A little over a year ago, Lionel Shriver delivered the opening address at the Brisbane Writers Festival, where she notoriously derided political correctness and defended the practice of cultural appropriation by white writers.
A little over a year ago, I wrote a blog post responding to what she'd said. I wrote it while I was walking to the train station, while I was on the train, and while I was walking home from the train station. I was angry, but I somehow managed to temper my anger.
'The publishing industry is chock full of white men,' I noted, 'and advocating for their "right" to write from the perspective of someone in a marginalised position takes opportunities away from those with authentic experiences to share. In other words, the subaltern continue to be silenced, and still cannot speak.'
I didn't expect anyone to read my post, but they did. My friends Yassmin and Suki also wrote about it, and got far more negative attention for their words. Their pieces, and Shriver's responses (as well as the responses of those who were defending her) sparked a worldwide conversation about whether or not cultural appropriation was acceptable, and a slew of internet comments claiming we were trying to censor other artists.
To be clear, we weren't trying to censor artists at all. We didn't say writers couldn't exercise their imaginations and write whatever characters they want.
We were (and are) saying that if writers want to include characters of a different race, they should do so with respect; that they be willing to accept criticism if they haven't done their research, or if what they've written is wrong or offensive; and that if someone of that race or community tells them they shouldn't be writing that story, they take that advice onboard.
And now, a little over a year later, I am back. I have been part of the Brisbane Writers Festival in many capacities over the years — as a patron, a volunteer, an intern — and at this year's festival, which ran 6-10 September, I was lucky enough to be a festival artist, to contribute (even if it was in a minor way) to the conversations that were being had at and around the festival.
This year's festival didn't attract any real controversy, but the memory of last year's opening address still lingered. Little jabs and references were made to That Shriver Incident in some of the panels and conversations I went to see, and even though everyone seemed to acknowledge that what happened last year was Not Good, parts of that mentality still live on.
"Maybe it was far-fetched to think it would take only a year for attitudes to change. Maybe it will take another five, or ten, or 20. But I hope they do change."
It was evident in the white people who continued to ask insensitive questions about race, after listening to two black women talk about intersectionality for the best part of 45 minutes. It was evident, too, in the white people who asked if it wasn't a good idea for white people to write stories from the perspectives of Aboriginal people because it would provide a wider platform for those perspectives, without considering the ways in which this would contribute to the marginalisation of those writers, or undermine their ability to own and share their own stories.
There were all sorts of well-meaning white people who didn't recognise when they should just sit down and shut up. And I dare say this is reflective of society in general. One year on from Shriver's appearance and the discussion it generated, it's disheartening for me to say I don't think much has changed. People are still defending the right for artists to appropriate other cultures in their work, and asking what the big deal is. There are still instances of blackface, yellowface, and people dressing up in clothes native to other cultures — and people who are extremely defensive when called out on their actions.
Maybe it was far-fetched to think it would take only a year for attitudes to change. Maybe it will take another five, or ten, or 20. But I hope they do change. I hope that over time, we will all learn to be respectful of each other's cultures. I would hate to live in a world that remains stagnant in such toxic beliefs.
Yen-Rong Wong is a Brisbane-based writer, and the Founding Editor of Pencilled In, a literary magazine dedicated to showcasing the work of Asian Australian artists.