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Original poster

Cultural Appropriation being taken too far

297 replies

KitBumbleB · 09/04/2022 11:53

DD is early secondary age and is exploring her hobbies and interests like other kids her age. One of her friends has discovered that she loves cooking and especially likes making Chinese food.
Last night DD was furiously typing on her phone and when I asked what was up she said one of her friends was having a go at the other for "cultural appropriation" because apparently cooking food of another culture or country is wrong.
The girl who likes cooking was incredibly upset and terrified of anyone else finding out as apparently this is the worst crime a tween can commit.

DD also tells me that according to TikTok, learning a language is also appropriation, especially Japanese as it is seen as fetishism

I know this is not AIBU, but am I the only one who thinks this is nonsense and is turning harmful, its like a mindless pile up.

DD and I are not white btw

OP posts:
BHX3000 · 09/04/2022 11:57

DD also tells me that according to TikTok

And there you have it, there's a difference between real life and TikTok. Sadly, teenagers today seem to extract or their knowledge and 'facts' from the latter.

When we grew up, we were obsessed with pizzas and making our own at home. Pizza was not a 'normal' dish where I grew up. Would anyone say making lots of Italian food would be cultural appropriation? I don't think so.

MintyMoocow · 09/04/2022 11:59

I believe that MacDonalds is big in China. These things go both ways.

Notbeinfunnehbut · 09/04/2022 12:01

I agree it’s gone too far so sad it’s being used to bully people

bellac11 · 09/04/2022 12:01

Cultural appropriation is a nonsense term. There isnt one culture on this planet (well possibly a couple of exceptions but I couldnt tell you which ones) which has not been incorporated into or from other cultures/societies/religions/civilisations.
We are all a mixture of everything and always have been.

Poor child.

WalkerWalking · 09/04/2022 12:02

My own conclusion is that if you're making money off it then it's cultural appropriation. If you're making dinner, then you're just making dinner.

If you go on and on all the time about learning Japanese, and you see the whole Japanese culture as "cute" and very "other"? Sounds a bit fetishy to me. If you're hoping to work in/travel to Japan at some point, then it's just a skill.

It's worth pointing out that cultural appropriation is not a crime! There's loads of tone deaf stuff that white people do all the time that's really cringe. And it's infuriating when people make easy money off stuff that's not theirs to profit from. But there comes a point when you have to examine your own motivations, and decide for yourself whether you are happy with your actions.

bellac11 · 09/04/2022 12:02

@BHX3000

DD also tells me that according to TikTok

And there you have it, there's a difference between real life and TikTok. Sadly, teenagers today seem to extract or their knowledge and 'facts' from the latter.

When we grew up, we were obsessed with pizzas and making our own at home. Pizza was not a 'normal' dish where I grew up. Would anyone say making lots of Italian food would be cultural appropriation? I don't think so.

Most of what we view as traditional Italian ingredients are from other countries originally, pasta and tomatoes being just 2 of them.
Schmz · 09/04/2022 12:03

Yep, nonsense !

ElenaSt · 09/04/2022 12:03

Teenagers are very susceptible to this woke crap.

This is satire, but young people are being churned out by rubbish education systems here and across the pond, who are not too far short of actually being like this -

youtube.com/c/Traintolookgoodnaked

GCAcademic · 09/04/2022 12:04

Sadly there is a certain kind of young person who is censorious and puritanical and likes nothing more than calling other people out. Or, as we used to say pre-social media, bullying them.

because apparently cooking food of another culture or country is wrong.
Hopefully Brexit and inflation will deliver us the progressive future that these young activists aspire to for us, and we’ll all be virtuously eating potatoes and turnips for every meal.

Justanotherobserver · 09/04/2022 12:05

Do DD's friends like chocolate? If so she can tell them that eating chocolate is cultural appropriation because it's from Mexico! Grin

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chocolate

bellac11 · 09/04/2022 12:06

@GCAcademic

Sadly there is a certain kind of young person who is censorious and puritanical and likes nothing more than calling other people out. Or, as we used to say pre-social media, bullying them.

because apparently cooking food of another culture or country is wrong.
Hopefully Brexit and inflation will deliver us the progressive future that these young activists aspire to for us, and we’ll all be virtuously eating potatoes and turnips for every meal.

Potatoes, culturally appropriated from the new world.

Spudulike used to shamelessly make money of the back of cultural appropriation

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 09/04/2022 12:09

No pizza. No Nandos. No coffee. No Mcdonalds. No curry. No nachos.

Life is going to get boring pretty quick...

bellac11 · 09/04/2022 12:11

Ive just had to put my cup of tea down. Culturally appropriated and worse, during a time of empire.

For shame!!!

Justanotherobserver · 09/04/2022 12:11

How about cotton? That's not from our culture, so are we allowed to wear it?

riotlady · 09/04/2022 12:11

@bellac11

Cultural appropriation is a nonsense term. There isnt one culture on this planet (well possibly a couple of exceptions but I couldnt tell you which ones) which has not been incorporated into or from other cultures/societies/religions/civilisations. We are all a mixture of everything and always have been.

Poor child.

I disagree- cultural appropriation can be a real problem, when a dominant culture takes something meaningful from a culture they’ve oppressed, ignores the meaning behind it and uses it for their own ends. See for example white Americans wearing Native American headdresses to festivals.

However the internet can always take a concept and twist it until it’s absurd so I don’t think there’s anyone except for a few teens on TikTok who genuinely think that cooking food from another culture or learning another language is cultural appropriation Hmm It’s just the latest thing for them to police each other over

GCAcademic · 09/04/2022 12:12

I just remembered about potatoes originating in South America after I posted.

No fish and chips, then.

StageRage · 09/04/2022 12:15

Oh FGS.

‘Cultural Appropriation’ (where it exists) involves financial exploitation and an oppressed culture being appropriated by a privileged culture, taking the credit for the ‘product’.

Why are our young people so desperate to appear ‘virtuous’? To claim status as ‘allies’ to the extent that they rush to any invented or misunderstood offence?

Tell your Dd to tell this nitwit that she hopes she never cooks pasta.

Changechangychange · 09/04/2022 12:16

Are your DD’s friends eating gruel three meals a day? No? Then they are also appropriating.

There is a massive difference between a celebrity chef popping up with “my improved version of National Dish!!” which is definitely cringy. And somebody non-Indian cooking a curry. Speaking of which, how do they feel about Bangladeshis running the majority of UK “Indian” restaurants? Are they forming a boycott?

Justanotherobserver · 09/04/2022 12:17

This seems sensible: www.quora.com/Would-it-be-cultural-appropriation-to-eat-foods-like-potatoes-or-chocolate-since-they-come-from-other-countries-I-m-very-confused-Also-please-don-t-respond-with-the-cultural-appropriation-isn-t-real-stuff-Thank-you

Quote :

Here’s a pretty good rule of thumb on whether something is cultural appropriation:

Did they ask you to stop?

If yes, then there’s a good chance it’s cultural appropriation. If no, then it’s probably not.

I’m leaving out a ton of detail, and the fact that it’s not a well-defined concept with rigidly defined areas. But the Incas and Mayans aren’t asking you not to eat chocolate and potatoes, so feel free.

Now… this is a bit of an accident of history. Chocolate in particular was a ceremonial food, and there’s a decent chance that if they had survived, they might well have gotten cranky about people eating it. And there would be room for a legitimate discussion, since it’s not appropriate for them to arrogate to themselves a wild food product.

And potatoes, by contrast, are decidedly not a natural food product. The Peruvians should have patented them. But any patents on potatoes expired a long, long, long time ago.

There are a lot of potato varieties that they do feel some cultural ownership of. And you could well find that if you went to Peru and tried to take some away, they’d ask you not to.

That’s how that works. They don’t care, so you’re fine. If they do care, talk to them and ask what their concerns are, to see if you can make an arrangement.

End quote

110APiccadilly · 09/04/2022 12:19

@GCAcademic

I just remembered about potatoes originating in South America after I posted.

No fish and chips, then.

Certainly no fish and chips, unless you're of Jewish ancestry (if I remember my food history correctly).
DuesToTheDirt · 09/04/2022 12:19

Her friend is a twit. HTH.

Relentlessrose · 09/04/2022 12:20

It's appreciation not appropriation

nauticant · 09/04/2022 12:21

No fish and chips, then.

Fish and chips is a terrible cultural appropriation:

www.timesofisrael.com/the-surprising-jewish-history-behind-fish-n-chips/

Belkell · 09/04/2022 12:21

@GCAcademic no battered fish either.

That’s a Portuguese/ Jewish dish.

Belkell · 09/04/2022 12:21

Oh bum. Xpost