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Okay. I think we need to have a talk about What is Cultural Appropriation in Occultism. Because I love some of you, a lot, but you are missing a huge, cataclysmic point here, and I'm going to try to explain this.
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Cultural appropriation, outside of occultism, is when a racialized culture becomes a commodity for people outside of that culture, particularly people who have an imperialist and colonialist relationship with them. Easy example: locs.
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Black people's hair can have a particular texture (4a/b/c) with an extremely tight curl pattern that will "lock" together. This is natural. Non-Black people do not have this curl pattern. Our hair does not "lock"; any "locs" you see on nb people are actually mats.
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But!! Locs became really really cool, and white people started deeming this cool in a subculture sense. (This is a huge simplification.) Thus, white people started wearing "locs", which actually involve intentionally matting hair with oil and ripping it.
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This is SUPER GROSS on a regular level, and also gross on a cultural level since natural hair STILL receives backlash from white hegemonic society! White people with matted hair = hippies. Black people with locs = well, google any instance of schools cutting Black children's hair
What cultural appropriation does is take something of significance to a culture, and rip away all substance to it, all meaning. It then makes it commercially available for anybody who wants to purchase it For The Aesthetic
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Cf., Indigenous headdresses, dreamcatchers.
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.Cf., Indigenous headdresses, dreamcatchers.
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This has a significant part to play in devaluing a culture in tandem with imperialism+colonialism. You make it Less Than, you turn it into a fun party trick, and then those important sacred things that you were respecting aren't so sacred any more, huh? Forget them.
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Suddenly we don't need to respect you. You aren't a person. You are a symbol of an Aesthetic that can be purchased at your local mall for $49.99. (Yes, this is a critique of capitalism too!)
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So that's kinda established a ground level understanding of appropriation in everyday: taking something from a racialized culture, voiding it of meaning, and selling it for The Lewk. What does this mean for occultism, where frequently the meaning is what we value?
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Base level applies here too. I think we've seen a lot about sage and smudging; I can give links at the end of this thread for that. Really easy for new witches and occultists to get super swept up in a history of Taking Stuff That Looks Cool because they read it in an article.
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However, I'm gonna put a huge caveat here, because what I haven't talked about is Cultural Sharing.
This happens ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. You come, wanting to know, and someone assents to teach you. You take the time to learn a tradition, and you come away with meaningful-
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This happens ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. You come, wanting to know, and someone assents to teach you. You take the time to learn a tradition, and you come away with meaningful-
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-interactions, with spirits, with that culture, and with the people of that culture. You are a guest, but an honored one, not one who sneaks in under false pretense and then steals everything they can get their hands on, to make a fortune later.
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Or maybe you really like reading, and you read about something really interesting! So what you do instead is learn about it honorably, interacting with the material as if it is living, breathing, and belonging to living, breathing people.
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There. There is the difference. I can't articulate What Can You Take vs. What You Can't because it isn't about what, it's about HOW.
If you aren't treating people like people, and instead like a free grab bag of Stuff You Want, you can't have any of it.
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If you aren't treating people like people, and instead like a free grab bag of Stuff You Want, you can't have any of it.
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If you ask respectfully, and are turned away, respect that boundary.
If you come honorably and are accepted, learn equally honorably.
THIS ISN'T HARD. And oh I have so many thoughts about how this intersects with Consent and how we have the same problems there because of WHO-
If you come honorably and are accepted, learn equally honorably.
THIS ISN'T HARD. And oh I have so many thoughts about how this intersects with Consent and how we have the same problems there because of WHO-
-we perceive as "should be able to take whatever", and how that's bound up in the entire concept and void that is whiteness and gender hierarchies and histories of colonialism and "do you have a FLAG?", but I will restrain myself because twitter is not the venue for that.
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Occultism, like pretty much everything in this time, in this moment, here, has to deal with its history. Things have been taken, with the assertion of "making better". Things have been flat out stolen and voided of original meaning. Things have been commodified for purchase.
BUT.
BUT.
This isn't the end-all-be-all. "Privilege check" isn't the conversation stopper you think it is. Be aware of this. Give agency to racialized peoples! Let people say NO to you without having a giant hissy fit in the supermarket.
It opens the door for someone else to say yes.
It opens the door for someone else to say yes.
And yeah, there's a bunch of things I didn't mention here, like that the entire concept of WHITENESS is an intentional stripping that people try to fill the void of with Other People's Stuff, but again - bigger than my character limit.
The most important - the MOST important - is to give agency back to the peoples who steward these traditions. Be aware of history! Know your ancestors and, unfortunately, what they did. And get over the idea that you are entitled to every single thing that looks shiny to you.
Because honestly, so many Cultural Appropriation conversations end up boiling down to someone being very snitty with me that I said no.
Please don't be that person. It doesn't feel honorable, it isn't kind, it gives people no agency, and it makes you look like a toddler. Stop.
Please don't be that person. It doesn't feel honorable, it isn't kind, it gives people no agency, and it makes you look like a toddler. Stop.
I promised links and I deliver on my promises! Here's a baseline to explain why we're tired of explaining: https://tinyurl.com/y9jhzrcz
On sage and Beginner Witch Drama: https://tinyurl.com/ybxorngj
I love all of you but sometimes you do not know what is appropriation and what isn't, so here is a much more coherent piece on it! https://tinyurl.com/y6uxwmbj
And hi, if you weren't sure, I'm a mixed bruja - Polska-Czechy on my dad's side, Xicana on my mom's. I deal with this boundary every day by living in this body!! So if you are confused or feel weird, that's okay! I'm offering to help.
Also, I have to be very, very honest here: this was inspired by my friend @DouglasWMiT and his recent podcast episode where this came up, and where I felt a lot of important nuance was missing but had a vague idea in the right place. No offense meant, I adore you, but.
I don't want you to think I'm subtweeting! I'm not! You have excellent points! But this requires so much nuance and if there is one thing I exist for, it is the liminality between cultures and the nuance therein!
Also please listen to his podcast if you don't already because it is delightful and I loved this episode! https://twitter.com/DouglasWMiT/status/1341407475224997893?s=19
And, because I know this has been brewing everywhere lately, a piece that I really respect on The Tarot Thing: https://tinyurl.com/yaa5sux5
This is recent but this video explains so much: https://twitter.com/ParissAthena/status/1389662896876146690?s=19
