- Lame Devil
- Mar 21, 2013
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Heroes of the Storm
Goon Tournament Champion
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I'm just pointing out that cultural appropriation is an idealistic theory that is not an objective fact. How can you defend something like that? It's a distraction from more pressing issues - systematic racism, overt prejudice, economic inequality. These are all things that no one can deny because they are based on reality, on statistics and evidence.
Again, the dominant/subordinate group ideology is prevalent in Sociology. In terms of power relations, cultural appropriation is supposed to further subjugate the subordinate group. If you buy into the idea that you can view the entire structure of society in terms of competing groups with a currency based on power, then you can make an argument that a subjugated group is exoticized in a manner that trivializes legitimate claims. Perhaps this is considered cultural appropriation.
Let's look at this further. Assuming that the dominant group does indeed subjugate a subordinate group based on race, we can ostensibly classify that as systematic racism. There is no counter argument to that. Even if you disagree with the idea of power and classes, there is tangible evidence through statistics and history to prove the point that a group of people are not part of the national narrative in a meaningful way.
If that group is then exoticized on an individual basis, that is prejudice. If they are exoticized en-masse through media, entertainment, social relations - that is still systematic racism.
Those people are now reduced to a status of trivialization - they do not have political power, nor do they have cultural cache. They are targets of humiliation and prejudice, both in a macro and micro setting. This again sounds like institutional/systematic racism and personal prejudice to me.
Where does cultural appropriation take place here? It's a smoke screen that is directing valuable attention away from the larger issue of racism. Not only that, but it alienates people who do not share a world-view consistent with Marxist thought. Why would you do that? There are no statistics to prove it exists, there are no guidelines or external signs of them. It's easy to confuse it with actual systematic racism and you have to analyze events on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they meet the definition of cultural appropriation or not. It seems like a pretty useless and subjective tool to me. The fact that it derives it's entire value on subjective interpretations of the world is its downfall for me.
I'd honestly like to hear a counter argument to this - perhaps I'm completely wrong and there is some worth to it.
I think CA takes place as a factor that contributes to systematic racism. I understand your point on the usefulness of it to convince, but if we are trying to understand factors that contribute to exoticization wouldn't CA be one? Good post by the way.
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Apr 21, 2015 17:55
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May 11, 2024 17:44
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- Lame Devil
- Mar 21, 2013
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Heroes of the Storm
Goon Tournament Champion
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Why would CA contribute to exoticization? If anything, appropriating anything and everything from another culture should make it (or a modified copy of it) less exotic and more a barely-noteworthy part of everyday life to the appropriators.
I'm no sociologist, but I don't think exoticism correlates indirectly with familiarity. You can constantly expose a public to something, and, every time you do, it could reinforce that the thing is 'other.' I don't think all CA reinforces that the thing is 'other,' but it seems like the paradigm example of the headdress does. Maybe someone more learned can speak on that relationship.
edit: indirectly, not directly.
Lame Devil fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Apr 22, 2015
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Apr 22, 2015 00:15
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- Lame Devil
- Mar 21, 2013
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Heroes of the Storm
Goon Tournament Champion
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They're discussing if racism requires intent.
I agree that policies and practices can be racist absent intent. Isn't that a big part of institutional racism?
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Apr 26, 2015 03:21
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Apr 21, 2015 17:55
