Sadly, kids are with their dad this year. We are going out for Indian food. So many things you could make of that on this thread. But sometimes Indian food is just Indian food:)
Is Chicago deep-dish pizza still Italian?
I read an article a few months ago about an Indian woman who did yoga in India and when she traveled to the US to do it. The woman spoke of how in India it is not a new craze or fad. People do not dress in certain clothes deemed only for yoga but come as they are. She sat in a room of Americans who didn’t know of the words they were saying and why they were saying them or its origins.
I can’t speak for anyone else’s culture nor can I call this claim ridiculous. Perhaps to people who read this it is ridiculous, but how would you feel if someone to the culture out of your cultural practice (and to Americans no beer or food or blue jeans is the same nor is hair color seeing that blonde hair can be natural for whites, blacks, mexicans, costa ricans, etc) or practiced it and had no idea of its significance? It’s like henna. How many people do you see use henna (and yes I’m aware that African cultures use it too) and not know what it is for? Instead they use it because it’s “cool” and looks pretty.
It is true that the world shares culture but you have to admit that somethings aren’t meant to be shared. For example should a non-Jewish person practice Hanukkah? Should a white woman who doesn’t practice Islam wear hijab? Whether yoga is held to that same standard is not up to me.
Yoga is now very popular. People use it for exercise, spirituality, and relaxation. I do firmly believe that people teaching yoga should also teach the history of it because it is not a practice without meaning.
If that is all the “culture” you think we have, then that in and of itself is the problem. We are more than blue jeans and blonde hair. Those are simply pointing out how taking to the extreme is silly.
This country is nothing BUT cultural appropriation from all the cultures that land here. This is fundamentally different from the country of origin for an immigrant. They know this, or should, when they get here. Perhaps that is the piece you are missing. We are an immigrant country. We mix cultures freely. It is who we are. If that is not for someone, then this is not the right place for them, whether they object to the appropriation of yoga, or simply object to immigrants changing the status quo.
It’s who we are. Madonna gets to practice Kabbala and wear big crosses. Kids can get henna hand tattoos. People can change their hair color, texture and even hair itself. They can chant words they don’t know. They can collect things as wall art that are considered sacred objects elsewhere in the world. They can stand on campus and yell at Jewish students that Isreal is racist. Or Woodrow Wilson, or yoga, or fill in the blank.
We have a free society. You can do or say most things you want. But people need to be careful. Yelling about non-important issues drowns out the folks who are trying to have very important issues be heard.
But in fact, as a Bangladeshi friend of mone told me, Harrison was revered in Bangladesh for his activism on their behalf and his work with Ravi Shankar. Concert for Bangladesh, etc. She said you would see his picture here and there, the same way some households in Ireland had pictures of JFK. Silly people don’t know that they ought to be aggrieved.
And while we’re at it, what’s with Suzuki? How dare he appropriate European music traditions and instruments?
Some people seem to be under the impression that yoga only became known or popular in the US in the last 10 or 15 years or so. I remember people doing yoga when I was in college, in the early 70s, and it didn’t start then. My mother has been doing yoga stretches for 40 years.
I can remember my mother doing yoga in the morning when I was a child. If she was late finishing up, when we all came down for breakfast she would be standing on her head. As little kids we thought that was hilarious and would try to imitate her. My dad didn’t know what to make of it all and would jut shake his head!
“Perhaps to people who read this it is ridiculous, but how would you feel if someone to the culture out of your cultural practice (and to Americans no beer or food or blue jeans is the same nor is hair color seeing that blonde hair can be natural for whites, blacks, mexicans, costa ricans, etc) or practiced it and had no idea of its significance? It’s like henna. How many people do you see use henna (and yes I’m aware that African cultures use it too) and not know what it is for? Instead they use it because it’s “cool” and looks pretty.”
how would I feel? Fine wth me, I’m not the culture police. i don’t think we need identity cards to tell us what foods, hairstyles, traditions, music we are approved or unapproved for. I get to listen to Motown and eat sushi and practice yoga all I like.
@HRSMom I used those as examples because as an American it’s what I see people saying all the time and have seen in this thread. We have a free society but that doesn’t justify a lot of things. Saying we’re a free society in this time is an excuse. Should we use free speech and such as a justification for someone being racist? You sound exactly like those people who say if you have a problem with America then don’t come here in all honesty. America is a melting pot but it doesn’t justify all cultural appropriation.
But who decides what is justified? If people cook risotto or polenta and they are not Italian is that ok? Because my Italian grandfather cooked those foods all of the time. If I like listening to R & B (I do), is that wrong?
Racist/hate speech and actions are wrong. But not just adopting something from another culture.
Chopin, the alternative is that we all stay in tribal boxes. Segregated. Can’t eat sushi til you prove you’re Japanese. Can’t listen to Stevie Wonder unless you’re black. Can’t eat pecan pie unless you’re Southern. Can’t act in a Shakespeare play unless you’re British. Who decides what everyone 's approved culture is and how many drops of blood you have to have to participate?
@Chopinspiano you are just thinking too simplistically. Yes, racists get to say whatever they want. Yes, in this day and age. It’s free speech. Can people pressure them to stop? Yes. But we can’t make it illegal in and of itself. If we do, who judges what is bad enough to be illegal? What if you don’t like something, but suddenly speaking out is illegal?
Also, sounding like one of “those people”? Again, very simplistic thinking. If someone does NOT want to live free, to share a society and have freedoms of speech and worship, then yes, they probably should not come here bc that is what the US strives to be. I don’t think there is anything wrong with saying it.
We have plenty of problems that are real and take priority over pettiness like yoga appropriation. And many of those problems are race related and culturally related. If you choose to waste your moral indignation on yoga, so be it. I think people here are saying we should be focused on our real issues.
sigh All I’m saying is learn the meaning of it and that doesnt include food and the fine arts. Yoga isn’t equivalent to that and nor did I say it is cultural appropriation. The more practices like that are globalized the more it leads to losing its meaning. Henna. Yoga. Jewish holidays. Hijab. They have meaning for millions of people, things like that should be taught with meaning and not just recreationally is what I am trying to say.
If every aspect of all cultures were shared, many significant practices would lose meaning. Though we can write stuff down and keep them online or in books, it just doesn’t seem the same to me.
@Chopinspiano, you are aware that women of many cultures have been using henna rinses in their hair for millennia, right? It’s not a substance that magically belongs to one group. Women of many cultures have been adorning their bodies with paints of all kinds, too. People pick up whatever is handy to wherever they live to do these things. They also make liquor out of whatever grows where they live. Sometimes it is used ceremonially.
I think it’s hard to come up with analogies for white Americans because a lot of the reason why some people are against cultural appropriation has to do with the fact that people are minorities and the baggage that comes with it. Immigrants are under a lot of pressure to become more Americanized, and to join the melting pot. And historical treatment of black people and Native Americans in the US has been such that many of their cultural practices have been lost forever. So people can be sensitive to the idea that they are losing their culture - not only are they forced to be more Americanized, but now everyone gets to take part in the activities they are not allowed to take part in themselves. Obviously this an emotional response and it’s maybe not entirely justified to take action upon it, but I think the feeling is valid.
@Consolation I should’ve clarified. I was referring to henna tattoos though it was a poor example on my part since it’s used in many cultures. I should’ve used a more specific example. That’s what I get for trying to be reasonable while Black Friday shopping.
Understood Chopin. You are looking at more religious, spiritual and meaningful items. Perhaps people must just try and educate others about this up front. I just don’t think you can carve out off limits areas. Trust me, if we could, I’d carve out things too. And if we could shut people up, I’m sure we all would have a few folks we’d like to see zip it (his name rhymes the rump).
I agree @warbrain
"The more practices like that are globalized the more it leads to losing its meaning. Henna. Yoga. Jewish holidays. Hijab. They have meaning for millions of people, "
The meaning that it has to those people is not impacted by the presence of others who do it for “superficial” reasons.
Part of a free society is that I can choose to do something and assign my own meaning to it.
Btw, most of us in the U.S. (Self included) are “mutts.” I’ve got some German, Irish, Polish, Latvian and probably some other things are combined. My H has Hungarian, Ukrainian and god knows what else. I don’t have any “traditional foods” or practices from “my culture,”. I make it up as I go along. There’s no one uniform white culture, you know. I have nothing in common culturally with a lot of white fundamentalist Southerners, just because we’re all white.
Hard to hate this 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL2B6qv0m2I