still fighting soooo hard! but!
cultural appropriation is not just a phenomenon of dominant cultures over other ones. in the way it is used in sociology it is to be sure, but in the greater scope of things it has other applications and effects. cultural theft however is discreet from that, and can really only be applied as its being discussed. (and in my opinion can only be called by the culture being stolen from) it also seems to me that it can only apply to a full culture rather than a sub-culture (which i know is not the majority opinion among folk who research it).
in other words, if you copy maori rituals, tattoos, etc... it is cultural theft (since the maori do indeed hate their culture being a trendy thing for outsiders). if you go to a drag club and copy the sharp threads and bad ass vogueing of the populace there it isnt. the gay culture of any given region is a sub culture of the society as a whole.
septum piercing (which is where this whole tangent started) is not owned by any single culture. the habit of piercing the septum has existed in multiple cultures, on multiple continents. this includes several places in europe btw, so it isnt like "white" folk stole the idea from africans, or caribs, or south american natives. they might be said to have rediscovered the practice, but it isnt something that started in one place or culture and then got ripped off
heck even the bindi (which was mentioned briefly) isnt really cultural theft per se. it started as a religious display and spread throughout southeast asia. it originated with hindus but nowadays even some muslims (who arent supposed to do it, but do anyway in pakistan and india) wear them. yes in that region hinduism is a culture of its own, and it could be said that the surrounding areas "stole" it (which was not the act of a dominant culture over another). BUT!
even inside india the use of the bindi has shifted. different forms of yoga and meditation use it for different reasons. some use it purely as a mark of beauty (a type of make up really). so would it be cultural theft if some american who likes it uses it? not in my mind, though a case could be made for it. i would call the use of the bindi specifically cultural mingling or drift rather than theft.
crap, i failed! i tried so damn hard! such a bad boy! i need punishment! miss lolli! break out the cat o nine and have to maam! lmao!
cultural appropriation is not just a phenomenon of dominant cultures over other ones. in the way it is used in sociology it is to be sure, but in the greater scope of things it has other applications and effects. cultural theft however is discreet from that, and can really only be applied as its being discussed. (and in my opinion can only be called by the culture being stolen from) it also seems to me that it can only apply to a full culture rather than a sub-culture (which i know is not the majority opinion among folk who research it).
in other words, if you copy maori rituals, tattoos, etc... it is cultural theft (since the maori do indeed hate their culture being a trendy thing for outsiders). if you go to a drag club and copy the sharp threads and bad ass vogueing of the populace there it isnt. the gay culture of any given region is a sub culture of the society as a whole.
septum piercing (which is where this whole tangent started) is not owned by any single culture. the habit of piercing the septum has existed in multiple cultures, on multiple continents. this includes several places in europe btw, so it isnt like "white" folk stole the idea from africans, or caribs, or south american natives. they might be said to have rediscovered the practice, but it isnt something that started in one place or culture and then got ripped off
heck even the bindi (which was mentioned briefly) isnt really cultural theft per se. it started as a religious display and spread throughout southeast asia. it originated with hindus but nowadays even some muslims (who arent supposed to do it, but do anyway in pakistan and india) wear them. yes in that region hinduism is a culture of its own, and it could be said that the surrounding areas "stole" it (which was not the act of a dominant culture over another). BUT!
even inside india the use of the bindi has shifted. different forms of yoga and meditation use it for different reasons. some use it purely as a mark of beauty (a type of make up really). so would it be cultural theft if some american who likes it uses it? not in my mind, though a case could be made for it. i would call the use of the bindi specifically cultural mingling or drift rather than theft.
crap, i failed! i tried so damn hard! such a bad boy! i need punishment! miss lolli! break out the cat o nine and have to maam! lmao!
:handgestures-salute:
