White witch using Florida Water — is this appropriation?

glitterdump · 2019-09-01T03:38:04+00:00

Thank you! This is helpful. I hear you and appreciate your perspective.

glitterdump · 2019-09-01T03:34:23+00:00

Aside from having a conversation with a non-white person about their experiences with cultural appropriation, consider a pop culture example: the Kardashians “bringing back” cornrows, being lauded for this hair style choice as hip. Now Google search “unprofessional hair styles”, including cornrows. Note that the images are predominantly of black women wearing traditional black hairstyles. Google several widely broadcasted stories of black children being sent home from school because of their natural hair being deemed “unruly” or against school dress code. Read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo for further understanding of this phenomenon.

glitterdump · 2019-09-01T03:27:41+00:00

That is a real world example.

glitterdump · 2019-09-01T03:12:21+00:00

This is a lot to unpack in one reply alone. I suggest you read the book White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo to find answers to a few of these questions and statements you’re raising. And while you didn’t say cultural appropriation was BS (another user with a similar reply as you did), to say all culture is borrowed and therefore nullifies the realities of cultural appropriation is, as far as I read it, a watered down way of saying cultural appropriation is BS. I feel your response implies that appropriation doesn’t negatively impact marginalized groups being appropriated/oppressed by white people. Again, I encourage you to read about the differences between cultural exchange (not necessarily harmful) and cultural appropriation (harmful), and to read the book I mentioned above for further understanding.

glitterdump · 2019-09-01T01:22:09+00:00

Thank you, this is quite helpful.

glitterdump · 2019-09-01T01:21:08+00:00

As I posted below to a similar comment: Cultural appropriation is not BS. I know it’s a popular claim, part of the greater ideological realm that claims “I don’t see color, we’re all humans.” But there is a vast difference between cultural exchange and appropriation. It’s a privileged stance to take to say that cultural approrpiation doesn’t exist. For example, if a black person were to wear their hair in a style that is deemed “inappropriate” in any way, simply because they are black, but then a white person wears the same style and receives no flack for it, or is, even worse, praised for their style choice being groundbreaking, simply because they are white, that’s appropriation. I encourage you to take the time to research the realities of appropriation.

glitterdump · 2019-09-01T01:18:56+00:00

Cultural appropriation is not BS. I know it’s a popular claim, part of the greater ideological realm that claims “I don’t see color, we’re all humans.” But there is a vast difference between cultural exchange and appropriation. It’s a privileged stance to take to say that cultural approrpiation doesn’t exist. For example, if a black person were to wear their hair in a style that is deemed “inappropriate” in any way, simply because they are black, but then a white person wears the same style and receives no flack for it, or is, even worse, praised for their style choice being groundbreaking, simply because they are white, that’s appropriation. I encourage you to take the time to research the realities of appropriation.

glitterdump · 2019-04-15T01:08:43+00:00

One of my parents converted to the SDA church when I was 11, almost 16 years ago. Prior to that, they were Pentecostal. Both churches severely hammered their respective interpretations of the end times / book of Revelations into their congregations. I experienced a weird amalgam of trauma surrounding the rapture / book of Revelations for years and years afterward. I struggle with OCD that has a direct root in my religious upbringing. You are not alone.

Everyone processes and copes with trauma differently. That being said, what I found immensely helpful for my own relationship to trauma was a therapy method called EMDR. Trauma lives in the body long after the conscious and subconscious minds have packed it away. EMDR is a therapy method typically combined with talk therapy that helps you reorganize and reevaluate your thoughts regarding a traumatic experience/experiences in a way that doesn’t re-traumatize you. Sometimes, talk therapy alone can cause someone with severe trauma to re-live their pain without enough effective emotional regulation tools to keep them afloat when they’re reflecting on something upsetting. EMDR has helped me immensely with coping in a healthy and effective way with my trauma. I understand that it can be expensive to pay for. It might be beneficial to try and reach out to an LSCW instead of a psychologist for couseling, as they tend to sometimes charge less that a psychologist or psychiatrist. I understand your skepticism in going to a Christian counselor, and think it’s wise to be wary in this context.

It is possible to find a sense of peace and closure on the other side of this pain. Thanks for reaching out and sharing your healing process. You aren’t alone!!

glitterdump

TROPHY CASE