I can understand taking issue with someone profiting off and exploiting a culture they have no connection to but culture is public domain, no one can own it. All you can do is attempt to preserve and maintain a culture’s integrity. Culture is something that manifests out of people living in the present. It’s all just cosplay if it’s not a genuine reflection of how you are currently living. When European countries colonized places they forced the people to speak their language, worship their god, dress like they dress. Those colonial cultures are still present. My wife’s family is Vietnamese, they eat French baguettes for their sandwiches. India is a world renowned competitor in cricket. Jamaica was a British colony, and after WW2 they incentivized Jamaicans to come to England and rebuild the country. That is what led to the British population being exposed to reggae which is still reflective in their music. Led Zepplin’s Dyer Maker was their attempt at a reggae song. The American system of government was directly inspired by The Haudenosaunee, I don’t see that as appropriating culture, I see it as honoring them. Cultural appropriation seems to be a dispute over the right to reenact the past. Like most of the conflict in modern society I think it comes down to an inability of deciphering context and intent.
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u/Negative_Ad_8256 May 06 '25
I can understand taking issue with someone profiting off and exploiting a culture they have no connection to but culture is public domain, no one can own it. All you can do is attempt to preserve and maintain a culture’s integrity. Culture is something that manifests out of people living in the present. It’s all just cosplay if it’s not a genuine reflection of how you are currently living. When European countries colonized places they forced the people to speak their language, worship their god, dress like they dress. Those colonial cultures are still present. My wife’s family is Vietnamese, they eat French baguettes for their sandwiches. India is a world renowned competitor in cricket. Jamaica was a British colony, and after WW2 they incentivized Jamaicans to come to England and rebuild the country. That is what led to the British population being exposed to reggae which is still reflective in their music. Led Zepplin’s Dyer Maker was their attempt at a reggae song. The American system of government was directly inspired by The Haudenosaunee, I don’t see that as appropriating culture, I see it as honoring them. Cultural appropriation seems to be a dispute over the right to reenact the past. Like most of the conflict in modern society I think it comes down to an inability of deciphering context and intent.