Am I right to be annoyed by this? (Cultural appropriation?)

[TheincredibleBookEatingManchot]

Or maybe I don't have the right to be annoyed?

A couple I know who are white British have named their dog a Sanskrit word, which is used in Hinduism and Buddhism. Also the woman wore a bindi at their wedding. Maybe it's just because I don't like this couple anyway so anything they do annoys me but I feel weirdly personally annoyed and kind of bitter about it.

I am ethnically half Indian but culturally completely white British and my Indian family were all Christians (and now atheists) so I have no claim on anything Indian/Hindu/Buddhist; it's not my culture they're appropriating.

But still I kind of feel like if I named my pet a word from an Indian language or started wearing bindis then my Britishness, my belonging in this country would be called into question, but this couple, with their pale skin and light hair are secure in their Britishness, no one's going to start questioning their identity or tell them to go "back" to India, so they get to use things from Indian culture to make themselves look interesting and exotic.

And I don't. But I don't want to. So am I unreasonable to be annoyed at them?

I don't think I've expressed myself very well but not really sure how to make myself clear.

Quite possibly I am unreasonable and this has nothing to do with me.

id say a white person winning awards for Indian cuisine could arguably be an example of cultural appropriation
This is the same argument made against the mobo awards. The award is for people of any race who excel in making music of black origin, so soul and gospel for example. Cooking Indian food well can be done by lots of people. They dont have to be Indian. I'd say in both those cases it's a positive thing as you are celebrating a culture rather than 'appropriating' it.

I don't believe in any such thing as cultural appropriation. Others are entitled to think the opposite. In ten years time this will be obsolete and some will be ranting and raving about something else...

I think it's misdirected anger. Get angry at the racists who abuse Indian women who wear bindis not the white women who embrace them.

Why is this dangerous ground? I understand that the cross has a deep meaning for Christians. However, as an atheist, I still want to retain the right to use the symbol as the cross as I see fit. It's not theirs to own and dictate the rest of society of how to use it

Fair enough - and retaining the right to use the symbol as you see fit is different from 'defending anyone's right to not give a shit about religion or religious symbols'. Some shits have to be given in order to respect other people's rights.

Your phrasing sounded like you were headed into risky ground - how you've further explained it here is not.

Sounds from 'I will defend anyone's right to practise their religious freedom' like you actually do give a shit - just perhaps not the shit you think people are asking you to give.

@Really12345

She did her hair, which isnt exactly blond caucasian hair is it, in a style used in many cultures and suddenly shes a racist ....after all no one remembers the Armenians right?

KK did credit her cornrows to a blond Caucasian though - Bo Derek. If you can’t understand why it’s insensitive to wear cornrows and then to say you were inspired by a white woman rather than black culture then you there is no hope for you.

Why bring up Armenians? It seems like you’re only concerned about racism for some cultures.

And the ‘I have a black partner / mixed raced daughter’ defence doesn’t give anyone a hall pass on cultural appropriation.

Cultural appropriation is taken pretty seriously here in Canada- it's strange reading these posts of people seemingly ignorant of what it actually is. Kilts are not it

Yeah, Canada is deeply fucked, sadly. Speaking as a Canadian. sigh

Scottish nota religion - if you went to Hampden foottball ground when England were playing you'd think different. :)

Canada and cultural appropriation - is that all these mock-lumberjacks then?

Canada has lots of grist for the cultural appropriation mill. The latest rant I heard was against Tikki Tikki Tembo for crying out loud.

When they start coming after my children's much loved bed time books, I get very angry!

Maybe it's just because I don't like this couple anyway so anything they do annoys me

You have just answered your own question.

Go and find something more worthwhile to be annoyed about.

Sometimes there is a right to offend right up against not being rude about someone's culture or religion and we have to come down on one side or another. Eg I support students selling and wearing Jesus and Mo T shirts (which apparently offend Christians and Muslims); whereas I would not support a pointless act of leaving a slaughtered pig outside the mosqure or synagogue. It is a difficult line for countries to draw between free expression and protecting people against harrassment of their religion or culture even if the majority hate that particular religion or culture.

I woul;dn't ban the burkha but I would support the rights of people to write that discriminatory clothing can damage women (or men for that matter). I support the rights of men to put on a dress either every day or once a week without my calling that cultural appropriation of my femaleness and the right of men to dress up as women in Pantomimes and the plays of shakespeare and the like.

In general if we can let freedom prevail so much the better. That is one reason people like the UK - we allow people like I am to swim naked in lakes and others never to show an ankle in public. If we can all just live side by side with freedom and respect and try to be kind to each other then that tends to me we can all be happier.

And Canadian above: sorry to break the news, but your country's rather earnest variety of wokeness gets mocked soundly by most of the rest of the world. HTH.

Cooking different cultures' food at home is fine, it's when a white person makes money off selling a cook book of those recipes that it becomes cultural appropriation.

No. That does not answer the point at all.

How come privately cooking another culture's food as an individual is OK but privately wearing another culture's clothing as an individual is not OK?

Why is it that with cooking, you have to make money out of it before it gets considered cultural appropriation, but in the case of clothing, it's immediately considering cultural appropriation even if you are just wearing the clothing yourself rather than selling it or making money out of it?

The arguments just make no sense, sorry.

posted on the wrong thread ^.

if you have to ask whether you should feel annoyed then that should answer your question for you.

user1477391263
which Canadian? If it is me you are replying to...you are not wrong. I cringe at the mad wokery of Canada today, and the mockery is fully deserved.

In general if we can let freedom prevail so much the better. That is one reason people like the UK - we allow people like I am to swim naked in lakes and others never to show an ankle in public. If we can all just live side by side with freedom and respect and try to be kind to each other then that tends to me we can all be happier.

Totally agree with this!

Let people experiment and try out cultures, rather than impose restrictions, even if some of it is cringe. Don’t target Mary wearing a Bindi, but do target schools and corporations if they have racism and fight that hard.

YABU

My best friend in school was part Indian. Her family however were Christian, (a British soldier had married an Indian woman then they came to Britain). I was the only person at school who knew about this as she lived a distance from school and other kids from school never met her mother or brother. You would never know she wasn't white British but if you met her mother or brother you would know.

You never truly know what is in someone's family background and as far as I (and she) is concerned, anyone has the right to wear what they like and use whatever names they like.

Did I miss the dogs name? I am fascinated.

Sorry, YABU. It’s a dog’s name, should I take offence at every English person I meet with a traditional Irish name? Or a dog for that matter?

Is eating pizza or pasta cultural appropriation? My children have ethnic heritage that is not obvious from their skin colour, but their names reflect it and they dress up to celebrate cultural events. I imagine they'll be setting tongues wagging.

Christ, the so called end of the world a la Greta can't come quick enough. Some seriously nuts people. Get a life!

Yep.