This editorial is wrong and scary. It is sloppy to lump together theft of physical artifacts together with imitating someone's voice across cultures. As your editor stressed, Davis' comments were in good taste and even if not could still be fair game, barring any hateful or discriminatory remarks. For example, if the imitations are for humour or sarcasm, that's OK.
There is far too much political correctness these days and too many topics are off limits (or feared to be by most folks). If it's harmful to imitate other cultures, as your editor alleges, why not red light all imitators? Comedians (like Jonathan Winters (obit April 13)) imitate all kinds of characters. That is often their bread and butter. Are they thieves? What if we imitate a boss or co-worker in a gossipy conversation - is that a more minor degree of theft (since it's not a public performance, as Davis' was)? How about the voice actors behind cartoon characters imitating persons or animals? More thievery. Why is race such a sacred entity that a member of one race cannot imitate another - again - in good taste?
We are a cross-cultural society and imitate each other often. That makes a lot of theft. Your editor's point is ridiculous and wrongly mistaken. Newspapers, so-called bastions of free speech, should laud cross-cultural discourse, not slap up another red light along the road.
Marv West
Prince George
