Earlier this month, fiction writer Lionel Shriver made headlines when she delivered a speech to the Brisbane Writer’s Festival (which most of her online critics had probably never heard of) and said she hoped “the concept of cultural appropriation is a passing fad.”

She explained that being told we cannot appropriate other cultures – like wearing sombreros at fiesta-themed parties – will ultimately harm fiction writers. “The moral of the sombrero scandals is clear: You’re not supposed to try on other people’s hats,” Shriver said. “Yet that’s what we’re paid to do, isn’t it? Step into other people’s shoes, and try on their hats.” (Emphasis original.)