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?

@Not - how is it a positive thing when someone is racist then takes what they want from the group they’re racist about coz they think that thing is fashionable?

For me, cultural appropriation exists and the important thing is that we are aware of its existence and discuss it. I have no problem with Kim K wearing braids. But, the fact the some magazines will praise her for them, call her a pioneer whilst black women are told they are unprofessional, they don’t look good etc etc. That’s the issue and it’s the effect that we should be noting.

I’m mixed race and it’s not right that people had judged me for wearing braids in the past and that I have been told many times in the workplace not to wear my natural curly hair. But other white women in my workplace are allowed their curly.

If we’re all one fucking race then why do people of colour keep getting the raw deal?!?! Stop saying such naive dross

exactly - we re ALL one race, we are ALL descended from both oppressor and oppressed

But that still doesn’t mean we should stop noticing when cultural appropriation happens.

I feel like I'm losing brain cells reading this
Obviously it's not contradictory, because I haven't dictated what anyone should wear. I said that people should be respectful to oppressed minorities who have been discriminated against for wearing the same thing by researching the background of the part of culture you wish to use. I'm fed up of white people telling POC they can't be offended because it's 'no big deal'. Obviously it's no big deal to you because you're white! It doesn't affect you! How hard is that for people to understand?

What points have you made that I have ignored OP? Not to mention you ignored half of my last post.

Strong

Why? Are you going to tell me that if I am white I can’t wear a sari or dreads? If so I would tell you to respectfully bugger off.

I don’t like people who tell mainly women what they can and can’t wear for any reason.

@lononder dictating to POC what they can & can't get offended by is much worse than POC dictating to others what they can and can't wear.

People love to miss the point about cultural appropriation. No-one really gives a shit how you wear you hair or what dress you wear. People get annoyed when the reactions to that hair or dress are positive for a white person & negative for a black person.

@oh - yes I bloody well would! What would give you the right to wear a sari? You know what the Brits did in India don’t you?!?! I’d also take offence if you wore keffiyeh (big fashion statement over the last few years) coz I’m Arab, you’re not, and you’re obviously incredibly ignorant !

But that still doesn’t mean we should stop noticing when cultural appropriation happens

WHEN it happens, ie when a sacred object is mocked or treated casually, eg using catholic rosary beads in a porno film as a bondage tool.... that is cultural appropriation.

not someone wearing plaits or dreads or clothing styles, or making food choices.....

I think I understand about CA, mostly. I understand that it’s totally inappropriate to say, profit from selling items with cultural or religious significance when you do not belong to that culture. That is clear appropriation. Where I think it’s more of a grey area is where there is no profit or benefit, it’s just an individual by an aspect of a different culture, eg wearing an outfit, hairstyle etc. That to me is appreciation.

The thing I don’t get, is who gets the final say? So, there are lots of POC who have no issue with Kim’s hairstyle. There are lots who do. This is just one example, but who gets to decide? I’m comfortable with the idea that people outside of the culture concerned don’t have a say, but what about when there are split opinions within that culture? Taking it to the extreme, what if just a few people object? Where is the line?

I was when Madonna appeared on the scene!
But I guess it wasn't pc to show shock and no one appeared to voice disapproval. I'm not catholic but just thought wow!

@strongmummy so white peoples can’t but black people can?

So if an Indian woman wears jeans, is it cultural appropriation?
I hate this lumping of people together. ‘The British’ means the ruling class British who exploited their own people very happily whilst building the empire. Try telling a malnourished 14 year old factory worker living in a slum that she was responsible for the oppression of other races.

I don’t like people who tell mainly women what they can and can’t wear for any reason

But men largely don't do fashion like women do so the situation doesn't arise. I'm sure comments would be made if they did.

It’s doesnt have to be a sacred object, it’s called cultural appropriation in that it’s related to culture. It includes hair and clothes.

When I was young there was a white woman who did hair braiding and people would go to her, rather than the black women that had been doing it for a while. That’s the type of effect that I think needs to be noted. I have no problem with the white women doing the braiding but people need to think about why they were going to her and why it had only locally become a “thing” since she started up business, when a few black women had been doing it long before her.

"I don’t like people who tell mainly women what they can and can’t wear for any reason."

Well I gave two examples that involve neither dress nor women. Shall we use those instead?

Actually, one example. The name one isn't cultural appropriation, just cultural sensitivity. The didgeredoo example is bang on the money, though. Including the "oh fuck" moment when it dawned on me.

@haverhill - an Indian lady deciding to wear jeans in the UK is called assimilating.....possibly for fear of being mocked for wearing clothing from her own culture

@tacolover the fact you are labelling people of being culturally inappropriate when in actual fact they are neither appropriate or appreciation. Just another label to offend.

I am white and in this thread I have been made to feel like oppression towards black people is somewhat linked to me.

Yet another thing for the chattering classes and Islington types to get their fairtrade knickers in a twist about. The same ones who want to tear down statues etc.

It’s doesnt have to be a sacred object, it’s called cultural appropriation in that it’s related to culture.

it does have to be a sacred object, otherwise there is simply nothing to take offense over, other than the desire to find something to be offended at.

@londoner - you’re not deliberately obtuse, you are just obtuse. You have my sympathies.

"I am white and in this thread I have been made to feel like oppression towards black people is somewhat linked to me."
No shit Sherlock!

@claire - it doesn’t have to be sacred in a religious sense, but it means something to a particular culture. And it is not up to you to decide what that is or isn’t

@strongmummy rather obtuse than an ignorant snowflake who breeds racism.