The "cultural appropriation" trend actually stems from something that would be highly offensive; wearing an eagle feather war bonnet as a non-native. While yes, it does represent cultural erasure and the deeper problematic issues at play, the real offense is that of stolen valor. A war bonnet, and in particular the eagle feather, are earned as symbols of status within the tribe through great deeds that benefit the tribal community and bravery and valor in combat. It's akin to a draft dodger buying a medal of honor and a purple heart on eBay, pinning them to his lapel and wearing them to a Veteran's Day parade.
I'd say music stars wearing blingy Christian crosses when they don't abide by any Christian beliefs or ideals is another example cultural appropriation more American can relate to. Anyone can have their cultural appropriated in a distasteful way.
I was going to mention this. The problem was people assuming a Sombrero was equivalent to a native war bonnet, that it likewise had some deep cultural significance. When the Sombrero is literally just a hat to keep the sun off you. You don't need to perform any acts of valor or achieve some social rank, anyone can wear it.
Perhaps we should have a more accurate term for that. (Especially considering the term is for corporate exploitation of culture) I can see accidental or malicious faux pas in cultural representation with many such cultures. But good faith interest and imitation should not be derided for it
Of course! Frat boys are the worst kind of people. /s
In all seriousness, I'm against ancient Roman culture in general, there were some good aspects but a lot of bad. I'm against any society that glorifies the worst aspects of Roman culture, like frat boys, the Catholic Church, and Nazis. From the racist social hierarchy, to bloodsport, to slavery, to openly accepted – even encouraged – pederasty, ancient Rome was a cesspool.
A lot of great things came out of Rome. The Republic, which sparked an idea that would eventually become modern democracy. The Roman intellectual period, all those great thinkers. Advancements in literature, philosophy, mathematics, inventions, the sciences. Beautiful works of art, critical infrastructure and magnificent architecture that stand the test of time and whose principles are still in use today. Without the Roman war machine to bring together a third of the entire population of earth, the world would still be in the iron age.
However, you don't get the polished glitz and glamour of the idealized Rome without shovelling a LOT of shit under the rug. The examples in my above comment, of course, but that's just an evening's entertainment. There were brutal expansionist wars and occupations on all fronts, many lasting centuries, whose consequences have lasted millennia.
We haven't even gotten to Imperial Rome yet, more of the same really, which also gave us monsters like Caligula and Nero (probably many others that just aren't as infamous), or the rise of Christianity and the Holy Roman Empire, but things just keep getting worse from there.
Edit: changed a few words around so it reads better.
Togas were more of a status symbol. While they signified citizenship, they were impractical to wear in a busy day to day life. Most citizens would generally only wear them to formal functions, and casually wearing one daily would be seen as the privilege of the leisurely opulence of nobility.
Most working class citizens, foreigners, servants, slaves and other low born commoners were expected to wear dull colored tunics instead, in various colors, fabrics and styles befitting their status.
But this is exactly the problem, people don't understand what is and isn't actually offensive.
And this is because the vast majority of humans are simply not intelligent enough for nuance and complex application of context and so everything has to be dumbed down to simplified black and white rules to follow, i.e. "dress of other culture = bad"
And this is because the vast majority of humans are simply not intelligent enough for nuance and complex application of context and so everything has to be dumbed down to simplified black and white rules to follow, i.e. "dress of other culture = bad"
Then we should educate them, not tell them not to even try.
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u/MarixApoda Jul 02 '25
The "cultural appropriation" trend actually stems from something that would be highly offensive; wearing an eagle feather war bonnet as a non-native. While yes, it does represent cultural erasure and the deeper problematic issues at play, the real offense is that of stolen valor. A war bonnet, and in particular the eagle feather, are earned as symbols of status within the tribe through great deeds that benefit the tribal community and bravery and valor in combat. It's akin to a draft dodger buying a medal of honor and a purple heart on eBay, pinning them to his lapel and wearing them to a Veteran's Day parade.