• Annoyed_🦀 @monyet.cc
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    9 months ago

    My Culture is not your prom dress 2: electric boogaloo.

    As a chinese, you’re welcome to do so. It’s Lunar new year, there’s nothing special or specific about it. Pop a beer, play firework, or whatever. Make up your culture for celebrate the new year, that’s how culture is born! There’s not even a standard for it in China, different region have different way to celebrate. And each household even have their own way to celebrate! How is any of this gatekeeping make sense i don’t know.

    It’s so sad to see a melting pot now call for separation.

    • LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      9 months ago

      I do think it’s important that people know what it is they’re celebrating, but yeah like my local Chinese community always does a lunar new year celebration that is open to everyone. I think a lot of Chinese people (and other communities that celebrate the lunar new year, like Okinawan Korean Vietnamese and many others) see open celebration as creating more appreciation for and understanding of their culture.

    • Gabu@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      More importantly: a celebration that you can get to by just looking at the bloody sky.

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      9 months ago

      Probably about that Karen-level right there.

      Right about where you’re that desperate for attention, it isn’t your place to say and it helps literally nobody.

      Just about that pathetic.

  • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    These people want to show, so hard, that they care but in the end they don’t realize they are practically pushing for segregation.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      This is what happens most of the time when people scream cultural appropriation. The problem is that people without understanding of the terms use the terms every day. This leads to scenarios like the one above, or where someone is getting offended you’re enjoying a cultural food, or listening to a specific kind of music. Appreciating other cultures isn’t appropriation.

      • R0cket_M00se@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Exactly, appropriating means to take and pretend you invented it or created it. Interacting with culture or enjoying other people’s culture isn’t harmful and if these people actually went to other countries they’d realize their people WANT to share their culture.

        • neptune@dmv.social
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          9 months ago

          Yeah I agree that there is a TAKE vs a SHARE.

          Some of the reason cultural appropriation is a bad thing is due to capitalism. Taking something, even symbolically, for profit, is different than learning, experiencing and sharing.

      • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I remember someone giving a huge speech on…tumblr probably it sounds like something that would come from that shithole…that white people learning Spanish was cultural appropriation.

      • WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        That’s why people who do understand the terms need to call the people who don’t out at every opportunity, but they won’t do that because of “solidarity.”

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      9 months ago

      Hundred. Percent. It’s astounding, I am astounded at the number of messages I have received as a result of this post exactly mirroring the less desired sentiment you’ve described.

      But it’s cool, they can go f*** themselves, there’s like 2 billion people wholesomely celebrating this holiday in defiance of bigotry, so it’s not a real problem.

    • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      That’s why I laugh at anyone who unironically says “Cultural Appropiation”

      I wonder if they realize that if cultures didn’t borrow from other cultures we wouldn’t have anime or instant ramen.

    • Ergifruit [he/they]@lemmygrad.ml
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      9 months ago

      plus imagining thinking that, as a white person, you have the ability to decide who gets to celebrate what, while speaking over Asian people. like that was a bigotry 360°; you went right around to being racist again lmao

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I’m Jewish. I invite you all to celebrate any Jewish holiday. But they’re all stupid religious bullshit other than the food part, so I wouldn’t bother.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I agree. Unfortunately, with Jewish holidays, you have to sit through what feels like about 10 hours of prayers in Hebrew before you get to the food.

        Which especially sucks when you’re a hungry kid who doesn’t understand Hebrew.

        • InputZero@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          I have the best Jewish friends. They’re not strict Jewish, they adapt a lot of the traditions to suit themselves. For example any of the food heavy holiday’s they invite their non-Jewish friends over but do most of the religious stuff before we show up. So for me, I get to visit with friends, eat pretty good food (I’ve learned what to avoid like the unleavened bread), and help them celebrate something that’s important to them. They make no expectation for us to actually participate, just respect that they are. It’s a good time.

          I feel for their kids though, they have to do the 10 hour thing.

        • klemptor@startrek.website
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          9 months ago

          Yep. Half my family is Jewish, half is Catholic. My dad (Jewish atheist) made me sit through a really long seder once and afterward said he forgot how boring they are. And also didn’t warn me about the bitter herbs lol. Next time we went to a seder it was wayyy more streamlined.

        • ThirdWorldOrder@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          I dated a girl who is Jewish many years ago. Her parents would just throw dishes at each other while arguing in Hebrew. To hear you say that it can’t be entertaining slightly offends me.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Hebrew or Yiddish? If she wasn’t Israeli, it was probably Yiddish. Yiddish is also better for yelling people in. My grandmother was very good at it. It’s like if German had a bastard child with Polish.

            • ThirdWorldOrder@lemm.ee
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              9 months ago

              Oh maybe that’s what it was. On a related note the girl I dated has a sister that was a substitute teacher at our high school at the time. She was 21 and would buy us booze and she also played strip poker with my friends and me. Took my buddy’s virginity. Fun times!

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Not very much. There are very few Ladino speakers alive today. Like exponentially fewer than Yiddish, which already doesn’t have very many speakers left.

                Ladino is very close to Medieval Spanish, but written using Hebrew letters.

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      9 months ago

      Food holidays are my favorite holidays, and also because of Jon Stewart, I irrationally appreciate the abundance of Jewish holidays.

      Which Jewish holidays should I celebrate?

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Well the problem is that Passover has the best food, but it’s also celebrating a genocide, so I don’t really have a good recommendation.

        Purim maybe? It’s mildly less stupid than the others since it’s actually based on something that really happened? But it’s still based on an arranged marriage, so even that’s kind of fucked up. I don’t know. The Bible is ridiculous.

    • RebekahWSD@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Hamantaschen are amazing and I’ll make them year round, no one can stop me!

      I also make the donuts for Hanukkah for my mother

      At least we’re out of the years where we were making like a gross of them. That was exhausting.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Every year my mother buys jelly donuts for us when we come to visit for Hanukkah and every year, we all tell her that we don’t like jelly donuts.

        At least she doesn’t try to cook them. She’s an awful cook. And she doesn’t understand food. She makes latkes in the oven (not fried) the day before we come, freezes them, then defrosts them when we come over. And we eat two and pretend we like them and cover them with enough sour cream so that we can’t taste them.

        We used to go home and make our own another day, but they’re also kind of a pain in the ass to make, so we just deal with shitty latkes once a year now.

        Her matzoh ball soup is fine, but it’s very hard to fuck that up.

        • RebekahWSD@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Oh, the homemade donuts, all 122 of them were well received! As well as the hamantaschen. But when you’re making a gross of them, it just takes a long time.

          I like latkes, but it was one of them few holiday cooking things that I did not get pushed into doing as a kid (and now several decades later still do for the family)

          Challah, hamantaschen, donuts…mostly all the dessert things, I guess. And the charoset! There’s more, but I forget until I get the call and start baking for her.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            I’m good with most Jewish food, but I draw the line at gefilte fish. I don’t know who decided ground up fish balls in soup was a good idea, but it wasn’t.

            • nomous@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              She was (is) a great cook, they were always light and fluffy. Usually we’d have them with applesauce but sometimes she’d make them with a lot of onion and we’d eat them with ketchup.

                • nomous@lemmy.world
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                  9 months ago

                  I love my aunt and have very fond memories of oniony, ketchupy latkes but I don’t eat ketchup with my potatos anymore lol.

                  In my defense, I was a child. I’m not even sure where she came across them, we’re not Jewish (we were Baptists, from the midwest).

                  She also makes an onion pie that’s pretty great.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            It’s also so easy to make that even my mother can’t fuck it up. Which, if you ever had my mother’s attempts at cooking, is very impressive.

            • PsychedSy@sh.itjust.works
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              9 months ago

              Lmao. Does her cooking make you nostalgic?

              My mom regrets that she didn’t learn all of her mother’s cajun recipes. I regret it, too.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                It does not. She’s a much better cook than when I was a kid while still being a terrible cook. But at least her idea of offering me dinner is no longer a defrosted turkey burger every night.

                There were also the dreaded dinnertime words of my childhood: “This was an experiment.”

                Because the “experiment” was usually something like, “the recipe called for two cups of sugar and that’s too much sugar, so I substituted cottage cheese.”

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I’ll celebrate with you, but can we make up a new holiday with the same food but none of the boring prayer parts?

    • S_204@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Judaism is a closed religion, lighting candles for Hanukkah is one thing and that’s cool if you want to partake in some fun. Saying prayers over those candles is markedly different and definitely appropriation.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I wouldn’t call it appropriation. Appropriation would be claiming those weren’t Jewish prayers or a menorah, they were Christian (or whatever).

        A non-Jew saying Hebrew prayers doesn’t offend me. My non-Jewish wife has done it before because she got a masters in folklore and wanted to take part. She didn’t claim it as her own, she just took part in the ceremony. And plenty of non-Jewish spouses of Jews have done the same thing.

        Honestly, if you’re curious and you want to take part in Jewish ceremonies, go for it. Judaism is not as closed as you think. If it was, you wouldn’t have famous converts like Sammy Davis, Jr. and Isla Fisher (and Ivanka Trump, unfortunately). It’s not a simple process like turning around three times and saying “I’m a Jew!” but it’s not exactly a ridiculous challenge either.

        • S_204@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          A non Jew saying Jewish prayers is absolutely appropriation. There’s a rather clear line of thinking surrounding this in the greater Jewish community especially amongst the rabbinical crowd, and the Messianics are a rather large part of it.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Rabbis aren’t popes. They don’t get to decide what is or is not offensive to Jews in general. Sure, very religious Jews might have a problem with it. And I could not care less what they think. Especially when they’re the minority in the U.S.

            62% of self-described American Jews say being Jewish is mainly a matter of ancestry and culture, while just 15% say it is mainly a matter of religion. Even among Jews by religion, 55% say being Jewish is mainly a matter of ancestry and culture, while 66% say it is not necessary to believe in God to be Jewish.[3]

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_atheism

            Do you honestly think most Jews would have a big problem with my wife saying a blessing over the menorah when most of them don’t even think you have to believe in a god? I guarantee you more Jews were offended by Bradley Cooper playing Leonard Bernstein with a prosthetic nose than they would be over a non-Jew saying a Hebrew prayer.

            • S_204@lemm.ee
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              9 months ago

              Rabbi’s aren’t Pope’s and they’re born to argue so when the vast majority of them clearly state that a non Jew saying Jewish prayers is contrary to the principles of the religion then I’m going to accept that as a religious decree.

              So yea your non jewish wife saying the bracha is a problem. You’re welcome to practice as you see fit, no one’s going to pull your Jew card over it but that doesn’t make it halacha/Kosher/ cool or any other version of acceptable.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Why do Rabbis get to declare what is cultural appropriation when only 15% of American Jews say Judaism is about religion?

                It sounds like you are offended by it. I would love some evidence that the general Jewish population agrees with you.

                • S_204@lemm.ee
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                  9 months ago

                  Why do the people who devote their lives to studying the scriptures of the religion get to be the ones who decide what’s acceptable within the religion and what’s not?

                  Because they’re literally the subject matter experts. It’s also pretty damn clear in the tanach too. In order to perform the mitzvah you need to be Jewish.

                  I’m not offended by how you choose to practice your religion, I’m pointing out that what you’re doing is absolutely cultural appropriation and off sides with the understood practice of the religion as a whole. You’re the one who seems to be offended by being called out on this, and that’s for you to come to grips with not me.

  • skeeter_dave@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    Nah, as a cracker ass American I think I will celebrate Lunar New Year and immerse myself in the lore and customs of people I share this plant with because history rocks my fucking socks.

  • carl_dungeon@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Nothing friendly about gatekeeping, it’s just a patronizing way to be a giant fucking bitch no one wants to be around.

  • Skullgrid@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Chinatowns and Mayors of metropolitan cities with Chinatowns : Here’s the schedule of Lunar new year celebrations, come along and enjoy the culture!

    This gatekeeping idiot :

  • Donebrach@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I recall when I was first informed about “cultural appropriation” and how it boiled down to the concept that if a white person enjoys any aspect of a non-white culture it was an act of racism. Gotta love the gravity well of ultra liberal bullshit warping back in on itself and becoming fascism.

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      9 months ago

      Even though you’re totally wrong with your definitions and facts, I do like your writing and appreciate your poetic license.

      This isn’t fascism, this is social conscience.

      A lot less severe than what you pretend fascism is.

      • Kedly@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        TBH though I do find the term used to gatekeep far more than I see it used to promote respect. Most cultural arts and traditions formed from bringing a few items/ideas from other cultures back to their own and overtime they incorporated it into their own. Shit like wearing a cultures clothing item that requires significant cultural acts to obtain in said culture when you are not a patt of it, theres nuance and issues of cultural respect to talk about there. But “cultural appropriation” as a term doesnt really get used that often with that level of nuance

        • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          “Gatekeep”, “gaslight” they’ve become twitter shit words. Completely poisoned. Just mentionning them cast doubt and suspicion on the speaker. Even when it applies.

          • Kedly@lemm.ee
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            9 months ago

            I mean, thats essentially what I’m arguing about with the word Cultural Appropriation

        • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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          9 months ago

          I mostly disagree, every time I visited a country and wore the cultural dress, the local culture has been very supportive and appreciative, and I’ve been able to enter into more interesting conversations because I’m willing to engage in their culture on a more visceral level.

          I understand cultural sensitivity, but I have yet to encounter a culture that does not want to be recognized, particularly for their notable and impressive achievements.

          Or if their clothing looks f****** cool, like in Morocco or Japan. China. Or the states. Or Vietnam. Or Germany(goofy but still fun). Malaysia.

          Everywhere. Everywhere I have talked to people, they appreciate the appreciation of their culture.

          • Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            9 months ago

            To me, the term “cultural appropriation” refers to things like schools having kids make chicken feather “headdresses” to “celebrate” Native American Day, or wearing a religious symbol in a disrespectful way. Even though people like the person in the post can be annoying, I think it’s still progress that we’re able to have these discussions, and I think it’s too bad that for many people the takeaway seems to be “cultural appropriation is never problematic.” I’d take the person from the post any day over someone who thinks they’re immune from criticism when they unintentionally engage in behavior that truly is disrespectful.

            • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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              9 months ago

              No goddamn way.

              We’ve been having these discussions, as far as history is aware, since we started writing things down.

              Give me the rebuttal friend any day.

              I’ve been to too many countries, and what you’re alleging is simply and practically incorrect.

              Cultures appreciate genuine cultural appreciation.

              • Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                9 months ago

                But cultural appreciation is not what is meant by “cultural appropriation.” Cultural appropriation is when it’s done in a disrespectful manner.

                I grew up with some utterly racist experiences in school – the feather “headdress” and cardboard tipis, the sombreros on Cinco de Mayo, etc.

                I wish I’d had someone at the time to explain why that was wrong.

                • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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                  9 months ago

                  That’s ignorance, which is different from any sort of intentional disrespect.

                  You get a pass,as a kid.

                  You’re going to ask, how do I know you’re getting a pass?

                  Go ask anybody from the culture you’re afraid of offending if you get a pass for being a child.

                  It’ll be cool.

          • Kedly@lemm.ee
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            9 months ago

            Thats… kinda what I’m talking about? Cultural appropriation is most often used in a context of why you SHOULDNT engage in things you like about another culture

            • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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              9 months ago

              You’re condemning the appreciation of another culture, which every culture will tell you is welcome and appreciated.

              So it is kind of what you’re talking about, except you’re missing the main point.

              • Kedly@lemm.ee
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                9 months ago

                IM not condemning the appreciation of other cultures. I’m saying the concept of Cultural Appropriation leads to the thought process of the woman who’s tweet started this thread more than it leads to how to be better respectful in how you appreciate things. A person wouldnt “appopriate” anything unless something about it found interest in them. Just general lessons in respect in general are far more useful

                • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
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                  9 months ago

                  Idk wtf “a person wouldn’t appropriate anything unless something about it found interest in them” means, so I’m going to just assume that your heart is in the right place.

                  Happy New Year

    • fidodo@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      That’s a bullshit explanation of cultural appropriation and the person you heard it from is an idiot. Actual cultural appropriation is when you take something from another culture and either erase or overwrite its origin, so the original culture in its original form becomes forgotten.

      For example, when white artists re-recorded songs from black artists and specifically removed them from the credits and claimed them as their own, that was cultural appropriation. When movie studios chopped up Indian culture and presented it in a completely distorted and inaccurate light, so much so that the original meanings were lost, that was cultural appropriation.

      Simply being a participant in someone else’s cultural celebration is not cultural appropriation.

      • Lev_Astov@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Considering I’ve seen a lot of gatekeeping morons go on about cultural appropriation without ever mentioning that, I think most don’t understand this crucial distinction.

        • xe3@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          If you form your understanding on topics you don’t understand based on what “gatekeeping morons” think or do, you are going to be perpetually misinformed

    • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      It’s not any form of liberalism. The troll depicted in the original post, is building a strawman. A ridiculous opinion nobidy believes. The goal is simple to delegitimise the whole idea of cultural appropriation. To basically say, Disney did nothing wrong taking children’s public domain folklore and locking it behind an intellectual property paywall for 100 years.

      That’s the real goal here. As usual the powerful taking away from the weak and saying they’re not allowed to complain.

      You are ultimately right, this is fasch behaviour. This is fasch wearing fake liberal faceskin.

      • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Sorry to inform you, but I know people like this, and they’re not building strawmen or false flags. They sincerely think they’re helping, when all they’re doing is creating strife and division.

        • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          I think it’s malicious and they know what they’re doing. They don’t like the idea so they push it to the ridiculous extreme. Or, they’re another form of malicious, the busybody intruder who wants to tell others how to live and pretending this is about the “victim” are simply using those “victims” as to justify their aggression.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Gotta love the gravity well of ultra liberal bullshit warping back in on itself and becoming fascism.

      Racist fascism in the guise of anti-racist inclusion.

  • ISometimesAdmin@the.coolest.zone
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    9 months ago

    I feel like her reply is just as likely to be to call him a race traitor or whatever. It’s hard to reason with people who gatekeep that hard