Problematic Stuff

[laklak]

Fuck 'em. I really wish someone would tell me I'm culturally appropriating Mexicans or Chinese or Thais when I'm food shopping, I haven't torn somebody a new asshole in quite a while.

[pErvinalia]

I think this must be a Merkan phenomena. I've never seen any news reports on this shit happening in Australia. I'm sure it's happened somewhere at some point, but it seems to happen weekly in the US. I doubt it happens in the UK or Europe either. I wonder if it happens in Canada, like an infection across the border? What's driving this in the US and not driving it in the rest of the western world?

[laklak]

Fast food?

[pErvinalia]

MONSANTO!

[JimC]

I think this must be a Merkan phenomena. I've never seen any news reports on this shit happening in Australia. I'm sure it's happened somewhere at some point, but it seems to happen weekly in the US. I doubt it happens in the UK or Europe either. I wonder if it happens in Canada, like an infection across the border? What's driving this in the US and not driving it in the rest of the western world?

Exactly. In some ways, that's why I have at least a tad of sympathy for 42's rants in this area - the really crazily PC end to it seems to be a US phenomenon. Much less of that sort of crap here, even in Uni circles (which I have some connection with via my lads)

[Seabass]

I think this must be a Merkan phenomena. I've never seen any news reports on this shit happening in Australia. I'm sure it's happened somewhere at some point, but it seems to happen weekly in the US. I doubt it happens in the UK or Europe either. I wonder if it happens in Canada, like an infection across the border? What's driving this in the US and not driving it in the rest of the western world?

It started with black artists getting understandably annoyed at whites for ripping off black music and styles (blues, rock & roll, hip hop, and so on) and getting rich and famous off it while many black artists would usually end up toiling in poverty and obscurity on account of white America buying the same music from white artists and not black ones.

Then of course the SJWs eventually caught wind of it and with it found another excuse to take offense at stuff.

And 42 no doubt thinks the cultural appropriation idiots are a bigger danger than an anti-science White House that props up big fossil as the world burns. They are surely also more dangerous than hordes of kevlar-ensconced nazi militia wackos marching through the streets brandishing AR-15s.

[Seabass]

I think this must be a Merkan phenomena. I've never seen any news reports on this shit happening in Australia. I'm sure it's happened somewhere at some point, but it seems to happen weekly in the US. I doubt it happens in the UK or Europe either. I wonder if it happens in Canada, like an infection across the border? What's driving this in the US and not driving it in the rest of the western world?

Exactly. In some ways, that's why I have at least a tad of sympathy for 42's rants in this area - the really crazily PC end to it seems to be a US phenomenon. Much less of that sort of crap here, even in Uni circles (which I have some connection with via my lads)

You must bear in mind that 42 has a tendency to blow this sort of thing way out of proportion. We've got a wannabe despot in the White House taking a wrecking ball to the country and the world and the environment, and 42's whining about whiners whining about the cultural appropriation of a Chinese style dress...

[JimC]

Yeah, I don't think it's the biggest challenge the US has at the moment...

However, it is silly, and needs to be nipped in the bud by robust criticism, and I do think it (and other hyper PC stuff) seems to be more prevalent in some US university circles than most other places around the world...

[Hermit]

I think this must be a Merkan phenomena. I've never seen any news reports on this shit happening in Australia. I'm sure it's happened somewhere at some point, but it seems to happen weekly in the US. I doubt it happens in the UK or Europe either. I wonder if it happens in Canada, like an infection across the border? What's driving this in the US and not driving it in the rest of the western world?

The phenomenon occurs in Australia too, and in the following situation I think there is some justification for it:

Indigenous art groups call for crackdown on 'fake art'

As much as 80 per cent of the arts and crafts promoted to tourists as Indigenous is fake, a leading Indigenous arts group claims.

They are urging the Turnbull government to crack down on the industry that they say is robbing Indigenous artists of a much-needed stream of income.

Souvenir shops in Sydney's The Rocks district, Melbourne's Flinders Street and tourism hot spots such as Cairns are selling mass-produced boomerangs and didgeridoos made from non-traditional materials such as bamboo, while plates, mugs, clothing items and key rings feature patterns and designs which are marketed as Indigenous.

But much of it is mass produced either offshore or in Australia by non-Indigenous commercial outfits.

...

Organisations familiar with the tourist market in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have told the inquiry the amount of arts and crafts of dubious origin but marketed as Aboriginal is as high as 80 per cent.

Artists' representatives have told the inquiry the tourist-focused arts and crafts industry robs Indigenous artists of the chance to make a living because fakes are cheaper to make and faster to produce.

...

[JimC]

That's not best described by "cultural appropriation", but by criminal fraud for material gain...

[Hermit]

That's not best described by "cultural appropriation", but by criminal fraud for material gain...

Maybe best described as "criminal fraud for material gain through cultural appropriation"?

And not all of it is the former. For example, I don't think the makers of this tea towel pretended the design is that of an aboriginal artist.

[Hermit]

I bet this Woolworths shopping bag



was perfectly legal. Woolies probably commissioned an Aboriginal artist to design it for 250 bucks or something like that to remove any doubt about that. Nevertheless, I regard it as disgusting cultural appropriation.

[JimC]

We have a handful of Aboriginal artworks that we bought from indigenous cultural centres up north. In the past, they were always being ripped off by middlemen, it is somewhat better the days, when they have set up their own places to sell art...

[Scot Dutchy]

This happens all over the world. In Mexico the tourist trinkets are made by the Chinese. The Mexicans cant make it cheap enough even at 5 pesos an hour! The same is true in Africa.

[rainbow]

Cultural appropriation is only supposed to apply to colonialists taking something from a minority culture and using it in a mockery of its original form. Like using a symbol which may have a deep religious or spiritual meaning to a group because you think it's cool. Or when white folks did Minstral shows as a mockery of black people. Often this is coupled with the colonial power making money; therefore doing the minority group out of money (some argue it's like robbing intellectual property)

There are some people now who think that eating foods from other cultures equals appropriation. And not even just SJWs; there's now a situation where Alt Right types are encouraging people not to appropriate by eating food from other cultures. Not because they suddenly care about the feeling of other, disadvantaged groups, of course, but to help deprive non-whites of business. In other words the counter culture is trying to use the prevailing culture's bullshit against itself.

We in Africa don't give a toss about "cultural appropriation". It is a thing created by the privileged middle classes in the West.
Seriously we don't care if anyone else wishes to wear a loin cloth, live in a mud hut and eat roots.

Just don't eat our missionaries.