Not Your Momma's Culture (To Appropriate)

A zine in response to the infamous "Mahjong Line" company created by three white women, attempting to "refresh" and make mahjong "stylish" with their take on the classic game. Through this zine I critique the audacity, approach, and arrogance of this "business venture". These women to took a deeply rooted cultural game and tried to whitewash it, monetize off it, and claim that they somehow made it better/more palatable. Mahjong is not theirs to appropriate or resell to other white people. I ask them why they feel entitled to do this, to interrograte their biases, and why they did not even think twice about going forward with this product.

A sequel to this zine, responding to the "Bobba" company pitched on the Dragon's Den, is in the works. It is another blatant attempt at whitewashing a cutural staple steeped in racism and ignorance, and I am thinking of titling it "Again? A-Freaking-Gain?" The noteriety and rage-bait that these "entrepreneurs" hoped to gain is an angle I'm exploring in this sequel.

The Cut Article about "The Mahjong Line"