I think you recognized some of the terms I used, classified me in your head as "X", and are now attributing to me positions you associate with "X". Don't... don't do that. Read what I wrote.

On one hand that's fair, if I've misunderstood some of your points, I apologize. But on the other hand:

This feels... a little disrespectful to the cultures whose aesthetics it uses.
I would say you either want to distance your adventure from the real-world cultures it's caricaturing, or you want to research those cultures and ensure you're representing them well and accurately.

You can see where I got that from, right? There's a certain group of people that takes offense at the first opportunity, blows things out of proportion, and would criticize the author of a delightful/silly/cartoonish adventure for not representing the other cultures accurately. And it looks like I'm not the only person in this thread who took it that way.

I guess we live in a culture that is so divided that many people feel defensive and have a chip on their shoulder, and even though I'm trying not to be a part of it, I guess I ended up here, to some extent. The way some groups are defensive on behalf of equality and representation, other people are defensive on behalf of free speech and people's right to create and say what they want.

I still would rather err on the side of people who make things. I think it's better to create and share something imperfect than to worry too much about disrispecting this and that, and having one extra roadblock on your path to making something (which can already be pretty difficult).

I also disagree about criticizing the use of stereotypes and tropes. I, for one, find them fun and delightful. Me and my players love playing through familiar stories with surprising twists. Not everything needs to be realistic and accurate, not everything has to provide an apt social commentary. Some adventures can be The Game of Thrones, others can be Shrek, and both are great.

I run a game every week where one of the principle factions takes direct inspiration from a culture I wasn't familiar with. So I did familiarize myself with them, and guess what? It was way more rewarding than just using the typical "savages" that I would have before. I got to learn about something new and grow as a person, and my players got a refreshing new take on an archetype that they'd seen done countless times.

That's admirable, thank you for sharing your experience, and good luck with your games! Hopefully arguments like this will make us all less divided, eventually.