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As the user Kaikue pointed out in another comment, the Māori had a couple specific comments, which Lego addressed, and then everyone seems to have moved on. My
by brendoelfrendo 2y ago
As the user Kaikue pointed out in another comment, the Māori had a couple specific comments, which Lego addressed, and then everyone seems to have moved on.
My stance on appropriation is more nuanced than most, I think. If you're not part of a culture, but you use their language, dress, or other cultural trappings, that's appropriation; whether or not that's bad is a different question. But here's the thing: you don't get to be the one who decides whether or not it's bad. A billion dollar company commercializing Māori language because they thought it sounded neat was probably not the greatest starting point, and though I'm sympathetic to Alastair for not having access to the resources to properly vet his usage of te reo Māori, I don't think Lego had such limitations and probably should have put a little more effort in.
Perhaps another, more recent example: in the video game Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, one of the main cultures that the player interacts with are the Huana, a Māori/Pacific Islander-inspired culture that is, not coincidentally, beset on multiple sides by colonial powers. Game director Josh Sawyer says[1] "...we should have also hired some Māori consultants specifically to look at the Huana. The Huana aren’t really Māori (just like the Rauatai aren’t really Japanese), but even a fictional culture that’s only “inspired by” a mix of real world cultures can still get into uncomfortable or outright bad territory.
A few Pacific Islanders have contacted me to tell me that they appreciate that Deadfire deals with PI-type cultures and colonial themes. I’m genuinely glad for that, but we could have very easily done something incredibly shitty through pure ignorance. It never hurts to ask ahead of time."
[1]https://www.tumblr.com/jesawyer/622841880878678016/looking-back-is-there-anything-you-would-change https://www.tumblr.com/jesawyer/622841880878678016/looking-b...