Stop Being Offended On My Behalf

[Australian rePublic]

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=478454

So, embarrassingly, when trying to previously create this thread, I clicked post instead of Save Draft

And even though my only link that I had gotten around to posting was from "My Slut Blog" (I didn't notice that at the time ) That slut article still helps make my point, so I'm posting it again

What a clusterfuck of embarrassment.

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Okay, so...
What's the best possible discussion we can have in the week before Christmas? A discussion about what is and isn't racist. Let's talk racism:

Let's talk about cultural appropriation. The concept of cultural appropriation is bullshit.

When Katy Perry wore a kimono, a wh[code][/code]ole bunch of self-rightous white people lost their shit about cultural appropriation.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainme ... ut/281805/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2013/ ... ri18n=true
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... wards-fuss
https://www.nme.com/news/music/katy-per ... 087931?amp

Whilst self-righteous white people were offended by Katy's choice of dress, Japanese people couldn't give a shit. In fact, many of them are honoured that she thought their culture was worthy of her wardrobe.

Here we have an article from My Slut Box. Whilst the average NSer is too smart to take political/historical advice from a website called my slut box, the same can't be said about the general public. Here we have a woman of colour stating that it's unacceptable to dress in a kimono, but dressing up as Zeus or Aphrodite is acceptable, because the Greeks were never oppressed. I'm sorry, in what alternate universe were the Japanese of modern history more oppressed than the Greeks. In fact, the Japanese were the oppressors, the people doing the oppression. Meanwhile, the Greeks suffered under 400 years of Ottoman rule, which ended within 2 decades of the end of American slavery. Further, decades after that, the Greeks were victims of the Armenian genocide. Whoever wrote that article is either extremely misinformed of history, or a liar.
https://myslutbox.com/how-to-avoid-cultural-appropriation-this-halloween/
So what do I, as a Greek, think of kids who dress up like Zeus or Aphrodite? I couldn't give a shit. If it makes you happy, go for it. In fact, I'm honoured that you think that Greek culture is worthy of replication. A lot of Greeks would agree with me. And we don't need self-righteous white people to be offended on my behalf. Isn't it racist to tell us what to be offended by?

I could on and on, but I get you think you the gist. Please stop being offended on other's people's behalf. We ethnic minorities have our own brains and we don't need white people to serve to serve as our brain. What's your take on all this?

[Albrenia]

I'm pretty left-of-centre in my views, but Cultural Appropriation is a codswallop.

If an asian dude wants to wear dreadlocks or a white woman likes wearing traditional headgear of another culture, I say let them. Freedom is cool like that.

Now there are some cases where it is certainly on-the-nose for cultural reasons (such as wearing blackface and the like) but the response to that should be derision for lack of tact and empathy. Being an arse should be looked down on, but not just dressing up for harmless fun or fashion.

[Plai Nukchai]

I think for the poll you should have a "On some Occasions" option, because, despite the fact that in my opinion as an Asian, I don't care, and don't think it's a big deal. But there are a rare few genuine occasions in which a person might attempt to deliberately attack someones culture, like blackface for example, but stuff like the is extreme, rare, and the only thing I know of that constitutes cultural appropriation.

[Heloin]

I could on and on, but I get you think you the gist. Please stop being offended on other's people's behalf. We ethnic minorities have our own brains and we don't need white people to serve to serve as our brain. What's your take on all this?

I don't know about anyone else but I've been an ethnic minority, I'm pretty fine with someone else being offended by something that's offensive to me.

My take is that people are annoyed that they're being told what they're doing may be racist, but instead of looking critically at the situation the racist person decides everyone else has to be in the wrong. In general.

[Teachian]

I think there are elements of cultural appropriation that are problematic, but I also think it’s current popular form and medium barely touches on the relevant issues.

Skimming over the fact that the Twitter and blog crowd isn’t the largest group, just the loudest, I think “cultural appropriation” often gets applied pretty amateurishly. Case and point your example, in which they simplified history and ignored the opinions of people whose culture was actually involved in preference for their own. Culture has been transmitted for all of human history, and it’s only getting easier. People’s curiosity should be a chance to teach them about something new and meaningful, and thus build a stronger bond to whole new place. Focusing specifically or solely on race of all things as a metric of what’s okay is just drawing arbitrary lines in the sand.

[Kubra]

I could on and on, but I get you think you the gist. Please stop being offended on other's people's behalf. We ethnic minorities have our own brains and we don't need white people to serve to serve as our brain. What's your take on all this?

I don't know about anyone else but I've been an ethnic minority, I'm pretty fine with someone else being offended by something that's offensive to me.

My take is that people are annoyed that they're being told what they're doing may be racist, but instead of looking critically at the situation the racist person decides everyone else has to be in the wrong. In general.

It's seriously kind of ridiculous when folks take the worst examples and try to make em emblematic of a whole concept, since it ends up going from the totally indefensible bit about cultural appropriation regarding japan (which is almost always wrong because yeah, you *kiiiiinda* can't culturally appropriate the japanese any more than you can the british) into naming American weapon systems after aboriginal tribes being a-ok.

[Kubra]

Still tho this touches on a really important topic: why does japan end up getting some seriously undeserved passes? No hate to the japanese themselves of course, but our collective (and I don't mean just the lot of us here, I mean like *everyone*) weebery has basically become akin to war-crime denial.

[Galloism]

Still tho this touches on a really important topic: why does japan end up getting some seriously undeserved passes? No hate to the japanese themselves of course, but our collective (and I don't mean just the lot of us here, I mean like *everyone*) weebery has basically become akin to war-crime denial.

It’s hard to be mad at the creators of anime.

[Kubra]

Still tho this touches on a really important topic: why does japan end up getting some seriously undeserved passes? No hate to the japanese themselves of course, but our collective (and I don't mean just the lot of us here, I mean like *everyone*) weebery has basically become akin to war-crime denial.

It’s hard to be mad at the creators of anime.

I can be, because I can't watch it any more. There's just too much dreck now. Riddle me this bat man, if anime is so great why hasn't oyasumi punpun been green lit for one?

[Heloin]

Still tho this touches on a really important topic: why does japan end up getting some seriously undeserved passes? No hate to the japanese themselves of course, but our collective (and I don't mean just the lot of us here, I mean like *everyone*) weebery has basically become akin to war-crime denial.

Strong economy, cold war allies, Anime and video games. Then compound that with the whole nuking them bit.

[Kubra]

Still tho this touches on a really important topic: why does japan end up getting some seriously undeserved passes? No hate to the japanese themselves of course, but our collective (and I don't mean just the lot of us here, I mean like *everyone*) weebery has basically become akin to war-crime denial.

Strong economy, cold war allies, Anime and video games. Then compound that with the whole nuking them bit.

Don't give me that, if it was berlin instead of hiroshima that got nuked we'd all be saying "well, I mean, they had it coming"

[Heloin]

I don't know about anyone else but I've been an ethnic minority, I'm pretty fine with someone else being offended by something that's offensive to me.

My take is that people are annoyed that they're being told what they're doing may be racist, but instead of looking critically at the situation the racist person decides everyone else has to be in the wrong. In general.

It's seriously kind of ridiculous when folks take the worst examples and try to make em emblematic of a whole concept, since it ends up going from the totally indefensible bit about cultural appropriation regarding japan (which is almost always wrong because yeah, you *kiiiiinda* can't culturally appropriate the japanese any more than you can the british) into naming American weapon systems after aboriginal tribes being a-ok.

Honestly cultural appropriation in and of itself isn't a negative thing, it's kinda just how society and history works. The points were things get iffy come less down to say appropriation of Japanese or (most) European cultures and more to when it gets to historically colonised cultures. But it's not a hard line, more of an awfully murky blur.

[LiberNovusAmericae]

I could on and on, but I get you think you the gist. Please stop being offended on other's people's behalf. We ethnic minorities have our own brains and we don't need white people to serve to serve as our brain. What's your take on all this?

I don't know about anyone else but I've been an ethnic minority, I'm pretty fine with someone else being offended by something that's offensive to me.

My take is that people are annoyed that they're being told what they're doing may be racist, but instead of looking critically at the situation the racist person decides everyone else has to be in the wrong. In general.

The problem is when people get offended on a minority's behalf when said minority doesn't find it offensive.

[Heloin]

Strong economy, cold war allies, Anime and video games. Then compound that with the whole nuking them bit.

Don't give me that, if it was berlin instead of hiroshima that got nuked we'd all be saying "well, I mean, they had it coming"

That was a joke answer. There is no reasonable answer to why Japan almost gets a free pass for some of the worst atrocities ever committed.

[Kubra]

It's seriously kind of ridiculous when folks take the worst examples and try to make em emblematic of a whole concept, since it ends up going from the totally indefensible bit about cultural appropriation regarding japan (which is almost always wrong because yeah, you *kiiiiinda* can't culturally appropriate the japanese any more than you can the british) into naming American weapon systems after aboriginal tribes being a-ok.

Honestly cultural appropriation in and of itself isn't a negative thing, it's kinda just how society and history works. The points were things get iffy come less down to say appropriation of Japanese or (most) European cultures and more to when it gets to historically colonised cultures. But it's not a hard line, more of an awfully murky blur.

Well y'know it's one of those social things, like distinguishing between banter and str8 up verbal bullying. You gotta have the social sense for it.
Y'know, I brought up the example of naming american weapon systems after aboriginal tribes, and you can see where folks would take gumption with that. it's like "fuck off, you *conquered* us and now you're rubbing it in". Dressing up in kimono's is not just inoffensive, getting people to wear kimono's and think their is basically part of japanese foreign policy, and not just when they were doing so uh, rather militarily.

[Kubra]

Don't give me that, if it was berlin instead of hiroshima that got nuked we'd all be saying "well, I mean, they had it coming"

That was a joke answer. There is no reasonable answer to why Japan almost gets a free pass for some of the worst atrocities ever committed.

And that too was a joke answer. I like Germans, in such a timeline I'd deffo be the guy saying they've had enough and everyone should lay off.

[Heloin]

I don't know about anyone else but I've been an ethnic minority, I'm pretty fine with someone else being offended by something that's offensive to me.

My take is that people are annoyed that they're being told what they're doing may be racist, but instead of looking critically at the situation the racist person decides everyone else has to be in the wrong. In general.

The problem is when people get offended on a minority's behalf when said minority doesn't find it offensive.

Much less of a problem then people thinking that doing something offensive is fine honestly.

[Farnhamia]

That was a joke answer. There is no reasonable answer to why Japan almost gets a free pass for some of the worst atrocities ever committed.

And that too was a joke answer. I like Germans, in such a timeline I'd deffo be the guy saying they've had enough and everyone should lay off.

"We taught them a lesson in 1918 and they've hardly bothered us since then."

[Aclion]

Honestly cultural appropriation in and of itself isn't a negative thing, it's kinda just how society and history works. The points were things get iffy come less down to say appropriation of Japanese or (most) European cultures and more to when it gets to historically colonised cultures. But it's not a hard line, more of an awfully murky blur.

Well y'know it's one of those social things, like distinguishing between banter and str8 up verbal bullying. You gotta have the social sense for it.
Y'know, I brought up the example of naming american weapon systems after aboriginal tribes, and you can see where folks would take gumption with that. it's like "fuck off, you *conquered* us and now you're rubbing it in".

That's actually a respect thing. American Indians contributed a shitload to American military tactics, strategy and culture.

[Kubra]

Well y'know it's one of those social things, like distinguishing between banter and str8 up verbal bullying. You gotta have the social sense for it.
Y'know, I brought up the example of naming american weapon systems after aboriginal tribes, and you can see where folks would take gumption with that. it's like "fuck off, you *conquered* us and now you're rubbing it in".

That's actually a respect thing. American Indians contributed a shitload to American military tactics, strategy and culture.

Oh yeah, the romans learned a crap ton from carthaginian tactics, but you wouldn't catch carthaginians saying "well, they at least respected us that much".

[Heloin]

Well y'know it's one of those social things, like distinguishing between banter and str8 up verbal bullying. You gotta have the social sense for it.
Y'know, I brought up the example of naming american weapon systems after aboriginal tribes, and you can see where folks would take gumption with that. it's like "fuck off, you *conquered* us and now you're rubbing it in".

That's actually a respect thing. American Indians contributed a shitload to American military tactics, strategy and culture.

"We killed you're people off and forced you onto reservations and into abject poverty. So we're going to make it up by naming a helicopter after you."

[Kubra]

And that too was a joke answer. I like Germans, in such a timeline I'd deffo be the guy saying they've had enough and everyone should lay off.

"We taught them a lesson in 1918 and they've hardly bothered us since then."

ohhhhhh you could swap out 1918 with 1945 and it wouldn't even be a joke answer. Lovely place, truly lovely.

[Zyris]

I find people who get easily offended as inferior beings and inadequate, weak, and evolutionarily devolved... Key word there being easily.

You know that evolutionary chart that starts with an ape and ends with an upright man, then afterwards there is a sloth or some depiction of man who has gotten weak... That is them.

[Aclion]

That's actually a respect thing. American Indians contributed a shitload to American military tactics, strategy and culture.

"We killed you're people off and forced you onto reservations and into abject poverty. So we're going to make it up by naming a helicopter after you."

Sounds pretty bad when you pretend American Indians are like the Animals of Farthing Wood and not a vast group of nation states.

[Costa Fierro]

As long as it's done respectfully it's a non-issue. American liberal ideas about what's acceptable and what isn't are not applicable to any and all circumstances.