institutions at which wizards are trained have academic-style rivalries, such that the heads of Unseen, Buggarup, and Brazeneck Universities all trying to one-up one another. Among witches, regional differences between Circle Sea witchcraft and Genuan voodoo exist, but in ''Witches Abroad'' those differences aren't actually responsible for the conflict. While witchcraft is generally associated with rural culture, urban witches are revealed to exist in ''I Shall Wear Midnight'' having been hinted at in earlier books; the two styles have a CountryMouse[=/=]CityMouse relationship.

** The term ''Sorcerer(ess)'' is used a few times, but lacks a clear cut definition. The implication seems to put them somewhere near the middle of the spectrum, capable of considerable magical feats, but pretty much entirely focused on combat - and while some (though not all) have Wizard-level raw power, they lack the training and finesse of a full fledged Wizard. As Harry puts it, a Wizard can do everything that a Sorcerer can, but that's far from ''all'' they can do. It has also been used in the context of nonhuman magic users like vampires.

** This is an obstacle that [[TheRedMage Avatars]] always have to overcome, as the [[ElementalPowers different elements]] require different frames of mind and techniques. Each Avatar always seems to have one element that they struggle with

* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'': In the first movie, it is revealed that Clow Reed had a rival in the form of a water-diviner known only as [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Madoushi.]] She was always trying to outdo him, but he always prevailed, mainly because ''her'' power was used mainly for personal gain (thus limiting its potential), and Clow Reed used it for other (benevolent) purposes too. The rivalry is complicated because she had feelings for him, which ''may'' have been reciprocated [[note]][[AllThereInTheManual The databooks]] actually call her his former lover, which would imply that he at least slept with her once. [[/note]]...but she became a threat and had to be sealed away in an alternate dimension by Clow. (In the English dubbed version, she is a former student of his who actually became his girlfriend...and then turned to TheDarkSide, whereupon Clow broke up with her and then sealed her away.)