Cultural appropriation

Oh, right, because white people don't have the same feelings and emotions that non-whites have so it's okay to be more insulting to whites than non-whites. That's the logic you're using right now.

 

All this sarcastic talking is getting confusing.

Skaros, I don't think that was the point of Gunsmoke's post. The first line in their post was sarcastic, then they said they understood why some people feel that cultural appropriation doesn't count if the "victims" are white, but then gave the example of Irish stereotyping (and the Irish were indeed treated like crap in the U.S. around the turn of the 20th century when they were the immigrants-to-blame-everything-on before we Mexicans took their place) and implied that people would make a bigger stink about it if the Irish were non-white. I don't see where you're getting "it's okay to insult whites" from that.

Now, the argument made from some who act like cultural appropriation doesn't apply to white people usually claim:

1) There's no such thing as "white culture" (which I sort-of agree with--there are many different white cultures, but there's no one "white culture"; not even sure I agree there's a "black culture" either. Does a rural black man from Mississippi have much in common with an urban black man from Queens?)
2) White people are the dominant culture in Western nations and thus the dominant culture can't be "appropriated" since there has to be an symmetrical power dynamic involved (top-down, in other words).

Not saying I agree with that line of reasoning, but there you have it.

 

Huh, our cultures aren't here to be your entertainment. Arguing otherwise is to show just how far western entitlement has gone. All the world and its resources are yours. I'm trying to think of something comparable that white LGBT folk could understand... perhaps how the "tumblr generation" of otherkin and such cheapen being a minority or coming out? People seem pretty peeved about that.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/03/23/germanys-obsession-american-indians-touching-and-occasionally-surreal-148331

 

Cultural appropiation does not exist.
Your culture is not sacred. Everyone can touch it.
Your culture was not the same one hundred years ago. Or a thousand years ago.
The only thing that could go wrong with wearing something you relate to a different culture(like we realte a kimono with japanese people) is if you are being actively racist towards them. If you dress up as an asian and make fun of their accent, then you are a racist, and you chose to make your costume out of something you don't like. How fun does that sound?
But if you like japanese culture, if you love kimonos and you want to dress as a geisha for Halloween, I will be the first to stand on your side if anyone tries to tell you that you can't.
Cultures are there to be explored and ejoyed, like someone else said.
And also, I will tell you this: the only people who cares about this 'problem' are people from the US. No other country worries about this. As an argentinian, I would love you to dress as a tango dancer or a gaucho. And aboriginal cultures? They are dying, basically because of us colonizers, so signs of recongition should be aprreciated in my opinion.
Nobody can tell you what to wear or how to fix your hair. White people wearing dreads is just a sign of how history has evolved and it's perfectly OK.
If you think this makes my argument more valid, I am majoring in History at college.

 

Yeah, you got that right - that's how I meant it!

Well, it's true - all the jokes and stereotypes about loud, drunk Irishers who are always getting arrested or setting fire to things/blowing stuff up would be completely taboo if we weren't white. Just saying.

Still, non-white cultures have it much worse and I accept that, and I'll do what I can to change it. I just think that arguments about cultural appropriation should go both ways.

---------- Post added 8th Nov 2016 at 07:58 AM ----------

(Then again, it's not - in my experience - so easy to offend Irish people. I don't find the jokes offensive so much as I find them hypocritical.)

 

yes im totally with the majority of people here... as pointed out before, there is no such thing as"white" and/or "black" culture. there are people of all shadings and of all different backgrounds. the culture in new orleans is very different of the culture in a village in Nigeria ... culture in south france is very different from culture in siberia.

but culture is and always will be a thing people, ethnicities and groups are sharing with each other. we are using paper (chinese invention), people all over the world do use fireweapons (also china), monotheism comes in its earliest form out of egypt, make up, also egypt...

brits invented lightbulbs, democracy from greece... yadayada

spiritual ideas are thought all over the world. nobody has their copyright on things like that.

we are all humans!

even animals are sharing inventions and hunting methods with each other, or are copying from one another (orcas for example)

thats actually what makes us evolve, what gives inspiration and causes understanding.

im not saying that racist insults dont exist. sure. a neonazi costuming as a jew WITH THE INTENTION of making fun of somebody, or degrading a whole culture is indeed insulting, (and disgusting).
not that i ever heard of a case like that or witnessed it. but it may be the same thing like blackface.

and these things are insulting. but they have nothing to do with interest in different cultures. nothing to do with people trying to learn something about culture. or even thinking, wow, i like the look of japanese clothing, so i dress up as a geisha. (or wearing a lederhosen just for fun (seriously, i couldnt care less), or a green hat on st. patricks day in the usa) nobody MEANS it as an insult.

 

The people from the USA have just chosen their president based on their hatred towards us, I think we can try to keep our culture away from you people