enchanted-wind replied to your post: A Question about Cultural Appropriation
i think as long as you are respectful and your intentions are to honor that culture, while making it part of your path - THAT IS GREAT! i just think people are too touchy about this subject to be honest!
There are some who do jump down people's throats over comparatively small things, it's true, but overall, I don't think it's as cut-and-dry as that.
The problem seems to be that many people set out with the best of intentions, but still manage to do things wrong, and wind up cherry-picking what they like from other cultures and traditions without really understanding the whole story. Mind you, there are some instances, when I feel like I'm being told "You can't do this because we did it first and for longer and therefore NO ONE ELSE IS ALLOWED TO EVER EVER EVER BECAUSE WE SAID SO" though I know that is absolutely NOT what is meant.
I think what's meant is "This is what we believe, we've believed it for a long time, and we're sick of people who don't understand WHO we are and WHY we believe this coming along and misappropriating the parts they like and turning it into something that's convenient or flashy in an effort to seem deep or because they think it's 'neat' or because it's suddenly popular."
I know how I would feel if I'd been living a certain way for a long time, for personal and spiritual reasons, and then someone decided, "Hey, that looks like fun!" and started doing a superficial job at copying that lifestyle and encouraging others to do so. I can see how that would quickly spin out of control. I know how angry I would be, and how quick I would be to snap at someone who told me I was "being too sensitive."
Respect is of utmost importance, and I firmly believe part of that respect is not telling people whose beliefs have been stolen and haphazardly copied that they're "being too sensitive."
