
The 'cultural appropriation' brigade can't even handle fiction - tanqueray
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/09/cultural-appropriation-brigade-cant-even-cope-fiction/?_ga=1.250504453.266091648.1474010704
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Freak_NL
The full text of the speech held by Lionel Shriver is available here:

[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/13/lionel...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/13/lionel-
shrivers-full-speech-i-hope-the-concept-of-cultural-appropriation-is-a-
passing-fad)

A good read. It's painful to hear that writers of fiction are getting harrowed
by well-meaning but obviously misguided activists who believe _cultural
appropriation_ is seriously a thing.

I'm not surprised — although fascinated — about the way social media has
granted these young idealists a platform for their irrational concepts of
political correctness taken to the extremes, but I am taken aback about how
notions such as _safe spaces_ and _trigger warnings_ have taken hold in
academics via the student communities.

Is it the fear of being labelled a racist and having your good name tainted
on-line by these very vocal activists with a receptive platform of like-minded
individuals available at their fingertips that stops people (fellow students
and faculty) from simply brushing it off as nonsense?

~~~
tanqueray
I think the answer to the question in the last paragraph is 'yes'.

I do dispute that the brigade are 'well-meaning' though. It is often very much
for their own ends, be that in their student union or their career. They are
often willing to cause a lot of damage in the name of their cause.

There is some great literature coming through against it though; Tom Slater's
"Unsafe Spaces" is excellent. As is lots of the recent stuff by Joanna
Williams.

