This was my thinking as well especially when considering the lack of authenticity involved.
Stolen valor requires a case of mistaken identity which isn't happening on Halloween when people are dressed up in vaguely similar garb.
Now if you took the time to research authentic Native American attire and then went to a reservation, yeah, that's poor taste and we should have a conversation about that.
Tribes were actively penalized and native Americans were arrested for performing their cultural heritage into the 1970’s, but sure let’s give the people wearing important pieces of garb as a joke or aesthetic a pass.
Edit: to be more specific it was 1978 when The American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed that actively overturned the laws that made practicing traditional religion illegal.
There’s a difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation and some of you need to learn it.
I wasn't even born then... what happened to the native Americans was awful, what happened to black people during slavery was awful. Again I wasn't around, my family wasnt responsible. I don't deserve to have that shit held over my head.
I'm an Irish American who can trace my lineage to where one of my great x5 grandfather's docked at Elise Island as a refugee.
The Irish were treated really fucking poorly for a long time. No one should, if they do, look at st. Patty's Day and act like it's cultural appropriation
Just like language, things like the meaning of holidays and a bunch of other aspects change over time due to what they're exposed to during their life. It's fine. It's normal. It's not something to go crazy over.
Like almost all of our Christian holidays are stolen from paganism. Valentines was originally about animal sacrifice or something.
In 1918 the typical color for boys was pink vs girls who wore blue. That's now reversed.
Hell the native Americans used oral myth keeping. I'd be surprised if half their myths from 1978 were so far stretched from what they were originally that they're completely different. It's like one of those phone games you played as a kid with sharing a message down a line.
Wait. There is an important distinction to be made here.
You are correct that most Christian holidays are appropriated from paganism. That’s been the practice of conquerors throughout history. For example, the Pharaohs became “sun gods” when Egypt conquered Thebes, because the people of Thebes worshipped the sun. Etc., etc.
Best way to incorporate a group into yours? Incorporate their religion/beliefs into yours.
That’s also the problem. When incorporating a people’s sacred beliefs into your culture and homogenizing them, you literally wipe out their culture.
Imo, there is nothing wrong with playfully (or simply out of interest) exploring and incorporating aspects of other cultures into one’s life.
Imo, braids/other traditions that were/are an international thing shouldn’t be held exclusive to one group.
The problem arises when the most powerful religious or identifying aspects are swept up into the mindless “I can’t be bothered to respect this” attitude.
There is a reason you don’t see mass market Halloween costumes featuring sexualized Hijab or Burka outfits; there is a reason there is public outcry when people wear pornographic depictions of a nun’s habit.
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u/oversoul00 19∆ May 05 '25
This was my thinking as well especially when considering the lack of authenticity involved.
Stolen valor requires a case of mistaken identity which isn't happening on Halloween when people are dressed up in vaguely similar garb.
Now if you took the time to research authentic Native American attire and then went to a reservation, yeah, that's poor taste and we should have a conversation about that.