text: Pardon me, it is not a straw man argument. Philosopher James O. Young in his book Cultural Appropriation and the Arts distinguishes several types of appropriation, and one of them is Subject Appropriation, which is "the depiction of cultures other than ones own either in fiction or non-fiction". (In fact, the quotation is part of the Canada Council's definition of appropriation.)  In Professor Young's treatment, cultural appropriation is neither good nor bad in itself -- it is other factors that make it so.   In fact, he argues that "cultural appropriation is often defensible on both aesthetic and moral grounds". (And he has consulted extensively with aboriginal writers and others.)