THE Mahjong Line – a company based in Texas – has for whatever reason decided to embark on a quest to "modernise" mahjong.
Suffice to say, this did not sit well with a lot of people and many of them made their displeasure heard on social media, citing “cultural appropriation”.
so a bunch of white ladies decided to redesign mahjong for wHiTe GiRL aEsThEtiC (because traditional Chinese tiles were too boring and didn't match their star signs), and had the caucasity to charge $425 for horribly design sets that make the game HARDER to play ~a thread~ pic.twitter.com/sgbINs1XzM
— untitled.ai (@christinacyoung) January 5, 2021
Founded by Kate LaGer, with business partners Annie O’Grady and Bianca Watson, the brand aims to give the classic Chinese board game a modern refresh, as the original artwork was out-of-date.
What's happening? Colonizers Annie, Bianca and Kate have discovered a new and improved tile game, once known as mahjong but now is a reflection of their individual style and fun. This is a textbook example of #culturalappropriation so happy 2021 everyone. pic.twitter.com/EYNpwmeRFR
— “it’s allergies not Covid19, dear Caucasian” (@mskathykhang) January 4, 2021
The over-inflated prices of the various sets, going up to US$425 (RM1,704) did not do the brand any favours.
Hello I have just learned some white girls are gentrifying mahjong for $425 a pop and boy do I have the time today!!!!!!!! What is this absolute nonsense!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/zTOxsq0yLl
— Gina Mei (@ginamei) January 5, 2021
The uproar has led to the company shutting off its Instagram page outright. – The Vibes, January 6, 2021
