Frankly, this thread can be closed, as far as I'm concerned. I should have known better than to ask a research question.
The idea that a thread should be closed because people aren't talking about the things you want them to talk about ties in nicely to the overall subject matter here.
I agree that's your viewpoint. But when someone like Rowling writes that sort of thing and there's an uproar magnified in the media over it, do you think that creates a chilling effect among other authors who might write similar stories?
It's beautiful how all I have to do is have this debate long enough before you prove me right. I agree the red dot would be sort of silly, but thats from a fashion perspective
Yes. And I don't think it's a bad thing for other authors to reconsider how they'll use live cultures in their work. I'm still not advocating censoring them. It is. Strange how you succummed to "political correctness" and edited this from your original post "No, it's the towel" Towelheads, huh?
The thread has become useless to the OP because of its derailment. No one's stopping you from making a new thread to talk about cultural appropriation or censorship, but it wasn't the point of this thread, and discussion about it has made the thread too cluttered for a reasonable discussion to occur. It was never a debate thread. It's like deciding to take a bubble bath in a public pool and being annoyed when you're kicked out and the pool has to be closed - there's a time and a place, man.
It was about factual correctness. Sometimes they are premade like that and sometimes they a wrapped. I suppose it could be called a towel, but usually thats with muslims and not hindus.
An author should consider how they'll use anything in their work. That's part of a thoughtful writing process. Cultural ideas and symbols don't occupy a special place in that regard - you're writing thoughtfully or you're not. The critics of this sort of thing also shouldn't jump to conclusions about what research the author has done. For example, I know a lot about Mesoamerican mythology, history, and symbolism - particularly the Maya. I know about their cultural symbology and ritual. I know what they did in many instances, and I know why they do it. I've written stories that include some of this material, but I've completely altered a lot of it for purposes of my story and the universe around it. I suppose one might say "hey, this guy didn't do his research," but of course that's not the case. And while I understand that some people might not like the way I utilize the material, it's a non-issue to me. I am going to write my stories the way I want and we'll see whether I can sell one
No, I'm probably as liberal as anyone on the forums, as a rule. It's just someone who wants to control what other people say and wants an authority to shut things down when he can't.
@Steerpike We're coming at this from different angles because I don't think the level of research the author has done matters one bit. And, for me, things that affect marginalised people DO hold a special regard. I'll think about including a portrayal of First Nations people more carefully than I will about including say, an 80s English rock band.
And yet, the word "appropriation" is in the title of the thread. And the OP was about what was "safe" and what was "twist[ing]," to quote the OP. Seems to me the topic of appropriation is directly on point. Unless you're saying the comments are supposed to be limited the specific facts of the OP, which seems odd (and not how threads usually go).
How are they marginalized and oppressed with they get an enormous amount of social benefits from free healthcare to free education.
That's one group I will happily offend. I guess I'll have to hand back my Political Correctness Censor Gold-Level card. (It's actually Blondie that features in my novel, so I don't know why I said English )
Okay, maybe I wasn't clear enough in my OP, and I admit to contributing to the derailment. But I did specifically ask for information on mythology and folklore I could use without retailoring it to fit my needs. Maybe this is how threads "usually go.". I hadn't noticed that trend myself, but, clearly people would rather debate an issue and than assist with research. I should know better, I guess.
I apologize, what specific culture are you looking to research. I have researched norse/finish/ baltic paganism pretty extensively.
If the comments had been limited to the specific facts of the OP (?), the OP might have gotten some use out of it, which presumably was the point of posting. How to avoid appropriation was what @ManOrAstroMan was looking for - not four pages of "appropriation isn't real". You're taking the basis of the OP and saying "this issue doesn't matter" rather than making any move to address the actual question - which yeah, is a frustrating trend on this forum when it comes to people looking for thoughts on divisive topics.
In the name of "factual correctness" - google "bindi". Seriously, we're all on the internet RIGHT NOW. It shouldn't be that difficult for you to demonstrate respect, if not for a cultural group, then at least for your fellow forum members. Don't contradict people when you don't know what you're talking about.
It does address the actual underlying issue, because the OP is worrying about something that an author shouldn't really be worrying about, in my view. So instead of spending a lot of time and energy under the premise that this is a problem in his work that needs a certain amount of attention, or that his work may need to be tailored to address is, I'm saying don't waste time on all that and write the story as you envision it.
