[lillian luna]

He's joking.

Hard to tell, and you can never be fully sure.. Maybe I spent too much time on the Diablo 3 forums last month. *Shudders*

I have played as a dark elf from morrowind through skyrim. At first i was lured into Ulfrics lies and was a stormcloak. The empire doesn't like the High elves either but is trying to regain strength to fight back. Ulfric only cares about Nords and puts every other race in danger. The empire cant fight the high elves with one of their best armies in a civil war. The stormcloaks are the evil ones. Look at the "grey corner" of windhelm. Ulfric is racist!!!. Uniting skyrim under a stormcloak banner is to sacrifice all other races

As was said, Dunmer and Argonians are essentially refugees. Argonians steal from the ships and docks, leaving the Nords reasonably skeptical. The Dunmer are a recent influx due to fleeing from Morrowind because of the Argonians, and because they are technically warring with the Lizard-People, they are separated to keep conflicts down. Looking at Windhelm, it is too full to support an influx of refugees, and there is a reasonable (although unwarranted for the Dunmer) distrust of elves in general. It is not as if either race is FORCED to stay in these quarters/camps in Windhelm. They are treated as free citizens for the most part.

Additionally, if you do unite Skyrim under the Stormcloaks banner, the Thalmor are "kicked out" of Skyrim, along with Empire troops. No other races are exiled. Ulfric then claims they will rebuild, and forge an army, to defend their lands and defeat the "growing darkness" that is the Aldmeri Dominion.

Ulfric's Victory Speech:

Spoiler

Galmar: And now, I present to you, Ulfric Stormcloak, hero of the people, liberator and High King of Skyrim!

Ulfric: I am indeed Ulfric Stormcloak, and at my side the man we know as Stormblade, and the world knows as the Dragonborn.

And indeed, there are many that call us heroes. But it is all of you who are the true heroes! It was you who faught a dying Empire who sunk its claws into our land, trying to drag us down with it. It was you who fought the Thalmor and their puppets who would have us deny our gods and our heritage. It was you who fought your kin who didn't understand our cause, who weren't willing to pay the price of our freedom. But more than that, it was you who fought for Skyrim, for our right to fight our own battles... to return to our glory and traditions, to determine our own future!

And it is for these reasons that I cannot accept the mantle of "High King." Not until the Moot declares that title should adorn my shoulders will I accept it.

(Talking to Lady Elisif, who swears fealty to Ulfric, and then Ulfric lets her remain as Jarl)

A great darkness is growing, and soon we will be called to fight it, on these shores or abroad.

The Aldmeri Dominion may have defeated the Empire, but it has not...defeated... Skyrim!

Balgruuf is an imperial. He's never neutral. In the Bannered Mare the bards sing the imperial song, never the Stormcloak one. He's letting Thalmor kidnap people in his city. Granted, he doesn't arrest Heimskr, but the same is true in Markarth. The Khajiit caravan vendor tells you that soldiers are his best customers. He doesn't specify which side, and when I heard him say this he was sitting outside Windhelm, so you can assume it's Stormcloaks buying, too. So while all the cities keep the caravans out, they aren't hated despite their shady associations as you point out. As usual, all the racist ballyhoo is just that.

I know Balgruuf is imperial. I just personally feel that he should have been neutral, eventually taking the side of the Dovahkiin, whichever that would be, OR choosing a side based on who you followed out of Helgen. But either way, not a big deal.

On to what I bolded, that was an awesome point I hadn't thought of. Just remember, the Khajiit have sworn loyalty to the Aldmeri Dominion. So if they're supplying both sides of the war, then they are working right into the Thalmor's plans. Maybe even working DIRECTLY for the Thalmor to keep the war fueled.

Both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks are fully capable warriors and strategists of battle. We know that some of the Stormcloaks are ex-Imperials who fought in the war. Regardless of which side you pick, you're still wiping out capable warriors who would be better as allies. I'm not saying that ship hasn't already sailed, but it seems like there's a better way to win a war against the Thalmor that doesn't involve cutting the number of your country's capable fighting men down by half. Unless we're all going on the premise that because you're dragonborn you could solo the Thalmor anyway. In my mind you don't win a war by first winning a war. It's always been sound strategy to divide your enemies just as they're doing.

Seeing as a large part of the Empire is indirectly controlled by the Thalmor, I think it is in Tamriel's best interests to have more populations be independent of one another. Hammerfell is not hostile to Skyrim, and hate the Thalmor just as much, if not more, and I'm sure if Skyrim had independence and there was threat of Thalmor invasion, each would aid one another if requested. Everyone understands the threat the Thalmor pose (see Ulfric's speech above as well). As for needing to be united to stand, this is not always the case, as Hammerfell also showed. That being said, I think Skyrim being independent gives both Skyrim AND the Empire a better chance of survival. All the troops that were currently busy (and not killed) in Skyrim, will now return home to Cyrodiil, allowing them to better defend their home, and regroup on a much smaller front.

The most important thing either way, is that the civil war ends, and quickly. Dragging it out plays into the Thalmor's hands. Ending it swiftly to regroup and defend or fight the Thalmor, is bad news bears for them.

Well I think that the race does not matter here at it's fullest. As we all saw there are both caring and ignorant racist people in EVERY race, an Imperial can side with the Stormcloaks just like a Nord could side with the empire (Rikke for example). I think it is all a matter of personality and beliefs. Although race could change the thinking dramatically.

This is very true. Ignorance and racism is not a trait of a specific race. To believe so is racism in itself.