April Blog
When I began “the Upsidedownness of the world as it unfolds” and “Out on Mainstreet” I was anticipating a set of rather mundane short stories. Possibly it’s just the burnout of year’s end, or the bitterness of turning my back on the glorious weather, or maybe Dogeaters just frustrated the bejesus out of me because I felt rushed through it and couldn’t devote the kind of time and care to it that I wanted to. Or maybe I’m just whiney. Anyway, I expected both of these short stories to be less than pleasurable and was pleasantly surprised that they brought new issues to the table, new turns on old ideas and new subtleties to well worn theories. I will give due warning that this blog is blunt as a spoon, because this is a topic that I can’t bring myself to be delicate about.
“Upsidedownness” inspired the sweet, hot vindication of being told that I am not alone in being violently annoyed by those who appropriate culture—those who wrap themselves an ethnicity not their own for the sake of having an ethnicity, since apparently “white” isn’t ethnic enough. (I say ethnicity very consciously because I don’t believe that such people are attempting to adopt the personal experiences/common history of a people, but rather are aping the prettiest parts of it in what they feel is a genuine way, which it may or may not be.)
This issue begs the question of what people who are interested in another culture should do. Is it preferable that “white” folk not look at other cultures at all and stay hermetically sealed (an impossible feat, anthropologically speaking) in their “own” culture? Should any appropriation of custom from one culture to another be seen as immoral aping of something they don’t understand (shit, does this mean I have to give up my pasta and breakfast burritos?) Or is the goal cultural fusion, in which everyone can take a little bit from every culture (respectfully of course, and with the best of intentions) to enrich “their own” culture or even to create one big fusion culture.
When it comes to the readings we’ve done, I see only criticism and little to no solution in regards to race relations. If a “white” person is curious about another culture, they may read about it and do all the “objective” research that is out there. They will be met with annoyance and contempt for being an “armchair expert” and not really knowing the culture. So then they immerse themselves in the culture for a decade or few, develop a place in the community, learn the histories of the land and people. Still this is met with contempt by peers of their and other races when they return to their country of birth—others will say that they are apeing another culture, disrespectfully appropriating something that isn’t theirs. God forbid that they bring some physical manifestations of their cross cultural experience back with them and dare to show them in public, for then they would be accused of commoditizing and commercializing another culture, especially if what they wear/have/eat/worship spreads to other people who have not been immersed in another culture
I see the truth in each side of this situation—I was nauseated by the descriptions of Meghan and Virginia gaily Hari Krishnaing in full blown saris and (oh get me a bucket) the intrasentential code switching from Hindi to English…and they’re Anglo Canadian! At the same time, I’ve had the experience of seeing a friend born and raised in rural Thailand (until he left for college in the US) who just happens to be blonde and blue eyed get bitched out for being a “poser” by another guy (phenotype Asian) whose family left Thailand three generations ago and hasn’t ever been there (the attack was prompted by the fact that my Caucasian Thai friend is Buddhist and ordered at a Thai restaurant in Thai.)
Maybe I am missing the glorious solution that only strikes those who have had at least 5 race studies courses, or who are simply brighter than I.
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Well as someone who has had at least 5 race studies courses (lie), I guess I will attempt to answer this. For me personally at least, I think the problem lies in the power dynamics and hierarchies in the world. There are many problems that lie within white appropriation of other cultures. As you mentioned before, there often is this idea that they can pick and choose their favorite parts and then celebrate/participate within that, and yet they have the privilege to ignore and not carry the weight of the struggles and oppression of this same culture. When people appropriate Japanese culture (this weird obsession I see among white people of anime, jpop, kanji tattoos, etc), are they also taking on the burden of internment, racist immigrant policies, the impact of US imperialism, etc? No, I really doubt it (although I’m sure you could find an exception, as with everything). White fetishization, exotification, and appropriation of cultures not their own is also dangerous in that often they gain this sense of ownership in that they may accumulate so much knowledge that they see themselves as some sort of ‘cultural authority’. By thus appropriating the voice of the people, they not only present a very distorted view of the culture, one from their own white privileged stance, but they will then skew the actual issues of the culture.
Finally, I see this as dangerous even in the case of your friend, simply for historical reasons. Regardless if a person grew up there, I think due to the legacy of colonialism, imperialism, and other forms /ideologies of oppression and domination, there thusly lies this inherent tension in which this ‘lived experience’ often simply further adds to the white person’s incredibly privileged position. Obviously, your friend shouldn’t be castigated for having a religion and speak a language of another culture simply because he grew up there. But problems could arise if your friend identifies so much with the Thai culture that he takes their entire culture as his own, while still benefiting from the privilege that goes with white skin. There is a difference between being an ally and appreciating/being very acquainted with another culture while recognizing their own privilege and position in the hierarchy (and hopefully working towards a change, just saying), and simply taking on this culture as their own without recognizing the implications behind this action.
However, I would like to reiterate that people shouldn’t be so quick to judge and condemn. At the same time, when people are still living under the legacy of historic racism and oppression, the instinct to condemn people who they see as appropriating their culture (often without appropriating the oppression and also taking away power in some form) is something that I understand. Basically, there needs to be more awareness and understanding on both sides, in my opinion.
Again, this is all a product of my own ideas, and I am not speaking for anyone/any culture/people of color, etc.
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