University yoga class suspended due to 'cultural appropriation' dispute

^^^totally fair since they were colonized.

There’s a highly rated Thai restaurant in DC called “Little Serow.” It is run by a Greek-American guy who fell in love with the cuisine when he visited the area of Thailand it comes from. I wouldn’t consider that to be obnoxious cultural appropriation.

On the other hand, I’ve been offended by “Southern Fried Chicken” that I’ve eaten in some locations that were not in the South. Not because they tried to make Southern Fried Chicken, but because they failed to do so.

^^ exactly.

It is incredibly annoying when one claims to know certain culture but fails to deliver it, say food, clothes, historical knowledge, etc. For example, I would be seriously angry if an American claims to know to make “kimchi” but instead made a cabbage puddled with red pepper flakes

Are we actually talking about offense to the faux Pho and not to the “some lumber sexual guy”…which I was just told is a “thing”!

I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous. Yes, there is a difference in flavor, but to pile on some accusation of cultural appropriation for a meal you make to eat yourself is taking it WAY too seriously. In fact, it is ludicrous.

BTW, the rest of you had better stop taking saunas. The sauna is an important Finnish cultural artifact, and you have NO RIGHT to appropriate it, especially when most of you can’t even pronounce it correctly: SOW-nah, not SAW-nah.

You Italians: no more pasta. We know you stole it from the Chinese. But no one else is allowed to eat pizza. All those Greek pizza places had better close right now. No Europeans are allowed to eat potatoes or corn. North and South Americans: no wheat.

Yeah, right.

Haha. I remember hearing this before, though the truth is the Italians had been making and consuming pasta long before Marco Polo returned from China (from which the myth springs up). But, I like this quote from an [url=http://munchies.vice.com/articles/why-italy-didnt-steal-its-noodles-from-china]article[/url] on the subject which I think fits nicely here.

“Sometimes, the same idea can exist in multiple places without creating any bruises.”

As a Indian Hindu, I’ve never heard anyone from India have a problem with this. Tbh most Indians are actually sort of happy that our culture is finally realized and embraced instead of being lookied down upon. “OM” may have some religious background but it is is also used as a chant of focus and to clear the mind. Anyone who has researched yoga or hinduism would have figured this out. Also isn’t calling it anything else but yoga is more offensive (if anything) bc you’re eliminating the culture completely.
I consider my self to be extremely liberal but in my opinion, this isn’t even liberism, just a bunch of white kids trying o decide things for other races. If I’m mistaken and they were actually Indians who had a problem, I guess I have a outlying opinion but from past obsevation, white people have way more to say about POC issues than the POC that the issues are supposedlly hurting.
I mean this is as rediculous as saying that you can eat chinese food if your not chinese or can speak english if you aren’t from England. By these rules, every single thing that is “American” is “cultural appropriation”.
IMO if you truly were a liberal, you would want cultures to intermingle and share ideas instead of seperating them further.Radical Tumblr posts don’t count as liberal education.
And the idea of Universities needing to be a “safe space” is also ridiculous. No one needs to censor thier ideas for your comfort. Universities should be a free place to speak your mind regardless of how unpopular the opinion is. At that age you should be able to censor things for yourself. No one need to do it for you.
Im sorry this post is a little ranty but this is beyond ridiculous. It’s amazing how extreme radical liberals want the exact opposite of liberty.

tl;dr Yoga is really cool and great for stress management. Indian hindus don’t have a problem with it and niether should you.

An as a German I demand you all lay off the beer. Well, okay…you can have Coors, that’s not beer anyway.

How about the Chinese restaurants owned by Chinese-Americans serving Anericanized versions of Chinese food (ie sweet and sour pork with red gloopy sauce) that wouldn’t be recognized in China? I’ve heard of a man from China who opened an Americsn-Chinese restaurant serving such food in Shanghai for irony’s sake. It is known as American food there. Who’s appropriating whose culture there?

Not to mention fortune cookies!

@lonelymoonlight

What percent of the 1,250,000,000 people in India did you talk to about this?
Are they aware this cultural appropriation is going on?
Are you sure that they would be honest with you about their feelings about this?

Where is your source that 625,000,000 Indians are sort of happy about this? How are so many people aware of the level that their culture is being “realized and embraced” - do they understand the dark side too? Like this heinous cultural appropriation?

[/quote]
Indian hindus don’t have a problem with it and niether should you.

[/quote]

Wait, so now all Indian hindus don’t have a problem with it? What is your source for that?

This is a serious issue and people shouldn’t trivialize it with unsubstantiated statements.

Whoa! Whoa!! So now this is the fault of white people?

I wish you would listen to the wisdom of Martin Luther King (a famous civil rights leader from the U.S.) - particularly about judging people based on the content of their character NOT based on the color of their skin.

So skyovrrme, I really can’t go to yoga class anymore? I need an answer. I would train for a marathon instead, but I’m not Greek.

^^ =))

@skyoverme, I’m sorry, but your inquisition is simply silly. As silly as the idea that non-Hindus doing yoga is “cultural appropriation.”

Can you not see the difference between dressing as “hot Pocohantas” in a Sioux war bonnet at age 20 and having pictures of yourself drinking and doing fake “war dances” plastered on the internet, and a 6 yr old excited to dress up as a Native American girl? Can you not see the completely complimentary and respectful nature of non-Hindus practicing yoga/

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Those interested in this would probably like the documentary “The Search for General Tso,” available on Netflix.

Here’s a little test: you are from Lower Slobbovia, and you go to a new restaurant in New York City. To your amazement, on the menu is the Lower Slobbovian national dish (raw polar bear, prepared Slobbovian-style). You order it, and it bears no resemblance to traditional Slobbovian fare. Your response is:
a) “Well, at least they recognize that Lower Slobbovia exists, and they tried. That’s something.”
b) “It would be OK if they made it properly, but this was all wrong. What an insult to all Slobbovians!”
c) “Nobody but a Slobbovian should even try to make this dish. For anybody else to do so is improper cultural appropriation.”
d) “Hmm. It’s actually better than the traditional preparation.”

And what if you find out that the chef is a fellow Lower Slobbovian?

Maybe not all Lower Slobbovian chefs are good chefs, either.

Hunt, I think the correct choice is :
e) Heinous cultural appropriation

People really need to understand the dark side of Lower Slobbovian cultural appropriation.

Lower Slobbovian culture, like all cultures, was codified hundreds of years ago. No one is ever allowed to influence or make any changes to anything Lower Slobbovian, or to any other culture. That’s why American culture in the year 2015 is pretty much identical to what American culture was in 1915, or 1815 for that matter.

That’s also why, when the British “invaded” America in the 1960’s, we fought such a lengthy battle against it. We did not roll over easy and let those darn Brits influence our music, fashion, hair styles and youth culture, which is why we are all still listening to Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys.

And if you want to talk about truly heinous cultural appropriation, in California there are many heinous attempts being made to appropriate NY style pizza. I’m sick of it. These people have no idea how to make a NY style pizza. It’s just heinous, really. There is no other word for it.