Randa Jarrar is a hypocritical cunt

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I don't see any problem whatsoever. Culture is not something that can be 'protected'. It's an invented description of something that people find hard to conceptualise. I can prove that, too. Define 'culture'. The issue is when people begin trying to erect barriers against one another using culture as the excuse. It creates otherism to such an extent that we begin to see the exact thing we want to avoid; ghettoisation, segregation, racism, xenophobia, etc.

Culture, imho, is a nonsense term. Humans have evolved by copying the behaviours and trends of others not within their social/family circle. Belly dancing may have originated somewhere in the Middle East (VERY debatable, I've seen no evidence of this), just as bungee jumping originated in the Pentecost Islands, Skiing from Austria (or wherever). It doesn't matter. IF people have attached too much 'cultural' significance to a behaviour/act/past time, and have then gotten the impression that they then 'own' it because of the lottery of heredity birth (I was born in Yemen and have brown skin so only I can do this) then it's them whose wrong, not the people emulating it.

The traditions of others aren't hobbies for middle America. Like i said, your emulating another culture isn't a problem but doing with out some knowledge of you're doing is wrong. I'm sure how many ways I have to say it.

But that still doesn't make a jot of sense.

How many things do you do on a daily basis that you're either:

1. Not aware have cultural significance to others (or)
2. are aware of the cultural significance but don't follow/understand?

I know there's probably a lot that I do that I don't have the foggiest about. Why is understanding the historical 'meaning' behind something a precursor for being able to do said something? Refer to the above. I'm sure you can think of some things you just 'do' without really relating to the historic baggage behind it. And again, I have to insist, we're talking here about an abstract concept that, in real, analytical terms, means nothing. 'Culture' is a buzzword for things, be they behaviours, concepts, traits (etc) that mean precisely whatever the proponent of the word wants it to mean.

And I have to ask, why do you get to decide what can and can't be a 'hobby' for middle America (FYI. I'm British, not American). Who made you grand arbiter of the cultural inquisition?

The issue with the article quoted in the OP is that author appears to take some sort of offence that the act of belly dancing is being 'copied', and arguing why this is wrong based on nothing more than "I'm Arab".