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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Guest&nbsp; 85555" data-source="post: 6710076">I am unfamiliar with Bear's writing, so I can't really address her in particular. I guess where I have concern here isn't saying a bit of caution when dealing with other cultures is called for (that seems pretty reasonable to me). What troubles me, and maybe I am misreading your position, is you seem to be saying something that is close to "white people shouldn't borrow from these cultures or try to write minority characters". Again, I may be totally misreading you. To me though this seems like it closes us off to each other. I doubt that me trying to write from the point of view of a minority character is going to be as accurate or authentic as a person in that minority group doing so. But I feel like it is an important step toward empathizing with people. Granted if I am a racist who uses that characterization to present them negatively or if I am just grossly insensitive, that warrants criticism. But otherwise I would see it as a good thing (in my view it is good for writers to try to see things from the points of view of different people). My other worry here is it feels like we are creating this gulf where we can't ever truly know each other. Sort of like the old ballad by Kipling "Oh, the East is East, and the West is West, and never the Twain shall meet...". As I pointed out earlier I am in in an inter-racial/intercultural marriage and am the product of intercultural household. I think this kind of thinking creates an illusion of distance that really separates people and divides them further. Another concern I have is, this seems to really kind of be about sophistication. And the people who don't have a sophisticated understanding of other cultures, not necessarily a negative or prejudicial one, are the folks who get hammered by the accusation of Cultural Appropriation. That means your well educated, privileged white person is going to have a pretty easy time navigating CA concerns, but someone who maybe didn't have the benefits of money and a four year degree or masters program, is going to be less likely to have encountered some of these concepts in depth. Granted you can develop that understanding without college or a masters program, but I do think there is a disparity there.</blockquote>

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