Conservative Historian

Missed Appropriation: No more Tacos, or Tuesday, and Definitely Not Taco Tuesday

November 07, 2022 Bel Aves
Conservative Historian
Missed Appropriation: No more Tacos, or Tuesday, and Definitely Not Taco Tuesday
Show Notes Transcript

We look at Cultural Appropriation, try to define it, and go back to the Norse and the Romans to see where it might exist.  

Missed Appropriation: No more Tacos, or Tuesday, and Definitely Not Taco Tuesday

November 2022

 

Tuesday comes from the Old English tīwesdæg, meaning “Tiu's day.” Tiu was a Germanic god of the sky and war. His equivalent in Norse mythology is Tyr.

 

“A racist notion found in neoshamanic circles is placing high value on indigenous wisdom but not on indigenous people.”
 S. Kelley Harrell, Teen Spirit Guide to Modern Shamanism

 

One of the fads of the left is the concept of appropriation of another’s culture, defined as Cultural Appropriation. Described as “the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from minority cultures. According to critics of the practice, cultural appropriation differs from acculturation, assimilation, or equal cultural exchange in that this appropriation is a form of colonialism.” 

 

Wait what? “When cultural elements are copied from a minority culture by members of a dominant culture, and these elements are used outside of their original cultural context ─ sometimes even against the expressly stated wishes of members of the originating culture – the practice is often received negatively.” I like the members of a culture thing. We have 62 million Latinos within the US. This is by no means a single bloc of people, given the differences ranging from Colombia to Mexico to Puerto Rico to Cuba. So let’s look at just Mexican Americans, or 36 million. If I don a sombrero or host a taco and tequila party, and if any members object, this is cultural appropriation? This is colonialism meaning that I as a Northern European descendent will be colonizing the Mexican culture. And that this will be similar to the United States let’s say, invading the Chihuahua State of Mexico and first, taking their goods and then settling US citizens there, sort of a reverse process to what is happening today in Texas?  Still not really clear.  

 

Greenheart International, self-described as a catalyst for global transformation through the facilitation of cultural exchange programs, eco-fair trade purchasing, personal development opportunities, volunteer service initiatives, and environmental advocacy projects, describes a difference.  It is essential to understand, however, that there is a difference between appreciation and appropriation. Appreciation is when someone seeks to understand and learn about another culture to broaden their perspective and connect with others cross-culturally. Appropriation is simply taking one aspect of a culture that is not your own and using it for your own personal interest. Got it. If I, a non-Hispanic, like El Salvadoran Cuisine I am ok but if I take up El Salvadoran cuisine, I am not an appreciator but rather an appropriator.  Not really certain how I can like it without actually tasting this but thinking that I can only eat it prepared by El Salvadorans but not make it myself, which just so happens to be convenient for El Salvadorans selling their food.  

 

But I think I need more understanding.  Thank god The Atlantic is on hand to provide a primer. In a piece by Jenni Avins and Quartz, here is a list. Blackface is never OK. Got it. Don’t Adopt Sacred Artifacts as Accessories. When Victoria’s Secret sent Karlie Kloss striding down the runway in a fringed suede bikini, turquoise jewelry, and a feathered headdress—essentially a “sexy Indian” costume—many called out the underwear company for insensitivity to Native Americans. And they were right.” I could make a moderately crude joke that, “wait, she was wearing a headdress? I had not noticed,” but that sounds a bit toxically masculine, so I will not go there.

  

Yet our intrepid Atlantic writers confuse their own piece, “In the 21st century, cultural appropriation—like globalization—isn’t just inevitable; it’s potentially positive.” So, it’s a good thing? Two other items from the list do little to clear up my issue. “Remember that culture is fluid” and “engage with other cultures on more than an aesthetic Level. Hmmm. An aesthetic level, but more. Okay. 

 

Here is the NCCJ, founded in 1927 as the National Coalition of Christians and Jews, in response to anti-Catholic sentiment being expressed during Al Smith’s run for the Democratic nomination. They now specialize in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices. We will discuss Mission Creep in another podcast but after Kennedy’s election some 60 years ago, and the fact that most of our Supreme Court, our Speaker of the House and our President is Catholic, thinking they need a new mission but they are swimming in a pretty crowded pool with DEI. The NCCJ defines cultural appropriation as thusly “Cultural Appropriation: “Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g., sacred objects. Appropriation: The act of taking something for one’s own use, typically without the owner’s permission.”

 

I would hate to point out to the earnest folks at NCCJ, but intellectual property is already protected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). IP is not a “cultural” thing but a legal one. Doubt me? Try creating and marketing a toy called Michael Mouse with big black ears and a squeaky voice, and you will soon learn all about IP and what a phalanx of lawyers can do to your once sedate life. I am quite familiar with the USPTO myself. 

 

The other part of NCCJ is more muddle. Who, exactly, gives me permission if I wish to don a war bonnet or cook a dish of Thai cuisine? What if I pay a group of Sioux for approval but the Creek object? Is there some governmentally sanctioned organization? Is the New Bangkok Cultural Association going to come after me for the use of garlic chicken?  

 

I also like the oppressed part. The Irish were oppressed at one time in the nation, so St. Paddy’s day? That is probably on limits. 

 

So instead of these theoretical claims, let’s see how it works in the real world. 

 

This from the rightest New York Post: A professor at a Kansas college who dressed as Michael Jackson for Halloween has come under fire, with some accusing her of cultural appropriation.

Holly O’Neil, who is white, is now also the subject of an investigation by Washburn University, where she works as an associate professor of chemistry and an interim assistant dean. O’Neil dressed as The King of Pop at the English Department’s annual Halloween Party, where she danced to his Halloween classic “Thriller,” according to the Washburn Review.

 

A video of O’Neil dancing was uploaded to Facebook but has since been deleted. 

 

I might argue that it is worse to celebrate a man who more than likely was a pedophile but I am writing this on a plane coming from New York where ole MJ has a musical to himself but I cannot fight fashion.  I would also point out that one of his lyrics was “I am tired of being a color” from his song Black or White.  Among the less salicous details of MJ’s life was that he was literally transforming himself from a black man into something, well, else.  So what exactly was this poor professor appropriating?  

 

This from the leftist Guardian, “The Great British Bake Off has been accused of cultural appropriation after a Mexican-themed episode in which the hosts sported sombreros, shook maracas, and relied on cuisine cliches such as tacos and tequila.

 

The backlash to the episode highlights how the country still has “one of the most misunderstood” cuisines despite a boom in restaurants that sideline burritos and nachos in favor of authentic herbs and vegetables, say, Mexican chefs. “For me, it’s a bit sad to see this kind of thing because, knowing my culture and country, I feel it’s more than just a cactus and a sombrero. But I think that slowly, people are starting to learn more, and I hope people will get more interested in proper Mexican culture and food. That’s something I’m trying to do with my restaurant,” said Adriana Cavita, a chef from near Mexico City who runs Cavita in central London.” Note the “for me” part.  

 

And as a first for the Conservative Historian, we go to Lainey Gossip site; You thought this was boring old crusty history? This podcast goes where historians, and relatively sane people, fear to go! “La La Anthony (no idea dear listener) caused a stir on social media after posting a photo of her in a traditional Caribbean mas costume for Halloween. In an Instagram post, she appeared in stunning purple and silver bodywear with a feathered backpack. While the comments, filled with celebrities like P Valley writer Katori Hall and La La’s bestie Kim Kardashian, all seemed to express fondness over her costume choice, Caribbean people and diaspora members appeared to be at odds over whether this was a case of cultural appropriation. It’s a question I’m having a hard time answering myself. I’ve played mas since the age of 6. In fact, the only year I didn’t play was in 2017, and that’s because I was eight months pregnant. It’s a practice I find so much joy and liberation in, but times have changed, as have the celebrations.” Well, Lainey was not much help.  

 

Because the study of history has been superseded by ethnic or gender studies or quasi-sociology, the latter disguising itself for what it truly is, redistributive ideologies, people do not see the appropriation that is all around us.  

 

My ancestors do not hail from Italy, but that does not stop me from using the name of months that we appropriated from the Romans. Basic Spanish 101 teaches us numbers and educates us that Spanish is a romance language. Hence, we know that Dias derives from the Latin Deca or 10. December, at one point, was the 10th month in the Roman calendar, and you can see the rest, septa meaning seven or September or Octo indicating eight as in October. 

 

Alas, we need to find new month terms. We also need a new name for the Octopus. But is there a power discrepancy between me, descended from Northern European folks to, the Italians? According to the Open Society Foundations blog, “At the time, it was a big story. A local police chief had been killed, and nine immigrants rounded up. The newspapers denounced the suspects as “lazy beggars” and “violent criminals.” Amid the public outrage, a frenzied mob broke into the prison, found 11 members of the same ethnic minority as the alleged perpetrators, and lynched them all. All the victims were Italian. The year was 1891, the place was New Orleans, and the United States was in the grip of a wave of vicious racism directed at a newly arrived wave of immigrants from Italy. In a sign of the depth of the hostility, a New York Times editorial praised the lynching as a warning to other Italian “criminals”; Theodore Roosevelt, later to become president, described it as a “rather good thing.” This sounds victim to me.  Months are gone along with me making any Pasta unless those mysteriously and ambiguous permission granters give me their leave.  

 

Okay, but what about my fellow Northern Europeans? However, my ancestors did not hail from Scandinavia, so there were more issues. Swedes were labeled in a piece by Roger McKnight entitled “THOSE SWEDISH MADMEN AGAIN: THE IMAGE OF THE SWEDE IN SWEDISH-AMERICAN LITERATURE as distractingly hillbilly-like and loud as “a pastureful of hoarse bulls.” By the townspeople, most of whom were of English ancestry. Got it. Swedes are victims…Only those folks hailing from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark can use the days of the week. No Woden’s Day or Fria’s day for `non-Scandinavians. Well at least while Greta Thunberg is shaming the rest of us over climate change, or in her new adult incarnation, lambasting all of capitalism. Why did I always figure that behind every environmentalist is a quasi-Marxist because, you know, the Soviet Union was such as great steward of mother earth? 

 

Greta can do so on Thor’s Day. This will work doubly well because I figure she is a pagan.  

The English language is going to be problematic to untangle. We have Greek words like police and policy, and many of our cities are a mash of up of Anglo-Saxon names and these Greek derivatives. So we will have to either move our naval academy or rename Annapolis. And do not even get me started on Indianapolis.  

 

I noted Latin was a problem because of the month issue. The DE words alone are a thorny wicket, as in debilitate and defame. Also, anything with Terra (earth) in it. Terra Haute, Indiana. That one will go the way of Indianapolis. Subterranean and interracial. Both out. And I can no longer use ad nauseum, a term I often apply to the academy and to most claims of cultural appropriation.  And then there is rodeo, tornado and we even have voodoo, as in voodoo economics. That one is from the Caribbean. But all of this is really about food, right?  All of those non Italians who got those brick ovens for their pizzas. Not on our watch.  Chile? Do not even think about it. 

 

As noted with the muddled explanation, cultural appropriation has less to do with the purported lack of offending and much more to do with power, but not the power that the left discusses. Here, from the Conversation Magazine, is another example of the muddle, academic double-speak so prominent today.  

 

Here we learn from somebody called a visual culture scholar which sounds like a cushy job if it comes with tenure.  “In an article on cultural appropriation, visual culture scholar Rina Arya writes: Integral to the definition of cultural appropriation is an asymmetry of power between two cultures that involves the majority/dominant culture taking from the marginalized culture. So, it’s more productive to think about cultural appropriation in terms of relations of power. For example, in South Africa, Afrikaner nationalists appropriated the local Kaaps language to produce the Afrikaans language. This version stripped Kaaps of its creolized Khoi San, Arabic and south-east Asian roots to favor its Dutch origins because it could do so.” 

 

So one needed to go to the Boers to find an example. When a few hosts on British bake-off sport sombreros, not in a demeaning but in a celebratory fashion, it is them showing the power and dominance of English over Hispanic culture?  Well, the Conservation got one thing right, this is about power. 

 

In this case, the power to first define, then to dictate precisely what and what cannot be done whenever a culturally distinct (and even that is hard to define) issue is at stake. In a piece by Alec Dent called The Natural Evolution of Language Is Not ‘Cultural Appropriation, the author states, “Though its roots are Germanic, the English we speak today was heavily influenced by French and Latin as well. It has changed over time thanks to the exchange that takes place when cultures meet and interact, from the language of Beowulf to that of Chaucer’s poems to that of Shakespeare’s plays to that of Donald Trump’s tweets.”

 

I have noted our English-speaking Norse days of the week, our Latin months, and even our politics, the word, not the concept, are Greek. Part of this was that the Romans ruled Britain from the 60s CE to the 400s CS, then the Saxons conquered Britain and ruled until the 9th century. For the next 150 years, the Saxons co-mingled with the Vikings. In 1066 the Normans came and, along with the Angevins and Plantagenet dynasties, linked Britain to the Continent. Our American ancestors then added Spanish and a host of others to the language. Dent adds, “Language does not evolve for better or worse, though the last entry on that list may suggest otherwise to some; it simply changes with the times. Naturally, a great deal of cultural interaction and exchange occurs in a country as diverse as the United States. Words and phrases that are adopted into the mainstream as slang often become so thoroughly embedded in the language that we forget where they came from.”

As the great Thomas Sowell notes, in his The Quest for Cosmic Justice “In a world where every society and every civilization has borrowed heavily from the cultures of other societies and other civilizations, everyone does not have to go back to square one and discover fire and the wheel for himself, when someone else has already discovered it. Europeans did not have to continue copying scrolls by hand after the Chinese invented paper and printing. Malaysia could become the world’s leading rubber-producing nation after planting seeds taken from Brazil. Yet the equal-respect “identity” promoters would have each group paint itself into its own little corner, with its own insular culture, thus presenting over all a static tableau of “diversity,” rather than the dynamic process of competition on which the progress of the human race has been based for thousands of years.”
 
 


 

There was a time in our history when there was an awful, terrible clarity to our differences. Irish Catholics could not hold high office. Blacks rode in the back of the bus. Certain races would not be served at diners, including Latinos. The fact that cultural appropriation is such a muddled concept lies in the fact that today’s 21st-century social justice warriors are seeking dragons to slay, and many of those dragons are illusory. For the activist, including those pushing the cultural appropriation narrative, it is not about a cause but rather their self-identity that is the critical matter. And their self-identity lies in being the hero, even if we are not certain who is the victim.