Cultural appropriation

[Londonerlove]

AIBU to be totally annoyed by cultural appropriation.
I read this today and though wtf!

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/newsbeat-44572555

I’m not a fan of kim but if she wants her hair in braids she can have her hair in braids?

Shouldn’t this be praised rather than attacked?
Is eating pasta cultural appropriation?

But how on Earth is celebrating another persons culture disrespectful? I think you are confused about what is actually offensive.

Yes of course, and I think it's great to celebrate publicly big events in the calendar for different cultures. But I was trying to understand these rules of when you're allowed to and when it is "disrespectful". It appears that disrespect depends on whether you are person of colour or not. It appears that whether you are visibly a person of colour is crucial too. Has Strongmummy ever experienced racism? By her own admission she is perceived as white.

ps, for the record, I"ve never felt opressed by the British!

Do any Irish people seriously feel oppressed by the British? I know NI is a complicated place but there is healthcare, education, welfare, diversity legislation etc.. for all

Sorry, notmeohno I missed that.

I realise that there are a lot of other bad things in the world, and that commercial exploitation is a huge problem. But I still think that our individual behaviour is important. My son is the direct descendant of someone who did not believe that shooting aborigines was a crime. Seeing him playing an aboriginal sacred instrument is surely problematic.

Is Christmas cultural appropriation? It was the wholesale pinching of pagan traditions and festivals.

My parents went to an Eid celebration. They didn't want to, they're both racist, ignorant twonks but when their new neighbours invited them they were 'worried about saying no in case they fire bombed their house'

I thought it was a good thing. They learned something. They're still racist, ignorant twonks but they're now racist, ignorant twonks who don't believe their neighbours are secretly plotting to kill them while raking in thousands in ill gotten benefits and british taxpayers money.

Anything which encourages people to learn and become more accepting of others is a good thing. Shouting people down on social media for wearing braids is doing the opposite of encouraging acceptance and learning.

"Do any Irish people seriously feel oppressed by the British?"

Well, my fil and very many Irish people of his generation had a very hard time when they arrived in England in the 1959s and 60s.

Frequency, there is a huge difference between going to a celebration you are invited to and deciding that, for example, that a turban or a crucifix is a cute fashion statement.

@Bertrand
My son is the direct descendant of someone who did not believe that shooting aborigines was a crime. Seeing him playing an aboriginal sacred instrument is surely problematic
I believe this is called "white tears" by the Everyday Feminist/Cultural Appropriation ideologues, so under those rules you just said before didn't exist, you're committing a thought crime.
Most people thought the same as your ancestor. What's important is to act on current injustices. Use the busking as an opportunity to educate about Ningaloo, or raise money for the campaign. The "sacred" thing is neither here nor there. Dot paintings were invented as a way of obscuring sacred symbols in the 1970s. Aboriginal culture is dynamic and changing, mixing with other ideas and adapting. Don't fall into a trap of Orientalism.

I've got a keffieh. I bought it in the Middle East to cover my head (cultural appropriation or respect for local customs?). I sometimes wear it here (Europe but not UK) as a scarf. I couldn't give a flying fuck whether you'd appreciate it or not, it's none of your business.

Is Christmas cultural appropriation? It was the wholesale pinching of pagan traditions and festivals
Have you been anywhere near social media around Christmas time.

You can't move for all the 'suddenly' pagans moaning how 'their' festival has been appropriated by the new religions.

The first angry meme arriving on my newsfeed is the Christmas equivalent of the first swallow of spring

*Most English people that is

Hmm, DD has a style that is very white working class: short tight dresses, massive hoops, hair and make up a certain way.

When she went to uni she was quickly embraced by a group of posh southern girls who dressed the same way.

After about 6 weeks she realised they were dressing like this ironically because they were massive fashionistas and thought it was very cool to look like a chav, but not be a chav .

Poor DD has spent the last three years of uni with a bunch of incredibly fashion conscious mates, who think she is similarly obsessed with fashion and her charity shop-don't-really-give-a-shit wardrobe is quirky and cool and fashion forward

Tinkly that is hilarious, just totally sums up how ridiculous the fashion industry is

Delta

Well said. There is so so much to be shocked by and saddened by in the world today. Terrorist attacks and trump. So many ways evil people are trying to divide us. Don’t make up new ways

Oh Tinkly good for your dd she sounds ace

People can care about more than one issue at a time, Ohmydays.

There is so so much to be shocked by and saddened by in the world today. Terrorist attacks and trump. So many ways evil people are trying to divide us. Don’t make up new ways
Nobody is making up new ways. There are terrible things going on in the world. There always have been. They don't negate the other shit going down. They just don't and if you can't see it's about a bit of basic history, a bit of understanding then you have a problem. You are confusing 'tough if you're offended' with 'tough I can't be arsed to learn a little and demonstrate a touch of respect'. Funnily enough, these are the things that in the long term would ease the crap problems you posted about.

Fair enough, Notmeohno. I disagree profoundly with you - and I don't think there's any point discussing it any more.

@mayandjuniper

It's not really comparable to someone simply liking and having a hairstyle (or other things from a different culture or social class) imo, btw.

It's exactly the same thing. It's fashionable to do these things when the 'right' people do it. That sums up cultural appropriation.

I respectfully disagree.

I highly doubt that Kardashian was making fun of her children's/husband's culture when wearing these braids.

Whereas someone deciding to imitate because 'OMG- this is so funny! Imitating these people...!' (usually accompanied by a pretty big dose of stereotypes...)?

Not the same at all imo.

It's the difference between person A wearing braids because s/he thinks they look nice and person B hosting a party poking fun at people... (The blackface and ghetto parties several universities/student bodies had to apologise for come to mind.)

@delta , you could have just worn a scarf or a hat like most other people 🙄

Not RTFT but has anyone mentioned roads? Are they cultural appropriation and what about the fact that we write on paper. It was the ancient Egyptians who did it first. Our calenders, our alphabet?

@BertrandandRussell, fair enough, it was different for me in 1993, never felt oppressed. I felt it was assumed I was working class. Which is fine, nothing wrong with being working class but in 1993 any Irish person in Britain was working class which felt like a bit of a shock. So, classist rather than racist. I realised later that those classist people don't accept many of their own British people either.
I do believe in moving forward though. If things improve as we go along I prefer to focus mainly on that. I want to know how it was but there is literally no point blaming people alive today for stuff that 'their nation' did before they were born.

@notme - I am fair skinned, blue eyed and blonde. No one would ever guess my heritage. I therefore have not directly experienced racism targeted AT ME, but I have been in the same room when people have described Arabs as dirty or ugly or terrorists. They change their tune when I tell them my heritage of course, but it’s ok coz I look European and so am non threatening 🙄. My father has directly experienced racism and has been called a wog many times (I’ve heard that directly).

goo.gl/images/WcNSfh

Now this - the designer would’ve made a lot of money from copying the clothing. I think it’s beautiful.

Tinkly. That’s just brill
But she gets on with these friends well now though?