tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post5672198473776590348..comments2024-02-26T08:43:47.488-08:00Comments on Domesticated: Cultural Appropriation, Eclecticism and SubculturesThe HouseCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783576090040274742noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post-15001264241490973282012-08-16T13:30:54.199-07:002012-08-16T13:30:54.199-07:00I think it is always cultural appropriation if it ...I think it is always cultural appropriation if it is taking a symbol or item and divorcing it from its proper context, over-writing its use as a cultural signifier, and treating it with a sense of disrespect. I do not think that it is uniformly harmful, and that yes, misapplication of such things Dream Catchers, War Bonnets, and Sweat Lodge Ceremonies are far more harmful than dressing up as a nun; especially as it promotes a glossed-over and romanticised version of Native Americans as a unified culture and even worse as an extinct culture, especially when they are still a people and are still facing hardship from what amounts to a historical invasion of their land. The Catholic church is oft seen as a domineering and corrupt institution worth lampooning, but I think a lot of nuns would be offended by the "naught nun" costumes and the connotations of deliberate blasphemy. Also, what is acceptable in countries where Catholicism is in decline may not be acceptable in certain countries, especially in Europe and South America, where Catholicism is still strongly believed in, also in some countries nuns, and other Christians, are at risk from other religious groups that are dominant in that part of the world. <br /><br />In the end, they are just clothes, but clothes and accessories and symbols and suchlike can have a lot of attachment for some people and a lot of cultural significance, and it is ultimately about being polite and respectful. Which makes all the people who argue over it rudely into people really missing the point. <br /><br />As a Pagan, I feel very upset when I see people who mis-use pentagrams and pentacles, and tie them to things such as animal sacrifice, sexual depravity, and other things very alien from actual Paganism. I also feel very upset when I see people wear them to try and be "spooky" and "edgy". I also dislike it when clueless people wear them and claim to be Pagan, yet spout cliches based on negative stereotypes of our religion. Paganism and Witchcraft are not well-accepted religions/spiritualities, and we face real discrimination, mostly from people who really believe we are fringe-crazies who worship evil, sacrifice things, are sexually depraved and altogether immoral - think of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. People have lost their jobs, their children, even their lives because of a misunderstanding of, and prejudice against our faith, and misappropriating our symbols and using them in ways that reinforce the misunderstanding are very harmful. So it is appropriative, and it is harmful, but not on the same level as when entire peoples have been subjected to acts of genocide. (The witch-hunts were not about us as Witches, they were about unfortunate people labeled by the same evil stereotypes as we are attacked with, but those unfortunate people were rarely actually witches, cunning folk or the like). The HouseCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07783576090040274742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post-16044818390039513192012-08-11T06:57:09.839-07:002012-08-11T06:57:09.839-07:00You are so right! :)You are so right! :)Leenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07318376249141746902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post-42897962284516670082012-08-10T23:56:50.290-07:002012-08-10T23:56:50.290-07:00I really enjoyed this post. I am fascinated by the...I really enjoyed this post. I am fascinated by the different approaches to cultural appropriation, form the opposite extremist beliefs from "Omg, It's just clothes." and those who take protecting their own cultures from being misappropriated to the point of stepping on others.<br />I think it's fascinating to think about gothic fashion as cultural appropriation because in some levels it can be related, but at the same time I know a lot of people that think the amount of oppression received by those peoples should relational to how well represented and stepped around that culture should be. (i.e. "It's not offensive to dress as a catholic nun because they were never oppressed!")<br />Which at firsts seems really silly, but is still something to ponder over anyway. I also think a lot of people would find relating alternative (or even occult) fashion and symbols (respectively) not even comparable to the misapplication of something like Native American war bonnets because they’re not racial or religious minorities. It makes you wonder, what can’t be misappropriated?<br />I could read about this for ages. Loved the post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post-92088543242422808992012-05-16T15:25:11.480-07:002012-05-16T15:25:11.480-07:00On a related note, your post on wearing symbols wa...On a related note, your post on wearing symbols was really interesting :) <br /><br />I'm like that too, especially as some of the symbols I wear have different meanings in different context, for example a triquetra to me is a Pagan symbol of land, sea and sky (and to a lesser extent the Triple Goddess archetype, but I'm not a strict polytheist or even a duotheist), but a triquetra to an Irish Catholic is a symbol of the Holy Trinity.The HouseCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07783576090040274742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post-57339482322949615052012-04-29T09:44:11.329-07:002012-04-29T09:44:11.329-07:00This is exactly why I want to know the history of ...This is exactly why I want to know the history of a symbol before I wear it. There are certain things I do like that I do want, but I at least want to be able to explain why I have it or wear it.Mar Qarollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05284083767197493717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post-63098903148449346072012-04-27T06:34:44.021-07:002012-04-27T06:34:44.021-07:00I see a lot of people who wear tattoos and don'...I see a lot of people who wear tattoos and don't understand that certain symbols and designs have meanings. I see people blithely wearing everything from Maori tribal designs to people who aren't criminals wearing gang and prison tattoos. It amazes me what things people will do without research, especially when it is as permanent as a tattoo.The HouseCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07783576090040274742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post-23370252470650400802012-04-25T04:24:32.608-07:002012-04-25T04:24:32.608-07:00I wonder if Siouxsie wearing the Star of David t-s...I wonder if Siouxsie wearing the Star of David t-shirt so frequently was a reaction to the controversy caused by her wearing a Swastika to shock, even if she did wear it with an oversized cross (might have been a Crucifix, I need to check out some more photos). <br /><br />I get irritated when people wear Pentagrams and Pentacles to shock, implying that those symbols ought to be shocking and with little or no knowledge of Wicca, Witchcraft or modern Paganism, especially when they then tell people it's a sign of being a Satanist (with even less knowledge of what Satanism is like). It adds to the misinformation about our faiths amongst those who genuinely fear the occult and among those who think it nonsense it perpetuates the belief that it is something taken up in order to be oh so spooooky. <br /><br />I think at some point I am going to write a specific post about using religious symbols as fashion statements and my feelings on the matter, with a guide to what a few common symbols mean. I am really surprised when I spot people who don't actually know the difference between a Star of David and a Pentagram, or who go around wearing a Tripple Moon or Baphomet without knowing what either means. No, it's not a pretty moon necklace and a "creepy goat"... <br /><br />I don't think mainstream commercialism is a magpie - magpies only take shiny things. Mainstream commercialism is like a goat, you might just find it chewing up straw hats and underwear off the clothes line (not necessarily eating said underwear, but chewing it up just in case it is edible.)The HouseCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07783576090040274742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post-5809198984216576152012-04-24T20:22:45.847-07:002012-04-24T20:22:45.847-07:00(Note: in line 2, you forgot to code the hyperlink...(Note: in line 2, you forgot to code the hyperlink to Trystan's blog post)<br /><br />Yes, Siouxsie regretted the swastika incident when the attempt to shock mainstream society was lost among the distress caused through wearing the emblem associated with a genocide. Religion is the most vehement critic of the misappropriation of symbols. I once knew someone who was refused service when trying to buy a Rosary in a Cathedral gift shop presumably from the suspicion that it might be used just as jewellery. (If interested, I once told the <a href="http://darklinks.ning.com/xn/detail/2186736:Comment:21871" rel="nofollow"><b>full story in detail</b></a> at Darklinks).<br /><br />Any less emotive examples of cultural appropriation don't bother me very much anymore.<br /><br />Before 1984, Bruce Springsteen was not so very widely known in the UK. If you met another fan you were pleased to have someone with whom you could discuss The Boss's cinematic story-telling lyrics. And then <i>Born in the U.S.A.</i> was released and this special thing that was the-knowing-of-the-Springsteen was gone, he was now a household name. Completely irrational of course - I just hated the idea that a special personal thing was now common currency.<br /><br />This isn't the only time My Things have been ripped-off by the masses so I suppose I've just got used to the idea that society, consumerism, marketing, whatever will eat up, chew and spit out anything its Magpie taste finds fleetingly attractive. I don't care - to me Goth is a state of mind more than it is a group of musical genres, style of fashion or set of symbols. <br /><br />Thanks for the great blog post, most thought provoking and enlightened as ever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406319356659344188.post-74074390474034295092012-04-24T13:04:32.844-07:002012-04-24T13:04:32.844-07:00Totally strongly agree with you on this post.
I...Totally strongly agree with you on this post. <br /> <br />It's something I've been saying for a while, and because I'm pretty heavy into the tattoo culture, all of these young kids walking around with old nautical symbols inked on their chests and shoulders bothers me. Most of them have no clue about the original meaning. The same goes for people who get Mexican Day of the Dead pinups tattooed on them...have some respect and do a little research before you get something because it looks cool.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com