Grumpy RPG Reviews
Explorer
Here is a question for the writers and readers here, particularly anyone with a background from somewhere besides America or Europe.
How do you feel about someone writing or creating a story in your country or among your people, culture, etc, if they are not a part of your ethnicity? To whit, can it be legitimately argued something like “Bridge of Birds,” a fantasy about ancient China, is racist, guilty of cultural appropriation or perpetuating some variation of the “noble savage” idea?
To a lesser degree this happens all the time among “western” nations and that arguably makes them all acceptable target. For example, Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series is not likely to be accused of racism and other problems when the characters are running around England, France, Germany and possibly even Russia. But what about when they are in China, Africa and South America?
Scalped was a comic book series about Ogala Lakota, but the series is written by a white guy from Alabama. Is that automatically a problem?
How do you feel about someone writing or creating a story in your country or among your people, culture, etc, if they are not a part of your ethnicity? To whit, can it be legitimately argued something like “Bridge of Birds,” a fantasy about ancient China, is racist, guilty of cultural appropriation or perpetuating some variation of the “noble savage” idea?
To a lesser degree this happens all the time among “western” nations and that arguably makes them all acceptable target. For example, Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series is not likely to be accused of racism and other problems when the characters are running around England, France, Germany and possibly even Russia. But what about when they are in China, Africa and South America?
Scalped was a comic book series about Ogala Lakota, but the series is written by a white guy from Alabama. Is that automatically a problem?