: Re: How do I write "fantasy counterpart cultures" without being accused of cultural appropriation? In my book series, the various planets of the galaxy are inhabited by different cultures, most of

@Samaraweera193

The phrase "cultural appropriation" can make it seem that the sole issue is just who is using the culture. From my point of view, the deeper question how good a job they're doing at representing it. Have you captured anything authentic, or is your depiction just --as is so often the case --a shallow pastiche of preexisting images? Are you doing the work, putting in the research, and listening to authentic voices, or are you just echoing mainstream impressions?
A great example is the recent Disney/Pixar hit, Coco. The original version of the movie was called "Day of the Dead" (a phrase that Disney tried to trademark, despite it being the name of a major holiday in a different country). By the filmmaker's own admission, the original script for the movie badly misrepresented the nature of the holiday and had no connections to genuine Mexican culture. Accordingly, Pixar recalibrated, scrapped the first version of the movie, and hired some respected Mexican cultural critics to help re-envision it. The result was a critically acclaimed global hit that was widely described as very respectful and authentic to Mexican culture. Working harder on authenticity resulted in a work that was both better and more profitable.
In the case of your story, the descriptor "Kangaroo Islander" is an immediate red flag to me. Why? Because I have never been anywhere near Australia, barely even know how to spell it, and yet, one of the few things I know is that kangaroos are native to there. That suggests to me that this is a portrait of Australia created by someone who knows as little about it as I do.

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