One suspects that this is just the beginning—that there will be more Warrens and O’Rourkes to come. As whites feel increasingly shamed (for everything from the patriarchy to colonization), and as identity politics and victimhood become the defining signals of virtue (especially within the Democratic Party), it’s only natural that some white people would want to appropriate what is perceived as a more sympathetic cultural identity.

Again, I think the concept of cultural appropriation is nonsense. We should be happy when it happens—call it a sign of progress, even. But if liberals want to construct these rules for the rest of us, they should expect to be held accountable to their own standards. And based on the way things are currently playing out for Warren and O’Rourke, it seems they are.