Free yoga class cancelled - is guilty of "cultural appropriation"

[Valmy]

Damn, and here I was thinking that borrowing and cultural cross-fertilization was supposed to be a GOOD thing. Probably every single aspect of our culture has been borrowed from another culture at some point in history.

If there are vague "respect" issues at hand, look at that, not at the phenomenon of cultural borrowing itself.

Yes. I think intent is important here. In a globalized society trying to keep every culture segregated and every cultural element controlled by the Academy is a fools errand anyway. I think establishing some basic rules of etiquette might be useful rather than just flailing around at arbitrary things and subjectively declaring a crime has occurred.

[Valmy]

Interestingly, the radical Hindutva types would agree that this is "cultural appropriation". I doubt the students would agree with many of the other views of the Hindutva types though.

Cool?

Radical nationalists suck and should not be heeded.

[Valmy]

I've made jokes to my yoga-enthusiast friends about how they're guilty of cultural appropriation.  I guess it's no longer a joke.

Who wants to appropriate their dirty ass culture, chock full of rape-rape entitlement, sex-selective abortion, dowry murders and other nifty gender inequalities--especially since you've got your own kindler, gentler misogynistic culture thingy going on, amirite?

[Grey Fox]

Cultural Appropriation is not a particularly useful concept because it is so arbitrary and difficult to define. And of course it brings up the issue of who owns a culture and who doesn't which is equally arbitrary and difficult to define, and whomever this owner is can theoretically give or withdraw permission for "their" culture to be used in such way I presume?

I think this is a fight against tackiness and lack of respect for certain cultural practices and traditions but I think one can claim something is tacky and not authentic without insinuating some kind of atrocity has occurred.

This.  Couldn't the argument be made that most of the francophone Quebecois culture is "cultural appropriation" of French culture?

I don't know, it's more like we appropriate American culture & translate it.

[KRonn]

"People are just looking for a reason to be offended by anything they can find," said Scharf.

Amen sister.

Lol, double Amen on that.     

[Eddie Teach]

I don't know, it's more like we appropriate American culture & translate it.

Impossible. When this appears to be happening, it's due to American cultural imperialism. 

[Malthus]

Personally, I am offended by all of those hipsters, celebrities and others using Yiddish words.  They have a lot of chutzpah.

[Eddie Teach]

You so meshuggeneh.

[Valmy]

I don't know, it's more like we appropriate American culture & translate it.

It is not appropriation to take American culture because we export it and are a gigantic world power. I think. It only applies to minority colonized cultures. But then India today is a gigantic power itself that exports its culture around the world so...as I said it is arbitrary.

[Martinus]

Personally, I am offended by all of those hipsters, celebrities and others using Yiddish words.  They have a lot of chutzpah.

Mazeltov

[Grey Fox]

I don't know, it's more like we appropriate American culture & translate it.

It is not appropriation to take American culture because we export it and are a gigantic world power. I think. It only applies to minority colonized cultures. But then India today is a gigantic power itself that exports its culture around the world so...as I said it is arbitrary.

It is fueled by white guilt.

[Berkut]

This is just another extreme example of the silliness of the narcissistic left.

It is one of the reasons why even more stupid shit like Trumparson have traction.

[Richard Hakluyt]

This is just another extreme example of the silliness of the narcissistic left.

It is one of the reasons why even more stupid shit like Trumparson have traction.

The left is in full narcissisistic mode here in the UK. We have a quite unpleasant government, of dubious competence, and they are getting a free ride due to leftish navel-gazing 

[derspiess]

I've made jokes to my yoga-enthusiast friends about how they're guilty of cultural appropriation.  I guess it's no longer a joke.

Who wants to appropriate their dirty ass culture, chock full of rape-rape entitlement, sex-selective abortion, dowry murders and other nifty gender inequalities--especially since you've got your own kindler, gentler misogynistic culture thingy going on, amirite?

Pretty much.

[lustindarkness]

I don't care about yoga. But this better not affect the popularity of yoga pants.