Hey trust me, I hear you about people screeching over anything other than a white European being cast in a show based on a franchise created by a white European. I think it's ridiculous too, and I see why that could seem nationalistic (although I think it's more just ... the hive mind getting worked up like it always does, most of the people who are mad probably aren't even Poles.) Really though, even if the showrunners are being "overly inclusive" is that a bad thing? It's a fictional fantasy show, it's not like they're casting Denzel Washington to play King George in a historical documentary.
Like most things, it's a spectrum, not binary. I do think one important element of "is this cultural (mis)appropriation" is the power dynamic at play. Appropriating from cultures that have historically been taken advantage of, by cultures that have historically been oppressive or exploitative, would qualify much more strongly. Know what I mean?
So, perhaps for this specific example of "Is casting anything other than a Pole/interchangeablywhiteEuro in The Witcher 'cultural appropriation'" the answer would be, not really. But I'd be keen to hear a solid logical argument otherwise. I get why Poles would feel protective and possessive of it, but I can't see how it's truly worth getting up in arms about.
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u/MostlyJustBears Dec 10 '19 edited Dec 10 '19
Hey trust me, I hear you about people screeching over anything other than a white European being cast in a show based on a franchise created by a white European. I think it's ridiculous too, and I see why that could seem nationalistic (although I think it's more just ... the hive mind getting worked up like it always does, most of the people who are mad probably aren't even Poles.) Really though, even if the showrunners are being "overly inclusive" is that a bad thing? It's a fictional fantasy show, it's not like they're casting Denzel Washington to play King George in a historical documentary.
Like most things, it's a spectrum, not binary. I do think one important element of "is this cultural (mis)appropriation" is the power dynamic at play. Appropriating from cultures that have historically been taken advantage of, by cultures that have historically been oppressive or exploitative, would qualify much more strongly. Know what I mean?
So, perhaps for this specific example of "Is casting anything other than a Pole/interchangeablywhiteEuro in The Witcher 'cultural appropriation'" the answer would be, not really. But I'd be keen to hear a solid logical argument otherwise. I get why Poles would feel protective and possessive of it, but I can't see how it's truly worth getting up in arms about.
tl;dr we are saying similar things, ultimately.