| |
Discussion: Cultural Appropriation: Too Serious?
Member Since: 11/30/2007
Posts: 26,796
|
People take everything too serious these days.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 4/25/2011
Posts: 41,661
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Miles Caulfield
It's not needed and people feel violated by it. If you're not offended by Dark Horse or Hello Kitty and you're Egyptian or Japanese, cool for you. If you're saying you're not offended as a defense and you're white you need to get out. People are allowed to be offended by gross appropriation.
|
You're ridiculous and you just voided your statement.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 11,186
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Miles Caulfield
It's not needed and people feel violated by it. If you're not offended by Dark Horse or Hello Kitty and you're Egyptian or Japanese, cool for you. If you're saying you're not offended as a defense and you're white you need to get out. People are allowed to be offended by gross appropriation.
|
If it isn't meant in a derogatory or offensive way though I don't know why they'd feel 'violated'  ?
|
|
|
|
Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
|
Yes, most people take it too far. If I want to wear an African tribal print t-shirt, I'm going to. Not because I want to strip that tribe of their "pride" and "dignity" but because I love the print and it helps express myself. If someone has a problem with that, it's their problem... not mine. They could sit there and bitch about it, run their blood pressure up about it while I'm happy and doing nothing to harm anyone or they can get over it and find a way to be happy in their life. Then everyone wins.
To me, cultural appropriation stops after an entire nation or civilization takes over another and takes what they want from the other culture and dismisses the rest.
Like, if your culture or something a part of your culture becomes a "trend" then what exactly is there to complain about? No ones wearing it to piss you off or hurt your feelings. Besides, the trend will be over like all other trends but the original context and "dignity" of the cultural aspect will still be there as long as you cherish that.
Honestly I think people these days are too negative. Everyone just needs to let go of their anger...
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 3/2/2014
Posts: 14,961
|
Quote:
Originally posted by RihannasVeryOwn
It's funny when people use this as an example of cultural appropriation.
The hijab is not a cultural thing, it's a religious thing. There are women of all types of countries and places across the world who are Muslim and wear the hijab.
Also, Rihanna is at a mosque in that picture and it would be disrespectful for her not to wear a hijab.
|
I'm a Muslim and I don't find her wearing hijab inappropriate. It's the way she was posing while taking pictures in that mosque that has offended lots of Muslims all around the world.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 6/19/2012
Posts: 29,579
|
It's definitely hard to grasp. For example, I understand how it can be ridiculous that a white person can wear a sari and bindi for fun and nothing will happen, but if an Indian woman does it she gets called all sorts of names. But I don't see how white women refraining from dressing in saris improves the situation for Indian women or works to a better, more aware society. It's confusing.
|
|
|
|
ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 56,234
|
Yeah, it's so dumb.
If somebody does something that resembles a stereotype of your culture, just go "lol that's nothing like us" and get over it. What do you think Australians have been doing with all of the Americanised stereotypes of us since, like, ever? Do you really think we all have kangaroos in our backyards and throw shrimps on the barbie? Lol no. I've touched like two kangaroos and I had to physically go to a wildlife park, and I hate shrimp, and never have barbecues. But do you hear us going on massive "cultural appropriation" cries for attention? No, we just laugh it off. People are WAY too sensitive when it comes to other people showcasing their cultures.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 34,855
|
Quote:
Originally posted by jomarr
You're ridiculous and you just voided your statement.
|
How does that in any way void what Miles said? It's pretty annoying when, for example, white people say stuff like "I wasn't offended by this thing that's offensive toward black people, so I guess it's not really offensive." No one can speak for an entire race of people, especially when they're not even a member of that race.
Quote:
Originally posted by holyground
Cultures can be very sacred and a sensitive topic. When it's used for such "fickle" business like pop culture it may rub off the wrong way for some people.
When singers modify cultures for performances/videos etc it seems like the culture was just used as a cloak to sell a product. It could feel superficial to some, especially when there is no deeper meaning when they use the culture.
|
Hm. This is the most convincing argument I've seen so far.
Still, 99% of the time it's usually a gross exaggeration and it seems like outrage for outrage's sake.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 6/25/2012
Posts: 41,860
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Sam Jay
Yeah, it's so dumb.
If somebody does something that resembles a stereotype of your culture, just go "lol that's nothing like us" and get over it. What do you think Australians have been doing with all of the Americanised stereotypes of us since, like, ever? Do you really think we all have kangaroos in our backyards and throw shrimps on the barbie? Lol no. I've touched like two kangaroos and I had to physically go to a wildlife park, and I hate shrimp, and never have barbecues. But do you hear us going on massive "cultural appropriation" cries for attention? No, we just laugh it off. People are WAY too sensitive when it comes to other people showcasing their cultures.
|
Omg yes. its like when i went to the states last summer and people genuinely asked us about our igloo's what it's like riding polar bears and how we are dealing with global warming 
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 6,332
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Sam Jay
Yeah, it's so dumb.
If somebody does something that resembles a stereotype of your culture, just go "lol that's nothing like us" and get over it. What do you think Australians have been doing with all of the Americanised stereotypes of us since, like, ever? Do you really think we all have kangaroos in our backyards and throw shrimps on the barbie? Lol no. I've touched like two kangaroos and I had to physically go to a wildlife park, and I hate shrimp, and never have barbecues. But do you hear us going on massive "cultural appropriation" cries for attention? No, we just laugh it off. People are WAY too sensitive when it comes to other people showcasing their cultures.
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Dollas n Diamonds
Omg yes. its like when i went to the states last summer and people genuinely asked us about our igloo's what it's like riding polar bears and how we are dealing with global warming |
This has nothing to do with cultural appropriation 
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 3/27/2012
Posts: 27,951
|
I think its stupid to get offended by anything that doesn't personally affect you. If you're spending your time getting angry because Katy Perry wore a geisha outfit, or made an Egyptian themed music video, then you need to evaluate where you spend your energy on.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 3/7/2011
Posts: 19,696
|
It's very easy to say it's not a big deal when you live in a country where that is all that they did.. Appropriate things from other cultures... If you actually lived in a country where they have lots of meaning in their culture, then just taking that and using it for your looks, or to sell something can become insulting..
Though I must admit even I have a hard time understanding cultural appropriation.. Some are clear, like Katy Perry and her unconditionally performance with the japanese cultural appropriation, but others become just too confusing
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 3,060
|
Quote:
Originally posted by beherebynow
I'm a Muslim and I don't find her wearing hijab inappropriate. It's the way she was posing while taking pictures in that mosque that has offended lots of Muslims all around the world.
|
The problem is people think it's enough to merely be offended. Sure, it's wrong to go out of your way just to offend other people and some people are very insensitive but sometimes it's just a case of one person doing something that just happens to offend someone else.
Nobody has a right to dictate what another person does just because they don't like it. There has to be more too it that that, there has to be a reasonable reason why people are particularly offended by something. You can't just demonize a pop star (or anyone) for some little thing that they may not have thought of or might not have had anything to do with.
For example and I mean no offense by this, your religion offends me merely by existing.
I know though that this is my problem not yours and I respect your right to practice your religion as long as you are not harming anyone.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 11/11/2011
Posts: 6,524
|
Yes it's so stupid. No race or religion owns clothing or style.
And how is Dark Horse appropriating? She's using ancient Egypt. No one is actually practicing that religion right now.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/18/2013
Posts: 10,091
|
definitely, it's not that serious the majority of the time.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 21,846
|
Anyone should be able to appreciate any culture as long as it's done respectfully. "Cultural appropriation" is ********.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 3/5/2014
Posts: 7,746
|
There's no "too seriously" in this situation. Some people are offended by their cultures being appropriated and some are not. It's not a one size fits all kind of thing. As a white American man, I'm not going to sit here and tell underprivileged POC that they're being "too serious" about people like Gaga, Katy, Iggy, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Avril taking from their culture and profiting from it.
However, I do think that sometimes people get things misconstrued. I do believe there are ways of respectfully paying homage to a culture. An example would be when Gaga was in Japan and decided to paint anime eyes on her eyes. The people on Tumblr got so upset over it and it made no sense. Anime is part of Japanese pop culture and Gaga was there to perform 'Applause', which has the line "art's in pop culture in me".
Quote:
|
Originally posted by Yourfavefan
It's very easy to say it's not a big deal when you live in a country where that is all that they did.. Appropriate things from other cultures... If you actually lived in a country where they have lots of meaning in their culture, then just taking that and using it for your looks, or to sell something can become insulting..
Though I must admit even I have a hard time understanding cultural appropriation.. Some are clear, like Katy Perry and her unconditionally performance with the japanese cultural appropriation, but others become just too confusing
|
Well, that's the issue nowadays. So many people who don't understand cultural appropriation get upset about cultural appropriation because it's the "progressive" thing to do. A majority of these people are white people on Tumblr who follow the crowd and call out "racists" because they don't want people thinking they're racist themselves. These people make actual POC who have their cultures exploited and speak up about it, look bad because they're grouped in with the crazies.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/17/2013
Posts: 6,565
|
If you mimic/copy/embrace western culture, (USA/UK/AUS), no-one bats an eye. They get away with it because there's nothing wrong with it. But as soon as you imitate or mimic say, Indian or African culture, you get labelled as being offensive and racist. This is why so many people (at least in Britain, to my knowledge) dare not speak a word against any of the immigrants' cultures, because we'll get labelled as being racist.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 9,314
|
Its always the ones that aren't even offended at all that start doing too much. My fave has been accussed of cultural appropriation and the whole time she's being accussed I'm sitting here thinking.. I'm the race she's supposedly appropriating and I wasn't offended nor do I do any of that stuff whatsoever. I wasn't aware hanging out with african americans and twerking was cultural approprition, but to each their own
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 3/4/2014
Posts: 1,333
|
Quote:
Originally posted by BadMonster
The world has become a global village, nothing belongs to one group of people or one country anymore tbh
Cultural appropriation isn't a problem in most countries, I've only ever heard people talk and complain about it on here tbh
|
Came here to post something similar. All our Cities these Days are melting Pots. People of different Races/Religions/Nationalities live next to one another. We all travel a lot, take inspirations back home. How can someone claim to keep a Culture "clean" from other Influences is a good Thing? I personally think that we can learn from another. There are so many "mixed" People outthere, where do they even belong? Which culture are they allowed to adopt?
|
|
|
|
|
|
