I hear all this uproar all the time about people who use cultural appropriation, yet sometimes I just don’t see what the problem is. I get that it has been done for malicious intent before and I’m not defending that or suggesting I agree with doing it for such purposes, but is, for example, a chef cooking a certain dish that originates from a land that is not his own, or other examples, really worth the same uproar?
Accusations of cultural appropriation are almost always made maliciously
When people first started discussing the issues you are talking about they would use the term “Cultural Misappropriation” but over time people have dropped the “Mis”. In my opinion this was done because people aren’t very smart and didn’t understand what was being said, they just wanted to support a well meant trend. Cultural Misappropriation is inherently bad. Misappropriation means to steal.
Positive Cultural Appropriation is literally the end goal of liberalism. When you trade recipes that’s cultural Appropriation. When you learn a language that’s cultural Appropriation.
At least that used to be the case. Dictionaries now have the new usage. I think it might be a harmful misuse of a term though.
I put it to you that cultural appropriation doesn’t exist. Someone either borrows from a culture because they think it’s beautiful or they maliciously make fun of it.
No.
It’s almost always completely innocuous and innocent. That’s why calling it out is a thing.
I imagine many people have lost the plot, but the point of calling out cultural appropriation is not to stop appreciating other cultures and their designs, clothing, ethnicity, everything else. It’s to stop from whitewashing it, to prevent it from being absorbed by Western society and its individuality stripped from it and sold to the highest bidder.
As long as the thing that is a cultural thing is appreciated as a cultural thing, it’s fine.
I agree with all of this, except I don’t think it’s a bad thing for elements of one culture to be absorbed by or to inspire another culture. That’s just how culture works and it’s kind of impossible to avoid.
Cultural appropriation is cultural diffusion + being an asshole about it.
I’ll say that while I agree with you, the manner of how you call it out is important. If you are too intense about it you’re more likely to get an eyeroll and people to double down on their belief that it’s nothing. A gentle nudge can do more than a fallout usually.
if you tell someone that they’re doing something harmful and they keep doing it because they didn’t like your tone, they are still the problem. cultural appropriation is an issue because it is done on a systemic level - trying to convince indivuals who need to be coddled to listen is a waste of time.
I didn’t mention at all repeat attempts. The first attempt should assume best intentions.
Most of the stuff people call out as cultural appropriation is literally not. They’re just virtue signalling white knights that think appreciating another culture is stealing said culture.
Cooking dishes from another place is not cultural appropriation. Especially if Jamie Oliver is the one cooking. Tho I do understand the fears of a British man liking your culture’s stuff and believing they want to steal it.
The Problem with Jamie Oliver is that he doesn’t represent the cultural dishes very well by heavily editing the original recipe and removing flavors that are special to the culture
Personally I’d be fine with that, if he acknowledged the existence of the original flavours, instead of just pretending that his version is the “normal” one.
I’m always reminded of the white people who got offended for others about Speedy Gonzales, but Hispanic people largely loved him.
its really only an issue with mislabeling, like when you wear indian clothes, but rename it some european bs and claims its from there ignoring the roots or what’s obviously being copied
Now if you wear a lehenge and call it a lehenga no one cares, theyll praise you if anything
Sometimes I feel like calling out “cultural appropriation” is just a covert way to yell for “cultural purity”, which is just xenophobia.
Sure, not every “import” of a different culture is done in good faith, but just because some assholes do it wrong doesn’t mean everyone is wrong.
There was a “Scandinavian Scarf” controversy that happened last year and someone had shared these links (warning, these sites will probably give your phone cancer if you don’t have ad blockers): link 1, link 2.
I think this paragraph summarizes the issue:
Imagine logging onto Instagram or TikTok and finding the vibrant, flowing dupatta—a cultural staple worn across South Asia for generations—suddenly rebranded as the “Scandinavian scarf.” No mention of its roots, no nod to its cultural meaning, just a new label, a new aesthetic, and a flurry of confused applause from Western fashion influencers.
Pretty much every single Indian I know loves it when anybody wears their traditional clothing, cooks their food, or even attempts to sneak in a word or two from their language. Nobody has a problem when someone wears a saree or a kurta and calls it a saree or kurta. Nobody called that cultural appropriation.
The problem was with western designers/brands repeatedly taking traditional Indian wear and rebranding without any credit to the source.
I don’t really have a horse in this race. But I do agree with that proper credits should be given where it’s due. We expect the same with art, right? So why not with culture?
That, plus the fact that they are making money off of another culture. As it is their culture, do you think they should be paid for it too?
Ehh… I don’t think financial compensation is on the table. How would that even work? Do we just transfer some money to the govt of Japan as royalty for every sushi sold anywhere in the world?
But then again GI tags are a thing and prevent people from using a specific name for a product unless it’s made in a specific place. That sort of gives people oh the place some money? It can lead to cultural appropriation though, I think. It’s all complicated man. 🤷♂️
The problem with food is, it’s all cultural appropriation at some point in the time line. Who gets to decide at what point in history do we lock down the recipes and call it pure?
Can’t really call tacos Mexican, because it originates from Lebanese immigrants.
Sushi rolls aren’t Japanese, but they sell them in Japan.
Siracha is a product of the U.S.A. Although it has Thai roots, but is available at any Vietnamese restaurant.
Who gets to make the rules, it is certainly not some famous chef, we just to tell them to fuck off.
If General Tso’s chicken is wrong then I don’t wanna be right.
There are multiple versions of that, both Chinese and American.
Orange Chicken which is popular is Panda Express and is American. Although that maybe disputed with some Hunan recipes.
Speaking of which, Korean Fried Chicken is the best. There is probably a Korean fusion restaurant for all foods.
I knew fried chicken is popular in Korea but I never thought about it but my new head canon is I now know what KFC stands for.
You make a good point. To be clear though, food was just one example of things I’ve seen (though it does seem to be a big issue causer)
Exhibit A
I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think any of that is native American culture. They never painted their faces like that and certainly didn’t wear head gear from a $2 costume shop.
You don’t think it is? I’m absolutely certain it isn’t.
Cultural malice can certainly cause offense, but to me cultural appropriation is a distinctly different offence, due specifically to willful ignorance. When cultural symbols have a very specific meaning, and are misused as vaguely exotic, people of that culture, who know those symbols and see them being used ignorantly and improperly, and now know that you didn’t really care about their culture, couldn’t even be bothered to ask anybody or look up how to use them authentically.
As a non-example, I don’t consider it cultural appropriation when culture when I eat tacos, assuming I eat them for the same reason the Mexicans do – their people’s food is better than my people’s food.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Mexican food that’s popular in the US is not very authentic. For example, historically Mexicans didn’t smother everything with cheese, especially not cow milk cheese.
There are absolutely authentic Mexican restaurants, but those are quite often hole in the wall joints that most white people will ignore. But they’ll have some of the best food you’ve ever eaten.
“Cultural appropriation” as in idk claiming something that had been taking place forever halfway around the world because it’s cool, elevated or positive in any way is certainly malicious (profiting from it without even the acknowledgement of it also fits here). If it’s just eating tapas while visiting Valencia and saying “moochass grassyass”, or celebrating a holiday that’s not from the culture you’re from and dressing up because everyone from that culture is, then no. At most, it’s tone deaf, ignorant or a bit cringy, but there’s no malice behind it so we gotta let it slide and see it for what it is: people wanting to share in with other people’s experiences. 🤷♂️
And there’s a lot to hate in the way people behave, but we gotta be cautious about overdoing it.
It’s always white people calling out other white people, and almost never people from the actual culture. And I have never seen white people complaining about their culture being appropriated. So I don’t think it’s a thing.
White saviour syndrome.
The issue with cultural appropriation previously was that those from the culture were denied opportunities to make money off their own culture. There are still some economic restrictions, but the political and cultural restrictions are mostly gone.
There were some cultural appropriation complaints when the chopped cheese got big for a hot minute, but it was widely sold in bodegas already so it didn’t have a single creator and a lot of people wanting to try it went to Harlem and the South Bronx to get it. More places started selling it, but it wasn’t like the original bodega owners were barred from being a part of the dish’s expansion. It was just really easy to make.
My take:
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it’s rarely malicious. Usually a mixture of innocence/ignorance/and misplaced fun. E.g. dressing up as an indian (first-nations) chief for halloween. That does not deminish or ex use the hurt it causes. It’s a learning opportunity.
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Food does not qualify as cultural appropriation. It is a legacy to be shared. I’ll be damned if anyone tells me what I can and can’t cook. A white chef can open a sushi restaurant, can do the decore as such, but shouldn’t dress-up japanese.
Culture is meant to be shared. Nothing wrong with partaking in culinary, philosophical, intellectual, spiritual traditions from around the world. Cultural appropriation is when you superficially appropriate cultural facets in a way that both disrespects the culture (e.g. Jamaican dreads without being a rastafarian) and diminishes the living breathing people of that culture into a stereotype.
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