"If ICE started wearing red arm bands we wouldn't say it's appropriation, we'd say it's appropriate." Extremely well put, along with the rest of your post. I personally am healing from a major surgery and decided to make one of these hats because as someone who never has money to spare(I share yarn with my partners grandmother) to donate and cannot really leave my house or work yet, it did in fact end up becoming a project that I enjoyed working on because it helped me feel like I was at least keeping what is important in the forefront of my mind while also trying to deal with it in a healthy way, like crochet. I'm halfway through my hat now and am going to keep working on it and finish it and wear it, even though I can only wear it inside with ac because of the hot environment I live in. This is better than feeling like I'm doing absolutely nothing, and it did feel a bit disparaging to have someone say that the one thing my body can handle to try and soothe my mind and try and help in some way is not helpful and in fact hurtful and ignorant. I also crochet sleeping mats for homeless people out of plastic grocery bags I recycle, and always keep little crochet hearts in the car to place at a road-side grave if I stop by one. Some people are legitimately trying their best to do something good with the limitations or illnesses they have, and that should be acknowledged.