I don't know you or whether this applies to you -- but in general, I'm not a big fan of getting offended on behalf of people one doesn't know, on the basis of moral sensibilities those people probably don't even share.
And I question the premise that people are so mentally immature that they can't distinguish between using Ra as an evocative label for a cluster of tendencies, and claiming that the actual Ra is bad and exhibits those tendencies.
I think this sort of crude, unearned offense-taking-by-proxy is bad for artistic expression and culture.
And if you're an actual Egyptian Ra-worshipper, I regret that you were offended, but I would say the same to you. Your god is not sacred to everyone else in the world and is not above artistic use, even in a negative way. And it's not like religious people are always respectful of worldviews other than their own -- in fact, the exact opposite is much more often the case -- so check yourself before criticizing others.
If I understand your critique, it's this: "How dare you critique their use of Ra? You have no standing! You have no right!" Which is basically an ad hominem attack that doesn't address any of the substance of my complaint.
As it turns out, I generally agree with you that creators should be given the space and grace needed to create. I rarely if ever call creators out like this, as you will see from my history. But in this case, the misappropriation is so obvious and sour, and there are people I know who would be negatively impacted if this slant on Ra ever became more mainstream in Western culture, that I could not remain silent.
Hopefully, this discourse on Ra remains an isolated bonkers interpretation that HN can chuckle over every few years when it gets posted, and you're right that we'll never reach a situation where it ever gets confused with an authentic and respectful interpretation of Ra as attested through Egyptian religion, architecture, writing, and history. Still, it would have been better if the author had given their fanciful flight a more appropriate name.
> If I understand your critique, it's this: "How dare you critique their use of Ra? You have no standing! You have no right!" Which is basically an ad hominem attack that doesn't address any of the substance of my complaint.
Sorry, no, making up your own caricature of what I said isn't an effective way of responding to it. And it doesn't speak well of your cultural sensitivity if you can't treat the thoughts of someone different than you fairly. Try quoting the actual text I wrote and responding to that text.
As it happens, I quite obviously did address the substance of your complaint, if you read the entirety of my post. Taking offense on behalf of others can be valid if backed up with real evidence or personal experience, but there's a big risk you don't know what you're talking about. And as I said, I'm not necessarily that bothered even if a literal Ra-worshipper doesn't like this blog. People are allowed to say negative things about gods. It doesn't matter if their feelings are hurt. Feelings are not always and everywhere legitimate. The ability to be irreverent about gods is a wonderful quality of the modern developed world. It won't be taken from us.
> there are people I know who would be negatively impacted if this slant on Ra ever became more mainstream in Western culture, that I could not remain silent.
Please provide a meaningful, legitimate way in which anyone would be negatively impacted by someone associating an ancient Egyptian deity with bad things for artistic purposes. And no, carrying a chip on your shoulder about how no one can say anything negative about your culture's god doesn't count. It'd be one thing (not decisive by any means, but something) if people still worshipped Ra, but it's unclear that even that is true, and what evidence I've found with Google so far suggests not.
And I question the premise that people are so mentally immature that they can't distinguish between using Ra as an evocative label for a cluster of tendencies, and claiming that the actual Ra is bad and exhibits those tendencies.
I think this sort of crude, unearned offense-taking-by-proxy is bad for artistic expression and culture.
And if you're an actual Egyptian Ra-worshipper, I regret that you were offended, but I would say the same to you. Your god is not sacred to everyone else in the world and is not above artistic use, even in a negative way. And it's not like religious people are always respectful of worldviews other than their own -- in fact, the exact opposite is much more often the case -- so check yourself before criticizing others.