"Cultural Appropriation"

[The Grand Nudger]

I think it's perfectly apt to speak about what we think of as the OP's misunderstandings, and I don't have a problem with people bringing their own definitions to such a fucking murky term.

The point I keep trying to make is that it's -not- a murky term as used in reference to the narrow set.  People have intentionally tried to muddy the water, sure.  The whole thing was -about- specific and accurate distinctions between different types of cultural transfer.  Calling them -all- cultural appropriation -was- murky.  

I may well be misspeaking when I use the term "cultural genocide", but the way I see it, even those genocidal cultures (America vs the natives, for example) adopted the cultural practices of the vanquished, even as the victims' cultures are eradicated in practice (perhaps to assuage guilt? Who knows?) But that's okay -- I think the practice is more important than the parlance.

They did, and they adopted many of them through means that would not be called -in my use- cultural appropriation.  For example..even though there was genocide, there was also exchange.  With african american and white american culture there was no attempt at genocide in the history of rock and roll, for example, but there was appropriation and exchange.  This is why it's useful to have those distinctions.  

I guess I'd ask at this point, given ANY definition of cultural appropriation, what most of us here, or I specifically as a middle-aged white guy, should do about it.

Historic examples?  Acknowledging that it happened.  There's nothing else to do about it now except to show our acknowledgement by opposing any present attempt at the same old trick.

Is there some aspect of the social contract, or of a basic moral foundation, which should compel me to take up arms, to make it a point to stand up in support of an issue or group, or even to change what music, art, etc. I like?

Human solidarity. Basic empathy. A commitment to justice. A refusal to commit past mistakes of apathy and indifference. Do you listen to white supremicist music? Most would say no, they intentionally avoid buying nazi shit from nazis. You probably already do what the "correct" response would be.

Thump and I served, we made a commitment to serve even the groups we don;t like. I doubt that you've ever decided not to teach a kid because you don't like them or because they were from a different cultural group than yourself. Be pretty hard to do, given what you do, eh? -Most- of us stand up and support the people around us, regardless, in every imagineable way. Others make chimpsound "never happened and it was a good thing".

If the question is what you should do about cultural exchange..well..the answer is decidedly different. Embrace it for how it's improved all of our lives - especially the music and the words, lol.