> On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity.
Given that tech is especially linked to universities and the West Coast, it is especially affected by ideologies that should never have escaped universities and the West Coast.
A bit of an anecdote but personally I never hear anyone talking about this unless they're talking about how dumb the whole concept is. I don't think people complaining about cultural appropriation are actually a problem.
Anecdotal, but I literally went from reading this message to looking down at my phone where one of my friends was re-posting (in support of) someone complaining on twitter: "Stop stealing from $ETHNIC_MERCHANTS! It's not just a cute top, it's a culture!"
>I don't think people complaining about cultural appropriation are actually a problem.
The people protesting the "Kimono Wednesdays" event at the Boston Art Museum because they considered Westerners wearing kimonos to be "orientalism" and "cultural appropriation" were a problem for the actual Japanese companies that were trying to spread awareness of Japanese culture in the West and actually maybe try to make kimonos marketable as fashion in the West.
Cultural appropriation does exist and it can be damaging, but one form of cultural appropriation that often gets overlooked is taking offense on behalf of another culture, without actually having any understanding of that culture or its position on the matter.
Tamara Eagle Bull: Stop Appropriating My Culture. Use of Native American symbols, knowledge, and practices pervades the building, entertainment, and media industries. Here's why it needs to stop. -- https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/tamara-eagle-bull...
As with so many things these days, the internet gives people the ability to speak to millions of other people. The idiots and extremists seem to garner more attention, and therefore, generate ad revenue; so they have an even louder voice. I don't think there are actually more idiots and extremists, but merely that the few that exist can get together and try to indoctrinate others into whatever bent world-view they have.
He says while typing in the comment section ...
I should also add that I remember seeing some poll of Americans and this sort of "political correctness" or whatever you wish to call it, was the primary reason people said they voted for Donald Trump. Nothing official, some news station or something, but still. It's not harmless.
Just a cursory look over history and you see how many cultural things are traded and etc. It seems untenable for folks to claim a thing, let alone figure out who then gets to claim it considering the vaugnesses of race and backgrounds.
I also worry that the effort to clam ownership or whatever we want to call it actually just creates more isolation.
A local educational institution used a local native american symbol for a long time. It was always done respectfully (no weird chanting or anything). One tribe even regularly sent drummers and dancers to open sporting events. It was a really cool thing to see / be a part of, everyone had a great time in a community that didn't have much in the way of connections between the tribal entities and etc.
But it was decided that the local tribes should vote on if it should continue or not. One tribe overwhelmingly voted yes. Another tribe due to tribal politics chose not to vote. So out went the tradition, away went what was one of the few connections between the reservations and non reservations. I think it was a great loss.
I don't know that I buy the symbol created connections.
You could just as easily continue the traditions without the symbol, unless it was the entirety of the traditions themselves that was voted out?
I mean, I agree with your overall point, I just don't think any specific symbol is really that important, well outside of a few notable exceptions.
To me it's like saying the fact that I can't display the word "Hello", which is itself a form of symbolism, is somehow going to destroy the community. If the community is destroyed, it wasn't the symbol, or lack thereof, that did it.
Crybullies just want to control, harass and abuse people. Other people give them power when they don't tell them to "just fuck off." Don't give them power and don't let them into positions of power, and then they won't be ruining the world because their own lives are so small and miserable.
As with so many things these days, the internet gives people the ability to speak to millions of other people. The idiots and extremists seem to garner more attention, and therefore, generate ad revenue; so they have an even louder voice. I don't think there are actually more idiots and extremists, but merely that the few that exist can get together and try to indoctrinate others into whatever bent world-view they have.
It's sad but not unexpected that Shriver would decide to run with right-wing talking points and wilfully misrepresent ideas put forward by PoC.
These ideas are intended to return some degree of agency and power to those don't really have it in our current socio-cultural landscape - rather than treating them seriously, Shriver seems to see them as a challenge to her 'authority' to do whatever she likes as an author.
(And when I say 'do what she likes' I'm not talking about free speech - I mean more that as a writer you have a level of responsibility to think about the things you're (re)presenting in your work.)
19 comments
[ 4.2 ms ] story [ 55.4 ms ] thread> On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Straight from your message to that one.
The people protesting the "Kimono Wednesdays" event at the Boston Art Museum because they considered Westerners wearing kimonos to be "orientalism" and "cultural appropriation" were a problem for the actual Japanese companies that were trying to spread awareness of Japanese culture in the West and actually maybe try to make kimonos marketable as fashion in the West.
Cultural appropriation does exist and it can be damaging, but one form of cultural appropriation that often gets overlooked is taking offense on behalf of another culture, without actually having any understanding of that culture or its position on the matter.
Cultural appropriation of Māori traditions is an exercise in entitlement and privilege -- https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/04/cultur...
What makes cultural appropriation different from cultural exchange. Why white models sporting dreadlocks at Marc Jacobs fashion show just isn't OK -- https://www.salon.com/2016/10/01/how-to-explain-cultural-app...
5 things white people need to learn about cultural appropriation -- https://www.dailydot.com/via/5-things-white-people-cultural-...
As a white female rapper mistakes appropriation for artistry, black women remain pushed to the sidelines -- https://www.salon.com/2014/07/15/iggy_azaleas_post_racial_me...
Tamara Eagle Bull: Stop Appropriating My Culture. Use of Native American symbols, knowledge, and practices pervades the building, entertainment, and media industries. Here's why it needs to stop. -- https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/tamara-eagle-bull...
Stop appropriating Native American culture -- https://sundial.csun.edu/60632/opinions/annihilation-of-nati...
Justin Timberlake Dragged Over BET Awards Tweet: ‘Stop Appropriating Our Music and Culture’ -- https://www.thedailybeast.com/justin-timberlake-dragged-over...
6 Ways You Harm Me When You Appropriate Black Culture – And How to Appreciate It Instead -- https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/08/appropriating-black-cul...
The damage of white culture “borrowing” from black culture for fashion trends is unmistakable. -- https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2017/02/how-black-culture-...
5 Ways To Prevent Cultural Appropriation In Fashion Because You Can Appreciate Without Appropriating -- https://www.bustle.com/articles/86089-5-ways-to-prevent-cult...
How to Avoid...
(commented in the wrong place earlier)
I also worry that the effort to clam ownership or whatever we want to call it actually just creates more isolation.
A local educational institution used a local native american symbol for a long time. It was always done respectfully (no weird chanting or anything). One tribe even regularly sent drummers and dancers to open sporting events. It was a really cool thing to see / be a part of, everyone had a great time in a community that didn't have much in the way of connections between the tribal entities and etc.
But it was decided that the local tribes should vote on if it should continue or not. One tribe overwhelmingly voted yes. Another tribe due to tribal politics chose not to vote. So out went the tradition, away went what was one of the few connections between the reservations and non reservations. I think it was a great loss.
You could just as easily continue the traditions without the symbol, unless it was the entirety of the traditions themselves that was voted out?
I mean, I agree with your overall point, I just don't think any specific symbol is really that important, well outside of a few notable exceptions.
To me it's like saying the fact that I can't display the word "Hello", which is itself a form of symbolism, is somehow going to destroy the community. If the community is destroyed, it wasn't the symbol, or lack thereof, that did it.
He says while typing in the comment section ...
These ideas are intended to return some degree of agency and power to those don't really have it in our current socio-cultural landscape - rather than treating them seriously, Shriver seems to see them as a challenge to her 'authority' to do whatever she likes as an author.
(And when I say 'do what she likes' I'm not talking about free speech - I mean more that as a writer you have a level of responsibility to think about the things you're (re)presenting in your work.)