Some Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation and Respect of All Kinds - Seeking the Third Path
L and I were talking about cultural appropriation this morning, after I read a friend's post on the wonderful conference she's at and the cultural experiences she's had so far (including one that's an incredible mix of cultures musically), and I was thinking then of the Native American issues that have come up this year with people wearing feathers and bonnets at parties, etc. Of course it's possible to buy a lot of these special things, so the modern (western?) mind might say "I bought it, I can do what I want with it!" As a person who has been mistaken for belonging to one of the tribes I've had my own journey in this regard -- as a young person I wanted to be an Indian because being Eurasian was difficult to figure out, with so few people like me around. In America I was Chinese to other people; in Hong Kong, I was White. Eurasian wasn't its own culture, so there was nothing to read about it. There was plenty to read about on different tribes though, and I even went to some pow pows, although I never claimed to be something I wasn't. One guy was pretty cool though, when we were talking about it, because he had tried to guess what tribe I was from -- he said "Your people just didn't cross the bridge, that's all".
Another time I was talking to a vendor about the beautiful buckskin dresses, but wasn't sure about getting one and she said as long as it was worn respectfully, she didn't see my not being of the tribes as a problem. I ended up not getting one, but more for financial reasons at the time. Still, I'm glad I asked.
In Steampunk, cultural appropriation comes up, as well. I think it's an important part of Steampunk, because people doing Steampunk aren't trying to rule the world, or tell people that their culture is superior to everyone else's, so there needs to be some thought about what you're doing/making/wearing. Also, I think unless one is British, then dressing up as a Victorian British person is also kind of a cultural appropriation, even though we normally think of this concept in terms of "minority" cultures. But all people have a culture, so it bears consideration.
And that's one of the things about "culture" -- there isn't a "White" culture, any more than there is a "Native American", "Chinese", "Hispanic", etc. culture. Each of these can be broken down into different smaller groups -- and then there's social status, etc. You can't just look at a person and tell exactly who they are -- you need to get to know them. Our social structure is such that we're trained to categorize, label, and pigeonhole, when that really doesn't work on people. Statistics can be a tool, but we should never forget that they are only tools, only as useful as the care with which they are constructed.
I was also thinking this morning that one of the reasons people wear things from other cultures is because it's different, new-to-them, exotic; maybe they crave new experiences or maybe they think their own culture (if they know anything about it) is boring. (I'm talking about people who do this without really thinking about it, not people who have spent time doing the research and learning about another culture, and who can then do/make/display/wear things with respect to that people).
I think it's worth really exploring the history of a people -- any people. You will learn wonderful things. You will learn about things that are strange (to you). You will learn about similarities between different peoples. You will also learn terrible things, and that may or may not stop your desire to learn.
Because the more you learn, the more you will realize that in certain ways, all people are intrinsically the same. We all have art, music, stories, technology; we have heroes and villains, good deeds and shameful ones. And that's important to remember; there is no people anywhere in place or time with a history that is unmarked, for good or ill. There are historians, textbook writers/editors/publishers, "news" media, and politicians who are always re-writing history to make this or that person/group look better, blame someone else, etc. Currently there are textbook people trying to write slavery out of U.S. American history, for instance.
The martial arts instructor did not start out knowing how to walk, nevermind knowing martial arts. The published author first had to learn how to form words and sentences. We cannot learn from history if we willfully ignore it or erase it.
And we ourselves may be helping to erase the truth, in the things we choose to share in public forums and social spaces, if we choose to post black and white memes -- memes that posit that there are only two sides to anything, and that one side is obviously good and/or smart and the other is obviously evil and/or stupid (Dem vs Rep, Men vs. Women, etc). Most of us want to be "smart" and "good"; most of us will bridle or take outright offense at being labeled "evil" or "stupid". Some people say "Well, I'll respect them when they respect me." I want to be better than that. I'll be honest, there are some people I just don't talk to -- but I try to be better than that. Because I need to be able to respect myself.
Food for thought.
Another time I was talking to a vendor about the beautiful buckskin dresses, but wasn't sure about getting one and she said as long as it was worn respectfully, she didn't see my not being of the tribes as a problem. I ended up not getting one, but more for financial reasons at the time. Still, I'm glad I asked.
In Steampunk, cultural appropriation comes up, as well. I think it's an important part of Steampunk, because people doing Steampunk aren't trying to rule the world, or tell people that their culture is superior to everyone else's, so there needs to be some thought about what you're doing/making/wearing. Also, I think unless one is British, then dressing up as a Victorian British person is also kind of a cultural appropriation, even though we normally think of this concept in terms of "minority" cultures. But all people have a culture, so it bears consideration.
And that's one of the things about "culture" -- there isn't a "White" culture, any more than there is a "Native American", "Chinese", "Hispanic", etc. culture. Each of these can be broken down into different smaller groups -- and then there's social status, etc. You can't just look at a person and tell exactly who they are -- you need to get to know them. Our social structure is such that we're trained to categorize, label, and pigeonhole, when that really doesn't work on people. Statistics can be a tool, but we should never forget that they are only tools, only as useful as the care with which they are constructed.
I was also thinking this morning that one of the reasons people wear things from other cultures is because it's different, new-to-them, exotic; maybe they crave new experiences or maybe they think their own culture (if they know anything about it) is boring. (I'm talking about people who do this without really thinking about it, not people who have spent time doing the research and learning about another culture, and who can then do/make/display/wear things with respect to that people).
I think it's worth really exploring the history of a people -- any people. You will learn wonderful things. You will learn about things that are strange (to you). You will learn about similarities between different peoples. You will also learn terrible things, and that may or may not stop your desire to learn.
Because the more you learn, the more you will realize that in certain ways, all people are intrinsically the same. We all have art, music, stories, technology; we have heroes and villains, good deeds and shameful ones. And that's important to remember; there is no people anywhere in place or time with a history that is unmarked, for good or ill. There are historians, textbook writers/editors/publishers, "news" media, and politicians who are always re-writing history to make this or that person/group look better, blame someone else, etc. Currently there are textbook people trying to write slavery out of U.S. American history, for instance.
The martial arts instructor did not start out knowing how to walk, nevermind knowing martial arts. The published author first had to learn how to form words and sentences. We cannot learn from history if we willfully ignore it or erase it.
And we ourselves may be helping to erase the truth, in the things we choose to share in public forums and social spaces, if we choose to post black and white memes -- memes that posit that there are only two sides to anything, and that one side is obviously good and/or smart and the other is obviously evil and/or stupid (Dem vs Rep, Men vs. Women, etc). Most of us want to be "smart" and "good"; most of us will bridle or take outright offense at being labeled "evil" or "stupid". Some people say "Well, I'll respect them when they respect me." I want to be better than that. I'll be honest, there are some people I just don't talk to -- but I try to be better than that. Because I need to be able to respect myself.
Food for thought.