Cultural Appropriation

[Rudolph Quin]

So, how do you guys feel about so called "cultural appropriation"? Is it real to you? Is it hokum?

Personally, I think it's the most ridiculous terminology I have ever seen. As if certain cultures "own" certain designs or fashion trends and you're somehow a racist if you use them in any way. There's a line and for me, it's very clearly defined. For example, since she most recently came under fire for her recent video and has been in the news for this sort of thing before, I'll use Katy Perry as an example. Like her AMA "geisha" getup during one of her performances:

Not only that but... the dancers on stage with her...

Honestly, for me, this is no different from "black face", particularly the dancers and their caricature of stereotypical Asian features in their makeup. It's a little offensive and I can empathize with those who find it so. She was going for a theme and went a little too far with it.

However, I've also seen these images called "cultural appropriation" as well:

What if it didn't say "Afrika" and have that allusion? Can no one ever use that type of pattern ever again now because some tribes in Africa have used similar patterns in their styles and dress?

I guess you can never ever put any sort of stick-on jewelry on your face or forehead ever forever because women in India have a patent on it or something.

Or feathers in any kind of headdress in any way. You absolutely have to be a war chief with Native American in your blood.

I guess what really bothers me and what made me want to start this thread was the uproar Ms. Perry has caused on the internet with her recent video for "This Is How We Do" where in some parts she looks like this:

I read a black young woman go on a tirade about how much African Americans have suffered because of their hair, being forced to tame their natural hair in different ways because it was not acceptable to let it go or style it naturally. Like, black men and women could literally not get jobs or join the U.S. military if they did not straighten and put relaxers in their hair. And that was why she thought Katy Perry was a racist. Black people have suffered so much prejudice, so, white people can never put their hair in box braids or cornrows.

I just have a problem with policing the way people choose to artistically express themselves and personally do not feel that segregation is really solving racism in any way. But there is a line. What do you guys think?

 

[Alvis Alendran]

I think better than half of the moral outrage that you see about how people act or dress based on this topic is a steaming crock of shit.

That is all

 

[Frozen Fajita]

I find it personally very irritating when people judge each other (positively or negatively) just based on where they're from. I'm not sure if it counts as 'racist', but it's just... infuriating.

 

[BennyQ]

Isn't imitation a form of flattery? Sometimes when you live in multicultural societies like Canada and America (including others), you learn a bit about other peoples cultures and traditions. Sometimes you come to admire them and incorporate some elements into your own life. Personally I don't have a problem with Cultural Appropriation if its done respectfully. I have no issue with people admiring aspects in cultures they know little about, for it seems to me they want to learn at least if they are attracted to something. Of course, sometimes people could mock or portray it in an offensive manner, in which an outcry is justifiable. Just my two cents on the whole concept.

 

[MellowYellow]

Personally I think it's more racist to try and restrict something solely to one group of people- it's setting up more barriers between cultures that will do nothing more than frustrate other groups.

I mean if you're treating it with respect, then where's the issue? It's not like Katy Perry was running around in blackface juggling buckets of KFC, she was simply utilizing a kind of fashion. Oh but what do I know- I'm white so I instantly have a golden ticket through life and couldn't possibly weigh in on such issues.

 

[Trygon]

Worth noting that the 'asian features' you saw in their makeup is because they are using an exact pattern that was designed for asian features without modifying it.

Culture is such an ugly concept. The bare ends of tribalism, still polluting our modern world. I'm gonna go ahead and say that those complaining about cultural appropriation are all racist to their very core, in addition to being desperate to segregate.

Hopefully someday, the only culture will be cliques - Groups that dissolve and reform every generation.

 

[Ms_Muffintops]

Katy's outfit doesn't look bad, but the two dancers... no.

I may be a cynic who isn't helping but it seems like lately the younger generations are becoming hypersensitive toward being as politically correct and respectful as humanly possible to the point it just seems exhausting and time consuming, and this is one of them.

I've seen the argument about people wearing Native American headdresses because only chiefs wear them and by doing so we are disrespecting their position in an already dying culture.

Even though something originated somewhere doesn't mean it should be limited to that country or culture. If anything it spreads and sparks interest and knowledge of the culture. It may not start off well informed, but at least it's out there. Perhaps it'd help people to see it from another perspective.

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qe4AZRkFYE[/video]

Maybe it's because I'm white but I don't find this offensive. If you don't want to watch it's about a subculture in Japan of girls who are highly influenced by American black hip hop culture. The girl in the video appreciates the culture because it's more embracing of women with curves and she simply identifies with it more. Other than the excessive tanning I don't see an issue. I wonder how many black Americans would find what she does offensive.

 

[As Day Fades]

I am a straight white male. I often hear I cannot say or do ______ because of my skin color, gender or sexuality. Is that not how we define racism/sexism? I'm not saying the world is the exact same for me as it is for all others, nor that it should be. Nor that I have some latent desire to go blackface or what have you. There's certainly lines you can cross that go into being disrespectful. But this hypersensitivity nonsense can kiss my black ass(which is a fun saying that's come out of African-American culture, I don't care what skin color you are ).

I'm not familiar with the aforementioned performance other than that it happened and that some people were butthurt, nor am I familiar with Katy Perry in any more than a passing sense. But when I look at that first picture I don't see anything offensive. I see something gorgeous. As tolerant as I am, one thing I don't tolerate is people just jumping to conclusions - how is it insulting that she acknowledged that this culture exists, and even though she's white she thinks it's pretty and artistic and wanted to highlight it on a worldwide stage? Please. If you want to be offended, Asian people, go back to the WWII bucktoothed caricatures that at least justify a discomfort.

I love St.Patrick's Day. Not only do I love being Irish but I love the slogan of 'Everybody is Irish on St.Patrick's Day!' because it's not about 'this is my culture, you stay on your side of the line.' It's about celebrating the most enjoyable aspects of a people, and it doesn't matter what skin color you are, or who your parents happen to be. You're invited.

 

[gelidAtelier]

I think if you are using a cultural style or symbol to mock or attempt to "be" a certain culture, that is pretty ignorant and insensitive, and when a white person does it from their stance of cultural superiority, that's definitely racist. Even if you are not making mockery of those people, using it to be stupid is close enough to the whole blackface thing.

And I definitely understand how someone might feel when something that means a lot to you is used by someone else that doesn't share in that meaning. Especially if they attempt to associate with that mean (i.e. wearing a kimono and saying "oh look I'm so Japanese" as opposed to wearing a kimono because form of the garment to be comfortable).
This is much the deal with using war bonnets in your pseudo-noble savage nature-y art photoshoot. Or the Katy Perry thing above.

However, I think people also need to have some perspective that not everyone is doing things from those motivations, and that meanings are not inherent, they are created by humans, and to let your valid outrage over racism, imperialism, and so on, blind you to this truth, you are ultimately aligning yourself with a harmful worldview.

It's real hard for me, for instance, to take someone seriously after they express disgust and rage over a white person wearing their hair in dreadlocks (which are not even exclusive to African cultures in the first place). It's petty, and narrow-minded, and doesn't really have anything to do with the very real problems of racism in the world.

Another one I see is people getting mad about bindis. Which I can understand since in Hindu culture with spiritual significance. But it's only a symbol because people made it that way. If others come along and adopt a decorative forehead dot, having no knowledge of the symbolism and only seeing an aesthetic value, then they need to take a step back and realize that meaning is artificial, no matter how old and vital to their culture it has become, before they get upset. And indeed, the bindi has spread to other Asian cultures nearby without having the same cultural significance, and I guarantee you there are Indian women out there who wear a bindi and are not practicing any traditional religion or care that much for tradition at all... they're not respecting the symbolism, but do they get called out? No, because it's only wrong when it's "appropriation", which usually means it is only wrong when white people do it.

And if you bring such a subject up, especially if you are white, you get called out as a racist,, for daring to call people out on their bigoted, prejudiced attitudes. Which they always justify by talking about how white privilege is an institution (which is right, but they take it too far as if it's the only thing that matters or the only thing that's harmful).
And thus the cycle of ignorance, hatred, and strife continues while people pretend they are being right.


To sum up, I think it's a little bit of column a, little bit of column b, and as per usual with humans, they refuse to set aside their one perspective to get a more complete insight into what's going on.

 

[Ms_Muffintops]

I don't like how people throw around the worst racist or bigot. Those are major insults such as using the words hatred and love. I feel they should be used with caution and consideration. Because there is ignorance, and then we could find a middle ground and use willfully ignorant. I save bigoted for those who have been presented the facts, been proven wrong, yet they still aggressively refuse to accept such information and spout opinions and beliefs against it.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

I don't like how people throw around the worst racist or bigot. Those are major insults such as using the words hatred and love. I feel they should be used with caution and consideration. Because there is ignorance, and then we could find a middle ground and use willfully ignorant. I save bigoted for those who have been presented the facts, been proven wrong, yet they still aggressively refuse to accept such information and spout opinions and beliefs against it.

This is how I feel as well. I keep on hearing these terms thrown around but I feel like the people using them so blithely are just trying to silence people they view as opponents. Racism to me, means judging someone because of the color of their skin. It has nothing to do with stereotypes that are associated with certain races or any of that; it's when you get to the point that someone is not considered on your own level of humanity based on the color of their skin. In a way, saying that I am not worthy to wear cornrows or a surri simply because I'm white, is in fact racist. You don't have to be oppressed to face racial inequality; racism IS the method of oppression.

As for the cultural stuff... I'm an artist and a writer - I think that can go for a lot of people on this forum - and I do not like feeling like my imagination and media of expression can be policed or restricted because of other people's sensitivities. If I make an animated movie with a new race of beings in a fantasy setting with garb that might look like a mixture of African and Native American tribes, it doesn't mean I am trying to connect the two in any way or somehow use their cultures to say something about those cultures. It means I'm taking aspects of things I am familiar with for inspiration. I can do that with anything. I can take inspiration from the people in my real life, people that I know and interact with on a daily basis. Does it mean I'm making fun of them or disrespecting them to include them in my fictional vision? How can it mean that when I use aspects of different cultures for artistic/aesthetic value then?

 

[gelidAtelier]

"Racism" is a word with negative connotations. You do not want to be a racist. You want the other guy to be racist.
Your primary goal in the topic of race is establish that the other guy is racist.
This is why people on one side will highlight anything a white person does that annoys a person of color as 'racist'.
It is also why white people claim "reverse racism" whenever they receive hatred simply for being white.
Are they right? Maybe. But they're not doing it to be right, they're doing it to win.

Just another example of words beings used for "feelings" and not for real communication.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

It is also why white people claim "reverse racism" whenever they receive hatred simply for being white.
Are they right? Maybe.

How about no, not 'maybe'. It is a total yes. If you receive hatred simply for the color of your skin, yes, that is racism. You are being judged based on your skin color which is your race. If a white person claims "reverse racism" when the other person's decisions are not being made based on skin color, THEN they'd be doing it just to "win", just like a black person calling them a racist simply for disagreeing with them. This isn't a gray area.

 

[As Day Fades]

Agreed, no real gray area there. But I do want to clarify one thing.

There is no such thing as 'reverse racism.' This is an ignorant term that has started popping up lately which I find offensive, and hope anyone that considers theirself an intellectual would also stop to think, then open their mouth to others about. The problem is the 'reverse' part. It's only applied when someone is racist toward a white person. That's racism. There's nothing reverse about it. It's subtly implying that only whites are capable of actual racism.

It must take existing in one heck of a bubble for that to be true. According to history books - those facts, such a nuisance! - we've more or less run the gamut in terms of every type of person being walked on by someone else. It's not a white thing, it's a stupid human thing.

 

[gelidAtelier]

It is also why white people claim "reverse racism" whenever they receive hatred simply for being white.
Are they right? Maybe.

How about no, not 'maybe'. It is a total yes. If you receive hatred simply for the color of your skin, yes, that is racism. You are being judged based on your skin color which is your race. If a white person claims "reverse racism" when the other person's decisions are not being made based on skin color, THEN they'd be doing it just to "win", just like a black person calling them a racist simply for disagreeing with them. This isn't a gray area.

Well, some people would have you believe racism only applies when there is a backing of a cultural institution of privilege. Since white people have the privilege then by definition you cannot be racist against them.

Which is really just semantic gymnastics to get out of being ignorant and prejudiced.

Which is why I said... it's more about the "feels" of the word racism rather than determining what is actually causing harm (ignorance and prejudice).

 

[Ms_Muffintops]

So today I was on Tumblr and reading a thread on cultural appropriateness. It was a picture of Lady Gaga wearing a saree with traditional Indian accessories and people were griping about it. Then someone came in and corrected them saying that Indians are actually very open to people embracing their traditional culture which is quite often not even associated with religion.

Then there were some more positive and enlightening comments. And then the last one stated:

"Most cultures are flattered when people wear their clothing, speak their language, etc. It’s just the white people who think its offensive usually!"

Why you gotta go be hypocritical and contradicting by throwing blame and stereotyping on another race? Ugh. Totally ruined the post for me.

 

[gelidAtelier]

A more accurate thing to say that it is usually Americans who think it is offensive.
In almost every conversation on racism and related topics I've come across, no one EVER brings up racism in other countries (except maybe European colonialism or South African apartheid).
But you never see, say, a discussion on issues of racism in Japan against Koreans or Ainu. Or in China, which actually has a ton of ethnic groups.
The one time I did it was talking about Sami from the nordic regions and oppression they face at the hands of the predominant nordic ethnicities. The people in this discussion actually referred to them as "people of color" when in fact Sami are not. It's just... what?
I just don't know.

 

[Ivory11]

Well, I've personally noticed that different cultures on the whole react differently to others imitating their cultures.

Japanese people I've found never really mind others copying or even mocking their culture and are heavily against censorship, South Park, Futurama, the Simpsons, all have openly mocked Japanese culture and the Japanese viewers actually liked it, they liked the light hearted tone of it, and when it comes to participating in Japanese customs, like I did when visiting Kyoto on a brief holiday after graduating highschool, I took part in a traditional japanese festival (kiminos, masks, chanting, games, the whole shebang) and 99.99% of the natives reacted positively to an English speaking white guy trying out their culture and wearing their traditional clothes. and When telling my Japanese friends about some anime I've been watching and the such, their initial reaction before we get into a proper conversation is always positive.

the chinese are quite similar in this way, however their reaction is mostly neutral, an overall reaction of "meh"

Indian/Hindus, when it comes to foreigners copying their culture are more in the "don't make it offensive or we'll get pissed" camp, they don't typically mind when outsiders use it or participate in it, so long as it's done with respect.

Arab/Islamic culture... yeah I've seen enough beheading videos and the such to know that even to mention islamic culture in anything other than mindless praise is essentially a death sentence.

 

[Ivory11]

It is also why white people claim "reverse racism" whenever they receive hatred simply for being white.
Are they right? Maybe.

How about no, not 'maybe'. It is a total yes. If you receive hatred simply for the color of your skin, yes, that is racism. You are being judged based on your skin color which is your race. If a white person claims "reverse racism" when the other person's decisions are not being made based on skin color, THEN they'd be doing it just to "win", just like a black person calling them a racist simply for disagreeing with them. This isn't a gray area.

Well, some people would have you believe racism only applies when there is a backing of a cultural institution of privilege. Since white people have the privilege then by definition you cannot be racist against them.

Which is really just semantic gymnastics to get out of being ignorant and prejudiced.

Which is why I said... it's more about the "feels" of the word racism rather than determining what is actually causing harm (ignorance and prejudice).

that is completely stupid.

racism is hating another race because of their race, simple as that.

and "institutionalized privilige for white people" you say? when why have I time and time again been turned down for jobs simply because some immigrant wants it and they need to fill out "minority (non-white) quotas"?

the fact I'm a white guy is the reason I've been rejected by several places I've been interviewed at despite my glowing recommendations from all my former bosses.

there is no such thing as "institutionalized racism against non-whites" in the western world, the last of those policies was phased out over 2 decades ago and the ones who haven't been thrown out are the obscure ones no-one knows about and aren't enforced in the slightest.

honestly, move to any non-western country without a white majority and tell me that there is no such thing as racism against white people (if you're white)

 

[Cryptic Anomaly]

It's interesting isn't it. They want us to have Multi Cultural societies and a blended humanity and everyone getting along. This means that we will draw influences from each other and even mix cultures to get different variations of themes and even people at times.

But when that happens the Politically Correct boffins scream racism and cultural appropriation, to me it seems that there is a segment of society that thrive on creating division, conflict and offence where there isn't any.

 

[Jolie]

[img=200x360]http://nativeappropriations.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Mens-Indian-Headdress.jpg[/img]

I personally cannot dismiss the cultural appropriation issue as being totally a false issue. But I do believe it can be hard to know where the lines are drawn. Maybe the key lies in the word respect. In a recent Vogue article, Amy Sall wrote these words when she was talking about how to incorporate another culture's style respectfully. I'm comfortable with her approach,

I believe in terms of being respectful, it takes more than just liking something that’s African and trying to wear it. This is their everyday dress and some things signify rituals and traditions, like the birth of a child, a funeral or a marriage. So many elements are codified within these fabrics, dresses, and necklaces. When things are appropriated, they are extracted from that context. It’s important to know what these things mean and who these people are and not just label it as fashion. It’s beautiful, but it’s not fashion, it’s culture, and a representation of individuals and history. People have to be mindful of that and take the time to learn about it.

Another article that talks about cultural appropriation is found at Native Appropriations, But Why Can’t I Wear a Hipster Headdress? or Derick Clifton's article, Five Things White People Need to Know About Cultural Appropriation. I'm not saying I agree with everything said in the above articles. But they do make me think about my fashion choices. Because I do want to be respectful of other people and their feelings. Having said this, I'm going to make my own decisions, but when I move into things like beaded headdresses or more realistically for me, henna at weddings, I'm going to go through that process of thinking about other people and how my choices might make them feel. Then I'm probably going to put on the henna, but maybe not the beaded headdress.

I know a few years ago, the Supreme Court struck down the Stolen Valor Act on free speech grounds. Whether it would be a crime or not, to lie about having earned military honors such as medals, I would be ashamed to dress up as a decorated soldier (and not just because BDU's make me look fat) when I haven't earned that right. In the same way, I'm probably going to avoid donning another culture's spiritual and religious symbols, not because it's racist or wrong or I can't do it, but because I feel best about myself when I go through life respecting other people.

But I'm also not going to judge people who come to a different decision than I've come to on that issue. My approach to the cultural appropriation issue is always going to be personal to myself and fact specific to the particular cultural object or fashion or item or mannerism at issue. But I also don't dismiss the issue of cultural appropriation as being meaningless.

[img=284x189]http://www.nrc.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ANP-25231042.jpg[/img]​

 

[Absinthresher]

I didn't even both reading the rest of this thread after a point because I've already seen enough videos by Sargon of Akkad, TL;DR and a few others to already understand that this is stupid, white-shaming nonsense.

I'm a 24 year old white male who is racist in so far as I fucking hate every single one of y'all to the point where I'd rather eat a bucket of cryonic death than suggest that there might be something good about you (Unless I happen to like you, which is rare). So far as I've seen, society as a whole is become socially retarded with Feminists screaming "MISOGYNY!" at the drop of a hat and anyone who isn't as white as the driven snow screaming "RACIST!" when they don't get their way.

Honestly, the only "Cultural appropriation" that I can't get behind is taking ceremonial items from certain cultures, items which are generally impractical, and using them in day to day life for no other reason than to seem edgy or some shit.

That being said, anyone remember that fruitcake Bonita Tindle and her "righteous outrage" at the young white guy for his wearing dreadlocks which she claims African people invented? Yeah, that's my argument. Cloudcuckoolanders like that getting to say what white people can and cannot wear because their culture 'invented it'. By the by, dreadlocks have been worn by a very large number of other cultures dating far back in history and not just with African people.

Honestly, this seems to be a primarily American problem (Lesser extent, Canadian too) because somewhere along the way, African people have become victims in the country they live in. White people didn't invent slavery, we were just the last people to do it on such a massive scale. I've seen more racist shit from African people in general media (MTV I'm looking at you, you daft cunt) than I've seen from White people since the 1960s.

"Can't be racist because of institutionalized privilege" my ass. Because colored people can't run for congress or be in positions of power EVER. Amirite?

 

[RedRose]

As someone who grew up in Europe, I'm always puzzled at how much has become "not PC" in some countries, from the concept of cultural appropriation, to trigger warnings, to banning raw milk

 

[Star Pupil]

I didn't even both reading the rest of this thread after a point because I've already seen enough videos by Sargon of Akkad, TL;DR and a few others to already understand that this is stupid, white-shaming nonsense.

I'm a 24 year old white male who is racist in so far as I fucking hate every single one of y'all to the point where I'd rather eat a bucket of cryonic death than suggest that there might be something good about you (Unless I happen to like you, which is rare). So far as I've seen, society as a whole is become socially retarded with Feminists screaming "MISOGYNY!" at the drop of a hat and anyone who isn't as white as the driven snow screaming "RACIST!" when they don't get their way.

Honestly, the only "Cultural appropriation" that I can't get behind is taking ceremonial items from certain cultures, items which are generally impractical, and using them in day to day life for no other reason than to seem edgy or some shit.

That being said, anyone remember that fruitcake Bonita Tindle and her "righteous outrage" at the young white guy for his wearing dreadlocks which she claims African people invented? Yeah, that's my argument. Cloudcuckoolanders like that getting to say what white people can and cannot wear because their culture 'invented it'. By the by, dreadlocks have been worn by a very large number of other cultures dating far back in history and not just with African people.

Honestly, this seems to be a primarily American problem (Lesser extent, Canadian too) because somewhere along the way, African people have become victims in the country they live in. White people didn't invent slavery, we were just the last people to do it on such a massive scale. I've seen more racist shit from African people in general media (MTV I'm looking at you, you daft cunt) than I've seen from White people since the 1960s.

"Can't be racist because of institutionalized privilege" my ass. Because colored people can't run for congress or be in positions of power EVER. Amirite?

Are you talking about people from Africa or Black Americans?

Regardless, talking about us all together is basically the same thing the SJWs do about Cis white males. If you don't like it, probably shouldn't do it to another group of people either. I could care less what other people do or wear. I know it's a surprise, but one person does not speak for all of us. My entire opinion on the matter was basically "Yeah, wearing dreads is bad because it looks bad on everyone."

I and many others were fortunately raised to not victimize ourselves the entire way of our lives. I was taught that things will be harder for me because I am a black woman in this country, but never that I couldn't succeed. White cis gender privilege may not exist, but ignorance certainly does and ignorance has no color. Like it or not, straight white males are in more favorable positions from the moment they are born, and now that you have tasted the tiniest bit of prejudice from non straight, white males, you are enraged about it.

My first encounter with actual racism was at 9 years old. I was sitting out in my driveway with my father while we were having a yard sale and a truck of white males rolled down their window and shouted "NIGGERS" as loud as possible as they drove away.

Do I think all white people are racist because that happened to me? No. Unless you have specifically said or done something racist, such as speaking derogatorily against another group, the worst you can be is ignorant. I agree that racist is a term that is over used when 80 percent of the time people are just being stupid and not realizing the significance of their words, actions, or beliefs because they have never been in another persons shoes.

This includes when white people call blacks racist. A lot are ignorant, but not racist.

 

[czybysco]

I am a straight white male. I often hear I cannot say or do ______ because of my skin color, gender or sexuality. Is that not how we define racism/sexism? I'm not saying the world is the exact same for me as it is for all others, nor that it should be. Nor that I have some latent desire to go blackface or what have you. There's certainly lines you can cross that go into being disrespectful. But this hypersensitivity nonsense can kiss my black ass(which is a fun saying that's come out of African-American culture, I don't care what skin color you are ).

I'm not familiar with the aforementioned performance other than that it happened and that some people were butthurt, nor am I familiar with Katy Perry in any more than a passing sense. But when I look at that first picture I don't see anything offensive. I see something gorgeous. As tolerant as I am, one thing I don't tolerate is people just jumping to conclusions - how is it insulting that she acknowledged that this culture exists, and even though she's white she thinks it's pretty and artistic and wanted to highlight it on a worldwide stage? Please. If you want to be offended, Asian people, go back to the WWII bucktoothed caricatures that at least justify a discomfort.

I love St.Patrick's Day. Not only do I love being Irish but I love the slogan of 'Everybody is Irish on St.Patrick's Day!' because it's not about 'this is my culture, you stay on your side of the line.' It's about celebrating the most enjoyable aspects of a people, and it doesn't matter what skin color you are, or who your parents happen to be. You're invited.

Yeah I know. You are horribly oppressed because your a white guy. You have norms being enforced on you that don't always make sense.

It's enough to make me want to pull a 'Rodney King' on a bunch of black guys. I'd go find one if any lived in my neighborhood.

Seriously guys, get over yourselves. I think some of the cultural appropriation is stupid... but its no less stupid then what is being said here.

You guys are not being horribly oppressed. If people said stuff like this ten times more often, you still wouldn't be horribly oppressed. You guys sound like you really think your being oppressed... its idiocy.

You want to know what oppression is right now?

http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/black-americans-are-killed-at-12-times-the-rate-of-people-in-other-developed-countries/

That is a scientifically based study of how black americans are less safe then most people in developing countries. Mostly, it's because every time a cop sees an object in a black man's hand, they just assume its a gun. And since he's black, they know if a shooting occurs, it will almost automatically be ruled justifiable, even if the black guy is 12 years old. That happened.

That is real. That is today. That is oppression.

Stop whining.