Sensitivity Writers. AKA: avoiding cultural appropriate in writing

[billd91]

In a historical sense sure, but when you start crafting fantasy cultures based on real world cultures what you choose to include from history and what you choose to exclude comes under more scrutiny.

Also it's harder to show you work on said fantasy culture when you can't even say what percent came form research and what percent came from imagination.

That's where the sidebar or designer note comes in. Be explicit in your use of real world cultural information and how you are interpreting it. This is a place where designer notes that you see in a lot of historical war games have rocked over the years. I was just reading some for a game called Pavlov's House and the developer explained how he had decided to incorporate the broader environment of the Stalingrad battlefield within the micro-environment of the single apartment block. Paizo used to incorporate some awesome design sidebars in their modules - I wish it was a more widespread practice in RPG and adventure design.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You can’t eliminate the possibility of accusations of cultural appropriation or insensitivity. But you can take steps to minimize it. I would suggest:

1) Do your research
2) Avoid stereotypes
3) Be respectful
4) Get feedback from neutral/varied sources
4a) If you can’t get that, at least try to analyze your work by “stepping not the shoes” of those you are writing about
5) Be open to honest feedback & constructive criticism

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Okay, so step one is to listen to those affected about this topic. that means listening to marginalized folks, especially genre fans and creators, about the right course of action.

While I can only speak for LGBT folks, and even then only to the extent that I have direct experiences (I'm not a trans person, or a woman, so I can't speak to lesbian or trans folks' experiences or POV), I am friends with many people of various backgrounds on social media and IRL, and the consensus seems to be;

*If you are going to make money, you should pay marginalized people to help make the product. Never ever demand of someone that they work for free, especially when you're a white dude and they aren't.


*If you aren't going to make money, cast a wide net, make connections among marginalized creators and genre fans, and ask for volunteers to help you make the thing.

*No amount of research you can ever do will replace the POV of an actual person related to that culture or other identity. In the digital age, there is little excuse for not seeking out that expertise in some form.

*Yes, sensitivity readers are folks doing work for you, and thus folks that should be paid if you can reasonably afford to do so, just like artists and editors.

*An artist or editor may well be willing to add sensitivity reading to their work for you, so seek out marginalized artists and editors when you go looking for those services.

*Diversify your "follows". There are a wealth of marginalized creators, critics, etc, out there, and they tend to support eachother. Find a few you like, and be open to following the people they signal boost as well.

*Don't give up on diversifying the perspective of your work, and don't give up on creating stuff just because people expect more from us than they used to in this regard. It's worth it. It is a challenge that not only can you rise to, it is worth rising to. Not only as a goal in itself, but also because it will make you a better writer.

 

[Derren]

Just ignore it. If someone wants to be offended they will find something and no amount of research or "sensitivity writer aprovals" can protect you from that.

The entire cultural appropation discussion is aribtrary, starting with which cultures can be "appropiated" and which not and what stereotypes are good and which bad (and in which parts of the world).
And no person can speak for an entire culture, so the only thing a sensitivity writer does is to give you a stamp which you can point to and say you did your duty.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I would say you need to decide what kind of game you are making and do the best you can to make that game. I don't personally know how useful the sensitivity reader thing is because you are relying on one person to stand in for a whole group of people, and I find it gets very difficult to find any kind of consensus once you start talking to people. Plus, there are a lot of debates surrounding cultural appropriation. I don't find them particularly persuasive. But I do think a much better approach than worrying about appropriation is to avoid being offensive to the culture you are using. Be respectful of that, and don't walk in thinking you know everything. That is a pretty reachable goal. Worrying about appropriation, can just make you freeze creatively. I think it can lead to a stifling of cultural exchange and exploration of new ideas off of old ones. Not offending people form the culture you are dealing with, that is very easy to understand. Also with the appropriation thing, I think there is a lot of places where you can go wrong if you don't know what kind of game you are trying to make. For example in appropriation discussions people often times equate research and accuracy as issues. But I think sometimes being less accurate is actually more interesting. And there are times when you are not necessarily trying to model the original culture. For example if you are basing a game on historical romances rather than on straight history, you are going to have elements that are anachronistic and possibly culturally inaccurate. European countries have historical romances, but so to other cultures.

But to answer your question you can find lots of sensitivity readers on twitter (specifically for roleplaying as well). If you are worried about appropriation, you can check out different podcasts and discussions on these topics. I do think you will find there is a wide range of viewpoints.

 

[Janx]

Sensitivity Readers are a good idea if you can afford one. Next best thing is join a diverse writing community and seek out feedback from people who aren't like yourself.

Read the Writing With Color blog for tips on describing and handling characters of color.

Writing With Color

Welcome to Writing with Color. We are dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial, ethnic,...

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Join large enough writing groups on Facebook like Writers Helping Writers and just listen when people of color or LGBT+ talk about what they like or dislike in writing they find. Not every person of color agrees on certain things, heck, not all of them know that being described in terms of food is fetishizing. That's OK. The goal is to learn what to watch out for and avoid needless drama on some detail you could have said differently.

---
Now to switch from advice to opinions

I heard an interview with the guy who invents languages for shows and movies (ex. Dothraki from GoT). He was asked if he used real world languages to make new fictional ones. He said, no, because that would be cultural appropriation. I'm not sure where the line is for him on making a fictional culture based on a real world one, but the more it seems like you copied instead of saying this came from XYZ, you're over the line. For the OP, it's a future world, with our cultures projected forward, not the same risk, except of stereotyping or other issues found today.

A writer I know of, Milton Davis (creator of the SteamFunk genre), recently said "Diversity in speculative fiction should not only be diverse people. It should also include diverse cultures and diverse settings. Using diverse people in a Eurocentric world is still a Eurocentric story." Now he clarified that a modern story set in the USA is basically a Eurocentric story, that ship has sailed. But if you're making a new world, that's an opportunity. Case in point, my wife got a new video game, Greedfall. Fictional world, with all sorts of races mixed in. But it's largely a french-like culture, so those people of color, they're all french too. The game tackles the subject of colonization, so it tried. But a sensitivity reader or some such might have advised doing a bit more.

This has gotten rather long, definitely check out Writing With Color and get into some writing groups where they'll be in touch with the kind of issues you're trying to watch out for.

Also, remember this. Parents who bought child-rearing books tended to be better parents. But it wasn't because of the books, but because they were parents who were concerned about being better parents. You are thinking about how you treat cultures. That's going to help you do better.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Just ignore it. If someone wants to be offended they will find something and no amount of research or "sensitivity writer aprovals" can protect you from that.

The entire cultural appropation discussion is aribtrary, starting with which cultures can be "appropiated" and which not and what stereotypes are good and which bad (and in which parts of the world).
And no person can speak for an entire culture, so the only thing a sensitivity writer does is to give you a stamp which you can point to and say you did your duty.

That’s pretty...cynical.

I would retort that the discussion is NOT arbitrary, but rather evidence that people are starting to finally hear and understand long-standing complaints.

 

[Bedrockgames]

That’s pretty...cynical.

I would retort that the discussion is NOT arbitrary, but rather evidence that people are starting to finally hear and understand long-standing complaints.

I think the conversation is actually a lot more complicated than either of these positions (not singling you out Danny just leaping off this post since it was the most recent). It is a very difficult topic, one where there is going to be disagreement. It is also one where it isn't easy to parse through all the different points of view and all the different lines of argument. At the end of the day, I come to the conclusion that cultural sensitivity is good but cultural appropriation (as a concept) stifles creativity and art. I don't want to see games coming out that are trying to ridicule a culture or engage in blatant negative stereotypes. At the same time I do think people should freely borrow, reshape and explore other cultures without having to apologize for it. That said, I am not blind to the strong arguments on the other side, and I don't think people who disagree with me are reaching anything but an honest conclusions themselves.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

At the end of the day, I come to the conclusion that cultural sensitivity is good but cultural appropriation (as a concept) stifles creativity and art.

This is true if and only if the creators & providers of intellectual property actually agree to restrain themselves in the light of criticism.

Living in the USA, you can find all kinds of creative endeavors that are offensive to someone. Some, deeply and profoundly so. But they still exist, because the people who made them soldiered on.

Likewise, we all probably engage in some kind of appropriation. What matters are the nature and respectfulness of appropriation. I have a gumbo-like ancestry, but even so, I can’t claim a common heritage with all of the ethnic jewelry I own. But so far, no one has said that what I wear is disrespectful.

But like any form of expression, freedom to express yourself does not free you from the consequences thereof. In this context, we’re talking about criticism, maybe protests and boycotts. Not death threats.

 

[Bedrockgames]

This is true if and only if the creators & providers of intellectual property actually agree to restrain themselves in the light of criticism.

I am not 100% sure what you mean by restrain themselves, but I think it would depend on the criticism. Not all critiques have the same value or merit.