I've played this. I think the *intention* has to play some small part. While it may not fully excuse claims of cultural appropriation, then surely the INTENTION to do right by natives and their history should stand for something.
As I've said before, respectful veneration of another culture should be celebrated, not demonized. If my favorite character in something is native, or God Forbid, I study African history and look to teach others of what I've learned, then MY RACE should not forbid me from doing so.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but when did willfully destroying another's culture equal the seeking of veneration of it? Does my 'WHITENESS' outweigh anything else in determining my fitness for learning, teaching, or even standing up for someone who looks different from me? Isn't the fight against 'the different' something we should all be fighting, no matter how we look? I mean...isn't that the point?
To your thought experiment, I do have a bit of something to add. There is a TRPG wherein you play Natives in a world where white colonization never took place. It's Cyberpunk/SCIFI and you play the Natives, where their spiritual practices intercede with super high tech, and that sort of thing. It's made almost (if not entirely) of US Natives - and in every section they write out a page or so of how non natives should approach that particular piece of their culture and heritage through the lens of the game. It's actually rather cool, and inclusive. They have written a SCIFI game about their culture and invited others to experience it too, and in a way that allows non natives to understand and experience. In this case, authorial identity assisted others in that experience - but of course, not without it's decryers - almost all of which are non-natives 'protecting' the rights of the natives - and that seems to be pretty typical of the loudest voices.
Just to add, I'm not Native, though like most people from the area I'm from (Mtns of NC), I do have Melungeon/Native blood going back generations. Still, I'm a white dude, and I'm ok with that. My beautiful, lovely 9 year old daughter however is - she is 1/8 Cherokee from, of course her Mothers side. She looks native and likely will pursue that part of her identity someday - so I do have some small dog in this hunt. I want her to be proud of her heritage, and learn as she wishes - but I'm not sure going about it in the way many SJW or crusaders desire is the best way - It almost seems exclusive in it's inclusivity.
Thought experiment: If the same exact game had been made but the game devs were Native, would anyone call it racist? How much does the authorial identity truly matter?
I suspect that nobody would, but on the other hand I'd also say that it's quite easy to get away with being insensitive about your own race. So even if the game would be a more insensitive portrayal of Native Americans I think a Native team would be able to get away with it.
I think Dave Chappelle had a perfect sentence for this:
"Or... you could just shut the fuck up"
Stop giving power to race obsessed fanatics. That you even debate about if a Ukrainian small indie company should have hired first nation "consultant" is just insanely stupid. Have you all gone insane? If some chinese dude want to make a gaming about Canada i would be insane to care.
"On the one hand, when you make a game about a foreign culture it seems prudent, at the very least, to consult with members of that culture."
Yes, to say the least. My immediate issue with the game was it's name, "This Land Is My Land," which is very much a european take on land status. First person ownership of land is a massive clue that something is not quite right.
It is also not surprising to see white folk imagine that the game would be made exactly the the same, had it been made by indigenous folk. For a fact, had indigenous folk made this game, the name would not have indicated a bizarre obsession with personal "owning" of land which, in fact, belongs to all humans on earth.
It is not a survival game in the same mode, but Never Alone, a platformer, *was* made with significant indigenous input, and for white folk imagining what a game with such consultation looks like, I invite you to consider putting your money there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Alone_(video_game)
And for the record, regardless what non-indigenous heritage a person might have, be it Irish, Iranian, Ethiopean, Japanese, etc., it is still cultural appropriation. Being of another minority, or any otherwise oppressed heritage, gives no one the green card to appropriate/exploit the oppressed folk from any other heritage. It is no less offending, no less rude, no less inconsiderate. I am so not surprised I feel compelled to type this at folk of the US in the 21st century. Land of the free, if you can pay for it, where one is free to walk all over whoever has less wealth than oneself.
Outwith taking the piss, no indigenous person of the Americas of any tribe I have ever known would consider naming a game "This Land in MY Land." Full stop.
Omg your argument is so insane was your life so empty of challenges or meaning that you consider this important? You care if white people make video game for white people?
Feel like you are in desperate need of reality check. THEY ARE NOT EXPLOITING THEM.
I wrote that sideshow and you missed the main point. They are heavily censoring native critics while keeping native supporters up and censoring anyone who points this out.
If a team of all black or all Latino devs made this, exactly as it is, would it be getting this heat? Curious.
Read an article, can't even begin to remember where, in which a Pakistani novelist (she was Greater Middle Eastern, I know that) said she wanted white people to create other-culture art because it would force white people to imagine other cultures in more meaningful ways. I don't think her intentions were cynical, either. I thought that was a very optimistic way to think of things. If white dudes or whoever get it totally wrong, feel free to criticize to one's heart's content. But if not, why not celebrate? But we know these folks sure don't want to celebrate anything in the universe of "white men" and "success."
Erik, you read "Empire of the Summer Moon" about the Comanches? Really good book. Very balanced perspective.
I've played this. I think the *intention* has to play some small part. While it may not fully excuse claims of cultural appropriation, then surely the INTENTION to do right by natives and their history should stand for something.
As I've said before, respectful veneration of another culture should be celebrated, not demonized. If my favorite character in something is native, or God Forbid, I study African history and look to teach others of what I've learned, then MY RACE should not forbid me from doing so.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but when did willfully destroying another's culture equal the seeking of veneration of it? Does my 'WHITENESS' outweigh anything else in determining my fitness for learning, teaching, or even standing up for someone who looks different from me? Isn't the fight against 'the different' something we should all be fighting, no matter how we look? I mean...isn't that the point?
To your thought experiment, I do have a bit of something to add. There is a TRPG wherein you play Natives in a world where white colonization never took place. It's Cyberpunk/SCIFI and you play the Natives, where their spiritual practices intercede with super high tech, and that sort of thing. It's made almost (if not entirely) of US Natives - and in every section they write out a page or so of how non natives should approach that particular piece of their culture and heritage through the lens of the game. It's actually rather cool, and inclusive. They have written a SCIFI game about their culture and invited others to experience it too, and in a way that allows non natives to understand and experience. In this case, authorial identity assisted others in that experience - but of course, not without it's decryers - almost all of which are non-natives 'protecting' the rights of the natives - and that seems to be pretty typical of the loudest voices.
Just to add, I'm not Native, though like most people from the area I'm from (Mtns of NC), I do have Melungeon/Native blood going back generations. Still, I'm a white dude, and I'm ok with that. My beautiful, lovely 9 year old daughter however is - she is 1/8 Cherokee from, of course her Mothers side. She looks native and likely will pursue that part of her identity someday - so I do have some small dog in this hunt. I want her to be proud of her heritage, and learn as she wishes - but I'm not sure going about it in the way many SJW or crusaders desire is the best way - It almost seems exclusive in it's inclusivity.
Anyway, I digress.
Good article.
Thanks! Yeah, intention really ought to count for something (it certainly does in criminal cases). That TRPG sounds cool. What is it?
Coyote & Crow the Role Playing Game, via @Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/connoralexander/coyote-and-crow?ref=android_project_share
Thought experiment: If the same exact game had been made but the game devs were Native, would anyone call it racist? How much does the authorial identity truly matter?
I suspect that nobody would, but on the other hand I'd also say that it's quite easy to get away with being insensitive about your own race. So even if the game would be a more insensitive portrayal of Native Americans I think a Native team would be able to get away with it.
I think Dave Chappelle had a perfect sentence for this:
"Or... you could just shut the fuck up"
Stop giving power to race obsessed fanatics. That you even debate about if a Ukrainian small indie company should have hired first nation "consultant" is just insanely stupid. Have you all gone insane? If some chinese dude want to make a gaming about Canada i would be insane to care.
"On the one hand, when you make a game about a foreign culture it seems prudent, at the very least, to consult with members of that culture."
Yes, to say the least. My immediate issue with the game was it's name, "This Land Is My Land," which is very much a european take on land status. First person ownership of land is a massive clue that something is not quite right.
It is also not surprising to see white folk imagine that the game would be made exactly the the same, had it been made by indigenous folk. For a fact, had indigenous folk made this game, the name would not have indicated a bizarre obsession with personal "owning" of land which, in fact, belongs to all humans on earth.
It is not a survival game in the same mode, but Never Alone, a platformer, *was* made with significant indigenous input, and for white folk imagining what a game with such consultation looks like, I invite you to consider putting your money there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Alone_(video_game)
And for the record, regardless what non-indigenous heritage a person might have, be it Irish, Iranian, Ethiopean, Japanese, etc., it is still cultural appropriation. Being of another minority, or any otherwise oppressed heritage, gives no one the green card to appropriate/exploit the oppressed folk from any other heritage. It is no less offending, no less rude, no less inconsiderate. I am so not surprised I feel compelled to type this at folk of the US in the 21st century. Land of the free, if you can pay for it, where one is free to walk all over whoever has less wealth than oneself.
Outwith taking the piss, no indigenous person of the Americas of any tribe I have ever known would consider naming a game "This Land in MY Land." Full stop.
Omg your argument is so insane was your life so empty of challenges or meaning that you consider this important? You care if white people make video game for white people?
Feel like you are in desperate need of reality check. THEY ARE NOT EXPLOITING THEM.
I wrote that sideshow and you missed the main point. They are heavily censoring native critics while keeping native supporters up and censoring anyone who points this out.
If a team of all black or all Latino devs made this, exactly as it is, would it be getting this heat? Curious.
Read an article, can't even begin to remember where, in which a Pakistani novelist (she was Greater Middle Eastern, I know that) said she wanted white people to create other-culture art because it would force white people to imagine other cultures in more meaningful ways. I don't think her intentions were cynical, either. I thought that was a very optimistic way to think of things. If white dudes or whoever get it totally wrong, feel free to criticize to one's heart's content. But if not, why not celebrate? But we know these folks sure don't want to celebrate anything in the universe of "white men" and "success."
Erik, you read "Empire of the Summer Moon" about the Comanches? Really good book. Very balanced perspective.
If you think of who it was that said this please let me know. Also,. I I haven't. I'll look it up for sure.