"Cultural Appropriation"

[The Grand Nudger]

Never before have I been in a thread where I was so totally opposed to someone's ideas, and so quickly back in agreement with them, and back out of agreement again-- and in this case with more than one party.  Shell B and I were both going at it, and Khemical as well, and somehow the playing field has flipped at least once, and almost twice.  That makes this thread a particularly interesting one to me.

I suspect that there IS in fact a bit of hidden bigotry or entitlement-of-power, behind some of the positions, much as Khemical claims, but then I've already said some of the exact same things that those people are saying.  On the other hand, I suspect that there's a bit the SJW wind-up about some things, i.e. some self-validation through social masturbation, and I've ALSO said some of those same exact things already.  Can I be extra cool if I change my political denomination to "SJW Bigot?"

There's definitely a wind up...crazy people on the internets say you should feel white guilt for cultural appropriation..and then the usual suspects trot them out in front of everyone as though this crazies youtube rant -was- the subject or issue of cultural appropriation.  No amount of telling them it's not will change their minds.  They -want- that crazies rant to be the subject.  Far easier, apparently, than saying "Yup, that happened and it was shitty".

I even find selective SUPPORT for a group to be racist, in that it's patronizing.  Let's say I start going around and shitting on white chicks who have decorative dream catchers: try to rip them off their necks, tell them I have native friends, and their actions are deeply offensive and they should learn more about a culture before they use its spiritual symbols etc.  Is she not right to ask me why I think it necessary to stand as the champion of a group of which I'm not part?

The subtle racism of lowered expectations, is my personal fave.  In any case, does a person have to be from the same race or group as another person in order to stand up against bigotry or racism directed at them? I don;t think so. In fact, I think it;s often impossible for a group to stand up for itself in the face of dedicated bigotry and racism....and denial. There's just no opportunity. Imagine a migrant migrant rights activist standing up for his friends in the middle of a crowd of trumpster ice agents. He gets deported, doesn't he? Well, they;re going to have a much harder time deporting me...and I;m going to keep saying exactly what he was saying.

How about black people and black culture?  Should I get pissed off at white kids with dreadlocks and Bob Marley t-shirts?

I can't see why.  

Should I EVEN feel angry if I hear some old white fart make an explicitly racist joke?

Probably more uncomfortable than angry..but even if you didn't...I doubt it's much of an issue.  

I've heard plenty of jokes where I think "Holy geeez, man, if I were black, I'd be seething right now!"  But somehow, I can't really find it in my heart to get pissed off even then.  I kind of think: "Oh. . . I've bumped into someone from THAT background.  Ewww."

See, I get the eewws for jokes.  Allow me to propose that;s also how african americans feel when they meet that person. Not seething anger..just eww. I get the "fuck you's" for genteel racism and apathetic bigotry apologism.

Can you imagine how exhausting life would be in the american south, for black people, if black people flipped their shit everytime they got called a certain word, or realized they were standing next to a certain kind of person™, lol?