tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post5359265004124067912..comments2024-03-29T00:46:13.625-07:00Comments on B/X BLACKRAZOR: AppropriationJBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-78284947041086784472019-07-06T00:30:03.024-07:002019-07-06T00:30:03.024-07:00Ah, me. Friend of mine was recently denounced for ...Ah, me. Friend of mine was recently denounced for "playing a brown person" in my Tekumel campaign, because despite being from Puerto Rico, she "looked too white".chirine ba kalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15089801259918671141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-59186985069752182352019-07-05T16:05:51.475-07:002019-07-05T16:05:51.475-07:00There's nothing complicated about it. You can...There's nothing complicated about it. You can "appropriate culture." You can get annoyed at someone doing something YOU VIEW as "stealing". But nothing was stolen. And YOU are the one with the problem. <br /><br />Often asking most people of that culture, they have zero problems with it.<br /><br />A free exchange of ideas is good. It always has been. D&D was founded on that.Blog Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03159828634065720231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-61809055900007473282019-07-05T00:53:33.423-07:002019-07-05T00:53:33.423-07:00@ Rosen:
Thank you. I will try to keep these thou...@ Rosen:<br /><br />Thank you. I will try to keep these thoughts in mind. Really.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-32963260665215074852019-07-05T00:52:36.646-07:002019-07-05T00:52:36.646-07:00@ Anonima:
Even if I wanted to go down that parti...@ Anonima:<br /><br />Even if I wanted to go down that particular road, I think it’s pretty common knowledge around my “fan base” (such as it is) that I’m about as white-bread American as they come.<br /><br />*sigh*. So white...JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-45128467832437851042019-07-05T00:50:05.692-07:002019-07-05T00:50:05.692-07:00Now, now, now. First realize much of AoI was taken...Now, now, now. First realize much of AoI was taken directly from MAR Barker, who happens to have done a lot of serious study of non-Western cultures...JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-55703663254509910732019-07-05T00:47:45.361-07:002019-07-05T00:47:45.361-07:00@ Ozy:
While that is certainly true, it’s always ...@ Ozy:<br /><br />While that is certainly true, it’s always possible that I (being me) might publish my work some day. Also, I feel a certain degree of responsibility as to how I present things at the table. Finally, as I write my various notes here on Ye Old Blog (where others might enjoy or...happily...steal my work), I feel a need to at least be considerate of those who might someday read my stuff.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-7718951023805959262019-07-04T21:48:59.574-07:002019-07-04T21:48:59.574-07:00Please find a longer response to this post here ~ ...Please find <a href="https://crossingtheverse.wpcomstaging.com/2019/07/04/on-the-culturally-appropriate-game/" rel="nofollow">a longer response to this post here</a> ~ though the bottom line is: while it's an interesting topic, I don't know that it really matters when designing a world for a game, since most of our games are of a private affair.Ozymandiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065642299277380465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-29458286728786192772019-07-04T19:47:08.130-07:002019-07-04T19:47:08.130-07:00This approach is how we get shit like Arrows of In...This approach is how we get shit like <i>Arrows of Indra</i> . . .Ozymandiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065642299277380465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-29843341409020035652019-07-04T19:46:14.828-07:002019-07-04T19:46:14.828-07:00Insert "standing ovation.gif"Insert "standing ovation.gif"Ozymandiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065642299277380465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-66870678440977082402019-07-04T19:42:24.858-07:002019-07-04T19:42:24.858-07:00The ignorance of this comment is rooted in bad pol...The ignorance of this comment is rooted in bad political discourse. Cultural appropriation is a thing that happens when a nation (or culture) holds power over another, especially in terms of its historical relationships, and appropriates the "weaker" nation's culture (usually turning it into a stereotype and almost always misrepresenting it in a significant manner).<br /><br />That is to say: Americans stealing cultural elements from China or Japan might be at risk of appropriation (in this negative sense); while the reverse is less likely to be the case.<br /><br />Also in other words: it's complicated.Ozymandiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065642299277380465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-67939748112530489762019-07-04T18:20:09.411-07:002019-07-04T18:20:09.411-07:00If you will look to your right, ladies and gentlem...If you will look to your right, ladies and gentlemen, you'll see the common racistidon in the process of expurgating reality, an everyday sight here online and yet never ceasing to disarticulate itself of any signs of humanity or kindness. Don't look too long folks, there is a danger of sympathetic regurgitation in those not trained to manage their bile. Moving on ...Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-85424891768904986892019-07-04T17:25:39.473-07:002019-07-04T17:25:39.473-07:00If you want to publish just dont say you're wh...If you want to publish just dont say you're white and its ok. Nobody has to know!!!! sign it as Jairo BenitezAnónimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10094749526131302667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-86543442775474939672019-07-04T17:22:18.997-07:002019-07-04T17:22:18.997-07:00Fuck everyone, do what is fun to you. The offended...Fuck everyone, do what is fun to you. The offended people will always be offended with what you do, no matter how its done. Think about what is your endgame: making the game you want or making a commercial game. Once you choose follow the path. Is cool not to appease everyone, but not appeasing oneself with one's hobby makes no sense at allAnónimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10094749526131302667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-12494948798333867852019-07-04T17:04:45.310-07:002019-07-04T17:04:45.310-07:00Very good point, Alexis. Very good point, Alexis. Dennis Laffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03053699552003336733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-57256736778628039782019-07-04T14:42:41.955-07:002019-07-04T14:42:41.955-07:00Reminds me of reading up on Sweden Hills - a littl...Reminds me of reading up on Sweden Hills - a little town over in Japan (or rather, a little off-branch of a larger town) that's a recreation of a traditional Swedish village, mixed with a few bits of Japanese culture tossed in by the locals. I'd be interesting if someone ever put together a database on all of those.<br /><br />In terms of what is the "right amount" of cultural sensitivity, I think you actually already nailed it with this: not "perpetrating bad, false, or tasteless stereotypes". And perhaps, depending on the players, a little taste - bone jewelry might be a real thing, for example, but is one of those things which has a connotation to westerners that would lead me to not emphasizing it at a game table.<br /><br />Something else to point out: Most people don't know much about history, even their own history. Even less of those are the ones who tend to be the most vocal. When you do your research on the topic, take notes, and record it, you're helping bring things out that most people will not be aware of. When you compile it, put it into terms for a game, and give footnotes, you have a chance to correct a lot of misconceptions. It's almost certain that no matter how much effort you put in, some things are going to be a little off. But when you put in that initial work, even if you slip up, you're making an active effort to fight against ignorance on the topic. In the future, other people with new information might take that project and run with it, helping to expand and make it more "real". Missteps happen, yes, and are perhaps unavoidable, but there's ultimately more good than harm. If correcting five misconceptions leads to one being reinforced, it's better than that all six continued to float about.Rosenritterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05708668233952612105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-12606035699993963442019-07-04T11:10:44.785-07:002019-07-04T11:10:44.785-07:00I hate to point this out, Dennis, and I do so in t...I hate to point this out, Dennis, and I do so in the spirit of a positive message, but your "white privilege" is in having the privilege to choose how you look at the issue.<br />Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-66755063214295022612019-07-04T10:21:47.908-07:002019-07-04T10:21:47.908-07:00*This* is EXACTLY one of the things I want to talk...*This* is EXACTLY one of the things I want to talk about in my next post. I'd be interested in your friend's opinion.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-48341539368606752792019-07-04T10:20:25.243-07:002019-07-04T10:20:25.243-07:00Yeah, the recent brouhaha about the Nike/Betsy Ros...Yeah, the recent brouhaha about the Nike/Betsy Ross Flag/KKK thing has made me reconsider a lot of my stance on this. I'll probably post about it later so everyone can hate on me.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-19447248174345506182019-07-04T05:55:00.121-07:002019-07-04T05:55:00.121-07:00You will only offend me if you do it directly whic...You will only offend me if you do it directly which I doubt you will.<br />I think anyone that would be offended by your efforts would be offended anyway independently of location and heritage.<br />In truth, I'm eager to see what you have in your sleeve. :)G. B. Verashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07321019711309446662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-70875109630048252082019-07-04T02:49:20.923-07:002019-07-04T02:49:20.923-07:00Since I'm working on a fantasy Wild West game ...Since I'm working on a fantasy Wild West game at the moment, I'm having similar thoughts. Part of me is thinking that logically, we need to accept the past warts and all, and realize that in a game, we're playing in a romanticized version of the past. <br /><br />But the displacement and genocide of the Native Americans is a big part of the history of the era I'm emulating. I don't want to seem like I'm condoning it, and don't want to seem like I'm whitewashing it by ignoring it. <br /><br />It's that tricky place. I don't want to be needlessly offensive. But at the same time, we play RPGs in plenty of settings based on eras of history where people did horrible things to each other. <br /><br />Sometimes, I think we just worry about it too much. But then other times, I think that being able to say "just don't worry about it" is the essence of my white privilege. And I want to do better than that.<br /><br />So in my case, I sent my draft to my friend who has N.A. heritage and I'm waiting on his opinion. I'll figure it out from there.Dennis Laffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03053699552003336733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-9170837448872520822019-07-04T01:50:09.992-07:002019-07-04T01:50:09.992-07:00Lending culture to others is colonialism
Borrowing...Lending culture to others is colonialism<br />Borrowing from other cultures is appropriation<br /><br />Sound like Europeans and their descendants should take back three-field farming and everything subsequent from the rest of the world. Eh?Scott Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067161332003628237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-83787840692648460632019-07-04T00:19:52.128-07:002019-07-04T00:19:52.128-07:00Hey, Mozart's use of a seraded knife was legen...Hey, Mozart's use of a seraded knife was legendary!<br /><br />I spoke with a D&D player from Stavanger while I was last running my online game, who made it very clear that my efforts at the town and the area were very much NOT on point ... and not happily. I stewed about it for awhile, before realizing that his Stavanger was absolutely not the Stavanger of the 17th century, either.<br /><br />The version of "culture" perpetrated by anyone alive today would have as much veracity to ancestors 300 years dead as Leavenworth has to the real Germany. We cheerfully butcher the parts of our past that don't fit our present sensibilities without so much as a shrug, while getting up on our high horse about whose right it is to "correctly" observe the ritualistic culture of our forefathers. It's all political bogus and falderal. Go ahead and make up any world you like; the spirits won't hate you as much as they hate what the real world is doing to their belief systems.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-15363961605252893902019-07-03T22:04:45.652-07:002019-07-03T22:04:45.652-07:00How much is appropriate appropriation? What is the...How much is appropriate appropriation? What is the expiry time on intellectual property? 75 years after death of its creator? You are asking who owns what and until when. Cries of 'Cultural appropriation' are just a lie when we live in a world with an intellectual property expiry date.Sean Robert Meaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16273566549106707316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4143435314932633148.post-38570023620372418812019-07-03T12:18:52.582-07:002019-07-03T12:18:52.582-07:00Loved Rothenburg.
Germans I knew were obsessed w...Loved Rothenburg. <br /><br />Germans I knew were obsessed with Cowboys & Indians and didn't understand my love of castles. Of course they grew up in the shadow of castles and I had reservations and ghost towns within a short days drive.Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.com