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GeneChing
03-13-2018, 09:37 AM
This recent controversy gave me pause (and not for the 'squint your eyes comment)


The Bruno Mars Cultural Appropriation Conversation Is the One We Should Be Having (http://www.complex.com/music/2018/03/bruno-mars-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-space-between-cultural-appropriation-homage)
BY KIANA FITZGERALD
MAR 13, 2018

https://images.complex.com/complex/images/c_fill,g_faces,w_1100/fl_lossy,pg_1,q_auto/scos5gf9asszgmgxnnyu/bruno
Image via Getty/Kevork Djansezian

By now, you’ve heard the internet’s tectonic plates shifting again. This week, the fault line is Bruno Mars. On one side of the divide, you have people asserting that Bruno Mars is, as a non-black performer excelling at creating traditionally black art, a cultural appropriator. On the other side—a side that seems much bigger today—are Bruno supporters who believe he’s done no wrong.

Depending on how you squint your eyes, they’re both right. This isn’t a cut and dry issue, there’s a Venn Diagram here mixing up those who think it’s clear-cut appropriation, those who wonder why we can’t just let Bruno live, and the very tangled overlap in the middle which concedes that both camps make some good points.

Nobody wants anyone to come for their fave, no matter how tangential. I get it. But this discussion constantly lingers in the background of our consciences like a boogeyman, drifting forward incrementally every time a non-white artist dominates in the black space (read: often). Bringing this conversation forth comes with a cost. Let the internet tell it, Bruno is being targeted by a mob of angry black haters. Seren Sensei, the outspoken writer/YouTuber/activist/artist who made her opinion of Bruno Mars explicitly clear in the viral clip shared online last week, was faced with a 7-day suspension from Twitter when Bruno Mars’ stans reported her en masse in retaliation.


hannie
@hannahmburrell (https://twitter.com/hannahmburrell/status/971924903174733826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.complex.com%2Fmusic%2F201 8%2F03%2Fbruno-mars-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-space-between-cultural-appropriation-homage)
this is why i hate bruno mars @seren_sensei says it all

6:45 PM - Mar 8, 2018
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18.1K people are talking about this
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Seren Sensei is being penalized for pointing out a very real thing that’s wrong with the industry and the Recording Academy today: "The issue is we want our black culture from non-black bodies," she says in the clip. It’s hard to argue against her when you look at the history books.

The most popular name in music associated with appropriation is Elvis Presley, a man who eventually became the King of Rock and Roll. Presley was discovered by record producer and industry visionary Sam Phillips in the mid-1950s. According to TIME, Phillips said the following just before crossing paths with Elvis: "If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars." He may not have made a cool billion dollars off of Elvis in the end, but it was a billion-dollar idea that proved to be a winning ticket for executives that followed him. Presley sang a watered down version of black blues and it worked tremendously well commercially, providing a blueprint for popular music that we’re still seeing used now.

IN SOME WAYS, BRUNO MARS IS THE PERFECT CASE STUDY FOR CULTURAL APPROPRIATION IN THE HERE AND NOW, SIMPLY BECAUSE HE MAKES THE CONVERSATION MORE MESSY AND COMPLICATED.

For examples that this is still going on today, look no further than the top 10 of the current Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. Three out of 10 slots are occupied by Post Malone, a white artist who, despite making rap music, has gone out of his way to publicly distance himself from the genre—yet here he is, present and accounted for. Another three slots are taken by NF and G-Eazy, who are also white, and 6ix9ine, who is Mexican and Puerto Rican. The latter is the most polarizing but perhaps the most culturally synonymous, as the pivotal movements aligned with hip-hop—break dancing, DJing, and graffitiing—were pioneered by blacks and Latinos working together in the streets of New York. (6ix9ine also uses the n-word like his life depends on it, but that’s a conversation for a whooole other day.)

We’ve made progress, in a way: instead of a black/white conversation, we’re now being inclusive with our shade. Artists like the outwardly harmless Bruno are discovering that people of color can get this work, too. This is where things get uncomfortable. No self-respecting person of color wants to bring another POC down, but the point still stands: Bruno isn’t black, but makes black-indebted music, and has profited handsomely for it. However, let’s say Bruno was the exact same figure, with the exact same style and team—but white. He would likely have way more success (let’s be real), and this cultural appropriation debate would have happened long ago. It would be tired by this point, like the current conversation is, but it would be tired because black people would have come to the conclusion that he was an offender by now. Justin Timberlake, a known... appreciator of black music, escaped the wrath of the internet just before suspicions of appropriation became a mainstream cultural concern. We all see it now: he’s already being escorted out of the paint, after re-routing to pop-country land and leaving behind fans of color who loved his hip-pop/R&B.

In some ways, Bruno Mars is the perfect case study for cultural appropriation in the here and now, simply because he makes the conversation more messy and complicated. He might be the hardest working man in show business. He pumps out music like he’s running out of time. He sets every stage on fire that he ever touches and pays homage as often as he can to the music he’s recreating (the man got Babyface a Grammy this year, after all). There are worse examples of cultural appropriators, but that doesn’t mean he should get an automatic pass.

The machinations that took Bruno to the top of the charts—literally: as I write, Bruno Mars just passed Usher for most No. 1 Billboard Radio Songs among males—are just as real as his work ethic. Bruno is just one facet of a much larger cultural trend that’s becoming more and more obvious. When Seren Sensei says, "We want our black art from non-black bodies," it rings true—the examples go back for decades—yet we’re still chasing evidence that it’s even happening at all.

Here's the Seren Sensei vid that reignited this fuss:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDflHjSFqZI

Now I'm assuming Sensei Ai****emasu is hapa (mixed Asian) or for her to call out Mars is like the...pot calling the kettle black? :eek:

Okay, that was probably the wrong way to go with this. As you all know, I tend to avoid politrix here because it really distracts from the topic on hand - MARTIAL ARTS - but I'm currently invested in some research on the influence of Kung Fu films on Hip Hop so the notion of cultural appropriation is vexing me. :o

David Jamieson
03-13-2018, 01:24 PM
lol, oh man.
Bruno Mars, a Filipino, Mexican, mixed bag of human is culturally appropriating things?
That's hilarious. Seriously, it's things like this that make me understand the word "libtard" on some days.

Hey, have you met our Prime Minister Dress up?
Here's some cultural appropriation for you.

I'm a Sikh!
10518
I'm Chinese!
10519
I'm Hindu now!
10520
Wait, no, I'm a Muslim!
10521
Ok, I'm a native Canadian!
10522




I hear he's on his way to Ireland next....

rett2
03-13-2018, 01:30 PM
Well, now he's got all the Toronto taxi-drivers’ votes.

David Jamieson
03-13-2018, 01:55 PM
Well, now he's got all the Toronto taxi-drivers’ votes.

he's got a couple of really good people doing really good things too.
But sadly, he feels the need to do these weird ass things.

You take the good, you take the bad, etc etc etc.

Jimbo
03-13-2018, 04:39 PM
Here's the Seren Sensei vid that reignited this fuss:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDflHjSFqZI

Now I'm assuming Sensei Ai****emasu is hapa (mixed Asian) or for her to call out Mars is like the...pot calling the kettle black? :eek:

Okay, that was probably the wrong way to go with this. As you all know, I tend to avoid politrix here because it really distracts from the topic on hand - MARTIAL ARTS - but I'm currently invested in some research on the influence of Kung Fu films on Hip Hop so the notion of cultural appropriation is vexing me. :o

That woman has zero Japanese ancestry. Apparently, she appropriated the name from some TV show. And I guess Wu Tang Clan didn't appropriate Chinese culture. :rolleyes: Who the hell cares about the color of the artist? Are they good or not, and do you like listening to them or not? It's not as if Bruno Mars is a white man putting on blackface to perform in the way that many white actors have put on yellowface to play appropriated (or plain insulting stereotypical) Asian roles. I'm not really a hip-hop fan, so I couldn't care less about that genre, but I despise hypocrisy. The fact is, depending on how long her ancestors have been in this country, there is a BIG probability that she's more mixed (white European, and maybe some Amerindian) than she even realizes.

rett2
03-14-2018, 05:36 AM
I hear he's on his way to Ireland next....

10523

(sorry, couldn't help it)

wolfen
03-14-2018, 10:37 AM
It's just another Marxist Tool used to create division and annihilation of cultural and social integrity. Actually more insidious and nefarious than absurd.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jAWEVyRgZc&t=0s

Barbara Kay: Cultural Appropriation is an absurd concept


he's got a couple of really good people doing really good things too.
But sadly, he feels the need to do these weird ass things.

You take the good, you take the bad, etc etc etc.

He's just a modern version of Nero or Caligula: the elite partying while their minions burn civilization.
..
Trudeau just follows a simple formula given to him in the Globalist memos:
1. Destroy the old culture with Marxist Ideology and Globalist control of the propaganda by the MSN that that also got him elected.
2 Import the replacement population that hates Western culture as much as the Marxists do and will vote liberal and achieve a one party totalitarian state.

Easy Peasy - No thinking required, he just has to memorize ideological speeches and use them in programmed responses... and in between party like there is no tomorrow ! (there isn't).

PalmStriker
03-14-2018, 11:25 AM
:) Bruno Mars is just filling in the Prince slot for making gold creds now that Prince is off-stage.

diego
03-15-2018, 04:12 PM
That woman has zero Japanese ancestry. Apparently, she appropriated the name from some TV show. And I guess Wu Tang Clan didn't appropriate Chinese culture. :rolleyes: Who the hell cares about the color of the artist? Are they good or not, and do you like listening to them or not? It's not as if Bruno Mars is a white man putting on blackface to perform in the way that many white actors have put on yellowface to play appropriated (or plain insulting stereotypical) Asian roles. I'm not really a hip-hop fan, so I couldn't care less about that genre, but I despise hypocrisy. The fact is, depending on how long her ancestors have been in this country, there is a BIG probability that she's more mixed (white European, and maybe some Amerindian) than she even realizes.

follow the money lol, usually these sjw types in the media are just trying to get your 5 dollar donation to their ****ty VLog on Twitch.. back in the day it would be to their crappy newsletter:D

No different than local street hustlers selling ****ty dime bags at your local festival.

Like the womans march had pro islam pink ***** hat signs marching 3 blocks away from a group of Harry Potter witches with purple green hair holding signs saying satan against trump. lmao

as a Canadian I died. Allah has no love for the devil yet there they were sporting pink ***** hats.

most these protestors on the right and left have good ideas but the unions behind them are anti american spreading division for 5 dollar donations when no western election can get more than 70 percent of voters to turn out. Then it`s just two sides split down the middle, the state suffers.

mickey
03-15-2018, 06:26 PM
Greetings,


This following still stands up well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z3wUD3AZg4

We need more of this.


mickey

wolfen
03-16-2018, 08:10 AM
Japan now celebrates Halloween better than America where the fun has been taken out of it by the Marxist attacks of "cultural appropriation".

In fact in America, if you celebrate Halloween too much, you may be forced to commit seppuku.. well, the social equivalent.. an apology, then being fired etc...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR2Yz3x9EJY

Halloween in Japan - Tokyo Costume Street Party

..
Well that Dave Chapelle skit was really racist and lacked diversity. He didn't include Native Americans who could have picked "Pocahontas" (Warren).
That is the problem with "Marxist Intersectionality", there is no end to the subdivisions.

GeneChing
03-29-2018, 08:45 AM
I had a feeling this might be the next flashpoint trend. I'm just waiting for it to hit the Kung Fu in Hip Hop...




Wes Anderson's 'Isle of Dogs': Is Cultural Appropriation Hollywood's Next Big Battleground? (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wes-andersons-isle-dogs-is-cultural-appropriation-hollywoods-next-big-battleground-1098228)
6:30 AM PDT 3/29/2018 by Marc Bernardin

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2018/03/isle_of_dogs_still_20.jpg
Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

Who gets to make what art? And where should we draw the line between ripping off and paying homage to another culture, asks a Hollywood Reporter columnist.

I grew up on a steady diet of Godzilla movies — as a kid born in New York in the 1970s, my viewing habits were a constant rotation of giant monster flicks, syndicated kung fu movies, and Star Wars knock-offs. When I finally got to write my first comic book it was called Monster Attack Network and it was about, among other things, a Pacific Island paradise that was routinely beset by giant monsters. I understood the metaphor behind Godzilla and why it is so specifically Japanese — the internalized guilt of the only country to have been subject to nuclear bombings is haunted by a monster fueled by atomic fire, one that would destroy Japanese cities over and over and over again.

When I co-wrote that comic book in 2004, with Adam Freeman, I didn’t give a second thought as to whether I should tell this story, one that has so many signifiers from a culture that wasn’t my own. I just thought it was fun.

But today, in the midst of an awakening to the artistic (and financial) merits of inclusion and representation, we’re having a much different conversation than has ever taken place between artists and audiences: Who gets to make what art?

Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs is wading into a world that didn’t exist when he started making his stop-motion fable about a Japanese boy lost on a completely canine island. Even two years ago, when Travis Knight’s Kubo and the Two Strings hit theaters, the conversation there was about whitewashing, about populating an inherently Japanese story with an overwhelmingly white voice cast. But few of the people who came for Kubo didn’t take issue with the fact that the story was being told by an almost entirely non-Japanese creative team. (You have to scroll a bit on Kubo’s IMDb page before you get to John Aoshima, the head of story.)

But as traditionally marginalized audiences begin to find their collective voice, things that used to fly … don’t. In Isle of Dogs, Anderson sets his boy-and-his-pooch story in the fictional island of Megasaki, where a nation’s dogs have been exiled, left to fend for themselves. The conceit of this film is that all of the dogs speak English, and are voiced by actors like Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Liev Schreiber, Bryan Cranston and Scarlett Johansson. The overwhelming majority of the human characters are Japanese and they all speak in Japanese, which is conveyed to an English-speaking audience through subtitles or a translator or, sometimes, not translated at all.

Cinema is an empathy-injection mechanism. It maneuvers us, emotionally, so we can care about people who don’t exist, who we have never and will never meet. The issue that surfaces in Isle of Dogs is whom are we being asked to empathize with?

We empathize with those we can understand. Literally. By placing the Japanese characters behind a wall of language, Isle of Dogs is placing its empathetic weight on the canine characters. Which are all voiced by white actors.

So when film critics like The Los Angeles Times’ Justin Chang or culture writers like Mashable’s Angie Han wonder why Isle of Dogs needed to be set in Japan at all, as it doesn’t really ask us to care about Japanese people, they have a point. This is a story that could’ve been set in Iowa for all it cares about the humans. As much as it seems that Anderson does have a real fondness for Japan — and the story is co-credited to Japanese actor Kunichi Nomura — he treats the culture a bit like wallpaper, set behind his drama as opposed to an integral part of the drama itself.

The question of who gets to make what art is a t***** one. Are we allowed, as artists, to tell stories that move us, or are we supposed to pass some kind of test to be allowed to tell those stories? And who is grading that test? If I’m, say, a Mexican filmmaker who loves giant robots and giant monsters, do I have to present myself to an anime gatekeeper for permission? If I’m a Scottish filmmaker who desperately wants to devote years of his life to tell a romance set in Mumbai during a run on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, can I just do it … and later win an Oscar for it?

Isn’t the beauty of art that it affects us profoundly and deeply, becoming a part of who we are in the world? And if that’s so, how can anyone be barred from making the art that moves them?

That’s an even harder nut to crack when it comes to music. The legacy of black music in America is a long one, fraught with many of the same problems that come with the legacy of black people in America. Jazz, soul, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, hip hop can all trace their origins to people of color in this country — and all of those musical modes have become an inseparable part of the fabric of modern culture. Is it wrong for a kid who grew up listening to Motown to want to make music that sounds like Motown? Do we penalize Bruno Mars for making the music he was born in the bosom of? Do we have to go back in time to tell Dave Brubeck that jazz isn’t his to play, or inform Freddie Mercury that gospel isn’t to be touched, or remind every white boy that ever picked up a guitar that unless he pays restitution to Chuck Berry, we’re taking that ax away?

No, of course not. We are the world we live in. And our world is enlivened by the culture we consume. It’s an ecosystem that must be allowed to nurture itself if it’s going to continue. Telling an artist that she or he can’t make art is too close to censorship for my taste.

That said, the free pass that storytellers used to get when they decided to employ cultural signifiers as fetishized exoticism is a thing of the past. So what’s the way forward? Hell if I know. This area of study is fuzzy at best and offensive at worst. But I’m going to make two suggestions.

First: Do the work. It would be easy to try and call out director Ryan Coogler for hiring a white guy to compose the Black Panther score. And not just any white guy, but a guy from Sweden — the whitest of white places. But Ludwig Goransson did the work. Not only has he scored each of Coogler’s movies, but he’s produced artists like Chance the Rapper and Donald Glover. And when Coogler brought him on board for Panther, he took it very seriously. "I was incredibly excited as it was a dream of mine to score a superhero movie," Goransson told THR by phone during a break from producing the new Childish Gambino album. "I also felt incredible pressure to pay homage to African culture and its traditional music. It’s not lost on me that I’m a Swedish guy from one of the coldest countries in the world."

He spent months researching traditional African music and went to the continent itself to travel with African musicians, before recruiting some to play on the score itself. Goransson did the work and it shows.

When Pixar makes a movie like Moana or Coco — films rooted in very specific cultures with centuries’ worth of tradition — they send their filmmakers on extensive research trips. Such effort both allows for accuracy and sensitivity when portraying those cultures and lets the storytellers be inspired by the very people and places they’re dramatizing — and incorporate that inspiration into the work.

“Not only is [Coco] based in a real place, in Mexico, but it’s based in real traditions, so we knew it was very important to do the research, to get every detail recorded,” said Coco co-director Adrian Molina in the film’s press materials. “So that when we get back to Pixar and we start deciding what is this town going to look like, what is this grandmother going to wear, what kind of dancing and music are they going to listen to, it can all come from an informed place.”

And second: Don’t be a strip-miner. Don’t treat culture like some kind of Vegas buffet, filling your plate with exotic flavors and setting it in front of a Caucasian protagonist to be tickled and amused by. Remember the importance of empathetic weight: Who is the story about? And if it’s about a person from the culture you are drawing from, you’ve already gone a long way towards achieving a fidelity of intention as well as execution.

If I was writing Monster Attack Network today, knowing what I know about the world I live in at the moment, would I still do it? Yeah, I would. It came from a place of love. But I’d make the hero of the tale a Pacific Islander instead of a beefy white guy. (Funnily enough, when Disney optioned the comic a little over a decade ago, they did so for Dwayne Johnson to star. They were way ahead of that particular curve.)

But that’s just me. Maybe there are no easy answers. Maybe this is an issue we will all have to stumble blindly through until someone figures out how to turn on the light. Maybe the first step is realizing precisely how long we’ve been in the dark.

GeneChing
05-07-2018, 11:46 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86YtNylzn2k

Jimbo
05-07-2018, 01:53 PM
That's not racist.

rett2
03-02-2019, 12:09 PM
he's got a couple of really good people doing really good things too.
But sadly, he feels the need to do these weird ass things.

You take the good, you take the bad, etc etc etc.

What was the good again?:p

wolfen
03-14-2019, 06:52 AM
What was the good again?:p

Depends if you are on the good side. Government for the Government, of the Government, by the Government is a good thing to oppose toxic nationalism. As a post nationalist country with no core Identity, Canada needs to stop the cultural appropriation of such things as the British Legal System.
..
Only those far right extremists like the former AG would oppose the building of a new reformation and purge of toxic cultural appropriation of fuddy-duddy laws in the former Canada. As the CBC reports , The leader Trudeau has sacrificed himself as a feminist and supporter of native rights to build the International Not-Canada economy in opposing the machinations of the former "what-was-her-name-and-who-cares?".

Makes sense to me.

Update on the Gong Show in India


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57j4fI3_HOI

wolfen
03-14-2019, 11:00 AM
No One is Hurt by the Made Up "Cultural Appropriation"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4c5EgYepzo

GeneChing
06-26-2019, 07:21 AM
Good ol' Kardashians...

Again, I don't know where to post this



Kim Kardashian just trademarked ‘Kimono.’ Let the backlash begin (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-kim-kardashian-kimono-trademark-cultural-appropriation-20190625-story.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR0c2bwLYrBcgxYv6j4nhtuzfwXu3MbV6AuPJHu3d x3Q4yUjvleGc3Ls1N0)
By CHRISTIE D'ZURILLA
JUN 25, 2019 | 12:15 PM

https://www.latimes.com/resizer/qkZPFPVAG_VqjRn4lKzlJi17lzo=/1200x0/www.trbimg.com/img-5d12673a/turbine/la-1561487160-qymegybvev-snap-image
Kim Kardashian West at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards in Santa Monica. (Jordan Strauss / Associated Press)

Kim Kardashian West launched a shapewear line Tuesday with the unfortunate name Kimono Solutionwear. Because Kim, get it?

And so began another round of Kim K. being accused of cultural appropriation. Like when she wore Fulani braids, or an Indian headpiece or looked like she was in blackface.

It appears nobody in Kardashian’s orbit was too worried that the Japanese got to “kimono” first, a few centuries back, when they named those loose-sleeved robes that are traditionally worn as formal outerwear.

“Finally I can share with you guys this project that I have been developing for the last year. I’ve been passionate about this for 15 years. Kimono is my take on shapewear and solutions for women that actually work,” Kardashian wrote Tuesday on Instagram.

“I would always cut up my shapewear to make my own styles, and there have also been so many times I couldn’t find a shapeware [sic] color that blended with my skin tone so we needed a solution for all of this.”

While the coming-soon line appears to be body-inclusive, running in sizes from XXS to 4XL and in nine skin-toned shades, the brand’s name upset some people on social media, who called it “problematic at best” and tagged Kardashian a “culture vulture,” among other names.

“Rih would never. Bey would never. Anyone with a working brain would never,” wrote Twitter user stylevoguette, referencing Rihanna and Beyoncé.

A user going by Leisha_17 had a different complaint, however, tweeting: “Probably is a good product but the name.... I hear it as ‘Kim, oh NO!’”

Kardashian was also dragged for not using any plus-size models in her images. And for not having zippers. All told, it looks like a lot of ways to lose.

Incidentally, the word Kimono has previously been trademarked twice by others, for products including software and “sheaths for pens.”

However, “Kimono,” “Kimono Body,” “Kimono Intimates” and “Kimono World” do appear to be among the other Kardashian-empire trademarks filed and awaiting review. For the most part, the applications target clothing (shapewear, lingerie, T-shirts) and products made of leather or imitation leather (handbags, wallets, dog harnesses, whips).

Yes, whips. Maybe they’re supposed to go with future lingerie?


Christie D'Zurilla

Christie D’Zurilla covers breaking entertainment and celebrity news. A graduate of USC, she joined the Los Angeles Times in 2003 as a copy editor and has more than 25 years of journalism experience in Southern California. As befits her beat, she has a high tolerance for inappropriate behavior.

GeneChing
06-28-2019, 07:38 AM
Go get her, Tamlyn. Hope you get a role in Cobra Kai (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)...


JUNE 26, 2019 2:14PM PT
Kim Kardashian West’s ‘Kimono’ Shapewear Sparks Backlash (https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/kim-kardashian-kimono-backlash-1203253883-1203253883/)
By AUDREY CLEO YAP

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/rexfeatures_10227716lj.jpg?crop=0px%2C81px%2C8256p x%2C4652px&resize=1000%2C563
CREDIT: CLINT SPAULDING/SHUTTERSTOCK

UPDATED: West announced on Tuesday that she was launching a line of form-fitting shapewear in nine different skin tones and a range of sizes. But the name of the reality star’s latest business venture — “Kimono” — is already wrapped up in controversy. Kimonos are Japanese robes traditionally worn at formal affairs, prompting some to accuse the businesswoman of cultural appropriation. Using the hashtag “#KimOhNo” on social media, critics called the line disrespectful; users like Japanese American actor Tamlyn Tomita are posting pictures of actual kimonos.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D98JtVkUIAAFm5n?format=jpg&name=900x900
View image on Twitter (https://twitter.com/thetamlyntomita/status/1143643510706327552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1143643510706327552&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2019%2Fbiz%2Fn ews%2Fkim-kardashian-kimono-backlash-1203253883-1203253883%2F)

Tamlyn Tomita

@thetamlyntomita
One is KIMONO. One is Kim shamelessly selling a line of shapewear. Which y’all don’t need. #kimono

2,598
3:13 PM - Jun 25, 2019
1,406 people are talking about this
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Accompanying a side-by-side photo of Tomita in the traditional robe and of West in her branded shapewear, Tomita wrote, “One is KIMONO. One is Kim shamelessly selling a line of shapewear. Which y’all don’t need.”

West addressed the controversy in a statement to The New York Times Thursday, saying that she has no plans “to design or release any garments that would in any way resemble or dishonor the traditional garment,” but also did not plan to change the brand’s name.

Kimonos are not traditionally worn as undergarments.

In a series of tweets posted on Wednesday, West used the hashtag #KimonoBody to promote the line. She also revealed that musician husband Kanye West drew the brand’s logo.

This is not the first time the 38-year-old has faced allegations of cultural appropriation: In 2018, West drew backlash after crediting her braided hair to Bo Derek from Derek’s 1979 film “10.” The style, known as Fulani braids, has its origins in West Africa and the Fula ethnic group.

Since announcing the line, West — who said she has worked on the line for the past year — has posted a series of pictures of its offerings, including bodysuits, briefs and bras.

GeneChing
07-01-2019, 02:09 PM
Kim Kardashian West finally caves on Kimono brand after cultural appropriation accusations (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-kim-kardashian-west-kimono-solutionwear-new-name-20190701-story.html?fbclid=IwAR12_Ll26_Lj5WBqblQ9-Gb-IZT2dWzFBcUosrZz6WsL3KcnrIAjW9DchKc)
By CHRISTIE D'ZURILLA
JUL 01, 2019 | 8:15 AM

https://www.latimes.com/resizer/civsbuWtrUTA3SAGXqrdOM929IM=/800x0/www.trbimg.com/img-5d1a228e/turbine/la-1561993868-solsxnlldc-snap-image
“When I announced the name of my shapewear line, I did so with the best intentions in mind," Kim Kardashian West said Monday in a notice that she would change the name. (Laura Thompson / TNS)

Bowing to pressure, Kim Kardashian West will change the name of her Kimono Solutionwear line, presumably to something less controversial, the reality star-turned-entrepreneur announced Monday morning.

“When I announced the name of my shapewear line, I did so with the best intentions in mind,” Kardashian West said on social media. “My brands and products are built with inclusivity and diversity at their core and after careful thought and consideration, I will be launching my Solutionwear brand under a new name.”

The announcement pointedly left out the hot-button word that set off the controversy last week: Kimono, which KKW had applied to trademark in various permutations. She did praise “the direct line of communication with my fans and the public,” which apparently has been on fire since she launched the line Tuesday.

Kardashian West was quickly accused of cultural appropriation of the name. In a Thursday statement to the New York Times, in which she defended her understanding and “deep respect” for the meaning of kimono in Japanese culture, she said she had no plans to change the name.

But on Monday she was singing a different tune.


https://scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/ffac3cc2cb04b12e8c1e3b9c8469a4b8/5DC02C4F/t51.2885-15/e35/p1080x1080/66445838_367779163929415_1494259258027500661_n.jpg ?_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagram.com
kimkardashian (https://www.instagram.com/p/BzYFv6tAHRb/?utm_source=ig_embed)
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Being an entrepreneur and my own boss has been one of the most rewarding challenges I’ve been blessed with in my life. What’s made it possible for me after all of these years has been the direct line of communication with my fans and the public. I am always listening, learning and growing - I so appreciate the passion and varied perspectives that people bring to me. When I announced the name of my shapewear line, I did so with the best intentions in mind. My brands and products are built with inclusivity and diversity at their core and after careful thought and consideration, I will be launching my Solutionwear brand under a new name. I will be in touch soon. Thank you for your understanding and support always.
7h

“I am always listening, learning and growing — I so appreciate the passion and varied perspectives that people bring to me,” she wrote on Instagram.

It’s unclear whether one of the voices she listened to was that of the mayor of Kyoto, Japan, who on Friday sent a letter, obtained by The Times, that in part described kimono as “a fruit of craftsmanship … [that] truly symbolizes sense of beauty, spirits and values of Japanese.”

Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa also specifically asked Kardashian West to reconsider using the word kimono in her trademark.

“We are currently undertaking initiatives nationally to make ‘Kimono Culture,’ symbol of our culture and spirits, registered to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. We think that the names for ‘Kimono’ are the asset shared with all humanity who love Kimono and its culture therefore they should not be monopolized,” Kadokawa wrote before inviting Kardashian West to visit the city and deepen her understanding.

On Monday, commenters were already suggesting names like sKim Wear or KimBody in response to her Instagram notice.


Christie D'Zurilla

Christie D’Zurilla covers breaking entertainment and celebrity news. A graduate of USC, she joined the Los Angeles Times in 2003 as a copy editor and has more than 25 years of journalism experience in Southern California. As befits her beat, she has a high tolerance for inappropriate behavior.

Well that's a teaching momemt and a happy ending. :)

GeneChing
07-02-2019, 08:25 AM
Even though this is done, I'm going to split Kim Kardashian Kimonos #KimOhNo (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71370-Kim-Kardashian-Kimonos-KimOhNo) into its own indie thread off the Cultural Appropriation thread (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70722-Cultural-Appropriation). I'm not sure why. Maybe because I like the alliteration of title. :o




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS_Bm6M4Mws

Kyoto mayor asks Kim Kardashian West to reconsider choice of 'kimono' for underwear brand (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/01/national/kyoto-mayor-asks-kardashian-west-reconsider-choice-kimono-underwear-brand/#.XRt2tOtKipo)
KYODO JUL 1, 2019

KYOTO - Kyoto’s kimono-loving mayor sent a letter to American pop culture icon Kim Kardashian West asking her to reconsider trademarking “kimono” as the name of her new underwear brand, the ancient capital said Monday.

“Kimono is a traditional ethnic dress fostered in our rich nature and history with our predecessors’ tireless endeavors and studies, and it is a culture that has been cherished and passed down with care,” wrote Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa, who is renowned for always wearing kimono while carrying out official duties.

The mayor said not only Japanese but also foreign tourists often stroll around Kyoto wearing kimono, adding that his city is trying to have kimono culture registered on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

“We think that the names for ‘kimono’ are the asset shared with all humanity who love kimono and its culture, therefore they should not be monopolized,” Kadokawa wrote.

A spokeswoman for the municipal government’s traditional industries section said the message has been sent to Kardashian West in English by post and in an email, as well as being uploaded onto the mayor’s official Facebook page. However, the city has yet to receive a reply from the American celebrity.

Kardashian West released details about her upcoming Kimono Solutionwear collection on social media last week. “Kimono is my take on shapewear and solutions for women that actually work,” she wrote.

However, her announcement was slammed on social media, with people creating a pun hashtag “#KimOhNo” to pour scorn on the name.

Kadokawa, who is serving his third term as mayor of Kyoto, began wearing kimono soon after he was elected in 2008. He does so in support of the traditional industry.

The mayor ended his letter by inviting Kardashian West to visit Kyoto, asking her to “experience the essence of Kimono Culture and understand our thoughts and our strong wish.”

GeneChing
01-06-2021, 08:44 AM
I didn't cut&paste all of the IG posts.

Mahjong Set for the ‘Stylish Masses’ Accused of Cultural Appropriation (https://nextshark.com/the-mahjong-line-cultural-appropriation/)
BY ISA PERALTA
JANUARY 5, 2021
4 MINUTE READ

https://cdn.statically.io/img/nextshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/hndfndfn-1-800x500.jpg?w=800&quality=80&f=auto

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with a statement posted by the Mahjong Line on the company’s Instagram and Facebook on Tuesday. O&H Brand Design, which helped design the tiles, also released a separate statement saying they have since cut ties with The Mahjong Line.

The Mahjong Line, a company created by three women from Dallas, Texas, has stirred online controversy for its products that give Mahjong “a modern makeover as playable works of art.”

Background of the company: According to Paper City, Kate LaGere first learned how to play Mahjong in Dallas in 2018. LeGere wanted to own a unique set of tiles but could not find anything beyond those with traditional designs. She eventually teamed up with friends and fellow Mahjong players Annie O’Grady and Bianca Watson to create The Mahjong Line.

According to the company’s About Us page, LaGere decided Mahjong “needed a respectful refresh.” LeGere, O’Grady and Watson “hatched a plan to bring Mahjong to the stylish masses.”

The company’s website currently offers five different collections ranging from $325 to $425.
The Mahjong Line also offers accessories, such as a playing mat priced at $50.

https://cdn.statically.io/img/nextshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sdvsdvs-e1609874687931.jpg?w=800&quality=80&f=auto

Facing backlash: Several Facebook users expressed outrage over the products by commenting on The Mahjong Line’s Facebook posts. Users accused the company of not having any employees of Asian descent and profiting off the whitewashing of a game with Chinese origins.

Several Twitter users also shared their opinions on The Mahjong Line:




Response to outrage: The Mahjong Line has yet to release a statement addressing the allegations of cultural appropriation, and the company has disabled comments on their Instagram posts. Their Facebook page is still currently active.

NextShark has reached out to The Mahjong Line for comment via email, their Facebook page, and their Instagram account. Below is a statement posted to the company’s social media accounts on Tuesday evening:

“We launched this company in November of 2020 with pure intentions and a shared love for the game of American Mahjong, which carries a rich history here in the United States. Our mission is to combine our passion for art and color alongside the fun of the game while seeking to appeal to novices and experienced players alike. American Mahjong tiles have evolved for many decades and we’d like to be part of this evolution in the most respectful and authentic way possible.

While our intent is to inspire and engage with a new generation of American mahjong players, we recognize our failure to pay proper homage to the game’s Chinese heritage. Using words like ‘refresh’ were hurtful to many and we are deeply sorry.

It’s imperative our followers know we never set out to ignore or misrepresent the origins of this game and know there are more conversations to be had and steps to take as we learn and grow. We are always open to constructive criticism and are continuing to conduct conversations with those who can provide further insight to the game’s traditions and roots in both Chinese and American cultures.”

O&H Brand Design, a full-service branding, advertising and graphic design agency based in Dallas, also released a recent statement for their part in creating The Mahjong Line tiles. They have since cut ties with The Mahjong Line.

“We are deeply and sincerely sorry for the role we played in the creation of The Mahjong Line tiles and brand. There was a clear lack of awareness, cultural appreciation and respect on our part during our design process. We own that and apologize for it.

We must do better, and we are taking steps to educate ourselves so that we do not make these types of mistakes again. We have also begun the process of researching ways to learn from the Asian-American community in our city and region so that we can better understand, respect and honor it moving forward.

We have also terminated our relationship with The Mahjong Line.

While our apology can not change the work we did, we humbly ask for the opportunity to improve both as a company and as individuals moving forward.

– The O&H Team”

Featured Image via themahjongline.com

Threads
Mahjong (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?40386-Mahjong)
Cultural-Appropriation (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70722-Cultural-Appropriation)

GeneChing
07-20-2021, 07:09 PM
‘Karen, Queen of Congee’ draws backlash over brand ‘improving’ ancient Asian dish for the Western palate
(https://news.yahoo.com/karen-queen-congee-draws-backlash-175825923.html)
Carl Samson
Tue, July 20, 2021, 10:58 AM·4 min read
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/wZ5rK_HXofFhhThOuls3mA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTM3NC41MzEyNTtjZj 13ZWJw/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/.VPQVjxqSo9H81SV1p4YoQ--~B/aD00MjU7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/nextshark_articles_509/6ada05c893084dcf418647497853ad8c

A breakfast brand that “improves” congee for the Western palate has stirred controversy over the weekend after Twitter users accused it of cultural appropriation.

Company background: Founded in 2017 in Eugene, Ore., Breakfast Cure sells packets of various “congee” flavors that emphasize “organic, gluten-free, whole grains and a wide variety of ingredients.” It calls each of its servings a “bowl of zen.”

Breakfast Cure was founded by Karen Taylor, a licensed acupuncturist who started eating congee some 25 years ago and became interested in the process of slow cooking grains for better digestion. Since then, she says she has tried different combinations to find “some really tasty, healthy ones, some based on ancient tradition and some [her] own creations.”

There are currently 13 flavors of Breakfast Cure’s prepackaged “congee.” These include “Apple Cinnamon,” “Coconut Blueberry Bliss,” “Golden Spice,” “Karen’s Kitchari,” “Mango and Sticky Rice,” “Masala Chai Spice,” “Mega-Omega,” “Om Berry,” “Pear-Fection,” “Pineapple Paradise,” “Romano Bean Dream,” “Tangled Up in Blueberry” and “Three Treasures.”

The brand says its “simple congee method” spreads the wisdom that warm, cooked foods “heal, soothe and energize.” Listed benefits include hydration, gentle cleansing and an overall metabolism and energy boost.

What critics are saying: The company started receiving backlash over the weekend after one Twitter user accused it of cultural appropriation. Other users have since joined to criticize its methods and statements.

In a thread, Twitter user Casey Ho (@CaseyHo) shared screenshots of Breakfast Cure’s Instagram posts, including a photo of its all-white team. She also shared what appears to be an earlier version of Taylor’s blog post titled “How I discovered the miracle of congee and improved it.”

In her original post, Taylor wrote that she has spent a lot of time “modernizing” congee “for the Western pallet [sic]” so that “you” can eat it and find it “delicious,” not “foreign.” The post appears to have been edited as of this writing, but a quick Google search still shows the original title.

Chinese American writer Frankie Huang (@ourobororoboruo) is one of Breakfast Cure's critics, writing: "Like a broken record, I must say that it’s unbelievably annoying to see white people 'interpret' cultures of millions and billions of living people like they’re archeologists. Being treated like we are dead makes me want to lie down."

Jenn Fang of Reappropriate (@reappropriate) also took a jab at Breakfast Cure: "Congee isn’t just 'boiled rice,' it also contains some specific and traditional flavor profiles one shouldn’t just totally ignore; and certainly not treat as bizarre or unappetizing... It’s definitely offensive for anyone trying to 'reinterpret' congee to do so by framing the traditional version as gross and icky, and that their 'reinterpretations' will save it in some way by making it better or easier for white folks."

Taylor, who was once referred to as "Our Founder and Queen of Congee” on the company website's Meet the Team page, is now solely called "Our Founder." The "Queen of Congee" title prompted some users to poke fun at Taylor's first name, Karen, a pejorative alias that has come to represent problematic white women on the internet.

Company responds: In a statement to NextShark, Breakfast Cure apologized for their problematic language and vowed to continue supporting the Asian American community. The company said they have donated to the Asian Mental Health Collective and are currently supporting Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

Read Breakfast Cure's full statement below:

"At Breakfast Cure, the heart of our mission is to create delicious whole food breakfasts to give you the fastest homemade meal possible. Our Oregon porridge is inspired by traditional rice congee, an incredible, healing dish with references dating back to 1,000 B.C.

"Recently, we fell short of supporting and honoring the Asian American community and for that, we are deeply sorry. We take full responsibility for any language on our website or in our marketing and have taken immediate steps to remedy that and educate ourselves, revising our mission to not just creating delicious breakfast meals, but becoming a better ally for the AAPI community.

"Previously, in March we donated 15% of sales to the Asian Mental Health Collective, posting our support and denouncing Asian hate. We will continue to donate 1% of all sales or 10% of profit, whichever is larger to non-profit and activist organizations. Currently, all purchases support Asian Americans Advancing Justice."


Featured Image via Made With Lau


threads
Chinese-food (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?16444-Chinese-food)
Cultural-Appropriation (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70722-Cultural-Appropriation)

rett2
07-22-2021, 02:03 AM
threads
Chinese-food (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?16444-Chinese-food)
Cultural-Appropriation (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70722-Cultural-Appropriation)

Seems pretty silly considering that Chinese restaurants catering to western customers already often tailor the food to what they consider to be western taste.

highlypotion
08-18-2021, 02:12 AM
threads
Chinese-food (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?16444-Chinese-food)
Cultural-Appropriation (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70722-Cultural-Appropriation)

I sometimes watch Karens getting beaten by an Asian... really worth it.