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So I followed a link to a link to a link, and ended up at a post talking about how non-Asian people have appropriated Asian culture and how that is so wrong. There was a video, but I never got around to watching it - the comments were what got me (and then it was past my bedtime).
One of the things they discussed was the prevalence of Chinese and Japanese character tattoos on non-Asians (or even on Asians removed from the Asian culture, more on that later). Which, yes, if you have no idea - and we're not talking Googling it, here - what it says, don't do it. If you aren't fluent in a language, probably not best to permanently mark yourself in it (this also goes for people who have no grasp of the English language, there are plenty of those kind of bad tattoos out there,too). There's a whole website devoted to 'what your tattoo really means' (I... don't have the link with me on my phone, but if anyone's interested, I can get it).
And getting a tattoo of something you don't understand because it's cool and trendy is a little culturally insensitive. And, obviously, using bits of culture to mock is wrong, but what about a true appreciation of another culture?
According to the commentors, no, that is still not okay. Unless you were born, raised, and living that culture, doing anything with it is appropriation and therefore wrong. This applies to 'going back to your roots' as much as it does branching out into other cultures.
So, because I'm one generation removed from my German heritage, I cannot embrace lederhosen and polka! Okay, bad example. Um... I'm removed from my Irish/Scottish roots so no haggis or Riverdance. Erm. No better. Okay, because I was born and raised American, I can only do American things, like Monster Truck rallies and... oh, shoot me now!
Seriously, though, what falls into 'American' enough for me to do without appropriation? We're a culturally diverse society (at least, we're supposed to be), so what is 'American'? We're too young of a country to have much of a culture, other than what people brought with them (and the Native American culture, but you'll really be lambasted if you try to embrace that, so by 'American Culture' I am refering to the generations of immigrants from all over that make up the majority of the current population). We don't have much of an identity of our own. Everything is corrupted, adapted, borrowed bits. Who are we?
And are the Japanese in as much 'trouble' for stealing baseball from us?
What am I (as a privileged white American) still allowed to do? Origami is out, as is bellydance. No anime. No Russian bands or Irish bands or anything not... uh, what is American music? Please tell me I'm not stuck with country! And what can I eat? No English tea or Jamaican rum... No hummus or wasabi.
If there is no grey area, no way to appreciate and celebrate other cultures without this 'appropriation'... I don't know. I don't think I want to live in that world, it seems far too insular and boring.
If any other cultures was to embrace American things (especially Monster Trucks, NASCAR, and country music), please, by all means do! And... you really don't have to return them. Ever.
One of the things they discussed was the prevalence of Chinese and Japanese character tattoos on non-Asians (or even on Asians removed from the Asian culture, more on that later). Which, yes, if you have no idea - and we're not talking Googling it, here - what it says, don't do it. If you aren't fluent in a language, probably not best to permanently mark yourself in it (this also goes for people who have no grasp of the English language, there are plenty of those kind of bad tattoos out there,too). There's a whole website devoted to 'what your tattoo really means' (I... don't have the link with me on my phone, but if anyone's interested, I can get it).
And getting a tattoo of something you don't understand because it's cool and trendy is a little culturally insensitive. And, obviously, using bits of culture to mock is wrong, but what about a true appreciation of another culture?
According to the commentors, no, that is still not okay. Unless you were born, raised, and living that culture, doing anything with it is appropriation and therefore wrong. This applies to 'going back to your roots' as much as it does branching out into other cultures.
So, because I'm one generation removed from my German heritage, I cannot embrace lederhosen and polka! Okay, bad example. Um... I'm removed from my Irish/Scottish roots so no haggis or Riverdance. Erm. No better. Okay, because I was born and raised American, I can only do American things, like Monster Truck rallies and... oh, shoot me now!
Seriously, though, what falls into 'American' enough for me to do without appropriation? We're a culturally diverse society (at least, we're supposed to be), so what is 'American'? We're too young of a country to have much of a culture, other than what people brought with them (and the Native American culture, but you'll really be lambasted if you try to embrace that, so by 'American Culture' I am refering to the generations of immigrants from all over that make up the majority of the current population). We don't have much of an identity of our own. Everything is corrupted, adapted, borrowed bits. Who are we?
And are the Japanese in as much 'trouble' for stealing baseball from us?
What am I (as a privileged white American) still allowed to do? Origami is out, as is bellydance. No anime. No Russian bands or Irish bands or anything not... uh, what is American music? Please tell me I'm not stuck with country! And what can I eat? No English tea or Jamaican rum... No hummus or wasabi.
If there is no grey area, no way to appreciate and celebrate other cultures without this 'appropriation'... I don't know. I don't think I want to live in that world, it seems far too insular and boring.
If any other cultures was to embrace American things (especially Monster Trucks, NASCAR, and country music), please, by all means do! And... you really don't have to return them. Ever.
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This sort of thing is what I want to point out to everyone who says that any form of cultural appropriation is wrong wrong wrong. It seems like it's only a terrible thing when white people take aspects of non-white cultures. Specifically white people taking non-white cultures, too. Most people seem to think it's perfectly fine for an American to go nuts with German culture, for example, but wrong for a Canadian to borrow a few pieces of Thai culture. And any non-white culture taking stuff that came from North America is fine and dandy too, because... erm... yeah, nobody ever seems to really pay attention that in appropriation and misappropriation rants. It bugs the hell out of me when stuff like that gets overlooked, too, because when people only look at one side of an argument, it creates a heavily biased viewpoint that often isn't even telling half of the story.
And then there's the insane amount of grey area. I was born in the UK, but moved to Canada when I was little. I love tea. Is that okay because I'm originally British, or wrong because I lived in Canada for so long, or more wrong still because tea came to England from another country? Can I eat French food because of the Acadian influence where I live, or must I avoid it because the British have that long-running animosity with France, or should I embrace it anyway because French stuff used to be really popular in England? How far back do we have to go before we reach a person's "real" culture when there are so many cultures to factor in, and when one of said cultures is a blend of so many other cultures to start with?
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*hangs head in shame*
And, no, really, please keep country music...and NASCAR...and, yes, Monster Trucks too -- but can we borrow the trucks for special occcaisons?
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http://hanzismatter.blogspot.com/
I hope it's not something horrible. A lot of the stories start with the very popular theme of "young and drunk", which is understandable. We've all done things we really wish we hadn't. The worst stories are the ones where the people say they researched it and checked and then it's still horribly wrong, because there's such a huge difference between a language of letters and a language of characters. Plus grammar and syntax and all that.
No, sorry, you borrow the trucks, you get the rallies. No give-backs!
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Phew. But such a stupid thing to have done in the first place! Damn teenage rebellion and vodka.
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Cultures are living things, just like languages, just like cities, hell just like the people who make up those cultures. You can't have international trade and the resultant prosperity without having communication between people and therefore changes in culture. Globalization means that more and more, the overtones of every culture will start to look a lot alike, but it's in the local flavour that the strongest culture resides anyway. I kept telling the people I was talking to that hey, French Canadian culture will never fully die out. Quebecois who leave Quebec go to places like Alberta, where they're in a fully anglophone environment... and find themselves in "french quarters" where you can go listen to Jean Leloup and drink Unibroue.
Appropriation is just the cultural version of the sincerest form of flattery. And all those people on that site sure need to get the bug out of their butts.
Sorry Smeddley - wanted not to be anonymous