#literally sorry to say it again but postmodernism was literally a psyop from the cia because it divided everyone endlessly and crushed

[magnoliamyrrh]

@73ghosts ya this is what i was going on abt, you're totally right!

the internet and the younger generations have just completely bastardized the concept of cultural appropriation. i believe it was originally developed in north america, and it was meant to critique the way in which dominant white culture would take elements from opressed cultures, without credit, claim them for themselves, and benefit off of them while still shaming said opressed culture.

ie black women were being shamed for their hairstyles which were seen as unprofessional/dirty/weird/etc and have historically been banned by white americans as a way to dehumanize africans and rupture them from an important and even spiritual part of their african heritige, but when white models would do it for modeling agencies it was cool and trendy all the sudden and they'd make money off of it. in general white dominated media&companies talking black culture and claiming it for themselves with 0 credit and making millions. another well known one, native american hollowen costumes, which turn someones sacred culture that they faught to keep alive into a stereotyped costume. another example closer to home which still makes sense would be big western clothing agencies very clearly taking designs from romanian folk clothes, and with 0 credit remaking them, branding them as african clothing, and selling them for hundreds - while much poorer peasants who make them and romanians in general get 0 credit or benefit or exposure, and while also managing to appropriate/use the "exotic" perception of africans at the same time as well

this makes sense. in a system of racial supremecy, in a country known for an incredibly ridgid racial hierarchy and harsh history, it totally makes sense as a critique and it is an important one. cultural appropriation was about taking someones culture in this hierarchy, using it to your own benefit with 0/little to no credit, while still hating said culture

this. is different from normal day to day cultural exhange. this is different from people willingly sharing their culture with others, as well as the very natural blend of cultures, ideas, customs, etc which happen when people live together for prolonged periods of time - something seen everywhere, absolutely everywhere in the old world and the indigenous americas, and frankly in the current western world as well. this is also different from cultural appreciation, a concept which seems to no longer exist frankly. its funny frankly how many times western people will be getting pissed off that someone buys clothes from another culture and wears them bc they genuinely like them, without claiming it for themselves, while people from said culture who still live in said country will say "actually we think its cool people like our clothes/things so much they want to wear them :) and its cool that theyre exposing others to our culture bc they think its beautiful :) stop being offended"

cultures are fluid, as you said. there is no such thing as pure culture, Very few things belong in actuality to one completely separate culture and group, and it is very, very normal and basically unavoidable that humans exhange culture with each other. its normal that people get influenced by the people they live around, their friends, the country they may migrate too, that trade brings parts of cultures to other places. its literally the most normal thing and weve been doing it for forever

the current-day understanding of cultural appropriation has just been bastardized to such an extent that its no longer about critiquing what it actually was, its no longer an important point of analysis and self awareness, its been taken to a ridiculous degree of performative wokeness and endless western offense about everything on this planet. the idea that Ever in Any context in Any way blending or exhanging or etc cultures is cultural appropriation, means we should twitter cancel all of humankind on this planet, for all of history in actuality. its unrealistic and useless and stupid frankly

and yea, the food thing is ridiculous. or "listening to music from other cultures is appropriation" or ive talked abt this on here before, me bringing my american ex to romania, willingly sharing my culture with her, and being asked several times by her if shes not actually appropriating my culture and its not okay,,,, like,, girl..... idk another common example someone having a cultural wedding, Asking the guests of all ethnicites to dress a certain way and participate, and the internet losing its mind. or americans seeing ppl wear/do their OWN cultuture but bc theyre so closed minded and dont know shit they get offended at them bc they think their appropriating some other culture who soley has ownership i guess (the evil eye charm thing is like, an actual common point of offense, and its so stupid bc like half the planet has had it for like hundreds of years. ive seen balkan ppl latin ppl arab ppl and others all complain abt getting this by now usually from some white american lmao rip)

we are living in an increasingly multicultural world. the last possible thing we should be doing, as far as im concerned, is all closing ourselves off from each other, never sharing anything, never exposing ourselves to anything else, and pretending we all exist in neat little separate groups with no relation to each other whatsoever. getting offended over every possible similarity but prepetually disecting all the ways were different. this..,,,, helps absolutely noone as far as i can see