They haven't learned that sometimes getting outraged over everything isn't the answer.

You want to hug them and pet them and have them sit somewhere comfy for a couple of years until their brains settle. But older, more cynical activists know these kids are their best tools.

And then I wonder where the line is when you're not a member of the group being -- I don't want to say "oppressed," but it's the only thing coming to mind. Because, shit, if I saw someone doing blackface, I would say something to them. That's not okay. I guess it's a matter of degree, not kind?

That may be it. I think you need to be really clear you know what's going on before jumping in, and (generally speaking) things like blackface have pretty clear lines drawn. But sometimes appropriation can be a bit fuzzy. There's a wide variety of people on the Indian subcontinent. Heck, there's a wide variety of people in a lot of ethnic and cultural groups. So assuming someone is just a clueless white person wearing an ethnically associated outfit because they think it's cool, well, that's a lot of assumption going on. And where do you draw the line? If I were to marry someone of another culture, and my spouse-to-be's mom asked me to wear a piece of her wedding garb I'd see wearing it as respectful, not appropriative (assuming it wasn't part of some MiL power play, which is a whole other issue).

I have an honest question: when is it "I think this is a gorgeous outfit, so I'm going to wear it, I can't wait to tell everyone how talented the people who made this are" and when it is cultural appropriation?

I see Social Justice Warrior used as insult by those who feel threatned by any kind of change in the status quo.

The people who freak out that Thor is a woman or who want to deny that innocent people who are actually killed by the cops.

I have an honest question: when is it "I think this is a gorgeous outfit, so I'm going to wear it, I can't wait to tell everyone how talented the people who made this are" and when it is cultural appropriation?

This is me too. I own a beautiful sari - because one year I couldn't find a dress I liked for the office holiday party, so I thought I'd look into saris. My community has a pretty strong Indian presence, so I was able to have one made pretty easily. I wore it to the party and two of the three Indian ladies present were very complimentary (the third was not in any way negative, we just never spoke). I had a minor moment of wondering whether I was crossing any lines I wasn't aware of - the people in the store assured me I wasn't, but they were hardly unbiased - but the reaction didn't seem like they were bothered. Or, for example, I have a friend who's half Chinese, half Filipina who's into Irish dance. Where's the line at between multi-cultural interests and cultural appropriation?

Yeah, with the wedding thing I might've assumed that the groom was Indian even if the bride wasn't. Because who totes randomly decides to wear a sari to their wedding, if there's no connection??

Appropriation is a lot more possible/common if the culture in question is a minority or oppressed somehow. or if it's white people saying "omg I discovered this thing" (aka columbusing) when people from that culture have been doing it all along? Jezebel is not the best link, but was an easy Google...

[link]

But people say they've "discovered" something all the time. "I've discovered this wonderful restaurant, everyone should go eat there!" I understand the colonialism issue is bad--turning the natives into slaves for the mission is a prime example--but a lot of the declarations of appropriation strike me as paternalistic. "You say you don't mind that white people use your designs, but really, they're stealing them from you."

Yeah, I don't know. If someone from a given community says, "Dude--offensive!" (cf. Native American warbonnets on models selling makeup) I'm inclined to take their word on it. And, likewise, if people from the relevant community say, "Nice, looks good!" when you wear items from their culture, then, by and large, yay. But there's a huge middle ground there. And, cultures aren't a monolith, so there's probably people in any given group who will be all whatever/hell no about things that, by and large, are considered awful/awesome.

Not a sari, but I wear kurtas all the time because they are comfortable and attractive and easy to wear.

I think part of it is if the person from the outside culture isn't being respectful, or has no clue about what the meaning of the thing is.

A trivial, non-politicized example: The fashion industry LOVES to mine my subculture for inspiration and ideas. And every damn time, the PR line includes something about their version of black velvet, black lace dresses, winklepicker buckle boots, top hats with veils, or black lipstick ISN'T GOTH, noooo. It's "dark romanticism", or "funeralcore", or "edgy". And on the one hand, easily available black lipstick and fabulous things on the clearance racks, yay. On the other hand, quit looking down your nose at the subculture if you're going to knock off our style, dammit.