Senate Why is cultural appropriation a thing?

Thank you. This. Very much this.

 

Because we have the most to gain from solving said problem.

 

maybe of interest https://www.npr.org/programs/latino...ts-not-just-a-white-thing?showDate=2017-11-03

 

Cultural appropriation is a thing for many reasons. Some people like to represent other cultures. Others have more lazy, nefarious reasons.

Look at Chaz Lindsay's video about Disney's Pocahontas. You'll get a thorough analysis of how that may be offensive in some films and how it may be useful in some movies. I like her examination of those issues, and I fundamentally agree with her assessment of the racism involved. It's yucky.

 

This video--which is a parody of white women making "Native-inspired" makeup tutorials--does an excellent (and hilarious) job portraying why cultural appropriation is so problematic, and at the end how you can actually support Native cultures:

 

I finally listened to this the other day, and it was very interesting. The Chinese woman at the end, I feel, was being melodramatic (Who cares what others think? You know what you are.), but her perspective and experience was also interesting to learn about.

 

An article very much worth reading on the subject:

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/09/cultural-appropriation-culture-amiri-baraka

 

As I suspected before even watching, disagree with Rusty at your peril.

 

I know what it is now. Guys: I've figured it out.

That dominant class/minority context is only the background of the cultural appropriation debate. The deciding factor is character.
It's not even the character of Mr. Oliver himself here, as Mr. Roots confirms: "probably his team". It's that Jamie Oliver has become another international brand, mostly detached from the man behind the name. And when it's just a faceless company with shareholders, any cultural borrowing becomes a cynical marketing ploy.

I remember when the Beastie Boys came on the scene. And I remember the established black rappers like Rakim and Kurtis Blow admitting in documentaries: first we felt threatened. We thought they were going to take our music away from us! But then we heard they were real and funky, and it was alright.

Real.

The while thing happened again with Eminem. "But that guy was really good!", LL Cool J said in surprise.

Real. Quality.
Heartfelt.

Like how the British rock explosion borrowed heavily from black American blues artists, and then got them their first overseas audience. That's not even appropriation, that's exchange.

So it depends on the character of the cultural expression if it's really appropriation. And that's my word.

 

Agreed.

 

Sorry but the entire concept of cultural appropriation disgusts me.

The entire concept is liberal hypocrocay at it's finest,

1) If cultural appropriation is a "thing" then people from other cultures need to stop using European things.

2) the point of a multicultural society is to SHARE and blend our cultures not segregate.

It's crap like cultural appropriation that turns people off progressive causes and diverts attention away from real issues.

 

I point you to SuperWatto's fine post on this subject only a few posts above yours, which I've quoted for your convenience here:

 

But, for arguments sake, what about those people that accuses others of cultural appropriation when those people have not and don't really want to listen to why it's not cultural appropriation or don't accept it. For example, in the radio clip below Gina Mei, who is half-white and half-Chinese, is accused of appropriating her own culture.

Or the artist SaRaha, who is originally from Sweden but grow up in Tanzania and later begun her music career in Zimbabwe. She sings both in English and Swahili and has done works together with native Tanzanian artist. I have still seen her being accused for cultural appropriation.

It's a question about power relationships, the idea is that a weaker culture group can't really appropriate a stronger culture groups culture.

From around the middle of the 19th-century too the WWII, the Western European nations become/was the stronger culture groups for large parts of the world, post-WWII USA more or less took over that role alone but European culture (or rather some European cultures) are still rather strong influences outside of their geographical heartland. That's why you don't really see accusations of cultural appropriation toward people outside of Europe using European things.

Now the things that makes this a bit more complicated is that the cultural appropriation discussion (at least on the internet) seems to be dominated by people from U.S.A. and that leads to that perspective often ruling the debate which makes people outside of U.S.A. a bit confused. F.ex. have I seen that there seems to be this idea that there exist some kind of universal white culture.
Another complication is that while f.ex. Afro-American culture is a minority culture in the U.S.A. it is part of the USA culture that gets spread out to the rest of the world as part of US's cultural hegemony* meaning that when people from outside of U.S.A. imitate or gets inspired by the Afro-American culture they see/hear in movies, TV-shows, music, music videos, comics, etc. it can be discussed that they are not cultural appropriating since they are technically the weaker culture. But I think that's a bit above my academic knowledge.
* I'm not certain I use that word right

 

Quite frankly I don't really care how people "justify" it. I think the whole concept is absurd. My mind is pretty closed on this matter.

Fact is not all cultures are equal. History is littered by the corpses of dead cultures.
American/ European cultures is the current dominant cultures. Its just a fact. That will likely be supplemented by another culture one day.
Cultures have to evolve and assimilate or they die.
Weaker cultures will not survive by isolating themselves or crying "appropriation". Their only hope of preserving at least a fraction of it is by sharing.

 

@crazyewok it sounds like you're mixing up sharing and appropriation.

I'll give you an example of appropriation I heard just yesterday. I listen to a podcast called My Favourite Murder. It's really grown and become hugely popular, and they have a line of merchandise. For the summer, they had some merch that was summer camp-themed. On it was pictures of teepees. Some people said it was cultural appropriation. So the hosts, who have always been open to being educated, because, as they said themselves, "they're just two lower middle class white girls". So they pulled the line, changed it to feature tents instead and donated $10K to a First Nations charity. I think this is an appropriate response.

 

If your mind is closed, it's very easy just to not click on this thread if you're bothered by minority perspectives.

 

I mean I've got a pretty open mind and I think a lot of the concepts here are dumb. Tho that's because I have an experience most of you don't: being mixed race. People here are generally only one "race" or one "culture." I'm not.

 

Vivec, honest question. Does the whole concept of cultural appropriation seem alien to you?

 

I also think a lot of the concepts and dialogue around culture appropriation are dumb. The difference between you and @crazyewok is that (I would assume) you're going to listen, absorb, and understand an argument and use that to take it apart if you don't agree with it. Whereas on the other hand...

Ignorance is bliss.

 

And personaly I think that's a load of nonsense.

I would of kept selling them.

I really don't see anything wrong, just people seeing offended for the sake of being offended.

 

Yes, you've already stated you're closed minded.

 

The problem is you don’t even understand and aren’t interested in understanding the opposing perspective. You don’t just sound close-minded, you sound like you’re screaming “LA LA LA” with fingers up your ears.

It is possible and desirable to disagree and oppose a point of view. You just need to know what you’re talking about as you make your argument.

 

@Lord Vivec i don’t particularly see how being multiracial should change one's outlook on the existence (or lack thereof) of cultural appropriation.