My thoughts on "cultural appropriation" after reading a Facebook post.

From the Facebook group Not Real Life

"Seen a lot of people talking about this girl since yesterday. She went to disrupt a neo nazi demo and got hospitalised. Now from the right we got the expected response of "ugh it's equality", "she was looking for trouble", they doxxed her and posted her nudes. As I said, what we expect of them But I'm disappointed in a lot of the left because a good chunk of the comments were about her dreadlocks, talking about how it's "cultural appropriation" and all that shit. Well you know what, SHE was out there, on the streets, taking it to these nazi cunts! While you sit behind your computer, posting memes about punching nazis, judging whether her hairstyle is offensive she was out on the front line, being part of the resistance and she took a punch for it. So until you are out there, doing what she is doing, you have no right to judge her. Yogurt knitting cunts!"

You can see their original post by clicking Here.

My take.

As far as I'm concerned anyone who starts sprouting off that someone is carrying out acts of "cultural appropriation" has no idea how people have for centuries been influenced by other cultures, in all areas, whether it be food, drink, art, music, language, literature, fashion, mathematics, BUILDINGS and so on and so on.It is called freedom of expression, freedom of learning, freedom to improve or change things to suit your own needs or desires, and if we didn't do that, then we would stagnate and nothing new would Ever be developed.And if there is anyone out there who still feels that "cultural appropriation" is wrong, please take a look around your own home, round up everything that has been developed by another culture originally, and added to your own collection of things, and get rid of it.
Are you a fan of the Beetles but aren't British? Do you have a picture by Leonardo Da Vinci on your wall but your not Italian? Do you have a toy boomerang that you like to play with but aren't an Australian Aboriginal? Do you have entire books on French cuisine you love to follow the recipes from and even experiment with your own take on it? Wait you are not French? Are you busy writing a numbered list of things to do but your not from India? GASP! You've acquired things from Other Cultures! Get rid of them now. Done that? Now, take a look around your home.

Pretty barren isn't it? All of these things are things that have came from various cultures from different parts of the world, and are used every day by people who have no direct connection at all to the original culture that produced them.

And we are all the better for them.

And some people out there get on their high horses because of a hairstyle? Because a white woman shouldn't have her hair in dreadlocks? Someone wearing their hair in a certain way is not a crime of any sort. Being influenced by another culture is not a crime of any sort.
If I was a musician and found I quite liked African music and was influenced by it to write a song, or even an entire album based on that music, then under this "logic" I would be labelled a thief by these same people, and have calls to be dropped by my record label because, as a white person I would be seen as stealing from another culture, rather then being influenced by it.

But someone trying to restrict other peoples free will and choices to make their own decisions and enjoy not just their own culture but other peoples cultures, if not a crime in itself, it is certainly incredibly short sighted.

I don't know what this girls take on "cultural appropriation" may be, I have no way to know that, but I do know she went there to fight for what she believed in, and in turn people have tried to make her a target for hate just because they think she has stolen a hair style from another race, from another culture.

More to the point on dreadlocks, even the ancient Greeks were know to have their hair in dreadlocks, as were the Celts, the Wodes and the Picts who first settled in the British Isles thousands of years ago. So this is not a hairstyle that was ever unique to just one culture or just one race, but it does highlight the failings of the idea behind "cultural appropriation". The main failings being ignorance and assumptions, backed up with a lack of research.

Now can we please deal with something of actual importance and relevance? Such as actual equality, freedom of self and self expression and an end to all forms of bigotry?