The point is about tasteful use of the myths, legends, history and imagery.
The further back you go the less you have to be concerned. There aren’t any saxons around to be offended and there aren’t many ancient Greeks around either therefore you can mix it up a bit.
Research is still useful because it provides inspiration and helps things make sense not because we need to faithfully adapt the legend of the Mummy with the correct ancient Egyptian funeral rites.
Paizo did a damned good job writing the Mwangi Expanse and the area around it as a land oppressed by an overtly evil corporation exploiting the land and its people. In the APs and modules set there the party aided in thwarting the company and the people that supported them by assuring the locals. Had they written the module pushing the party to take the other side it probably wouldn’t have been. It was tasteful and I consider Paizo a pretty thoughtful and sensible company when it comes to material.
The Oriental Adventures books have received some criticism recently largely around some outmoded concepts, some around naming, some around stereotypes. Let’s not forget though both books were a massive innovation and award winning. Are we honestly saying with the greater awareness of the issues we can’t produce something similar for 5e or an equivalent!?
I’m yet to see some good examples of WOC or other established mainstream companies misappropriating culture in the last 5-10 years say. I’ve seen lots of criticism of the idea but not much in the way of specifics.
