The only worthwhile thing to come of all this was the comment:

A pretender at being Chinese,

Penned a godawful poem about bees.

His ruse was detected,

and so he deflected,

“As a white man, I can do as I please!”

Isn't this kind of proving him right, though? If his poetry is as horrible as the author of this article says, why would his work be included in a "best of" anthology unless there is indeed a political bias?

Did you read the article, though? Because that is exactly what the editor of the BAP said -that this poem was considered in the context of it's author's supposed ethnicity. And why that was done and what it means.

Right, but the article seems to be focusing it's scorn on the author more than the publication. Yeah, I agree that what he did was kind of a dick move, but this whole mess just illustrates my disinterest in the whole art "scene". Art should be separate from the artist. Sure, it may be more authentic coming from someone who actually lived the kind of life they're writing about, but that doesn't necessarily make it better.

Take Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's themes, characters, and setting are exclusively Eastern in origin, but it's made by two white guys. Critical praise across the board for both The Last Airbender and it's followup The Legend of Korra. Then you have the disastrous movie adaptation by M. Night Shyamalan. One of the core elements, if you'll forgive the pun, the bending was made lame as hell. Instead of corresponding to martial arts movements like in the show, resulting in fluid, fast paced action, the characters in the movie "change up their chi" through additional convoluted gestures that results in anemic displays of magic compared to the show. Shyamalan has gone on record defending it because that makes it more "realistic" in accordance to Eastern mythology or whatever.

You'd probably have to take it on a case by case basis.

For example, I don't think one will be able to separate the upcoming movie "The Ridiculous Six" from the fact that Adam Sandler most assuredly isn't a Native American.

Even if he was, it'd still be an unfunny, uncomfortable experience.

Who is still making Adam Sandler movies? Every person involved, including any movie goers, is a walking argument for supporting the death penalty.

Red Letter Media makes a very good case (especially after Jack & Jill) that Adam Sandler and his company are basically a scam to get as much money as they can for delivering next to no entertainment.

Upon further reflection, I think your comparison is also mis-applied. The people behind Avatar aren't trying to pass themselves off as Eastern, Asian, Buddhist, or somehow of a given culture. They're creating a work of fiction and making ho bones about who they are or what their background is, assuming that has any relevance.

Trying to pass yourself off as something you're not, when it's not an attempt to create a character (i.e. Borat, Ziggy Stardust, Mr. Robinson of SNL fame, etc.) is where you enter into shenanigans that will (and likely should) draw fire from certain quarters. I don't think I have to remind anyone of the "A Million Little Pieces" fraud. I think as in this case, the problem is someone was basically telling a lie about who they were and what they'd done because they saw an advantage in doing so (true or not).

Were I to release a rap album with liner notes claiming my inspiration came from my first-hand experiences growing up on the streets of Detroit as a poor black kid, I think consumers would rightly be angry once they found out I was a white guy who'd never set foot in Michigan since he was 10, and that was to vacation at the Great Lakes. Sure, you can appreciate the artistry of what I've done, the same way people might still like listening to Milli Vanilli songs, but it doesn't change the fact that I used fraud to try and sell records via a made-up "authenticity."