Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

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nobspeople
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Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #1

Post by nobspeople »

I've never been, nor will ever be, a Justin Bieber fan or defender. But I came across this article in my feed today.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tot ... 19370.html

Don't all cultures take things from other cultures over time? Food, fashion, traditions, words, religions...the list is almost endless.

Indeed, JB is, in my opinion, a [word not allowed on this site] and likely is using this for attention (again, my opinion). And this is just one example of CA.

But is CA wrong? Should people be 'outraged' or should the relax and worry about things more important in today's world?
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Re: Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #2

Post by Aetixintro »

[Replying to nobspeople in post #1]

Legit. I see no problem with it. The World is a melting pot! Just how the World unfolds to a more cool tomorrow. I see no duty either to stay in a cultural box of living.

Do we need stereotypes? In my opinion, NO! What's your style? Now that's something! :ok: :D
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Re: Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #3

Post by Difflugia »

nobspeople wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 10:11 amShould people be 'outraged'
If your goal is to respect others, you may want to reconsider your question. Whether you think they should be offended or not, it might be worthwhile to simply asking if people are offended.

If the answer is "yes," then decide if you're willing to knowingly offend them. Justin apparently decided that he is.

One of my personal benchmarks is be more deferent to classes that have to deal with societal repression and oppression. In my experience, African Americans and Rastafarians both comfortably fit within that description. Your benchmarks may be different.
nobspeople wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 10:11 amor should the relax and worry about things more important in today's world?
Again, instead of asking what should or shouldn't be important to people, ask them what is or is not important. Not to put too fine a point on it, but implying that someone should treat their offense as relatively unimportant represents a rather privileged position.
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Re: Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #4

Post by Purple Knight »

nobspeople wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 10:11 amDon't all cultures take things from other cultures over time? Food, fashion, traditions, words, religions...the list is almost endless.
Yes, but when it's inappropriate is when the dominant culture, one that has and continues to oppress another culture, takes from the culture they're oppressing.

Let's say we're both fans of horseplay. We do this at work all the time, even though we oughtn't. Now, to us, it's not necessarily any evil thing when we hit each other. But let's say I physically abuse my wife every day, and she arrives on the scene, and I hit her exactly as hard. Well, then it amounts to a continuation of that abuse.

In other words, context matters.

Should we really be sorry that thanks to being an abuser, my actions, my box of living, is now more limited than it would be if I were not an abuser? I can't see how you could possibly make that case.

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Re: Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #5

Post by nobspeople »

[Replying to Difflugia in post #3]
If your goal is to respect others
That's not what I come here for, but thank you
it might be worthwhile to simply asking if people are offended.
They can answer that way as well, but the 'should' stands as that's the question at hand.
but implying that someone should treat their offense as relatively unimportant represents a rather privileged position.
And that's a big hot button issue, thus the reason the question was asked in the manner in which it was.
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Re: Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #6

Post by nobspeople »

Purple Knight wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 12:38 am
nobspeople wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 10:11 amDon't all cultures take things from other cultures over time? Food, fashion, traditions, words, religions...the list is almost endless.
Yes, but when it's inappropriate is when the dominant culture, one that has and continues to oppress another culture, takes from the culture they're oppressing.

Let's say we're both fans of horseplay. We do this at work all the time, even though we oughtn't. Now, to us, it's not necessarily any evil thing when we hit each other. But let's say I physically abuse my wife every day, and she arrives on the scene, and I hit her exactly as hard. Well, then it amounts to a continuation of that abuse.

In other words, context matters.

Should we really be sorry that thanks to being an abuser, my actions, my box of living, is now more limited than it would be if I were not an abuser? I can't see how you could possibly make that case.
Thanks for the reply. I wonder, however, at what point do we make this determination? In other words, with several billion people on the planet, isn't it possible that most anything could be offensive and off putting to someone else? Does that mean it's wrong, because a hand full (for example) people are upset? Is there a magic number of people that trigger the when we say 'wow, that's too much!', or is it simply one person?

It seems human nature to take from others, willingly or otherwise. I don't think, in an imperfect world, humanity is able to not 'appropriate' from another.
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Re: Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #7

Post by Purple Knight »

nobspeople wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 7:17 amIs there a magic number of people that trigger the when we say 'wow, that's too much!', or is it simply one person?
Just one person, if the person being offended is a member of an oppressed culture and the person committing the offence is a member of the oppressor culture. In the scenario where only one black person is offended by a white person wearing dreadlocks, it's just as valid as if most of them are.

If a white person is offended that an Asian is dressed as a cowboy, tough. The Asians never oppressed your culture. It likewise doesn't matter if this is just one person or every last white person. Still, tough.

It's not about numbers. The only thing that might make it seem this was the case is if the number of people offended is zero.

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Re: Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #8

Post by nobspeople »

Purple Knight wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 8:14 pm
nobspeople wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 7:17 amIs there a magic number of people that trigger the when we say 'wow, that's too much!', or is it simply one person?
Just one person, if the person being offended is a member of an oppressed culture and the person committing the offence is a member of the oppressor culture. In the scenario where only one black person is offended by a white person wearing dreadlocks, it's just as valid as if most of them are.

If a white person is offended that an Asian is dressed as a cowboy, tough. The Asians never oppressed your culture. It likewise doesn't matter if this is just one person or every last white person. Still, tough.

It's not about numbers. The only thing that might make it seem this was the case is if the number of people offended is zero.
In theory, this sounds somewhat logical, though I wouldn't accept the '1 person' rule.
Regardless, it doesn't appear prudent today, was so many seem offended at most everything.
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Re: Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #9

Post by Purple Knight »

nobspeople wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:35 amRegardless, it doesn't appear prudent today, was so many seem offended at most everything.
A lot of them may be unjustified. Was their culture oppressed by the culture of the person offending them? Then justified. If not, tough. It's really that simple.

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Re: Cultural appropriation (CA) - legit or taboo?

Post #10

Post by Tcg »

Purple Knight wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 8:14 pm
nobspeople wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 7:17 amIs there a magic number of people that trigger the when we say 'wow, that's too much!', or is it simply one person?
Just one person, if the person being offended is a member of an oppressed culture and the person committing the offence is a member of the oppressor culture. In the scenario where only one black person is offended by a white person wearing dreadlocks, it's just as valid as if most of them are.

If a white person is offended that an Asian is dressed as a cowboy, tough. The Asians never oppressed your culture. It likewise doesn't matter if this is just one person or every last white person. Still, tough.

It's not about numbers. The only thing that might make it seem this was the case is if the number of people offended is zero.
So this is simply someone wearing a hairstyle they like the looks of:

Image

But this is a travesty of some sort?

Image

Should jockeys take offence of his appropriation of their culture?


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