Divitaen wrote:New Granadeseret wrote:
This isen't happening in Japan; it's happening in a place where the Kimono has never been as important a part of the local culture as it is in it's homeland. Like anything new or unusual (IE not being deeply ingrained in the local culture), it IS an oddity and has to go through the "oh, look at that!" stage before people decide weather to make it a full part of their culture (For instance, what happened when the Kimono was first introduced in Japan) or leave it as a fringe or temporary element (Like the pet rock). One can have something exist within society and not have it be a reverent part of the culture, and I'm not obligated to treat something as holy because anybody else does.
For example, I eat genetically modified wild rice. There is a Native American tribe in our region who thinks they have a sacred obligation to preserve the rice as it was. Must I only eat it in their traditional way and destroy all genetically modified rice within possible fertilizing distance of them just because their culture says THEY should act a certain way?
It shouldn't have to go through a "oh, look at that!" phase. And as many have mentioned before, people can go on to eat sushi, to learn and study the Japanese Shinto religion in universities, watch documentaries on Japan, you know, actually bother learning about Japanese culture and Japanese way of life. Instead you just try a kimono once, take a picture, and pat yourself on the back for such an incredible cultural immersion.
I've specifically shown up in school dressed as a cossack simply because I could not to educate people, not to make a point, simply cause I thought it was cool and so did my friends. What is wrong with that?