neutral pronouns please (use what works)
also i like fun things like good television and music and art
something i was thinking about while i was at applebee’s:
a common argument for cultural appropriation is that it’s “appreciation”
but the problem with that concept is that it’s based on the idea of a fair and equal cultural exchange, and that’s not the reality. the reality is that one culture (white, western) has, through colonization, forced its culture onto another’s. then, once having metaphorically forced, say, a jacket onto one culture, it feels entitled to take the dominated culture’s bracelet and say “hey man, i’m just appreciating you.”
Is it just me or did anyone else dress up as Red Indian’s when they were little but it’s apparently cultural appropriation now and kinda like racism?
And if it’s so bad why can you find such a costume in most fancy dress shops?
ah
yes
of course
if you can find it in shops, it CAN’T be racist
that’s some really stunning critical reasoning right there
(Source: fixing-annie)
I get it.
At least I think I get it, but I know jack shit about psychology or philosophy.
but I respect the fact that people look to live their lives according to a code, however they define that.
My problem though, is that there seems to be this popular notion that all spiritual practices are completely and totally free for others to superficially assume. That new-age warriors and plastic shamans feel entitled to appropriate them into their own syncretic belief systems.
Indigenous belief structures do not have a missionary clause. No one will ever knock on your door offering salvation. This church is not open and, in any case, you’re not invited. Don’t call us, we’ll call you.
Until that happens, none of what people have appropriated bears much in common with the truth, but the cat, as they say, is out of the bag. No one can stop this from happening, but we can make noise and we do take issue.
This is, to be perfectly honest, more important than the headdress, but it’s related:
There is that same sense of entitlement. That same bourgeois transgression. Crossing boundaries of race and class in petulant defiance of their in-born privileges, on the hunt for their very own piece of the other. Upon their return to the rarefied heights of whiteness, they can hold that piece to the sky and declare proudly:
“behold, for I have assumed these trappings and renounce my allegiance, whenever it’s convenient”
These are culture vultures, picking off the sweet, fatty meat when it suits them. They leave the rest behind.
Like the brains and the heart. The guts and the bones. All that tough, tough gristle too. The bad, heavy stuff.
The weight of history and current reality.
So burdened by that weight, the culture vulture wouldn’t be able fly off in its own time and its own convenience to search for some other curiosity to gorge itself on. Something new to appropriate and appreciate.
and we know just how much y’all really appreciate us.
Indigenous belief structures do not have a missionary clause. No one will ever knock on your door offering salvation. This church is not open and, in any case, you’re not invited.
(via librariansoul)
tânisi!
I see you are confused about what constitutes cultural appropriation. I would like to provide you with resources and information on the subject so that you can better understand what our concerns are.
However, I also want you to have a brief summary of…
See also why buying beaded moccasins/mukluks/serapes made by native artisans is cool and buying knockoffs made by Urban Outfitters/Topshop/Ralph Lauren is not.
thetatteredendsofautumn:ohmygil:budgerigars:
i reblogged that ‘spirit animal’ thing to point out how offensive it is, not to have people reblog it from me and perpetuate the misrepresentation and commodification of native culture.
i’m serious, it’s actually not okay to use that term if you do not belong to a native american group and are not referring to native cultural practices.
if you could maybe use the term ‘patronus’ or something? i mean it’s the same general idea but a lot less offensive?
Yes, this. I’ve quietly started using the term Patronus, but I didn’t make a post about it because sometimes I just don’t have the ability to articulate what I mean.
So thank you.
yes
THANKS
The problem with cultural appropriation is that it replaces the original with a copy created by the dominant culture. It dilutes the original, removes all symbolic value from it and replaces it with a ready to consume product devoid of context and meaning.
Cultural appropriation, at its most extreme, is a violent form of colonization because it removes the original group behind the culture and reinforces stereotypes about that group (i.e. ALL First Nation folks are reduced to “war bonnets”, whether their culture uses them or not; all Latin@s are reduced to a stylized version of Catholicism regardless of their spirituality; etc.). The mechanism of commodifying a culture ends up being a tool to re-inforce [sic] racism as it reduces the people behind those cultures to a mere cartoon like representation of their realities. It’s a great way to ultimately Other and objectify entire groups of people by taking something that is dynamic and ever evolving and freezing it for a marketing photo opportunity.
"Flavia Dzodan (via comingonstrong)
because it still seems like many people need to be reminded…
(via garconniere)
Important.
(via inlandbuoy)
___________________
Serious question.
If “indian” or “mexican” or “tribal” costumes or clothes were being created by that community and marketed for that purpose by that community and the profits being made were going back to that community, is it still cultural appropriation?
I’m aware this is unlikely to be happening anywhere, I am just curious.
(via ihatemyname)
the thing is, just because one group or individual is okay with it doesn’t mean it’s less offensive to the rest, you know? like the females who think the new everything i do is wrong campaign is funny. i’d just err on the side of caution and try to buy something less harmful.
(Source: seppin, via ihatemyname)
The problem with cultural appropriation is that it replaces the original with a copy created by the dominant culture. It dilutes the original, removes all symbolic value from it and replaces it with a ready to consume product devoid of context and meaning.
Cultural appropriation, at its most extreme, is a violent form of colonization because it removes the original group behind the culture and reinforces stereotypes about that group (i.e. ALL First Nation folks are reduced to “war bonnets”, whether their culture uses them or not; all Latin@s are reduced to a stylized version of Catholicism regardless of their spirituality; etc.). The mechanism of commodifying a culture ends up being a tool to re-inforce [sic] racism as it reduces the people behind those cultures to a mere cartoon like representation of their realities. It’s a great way to ultimately Other and objectify entire groups of people by taking something that is dynamic and ever evolving and freezing it for a marketing photo opportunity.
"i want to print this out on cards and hand it to anyone obviously appropriating anything
