Cultural Appropriation" Is A Form Of Flattery -- If You Use Your Head As More Than A Hatrack
What a bunch of tripe.
This awesome woman -- Kim Kardashian -- who works for prison reform gets knocked for "appropriating" black culture.
Culture does not have gates around it and America is great to a great extent for all the mixing of cultures.
I'm waiting Ashkenazi Jews to be told that they are committing a cultural crime by making ravioli!
From the Kerrie Justich piece at Yahoo:
Kim Kardashian is addressing claims that she's appropriated Black culture, sharing in a new interview with i-D magazine that she never meant to do so."Obviously, I would never do anything to appropriate any culture," she said in response to a question about navigating accusations of blackfishing. "But I have in the past got backlash from putting my hair in braids and I understand that. Honestly, a lot of the time it comes from my daughter asking us to do matching hair."
It was back in 2018 that Kardashian was criticized for wearing her hair in Fulani braids and referring to the style as "Bo Derek braids" after another white woman who stole the look from African culture. Still, Kardashian explained to i-D that she's had conversations with her 8-year-old daughter North West about wearing different hairstyles.
"I've had these conversations with her that are like, 'Hey, maybe this hairstyle would be better on you and not on me.' But I also want her to feel that I can do a hairstyle with her and not make it that big of a deal either if that's something that she's really asking for, and really wants," the 41-year-old mother of four explained. "But I've learned and grown over the years and figured out good ways to communicate with all my kids about all this. I've definitely learned over time, and I've tried to pass that culture of learning onto my kids too."
I wear kimonos because they are beautiful. I buy some at my Japanese neighbor's garage sale. Should I pass those by because I'm not Asian?
By the way, regarding my ravioli crack -- a situation that does not happen -- only some groups get "precious-ized": as if they are fragile infants who need "adult" protection. Vile.
Trade eliminates hate; look what three generations of Hondas and Toyotas have done for Japanese-USA relations. You go to some rinky-dink Midwest town, they'll be driving Honda beaters because they're reliable. From a three-letter slur to "all the best stuff is made in Japan."
Our society is built on ginning up the largest hate mob to vote "your side" into office, so it is going to have a problem with anything that gets in the way of mob-building.
El Verde Loco at December 16, 2021 6:17 AM
So long as no white hair products are used in their hair, no steel scissors, no straighteners, no man made shampoo, color, or conditioner, and they don't use extensions to make them look like they have long hair like white women, I'm fine with this.
Ken McE at December 16, 2021 9:51 AM
Funny how even diehard conservative white women don't wear beautiful saris...to my knowledge.
lenona at December 16, 2021 1:01 PM
I keep waiting for someone to appropriate gefilte fish...
It might be a long wait, but once they do, they can have all of mine!
Anon at December 16, 2021 2:14 PM
I miss Crid. Blog not the same.
wambut at December 16, 2021 7:25 PM
Where IS Crid? Is he ok?
NicoleK at December 16, 2021 11:36 PM
Depends.
Cultural appropriation can absolutely be disrespectful in some situations.
If you're taking someone's sacred rituals and using them in some way that demeans them, it can be offensive.
But hairstyles? Unless it's like "This is the sacred hairstyle of the Emperor and to wear it is to insult him" or something...
But in my experience local merchants in foreign places absolutely want you to buy the fabrics and clothes and jewelry they sell. And many hairdressers in Africa do good business braiding tourist's hair. And the restaurants want to feed you.
Obviously there are grey areas, but in general yeah, we inspire and are inspired by each other.
NicoleK at December 16, 2021 11:41 PM
I'm not sure I've seen KK described as "awesome" other than in some description of her appearance.
We're not allowed to say anyone but the ugly are useful. Were Crid here - I see you miss him, and I do, too (aww!) - he could be reminded that he has insisted that female sex workers, a subset of the attractive, could not be significant.
I hope KK is not misguided, even as I note that her efforts would make her morally superior to our VP.
Radwaste at December 17, 2021 4:20 AM
"Trade eliminates hate; look what three generations of Hondas and Toyotas have done for Japanese-USA relations."
Oooh, irony of a specially poignant nature: a white man, W. Edwards Deming, is cited by the Japanese as being singlehandedly responsible for the success of Japanese engineering. Within two years of their wholesale adoption of his comprehensive statistical quality controls, every nation doing business with them sought trade protection. Gee - cultural appropriation!
This book about that is surprisingly fun.
Radwaste at December 17, 2021 4:26 AM
What happened to diversity?? So now, no one can eat spaghetti, sushi or burritos because you would be guilty of cultural appropriations?
Dave M. at December 17, 2021 10:17 AM
"Where IS Crid? Is he ok?"
Good questions. I dropped him a note a few minutes ago.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at December 17, 2021 3:10 PM
Oooh, irony of a specially poignant nature: a white man, W. Edwards Deming, is cited by the Japanese as being singlehandedly responsible for the success of Japanese engineering.
He started out by going to every car maker in Detroit and trying to interest them in his idea. Their response can be loosely summarized as "Don't let the door smack you in the ass on your way out"
When he went to Japan they saw things different.
Ken McE at December 17, 2021 3:51 PM
Ya gotta understand--if we copy them, we're guilty of cultural appropriation. If they copy us, we're guilty of cultural imperialism.
If the punishment for these offenses is to be shunned by the kind of people who deal in this terminology, I'll happily plead guilty.
Rex Little at December 17, 2021 4:11 PM
Where IS Crid? Is he ok?"
Good questions. I dropped him a note a few minutes ago.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at December 17, 2021 3:10 PM
I’ve tried a couple of times. But wondered if the non reply is because I’m on a shit list of some sort. The argument over the Covid vaccine was a brutal one, and we weren’t on the same side on that one.
Isab at December 18, 2021 9:18 AM
Nick Cannon, Damon Thomas, Ray J, Reggie Bush, Kanye West; this is the cultural appropriation that really pisses them off. The hair thing is just sniping.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/x64VWkK3nxJwxdLKzYZfWk/how-colourism-complicates-the-dating-game
Baker at December 18, 2021 9:19 AM
"I keep waiting for someone to appropriate gefilte fish... It might be a long wait, but once they do, they can have all of mine!"
There's luttefisk.
John Samauls at December 18, 2021 9:36 AM
"Beer is proof God loves us"
*But what about luttefisk?*
"He's a complicated God."
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at December 19, 2021 8:17 AM
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