When you greet or thank someone using their native language, is it cultural appropriation? ️ @t

When you greet or thank someone using their native language, is it cultural appropriation? ️

@twostrawsandacoconut  & I recently had an interesting discussion that started because we were speaking to each other in French.  Kristi lives in Hawaii & stopped by to visit us at Alki Beach a couple of years ago. She is awesome!

Visitors to the legendary @alkisurfshop, ️are greeted with a friendly “Aloha,” by the owner, self-designated Kahuna Dave, & he says “Mahalo,” (thanks) when they leave. 

We have lots of international visitors  & he frequently thanks them in their native languages. Whether they’re from Russia, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Italy or other countries, if he knows how to say thank you, he does. People seem genuinely touched.

Except recently, someone came into our kitschy, pseudo-Hawaiian store.  When greeted with “Aloha,” he told Kahuna Dave it was uncool to say that. 

He said it was cultural appropriation—which is when people adopt something from another culture. We’ve seen sports teams change names & mascots, & have read about people called out when they borrow fashion elements or “authentic” recipes. In fact, wearing ethnic clothes as a Halloween costume is seen as very bad form. ⚰️️

I’ve had meetings with an author coach who uses variations of  “No tickee, no washee,” a phrase that mocked the accent of Chinese laundry workers.  The coach is a millennial & I doubt there is any awareness of how the reference originated. I’m not the culture police & have said nothing about it. Would you?

I get that people feel harmed by cultural appropriation. But how do we know when we’re stepping over the line? ‍♀️ Going back to Kristi & me—are our French friends offended because she’s Norwegian  & I’m of Japanese descent,  yet we dare to chat en Français? ⚜️ PS. Kristi was not offended by Kahuna’s “Aloha” or “Mahalo!”

Is the world getting crazy enough for you yet? 

#culturalappropriation #happyhalloween
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PHOTOS: BFF went #mushroomhunting & shared some treasured #matsutake #matsutakemushroom; Can’t miss the waning #autumncolors #seattlefall #ferns #hydrangealove #bostonivy #japanesemaple
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(at Alki Surf Shop)
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