# The Hazards of Diversity and Cultural Appropriation



## Guy (Sep 15, 2016)

Diversity is a fairly common topic broached here. I stumbled across this speech from Lionel Shriver at the Brisbane Writers Festival and thought it worth sharing. It's a tad long, but interesting.

Lionel Shriver's full speech: 'I hope the concept of cultural appropriation is a passing fad' | Opinion | The Guardian


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## FifthView (Sep 15, 2016)

I'm hesitant to comment because this thread seems destined for locking if it gets any traction.

But I'm often treading where angels fear to tread so ... some points:

Since reading the speech at that link, I've wondered how different it would have been if the speaker, in a different setting perhaps, had focused the speech on writing better rather than on the politics of the before and after stages of writing.

I do believe the issues raised will have more relevance and importance for those who are actively seeking to earn a living through writing and publishing—as the speaker herself signified by reference to reviews she and others have received.  But from my own limited perspective, the diversity and number of niches that now exist, including independent and/or self publishing, seem to counteract the need for said speech?  (Except, perhaps, for the notes I include below, i.e. the broader issue of personal creative agency.) And I also doubt that the trend being attacked is actually widespread, pervasive, in the realm of publishing.

If I were tasked with turning the speech into advice for new writers, re-focused on writing itself rather than on the broader political atmosphere, I think I'd say this:


If someone tells you that you _must_ include a character from a particular class or social group in your novel, ignore that command.  


If someone tells you that you _must not_ include a character from a particular class or social group in your novel, ignore that command.


The rationale for the above two points:  Choose your characters on the basis of the needs of your story, your own understanding of your story, and your desires/intentions for the story, rather than on what someone else tells you must or must not be included in the story. 


Remember that engaging characters have many traits, are well-rounded and complex; e.g., the fact that a character is an orc is not enough to make that character engaging.  The fact that a character is _____________ is not enough to make that character engaging.


In line with the previous point, avoid tokenism. (But "tokenism" can be hard to define, sometimes; so focusing on making characters well-rounded and complex—not defined by a single trait—might be a better approach than worrying about what is or is not tokenism.)


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## Devor (Sep 15, 2016)

I'm also of the opinion that _cultural appropriation_, while maybe relevant as a talking point, is too ill-defined and intrusive to make any decisions or judgements about on its own.  That's only one piece of diversity as a movement, however.

My advice as a moderator to those participating in this thread is to be clear when you're talking about _cultural appropriation_ as distinct from the greater diversity movement or from other distinct aspects of it.  Otherwise things can escalate quickly.


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## Steerpike (Sep 15, 2016)

Foz Meadows commented on the speech, here: Identity & Narrative: A Response to Lionel Shriver | shattersnipe: malcontent & rainbows

My personal view is that "cultural appropriation" in the sense that you can't write about people or cultures other than your own is not a compelling notion. I don't subscribe to the idea that we can't write about people, places, and cultures other than our own, no matter how those other people, places, and cultures are situated relative to our own. The issue is more one of how you approach the topic. 

If someone reads my story and says "hey, you can't write about these traditionally marginalized people," I'll ignore that feedback. I certainly can write about them. If someone reads my story and says "hey, you've presented a stereotyped and/or inaccurate view of these traditionally marginalized people," then I'll take that feedback seriously (although with respect to 'accuracy,' if my story is alt. history I might well veer away from true historical accuracy).


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## Mindfire (Sep 15, 2016)

I think of cultural appropriation as going beyond just representing aspects of another culture, either by representing that culture disrespectfully or- in extreme cases- outright stealing things from it and _claiming ownership_ of those things. For example, the insulting name and paraphernalia of a certain Washington football team. Or how the diabolically self-promoting birds of carrion known as the Kardashians like to imitate the look and style of African-American women and then manage to convince the larger culture they somehow invented it. Or how a certain type of White American likes to seize upon the vernacular of minority subcultures and than run it into the ground with ill-use or overuse. Or how Black musicians invented both jazz and rock and roll but neither became really socially acceptable until white musicians got in on it. Or, going further back, how empires like the British plundered archaeological artifacts from other cultures and took them back to their museums, refusing to return them. Etc, etc, etc.


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## Nimue (Sep 15, 2016)

I have to say, I've heard quite a bit of discussion on cultural appropriation and never heard anyone genuinely use it to mean "writing about a culture other than one's own".  Like ever?  I agree with Mindfire that there's an element of claiming ownership or authority or entitlement to something, particularly something sacred or culturally important.

A white guy claiming to be Native and writing a fictional "autobiography"?  Yeah, that's cultural appropriation, and there's more than one example of that particular scenario.  A white guy writing a well-researched and thoughtful fantasy adaptation of a Native culture?  Not so much of an issue.

The complaints I've heard about people writing about other cultures have more to do with stereotyping or a lack of research, not any kind of appropriation.


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## Steerpike (Sep 15, 2016)

@Nimue I've certainly heard it presented, many times, as writing about a marginalized culture you don't belong to.


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## Nimue (Sep 15, 2016)

Steerpike said:


> @Nimue I've certainly heard it presented, many times, as writing about a marginalized culture you don't belong to.


Huh.  We've been reading different sources then, I think.  I'd agree that there's a general vagueness in the definition of appropriation at work.


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## Steerpike (Sep 15, 2016)

Nimue said:


> Huh.  We've been reading different sources then, I think.  I'd agree that there's a general vagueness in the definition of appropriation at work.


I've seen it online, but in addition to that I've had these discussions with professors and students at university going back to the 90s. There are definitely some out there who believe you shouldn't be writing about these cultures if you don't belong to them. I think it is a minority viewpoint.


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## Steerpike (Sep 15, 2016)

A quick search turned up a book called "Stranger at the Door: Writers and the Act of Writing," wherein under a section called Transcultural Appropriation, the author defines "literary appropriation" as when a writer uses "material and language that does not derive from his own background or culture."

That's the definition of cultural appropriation I'm arguing against, not against poorly research uses, stereotyping etc.


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## Mindfire (Sep 15, 2016)

Steerpike said:


> I've seen it online, but in addition to that I've had these discussions with professors and students at university going back to the 90s. There are definitely some out there who believe you shouldn't be writing about these cultures if you don't belong to them. I think it is a minority viewpoint.



That's also not the definition that I'm familiar with. But my take on what you're describing is that when you're part of the majority and writing about a minority experience, you're crowding out the voices of minority authors to write about their own culture and experience. Let's be real, POC authors have a lot harder time getting published than White authors. And then they face additional obstacles like being relegated to "special" sections of bookstores and libraries which makes their work less visible, or their work gets mismarketed because the Powers That Be don't think a book written by a POC author or with a POC face on the cover will sell. So in this case, it comes down to the fact that your voice has become more or less the authority in a sense on a culture that is not your own, while people of that culture can't get their voices heard. You're benefiting in some way from that culture while the people actually in it see none of those benefits. In a more or less equal society this wouldn't be an issue but with the privilege stacked the way it is, it's not completely harmless. It could almost be called exploitative. The solution isn't necessarily banning White authors from writing about minorities, but getting minority authors better support and promotion and rooting out the prejudices in the publishing industry.



Steerpike said:


> A quick search turned up a book called "Stranger at the Door: Writers and the Act of Writing," wherein under a section called Transcultural Appropriation, the author defines "literary appropriation" as when a writer uses "material and language that does not derive from his own background or culture."
> 
> That's the definition of cultural appropriation I'm arguing against, not against poorly research uses, stereotyping etc.



See above. Also, you haven't said anything regarding my previous post. I'd be interested to hear your response.


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## Nimue (Sep 15, 2016)

Mindfire said:


> That's also not the definition that I'm familiar with. But my take on what you're describing is that when you're part of the majority and writing about a minority experience, you're crowding out the voices of minority authors to write about their own culture and experience. Let's be real, POC authors have a lot harder time getting published than White authors. And then they face additional obstacles like being relegated to "special" sections of bookstores and libraries which makes their work less visible, or their work gets mismarketed because the Powers That Be don't think a book written by a POC author or with a POC face on the cover will sell. So in this case, it comes down to the fact that your voice has become more or less the authority in a sense on a culture that is not your own, while people of that culture can't get their voices heard. The solution isn't necessarily banning White authors from writing about minorities, but getting minority authors better support and promotion and rooting out the prejudices in the publishing industry.



I've heard, related to speaking over people, that it's one thing to write about black/gay/Latin characters as someone who doesn't belong to those groups and another thing to write _a story about the experience of being black/gay/Latin_ without...having that experience.  Not that it can't be done, but that by nature that is a difficult and quite possibly unwanted thing to set about doing.


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## Steerpike (Sep 15, 2016)

Nimue said:


> Not that it can't be done, but that by nature that is a difficult and quite possibly unwanted thing to set about doing.



Difficult, yes, and it might well be unwanted by some, though I'm leery of the idea that writers should be swayed by the idea of what is wanted or unwanted. When you look at the history of literature, you can find a lot of writing that wasn't wanted at the time of its creation. 

@Mindfire - I'll respond to your comments in more detail later - I have to run to a meeting. For now, I'll simply say that I agree that there should be more opportunity for writers of color and writers from marginalized groups, and I don't subscribe to the idea that if one person gets a publishing contract they've necessarily crowded out someone else. That's a reductive view of how the publishing marketplace works, in my view.


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## Devor (Sep 15, 2016)

I've definitely seen Steerpike's definition before.  The specific examples that people raise usually go deeper, but then the general definition that's drawn from them often comes out vague the way Steerpike describes it.




Mindfire said:


> That's also not the definition that I'm familiar with. But my take on what you're describing is that when you're part of the majority and writing about a minority experience, you're crowding out the voices of minority authors to write about their own culture and experience.



I can understand the concern here.  I do.  But in trying to figure out how that's actionable, for me, I'm not sure that it is.  Unless I'm just not supposed to write fantasy based on other cultures, which I don't think is the answer at all, and I recognize you've said that as well.

I also think it's more complicated than that.  Take Black Panther, the Marvel character, who was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  If he inspires black comic artists to get involved in the industry - _even to correct some inadvertent offenses in his portrayal or development _- would I be wrong to see that as a win for diversity?

Again, I'm looking for things that are actionable to me, in my own writing, which can likely be generalized to others in the MS community.  Presuming the broadest definition of cultural appropriation, I think, doesn't get me anywhere, or taken too stridently could even take me a step backwards.  What could I do to go forward or improve so far as cultural appropriation is concerned?


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## Russ (Sep 15, 2016)

I think the question of "cultural appropriation", like many things, has been hijacked by the radical opposite ends of the spectrum in internet discourse.

There are those who argue (I think fallaciously) that a writer not from a group should not write about the experience of members of that group.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who argue that they can (on this they are correct) and should write about any group they want, any way they want.  It is kind of a radical free expression argument that many artists thoughtlessly often fall into.

I read that whole article and I found a quote in it from a writer I think in the Guardian (who the author disagreed with for their own reasons) that expressed how I think one should approach writing about cultures or groups not your own:

“special care should be taken with a story that’s not implicitly yours to tell.”

I am not sure that a writer facing culture appropriation concerns internally or externally needs much more guidance than that to steer a good course.


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## Mindfire (Sep 15, 2016)

Devor said:


> I can understand the concern here.  I do.  But in trying to figure out how that's actionable, for me, I'm not sure that it is.  Unless I'm just not supposed to write fantasy based on other cultures, which I don't think is the answer at all, and I recognize you've said that as well.
> 
> I also think it's more complicated than that.  Take Black Panther, the Marvel character, who was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  If he inspires black comic artists to get involved in the industry - _even to correct some inadvertent offenses in his portrayal or development _- would I be wrong to see that as a win for diversity?
> 
> Again, I'm looking for things that are actionable to me, in my own writing, which can likely be generalized to others in the MS community.  Presuming the broadest definition of cultural appropriation, I think, doesn't get me anywhere, or taken too stridently could even take me a step backwards.  What could I do to go forward or improve so far as cultural appropriation is concerned?



Well that's just it, it _is_ a complicated issue. I am grateful for Black Panther, who I wished I'd heard of sooner, and other characters like him made by White creators. I loved the Earthsea books (the first three anyway) because they were the first fantasy books I'd come across whose protagonists weren't all White. The fact that their author was didn't enter into it. But I think as we move forward we need to do better than just POC characters from White creators. I don't think they should go away, but that _in addition_ we should make space for the work of people who previously went unheard. Of course I also think that fantasy is a slightly different beast as far as cultural representation and appropriation goes, depending on the type of fantasy. And all fantasy no matter the subcategory is a different family of beasts entirely from non-fantastical stuff. Secondary world fantasy, where everything is completely invented, can afford less scrutiny because you're not writing about anything in the real world. So there's less potential for harm there. However, you should still be careful to avoid the other thing I talked about: offensive stereotypes, disrespectful use of someone else's traditions, etc. Avoid that and you're in the clear as far as I'm concerned. But if your fantasy is of the type that does have a connection to our world, you need to be more careful because you are potentially representing real people. Rowling recently got into some hot water over her use of Native American traditions for example. 

So far there's no clear-cut code of conduct. So on the individual level my recommendation is to simply do your research, treat your subjects with respect, and run it past beta readers with valuable perspectives on the content. But in the grand scheme of things, over the long term, I think the prejudices in the publishing industry need to be excised and minority writers afforded more opportunities. Do that and the issue will be mitigated, if not resolved.


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## Mindfire (Sep 15, 2016)

Also, here's a response to Shriver's comments I think presents a pretty good counterargument:

Lionel Shriver?s Speech on Cultural Appropriation


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## Russ (Sep 15, 2016)

Mindfire said:


> Also, here's a response to Shriver's comments I think presents a pretty good counterargument:
> 
> Lionel Shriver?s Speech on Cultural Appropriation



That's a good article with some very well thought out positions.


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## Nimue (Sep 15, 2016)

Mindfire said:


> Also, here's a response to Shriver's comments I think presents a pretty good counterargument:
> 
> Lionel Shriver?s Speech on Cultural Appropriation


I appreciate this article for giving me a good whiff of the original speech (which I decided not to listen to on the _hunch_ that it might be more inflammatory than informative).  I think I will nod in agreement with Jim C Hines and exit this conversation before the urge towards sarcasm becomes overwhelming.  Mmmm-hmm.


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## Devor (Sep 15, 2016)

You know, I want to take a second to mention Avatar, the Last Airbender, because one of my projects is in a similar vein so far as this topic is concerned, and I don't think I'm the only one.

One of the criticisms I've seen leveled against the show is that the characters are written for a modern American audience, and don't do a good job reflecting modern or traditional Asian personality traits.  A lot of characters are free-spirited, for instance, while there are very few expressions of shame, which would have been much more common than we see portrayed in the show.

But, I don't feel that I'm personally equipped to write directly for anything but an American audience.  If I have anything to say about life and the human experience, it would be through the context of an American audience.  I don't have a lot to say about East Asian life and values except perhaps in the most obvious outsider perspective.  A lot of these things are universal, absolutely, and I don't mean to limit the appeal of anything I write, only the way that I personally can focus it.

Isn't that, at least to some degree, cultural appropriation?  How can I write a story like Avatar, the Last Airbender, while showing respect for the base cultures, not crossing all of the wrong lines, and still using characters that appeal primarily to a modern American (let's add the UK and the like) audience?


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## Chessie (Sep 15, 2016)

I'm Hispanic and have Native Alaskan mythology/culture in my fantasy stories. I seriously doubt any of my Native buddies would be pissed about that. Honestly, I agree with Russ. The loud minority makes a big deal out of cultural appropriation and racism etc, when the silent majority doesn't seem to...really care that much. Just like with the discussion here a few weeks ago about how to refer to people of color in literature...ok, as a brown skinned person I hate being referred to as a "POC". Just call me Hispanic. Call me cinnamon (my husband does) and it doesn't offend. THINK and assume that I'm offended easily and that's more annoying that anything.

Yes, do your research. Yes, be considerate, compassionate, and respectful of the cultures you're writing about and there shouldn't be a problem. (sorry, I get so tired of attempted censorship and control of art)


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## Mindfire (Sep 15, 2016)

Devor said:


> You know, I want to take a second to mention Avatar, the Last Airbender, because one of my projects is in a similar vein so far as this topic is concerned, and I don't think I'm the only one.
> 
> One of the criticisms I've seen leveled against the show is that the characters are written for a modern American audience, and don't do a good job reflecting modern or traditional Asian personality traits.  A lot of characters are free-spirited, for instance, while there are very few expressions of shame, which would have been much more common than we see portrayed in the show.
> 
> ...



I think the fact that Avatar is so highly regarded, even (or especially) in "social justice" circles, speaks for itself. And I've never heard any of the criticisms you mention. But since Avatar is set in a completely fictional world, it has some wiggle room with regard to culture. And those elements of the culture it does represent it does so respectfully. I would say Avatar is a textbook example of how to do it right. No matter what story you tell it's always going to be filtered through your perspective. I don't think that's really an issue. Just pay attention and make thoughtful decisions.


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## Trick (Sep 15, 2016)

Thanks to everyone for the articles, the speech and the arguments/responses. Very interesting reading. 

The only thing I would add is that, as a white male, I have often *felt* restricted in what I may or may not write, when it comes to people of other races and cultures. Fortunately, due not in small part to discussions here on MS, I have also recognized that it is just that, a feeling. There are no culture police who will arrest me if I write something offensive, intentionally or otherwise. I may not have much of a readership though... and that's kind of important.

I have been working on a short story cycle where the primary antagonist is a Haitian woman who practices hoodoo to the detriment of others. I will not call her a villain because she is not that, though some of her actions appear villainous to other characters and, at times, even to the reader. The primary protagonist is black, with a mix of backgrounds which include Haitian ancestors. He is portrayed as a hero but I'm not sure he is one - we'll see once the stories are done. I want him to be one but he has a mind of his own and he's pretty freaked out by what's going on in his life right now. 

Anyhow, the point of this is that I was worried about portraying POC, an entire real-world belief system and other aspects of lives I have not lived because I thought I was very likely to get it wrong. I have taken two steps to avoid this: (1) I am researching everything quite thoroughly and  (2) I reached out to an academic expert on hoodoo and African-American religious and spiritual studies. She said she was happy to read my work and let me know if I was making any big mistakes and cautioned me against a few common ones. She is doing this for free BTW. 

It took me an hour to find her. 

So, am I appropriating the culture of others for my stories? Absolutely. Am I going to offend anyone? Maybe. But I'm doing everything I can to do it right. That's the best we can do and I think the majority of people will be just fine with it. Let the extremists hate our work... I, for one, am not writing for them anyway.  

On another note, if this cultural appropriation issue actually grows out of control (doubtful), I expect apologies from everyone not of Irish descent for celebrating St. Patrick's Day


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## FifthView (Sep 15, 2016)

One of the more frequent pieces of advice given on Mythic Scribes, relating to world building, is to use various world cultures and mix and match them.

I remember that during the 80's, I'd encounter cultures in fantasy novels that were obviously based to some extent on Russia—they were the "bad" or antagonistic society.  The threatening invaders.  Probably, the Cold War influenced this.  It's been too long, and I was too young at the time, for me to remember precisely how many times this happened in books I read.  But I do distinctly remember once noticing this consciously:  Aha!  It's based on Russia!  And it didn't ruin my experience.  I vaguely remember more than one instance. Then again, I do remember more distinct cases in the comic books I read.

My greatest irritation with the debate between these conflicting essays that have been linked:  The quality of any given novel or story seems to be entirely beside the point, unimportant, to the debate.

And that seems fundamentally wrong to me.  But maybe in my old age I'm growing into an aesthete. 

I do not particularly believe in "art for art's sake," because while I do think authors should write for themselves, I also recognize the social and cultural relevance of the written word.  Also, the economic relevance—I've been wondering if this is the one industry about which I'm 100% in favor of letting the free market and only the free market sort things out, rather than instituting any sort of regulations concerning its creation and sale.  

But then the question arises, Is it truly a "free" market?  

Even so, even considering these things, I think that the quality of the work should be more important than who gets to write it and who gets to sell it.

This is part of the reason why I'd much rather focus on the writing aspect—how to do it well, what to avoid, and so forth—than on the political and economic issues.


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## Devor (Sep 15, 2016)

FifthView said:


> One of the more frequent pieces of advice given on Mythic Scribes, relating to world building, is to use various world cultures and mix and match them.



This is actually something that I've mentioned quite a few times, and that I actually came to because of the project I mentioned above.  The whole setting is based on East-Asian cultures, and the cultures that I've created are specific and different and deep (so far I can tell), but there's no hopefully clear correlation where one culture is Japan and the next is China or the Philippines.

But the goal for me is to get as far away from the real world and into the fantasy setting as possible, but to still have something grounded and a little familiar.

I don't claim that people have to do this, not by any means.  But I will say that using some cultures hits a little more close to home for people and take a little more care than others do.  A Russian terrorist isn't going to annoy too many people right now, and many of the people of East Asia have their storytelling traditions well represented in the world of anime and Bollywood.

But I would want to take great care with trying to present a specific Native American tribe, for instance.  There's several reasons for that.  The overall lack of representation, the harshness of history, but also, my own difficulty in parsing and absorbing the right source material for that kind of challenge.  I can try to include a loose interpretation in a fantasy world, but I have to know my limits.




> My greatest irritation with the debate between these conflicting essays that have been linked:  The quality of any given novel or story seems to be entirely beside the point, unimportant, to the debate.
> 
> And that seems fundamentally wrong to me.  But maybe in my old age I'm growing into an aesthete.



Yes, I agree here 100%.  The difference between something that's seen as diverse and something that's seen as insensitive is often one of quality.  "No, that brown-skinned character wasn't very well developed, but did you notice that nobody else was either?"  In some cases it's a little unfair and the critics need to recognize where people are on the learning curve.

In others, though, writers make choices about where to put the extra work.  I know I've edited my sections thinking, "I need to do a better job with character A because that's my main character."  So I do.  I put the extra work into character A, but not characters B or C, at least at any given moment.  But if character A is the white guy main character, and characters B and C are the POC sidekicks, that choice not to put the extra work into them will show up in the final product.  In one sense, the work is just unfinished, because I didn't give the other characters that last touch in this hypothetical.  In another, dude, why didn't I do that?


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## Reaver (Sep 15, 2016)

I've moved this thread to Chit Chat as it seems the most appropriate place for it. Thanks to all participants. So far this thread seems to be going well so let's keep it that way. As a friendly reminder I'm going to add a quote from one of my esteemed colleagues here at Mythic Scribes:



Steerpike said:


> ***Everyone, please read this***
> 
> Diversity issues, issues of race, gender, sexuality, and so on, are important to the human condition, and as such they have a valid, important place across the entire body of human arts. That includes fantasy literature. We want to see these discussions continue on Mythic Scribes, but it is important that the members of this site be able to have those discussions in a way that respectful of the issues, of other members, and reflect well on the site and all of us.
> 
> ...


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## Reaver (Sep 15, 2016)

I'd also like to remind all participants of our Forum Rules regarding sensitive topics.

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When discussing sensitive issues, all members participating in such a discussion (post originator and respondents) are required to take extra care and treat the topic with the appropriate gravity, making certain they exhibit open-mindedness, understanding, respect, & empathy for their fellow scribes.

Sensitive issues include, but are not limited to: 

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We understand these topics have a place in literature. However, as a family friendly site, and with a diverse membership base, involved parties must exercise caution. As a participant in such a discussion, it is your responsibility to avoid framing questions and answers in an offensive manner. During presentation or debate, ensure your intention is to enlighten, educate, persuade, or learn. 

A discussion directly related to writing will be granted more leeway by the moderators. However, we reserve the right to shut down any discussion that becomes weird, suspicious in intent, or provides a disservice to our community. Discussions that veer away from this guideline will be closed and/or deleted. Offenders may be issued infractions.

Above all, exercise good judgment.
		
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## Peat (Sep 15, 2016)

I am more familiar with the definition of cultural appropriation given by Steerpike and as presented by Lionel Shriver than I am any others.

I don't want to dismiss the issues that arise from white people having an easier time of gaining recognition with their tales of non-white experiences than non-white people - or straight with gay, male with female, and on and on. But at the same time I don't want to see the issue of people trying to lock people out of discussing (or out of fiction, experienced) certain human experiences because they're the wrong type of human dismissed either. 

I will completely agree the latter is a lesser problem. Probably a far lesser problem. But I think it is a problem that grows when it is brought up and people go dismiss it - most problems do. I'd like to see this problem nipped in the bud partially because I think its incredibly illiberal and restricting, partly because I think it distracts attention from the actual problem. 

I would add that, insofar as I'm aware, I've basically only discussed cultural appropriation with white people and one Jewish person (people in this thread not included because with the exception of Chesterama I don't know/I've yet to discuss it with people). I can't help but feel the general discussion on cultural appropriation on the net would be more helpful if there were more people with skin in the game. 

I have to say I think the right path of action in this is to simply to go out and write boldly and respectfully, and accept there will be people who criticise you whatever you do. Someone complained to Shriver because she was a thin woman writing about fat people; someone complained to Scott Lynch that he had lady pirates. Being thin-skinned about other thin-skinned people probably isn't the way forwards.


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## Miskatonic (Sep 16, 2016)

Given I approach my writing with no intention of denigrating another ethnic group (or any other group), I'm not overly concerned about these concepts. There is no motivation on my part to depict people in a certain way in order to establish some sort of social commentary or other political agenda. My main series is more racially diverse than the average fantasy story, but it isn't because I'm trying to champion the cause of diversity. I want a variety of cultures to work with because the relationship between humans and their gods is one of the major themes of the books, and as we can see in our own world the interpretations of gods/god is quite varied as you move across the globe. 

There will always be people out there just chomping at the bit to complain about how one group or another is depicted in writing, even if there is really nothing to complain about. I could write a very fair portrayal of women and a handful of feminists would burn me in effigy for being a misogynist; or I could write about black people in a manner that has no hint of racism or prejudice and yet some black people out there would scream racism because I'm a white person writing black characters.


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