#i have never heard this before
I hate how a lot of cultural appropriation discourse has forgotten the reason why it started appearing. It wasn’t meant to punish white people for being ignorant and ban them from partaking in other cultures.
It was a discussion meant to draw attention that people of colour were constantly being overlooked or punished for the exact same things that white people were celebrated for. It was meant to elevate people of colour to an understanding and respect that white people had been afforded for years, often unearned.
So seeing people go “white people don’t partake in anything that isn’t white” misses a lot of nuance in the discussion, because a lot of different cultures ARE willing to share and allow people into their culture on their own terms and in a respectful matter.
There’s a massive difference between a white person going “I just invented the BEST version of this” where everything had been watered down and stripped away versus one going “I try out this thing to appreciate cultures and viewpoints that aren’t my own”.
As a first generation Asian Australian whose own cultural identity is a massive clusterfuck I do think we need to remember that cultural exchange and sharing is incredibly important for an ever changing and global culture.
My white American friend who lived out in China was out walking one day when a she was stopped by a group of aunties flogging traditional style winter coats. Well she loves Chinese stuff and she ended up buying 3 coats. When I asked when and where she’s gonna wear them she said “Oh just at home, I don’t feel comfortable wearing them out because I don’t want people to think I’m culturally appropriating.”
O.O
This is a woman who loves Chinese culture so much she went to China and learned to speak fluent Chinese. And yet, the online discourse has somehow managed to make her feel like partaking in that culture is somehow wrong ot shameful.
I’m not white but I can attest to the same feelings. I love collecting traditional Japanese kimonos, but for a long time I was afraid to wear them out because I was scared some nutcase would stop me and accuse me of cultural appropriation. Actually when I finally worked up the courage to wear them out I got compliments from a lot of people, including Japanese people.
Cultural appropriation might’ve started as a well-intentioned idea trying to protect certain groups, but now it’s become a monster that we need to lay to rest. Frightening people from cultural exchange will not lead to good outcomes such as better mutual understanding. We should be encouraging cultural exchange, not the opposite.
