My interpretation, as of now, is that the power dynamics of me being a white dude mean I racially carry some stigma of being “a conqueror” and therefore me integrating culture of “the conquered” as my own affirms my "conqueror" status. That’s my understanding. But my actual gut feeling, aligned to my moral compass, is that loving and appreciating something is not deprecating of its origins, but celebratory. Conversely, it seems bizarre to me to segregate culture, literally the color of our entire species, into camps. I feel all culture should be archived and documented and remembered and shared, and appreciated as part of the great work of our species. That we should keep it all in little racially defined display cases and shame each other for wanting to touch it seems like doing the thing itself a disservice. Who really stands to benefit here?
Can't speak to Norwegian culture, but in America there is a distinct privilege and cultural flexibility that is often taken advantage of by white men and women when it comes to co-opting non-white cultural/racial traditions and I think that carries with it a responsibility to be extremely careful when it comes to participation in cultural rites/events. I would not consider cooking to be on the level of donning Día de Muertos kitsch that's sold in supermarkets, which brings up a thornier issue: people's cultures are sold everywhere, so naturally it would appear to be pretty ethical to buy something that is marketed and sold to everyone in a public area. I, personally, would not buy decorations featuring Día de Muertos decor for my space because I don't feel I have the right to exhibit or decorate my life in someone else's culture. That's not to say that everyone with Mexican heritage would be offended by my doing so, but it's a personal choice to try to live in such a way that respects cultures I'm not an active participant in or descended from to the best of my ability.
I don't feel this has ever burdened my ability to admire cultural rites from afar or learn about them. It's unfortunate that threads like this take such a steely tone in a lot of the comments because I don't think it's that hard to take a step back, admire a culture that belongs to someone else, and understand that lack of possession or ownership on your part of those rites, traditions, decor, whatever, is probably the least you can do in a country actively guided by white supremacy for the most part. I am, of course, speaking from an American experience.
As far as the difference between decor and cooking, I've not personally ever read any activism or anti-colonial writings about how inspired cooking is the same as cultural thievery, but I suppose everyone draws their line somewhere. I'm not that great of a cook, so when I buy Trader Joe's pre-made curry sauces I imagine it would probably insult someone with an Indian heritage on a sheer aesthetic and taste level, but I doubt they'd consider my poor cooking skills to be on the level of, say, wearing a bindi. But, I could be wrong! I'd certainly be willing to listen if so and I think that's all people can ask for.
Log in to comment