It's like... using stuff without bothering to do one's research. I've seen this with SF that's written by USAians while trying to have an Australian setting or an Australian character (worst case - an Australian Aboriginal character) while getting things wrong that any Australian would spot straight away. Like they couldn't be bothered getting a beta-reader, but still wanted to exploit the exoticism of an Australian setting.
Where the lines blur, I think, are where one is dealing with SF/F universes where one can make stuff up that doesn't necessarily correspond to existing real cultures.
* I mean, are the bits of Mandarin in Firefly "cultural appropriation"? I suppose it would be if the Mandarin was incorrect. (I don't know if it is). * Are the kimino-like robes worn by the Minbari "cultural appropriation"? * Are the cultures in Avatar: The Last Airbender "cultural appropriation"?
The difficulty is that, it's harder to say "they got it wrong" when the cultures in question are inspired by, rather than more directly based on, a known culture. I think part of that is... if you get the impression that the author has been meticulous in their world-building, that there is thought and internal consistency with it, then it feels less like a cultural grab-bag and more of a work of art. If, on the other hand, it looks like trappings without context, visual/characterisation short-cuts, then the author is neither respecting their art nor the culture they're borrowing from.
Which possibly means that perceiving something as cultural appropriation would depend a great deal on whether one likes it in the first place.
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It's like... using stuff without bothering to do one's research. I've seen this with SF that's written by USAians while trying to have an Australian setting or an Australian character (worst case - an Australian Aboriginal character) while getting things wrong that any Australian would spot straight away. Like they couldn't be bothered getting a beta-reader, but still wanted to exploit the exoticism of an Australian setting.
Where the lines blur, I think, are where one is dealing with SF/F universes where one can make stuff up that doesn't necessarily correspond to existing real cultures.
* I mean, are the bits of Mandarin in Firefly "cultural appropriation"? I suppose it would be if the Mandarin was incorrect. (I don't know if it is).
* Are the kimino-like robes worn by the Minbari "cultural appropriation"?
* Are the cultures in Avatar: The Last Airbender "cultural appropriation"?
The difficulty is that, it's harder to say "they got it wrong" when the cultures in question are inspired by, rather than more directly based on, a known culture. I think part of that is... if you get the impression that the author has been meticulous in their world-building, that there is thought and internal consistency with it, then it feels less like a cultural grab-bag and more of a work of art. If, on the other hand, it looks like trappings without context, visual/characterisation short-cuts, then the author is neither respecting their art nor the culture they're borrowing from.
Which possibly means that perceiving something as cultural appropriation would depend a great deal on whether one likes it in the first place.