D&D 5E African campaign setting, "Wagadu Chronicles" being developed by Twin Drums

[Morrus]

Then it is even more bogus. It was already pointed out, no one owns a culture and thus no one has more rights than others to use said culture in works of fiction.

It's not about rights. It's about respect. A minute ago you thought it was about expertise; now you think it's about rights.

You clearly don't understand the concept, or what 'cultural appropriation' means, so why are you railing against it and hijacking a perfectly decent thread about a new setting? I mean, it's hard take your words seriously when you don't understand what the subject matter is.

 

[Beleriphon]

A white person is as much able to respect sacred believes than a native american is able to ignore them.
Yet still, by just being a native american he is allowed to wear a headdress and tomahawk while a white person isn't.
Its silly, its bogus.

The point is more than a person, regardless of ancestry, that actually has those ideals and beliefs wouldn't do the things described.

Basically, cultural appropriation is taking a minority or oppressed group's culture (that is to say oppressed compared to dominant culture in a region) and using them without appreciating the background or implications of using part of said culture.

If you want a good example Monte Cooke had a setting in his Cypher system inspired by Native American mythology. The problem however wasn't that he's a white guy, its that it seemed good to him because he didn't understand the culture at all, so he just mashed stuff together without context. This was pointed out, and ultimately replaced in later printings with a setting that is still using Native American mythology and stories but with a better context about how they fit together so it is less just taking the bits Monte likes and instead working to make them cohesive so they better fit the cultures that inspired him.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I’m looking forward to this.

I also recommend putting the person obsessed with “Marxist intellectual brainwashing” on your ignore list.

You won’t change their mind, they aren’t gonna remove the “liberalism is a mental illness” bumper sticker anytime soon, just let it go.

edit: almost forgot. Anyone who insists that “same standard for all or I dismiss it” is a worthwhile statement to make in a discussion about issues relating to power dynamics and marginalization, isn’t someone to take seriously.

 

[slipshot762]

Anyone who insists that “same standard for all or I dismiss it” is a worthwhile statement to make in a discussion about issues relating to power dynamics and marginalization, isn’t someone to take seriously.

I would give this same advice regarding anyone who espouses a desire for diversity or equality yet believes "power dynamics" are at all valid.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Sigh. And this thread was doing so well at the start. Can we go back to discussing the setting itself?

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I would give this same advice regarding anyone who espouses a desire for diversity or equality yet believes "power dynamics" are at all valid.

If you don't think power dynamics matter, you probably got the power...

 

[HarbingerX]

I would give this same advice regarding anyone who espouses a desire for diversity or equality yet believes "power dynamics" are at all valid.

So much for my attempt to get the thread back on the rails.

My son recently had a class on equality vs equity, after which we had a good discussion about the importance of understanding the difference. I really want to comment further, but since I know it's going to be fruitless, I'll just stop here....

 

[PsyzhranV2]

Just gonna leave this here in case people are curious as to what the Khyber is going on in this thread with the people failing to comprehend the basics of cultural appropriation, power dynamics, and basic decency.

 

[slipshot762]

If you don't think power dynamics matter, you probably got the power...

If it were true that naysayers had this elusive power you assign to us there would be no discussion or consideration of the thoroughly bogus concept of cultural appropriation as measurable harm instead of the throng of people insisting we sacrifice figurative virgins to the allegorical volcano in order to appease the gods.

Just gonna leave this here in case people are curious as to what the Khyber is going on in this thread with the people failing to comprehend the basics of cultural appropriation, power dynamics, and basic decency.

It's not a matter of not understanding, we've had the same classes on this same subject and simply refuse to accept the flawed methodology and inherent assumptions it rests upon. We called foul on it from the first moment we looked at it and continue to do so, the lemming like rush of so many to insist that "cultural appropriation" is in anyway an objective, meaningful, real harm; spoken about as if "it's settled science you filthy heretic" does nothing to ameliorate the gulf but rather deepens it. Why is this so difficult to grasp? Why the nigh religious need to believe in this boogeyman despite the fact that those who taught it to you were openly avowed politcal partisans with a rather ugly and disgusting divide and concquer agenda that they've made no effort to conceal?

ETA
right, so enough I suppose, let us derail no further, I simply choose to disbelieve the illusion, do not speak of it as you would gravity and I will not dismiss it as a fairy tale, and we can go back to discussing the setting if such holds any interest for anyone at this point. my apologies, carry on.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

If it were true that naysayers had this elusive power you assign to us there would be no discussion or consideration of the thoroughly bogus concept of cultural appropriation as measurable harm instead of the throng of people insisting we sacrifice figurative virgins to the allegorical volcano in order to appease the gods.

I honestly love when people run out of good counter-points, so instead fall back on flowery language and nonsensical abstractions, as if this somehow proves anything at all.

But I'll break it down for you nonetheless;

If it were true that naysayers had this elusive power you assign to us
This isn't elusive, I've already pointed out one example; white folks get to name a popular football time "The Washington Redskins," and Native Americans don't get to do the same. This is power dynamics.

the thoroughly bogus concept of cultural appropriation as measurable harm
The measurable harm is that white folks get to keep using a racist term as a popular football team's name. This dehumanizes Native Americans as less than whites.

throng of people insisting we sacrifice figurative virgins to the allegorical volcano in order to appease the gods
Change the football team's name to something else. It's not exactly hard; the Oakland Raiders are moving to Vegas, so are now called the Las Vegas Raiders. The Supersonics basketball team moved to Oklahoma, and are now the Oklahoma Thunder. No need to throw anyone in a volcano.