Cultural appropriation and appreciation

Cultural appropriation vs appreciation

Ages ago, somebody suggested a topic to me one I could write an essay or opinion piece about. Frankly, I don’t have opinions on everything. Sometimes I don’t know, and it’s okay to say I don’t know.

I have started writing this at the beginning of Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year). As I’m writing, an anime advert is on in the background. How fitting. From what I understand, it is the Year of the Horse the Fire Horse, to be accurate. Fire is meant to be intense momentum, restlessness, and catalytic change. That feels rather fitting, really. The Horse represents independence, energy, and intelligence; it’s the 7th out of 12 in the zodiac.

The World on Fire

The world feels rather restless at the moment, like change is coming. The old order and what we took for granted is gone. Some within Europe are facing reality; others don’t see things the same way. America’s secret weapon, which is Europe, is being thrown away and ignored. Not just that, but people seem unhappy, wanting change.

I had a chat with somebody at a museum recently who commented, “We’re overcrowded.” That caused me a degree of concern and alarm. It feels wrong and ties into a much deeper anti-immigration idea. Given where we were standing and the book I was reading, it felt weird hearing that like the lessons of the past have been forgotten. The only other time I felt that way was seeing somebody in an EDL hoodie.

I wrote something ages ago that will be coming out soon because I feel it fits this mood. I can’t help but feel liberalism is on the wane. If you look over history, change can be slow but then happen suddenly. We often miss the small things leading up to those moments. It feels like the world is on fire, which is why I’ve gone with the theme of “Madness for March.” I have a sense of dread, really, because I can see things falling into place and the stage being set. I don’t think we’re ready for the conversations that need to happen.

The Naming Game

First, it’s best to start with why we have “Lunar New Year.” Historically, that was partly due to British colonization trying to reduce the Chinese impact. In recent years, it has been used due to displeasure with Chinese foreign policy and its actions within Asia. Hence, the use of “Chinese New Year” will offend some, while “Lunar” can offend others, depending on your company.

But in recent years, the term has been reclaimed, with some in Asia using “Lunar New Year” (or Spring Festival) to be more inclusive. Nations like Vietnam or Korea celebrate this day, too. In many ways, it’s similar to Christmas… well, sort of. Christmas became the main term but includes Pagans and others whose holidays were borrowed to convert people. Yet these days, the winter holiday is rather inclusive. Perhaps I’m totally wrong here.

Appreciation vs. Appropriation

I guess I should talk about the true point of the post. I’m wearing red today—hopefully, by the time I post this, I’ve done my laundry! Why red? I like the item, though I’m probably going to update my wardrobe and get rid of it soon. I am slightly apprehensive that wearing red today might send the wrong meaning, and it’s a bit of a gamble. Considering red is meant to be lucky, that is either very lucky or very unlucky of me.

I appreciate Chinese culture; I love the lanterns and the celebrations. Learning how other cultures do things is fascinating. I have always appreciated and liked Asia; East and West have a long shared history. As power moves eastward, we’re going to see that cultural power rise again. We have exported things both ways: K-pop, for example, or Pokemon. Soft power is underappreciated. One of the biggest mistakes we make at the moment is looking back, not building new art and culture to spread and share.

The Ultimate Share

I don’t want to appropriate things or claim them as my own, but traditions have always blended together. Fusion food is a great example of how culture tries something new as communities mix and match. Cuisine changes to suit local tastes; we seem to enjoy a little bit of everything.

I don’t think we should gatekeep; we should explain things and let people experience them. British Chinese food is an offshoot of Chinese food, and that’s okay. Food is the ultimate cultural share—not theft, but sharing the experience and love. As cuisine goes global, it is a sign of success.

The Conclusion

For anybody curious, this blog post was meant to be something else, but I decided this subject was more fun. It went from the “pile of drafts” to being published because someone suggested it to me. Granted, it is not what they wanted me to do, but I’m feeling independent. Also, I run this blog, so I can do what I want.

Perhaps I have not answered the question or provided the quality people expected, but I think that proves my original point: I don’t always know. In many ways, this style of writing is a callback to when I originally started this blog. Call it madness to go back to my roots, or just the madness that is March after a wet, windy winter. The world seems a bit mad at the moment.