A prominent, fiction author expressed her hope that the idea of “cultural appropriation” fades away during a recent speech to the Brisbane Writers Festival in Australia.
People complained after Lionel Shriver, an American fiction writer and journalist, gave a speech discussing the absurdity of cultural appropriation, and how it would only lead to the death of fiction and creativity.
“But this latest and little absurd no-no is part of a larger climate of super-sensitivity, giving rise to proliferating prohibitions supposedly in the interest of social justice that constrain fiction writers and prospectively makes our work impossible,” Lionel Shriver told her audience.
Shriver also expressed her hope that the idea is a “passing fad” because exchanging ideas between different cultures can be beneficial.
“I am hopeful that the concept of ‘cultural appropriation’ is a passing fad: people with different backgrounds rubbing up against each other and exchanging ideas and practices is self-evidently one of the most productive, fascinating aspects of modern urban life.” Shriver told her audience.
Shriver discussed how she came under fire for not making her latest novel, The Mandibles, diverse enough. Because she did not include a gay or other minority character, her book was too “straight and white.”
“Yet the implication of this criticism is that we novelists need to plug in representatives of a variety of groups in our cast of characters, as if filling out the entering class of freshmen at a university with strict diversity requirements,” Shriver said.
Her speech was met with swift condemnation from Australian social activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied and other authors.
Abdel-Magied, who attended the festival, walked out during Shriver’s speech because she said Shriver was celebrating the exploitation of others.
“And in demanding that the right to identity should be given up, Shriver epitomized the kind of attitude that led to the normalization of imperialist, colonial rule: “I want this, and therefore I shall take it,” Abdel-Magied claimed.
Kim Scott, an Australian author, argued that it is necessary to listen to minority voices when writing stories.
“So if there’s many voices saying we need more of ‘us’ speaking ‘our’ stories, from wherever they’re saying that, then that needs to be listened to,” Scott said.
Shriver ended her speech by saying that “special rules” that apply only to minority characters create a burden for the author.
“The natural result of that kind of criticism … is that next time I don’t use any black characters, lest they do or say anything that is short of perfectly admirable and lovely.”
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