Buried in the comments of a thread I started was this: If you dont like other people celebrating your culture then why are you in a country where we have the freedom to celebrate as we want? Why are you in a country where we were founded and contain many different cultures and religions? I bet this will piss you off. I plan on learning to celebrate Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Ive always been interested in other religious practices... Doesnt mean Im stealing them, doesnt make it wrong. If fact it makes me open minded. But we can have that. We can have cross culture understanding cause then racism might die _________________________________________________ *sigh* I have to breathe sometimes before I absorb and project. Id rather respond than react. Lets break this out: _________________________________________________ If you dont like other people celebrating your culture... I LOVE people celebrating my culture. What I LOATHE is people stealing it, relabeling and pretending that that act of theft and appropriation is something I should be grateful for. _________________________________________________ ...why are you in a country where we have the freedom to celebrate as we want? Wow. Im going to try and stem the ringing in my ears of Go back to Africa because the poster didnt explicitly say that, and answer this question. Because my ancestors were brought here. They toiled over this land a built this economy. They fought, bled and died for those freedoms perhaps more than any other single cultural group that makes up America. Im here because dammit we belong here. We are not just a part of this fabric we make it. _________________________________________________ Why are you in a country where we were founded and contain many different cultures and religions? SEE ABOVE. _________________________________________________ I bet this will piss you off. I plan on learning to celebrate Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Ive always been interested in other religious practices... Though you seem to delight in the idea of pissing me off (and you shouldnt. Its not that hard to do) your assertion does not in fact, piss me off. Heres why: You plan to LEARN how to celebrate these holidays. Good for you! You will learn a LOT trying to observe Kwanzaa. You wont like a lot of what you learn. But if youre earnest youll learn! Hanukkah, sadly, has become very commercialized (as I understand it from my Jewish friends) and didnt used to be a major observance- until the commercialization of Christmas made it kind of a social necessity- for this kids-Im told. But yeah, Kwanzaa? Go nuts! _________________________________________________ ...Doesnt mean Im stealing them, doesnt make it wrong. If fact it makes me open minded. I applaud your ability to celebrate your open-mindedness just moments after asking for my papers. I also am intrigued by the irony of applauding your choice to participate in rather than observe and understand as open-minded? Did it ever occur to you that some people want to keep their communities practices insulated from the infiltration of others because it dilutes them? That theres something more sacred than your curiosity? I am fascinated by the Amish but I dont play Amish to placate that facination. I engage them when theyre willing in an open conversations. If theyll entertain my questions I ask them. I go to Shabbat at my friends houses on invitation and I observe their customs as per their customs. (admittedly, I am the only one who can work the lights so, theres that) But I dont insert myself into other peoples observances and pat myself on the back for being open-minded. _________________________________________________ But we can have that. We can have cross culture understanding cause then racism might die Here we agree. In part. When we have cross-cultural UNDERSTANDING racism MIGHT die. But theres two problems. Culture theft of the kind I and some of my fellow posters have been railing against is not cultural understanding. It really is cultural colonialism. Its settlers taking something they like that was there before they found it and making it their own and sticking a flag in it and eventually making it impossible for the original people who had that thing/place/artifact of cultural to participate in the new version or hold on to the old- there is no UNDERSTANDING there. Secondly just because we understand one another doesnt mean well like or respect one another. Thats where the theft again, complicates this issue. If I understand what it means to you and take it as my own anyway Im not ending racism – Im perpetuating it. Because Im exercising cultural dominance over you. _________________________________________________ And lets clear up Racism while were at it because other comments suggest that youre struggling with what Racism is. Racism is about power and superiority. Its about setting aside a group other than your own based on skin color and distinguishing them as inferior to your group. This distinction manifests itself in power dynamics wherein the superior group exerts control over the lives and well-being of theinferior group In the absence of power and dominance no group can be Racist. They can have prejudices. They can be bigoted but they dont get the odious privilege of being Racist. _________________________________________________ This is all I can say on this matter for right now. I leave it to the rest of my allies to continue this conversation - RESPECTFULLY. (lets not beat up on people, ok?)
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 15:48:43 +0000
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