Quote Of The Day

"We have to understand that cultural appropriation is institutionalized, it is the very foundation of what Canada is built on," said Jesse Wente, an indigenous critic for CBC News. "And not just cultural appropriation, but appropriation of all things Indigenous: our lives, our lands. This is what this nation was founded on. It was the policy of the government to do this. To ignore, to pretend now, that we somehow have moved on beyond this and that somehow we're all on equal footing and thus we can all share equitably is to fail in your responsibility as a storyteller."

What a load of crap. Tell you what Jesse. Since you feel I *appropriated* your existence, how's about you hand over your cell phone or computer or any other invention by us white appropriators.

After all, can we not argue 'reverse cultural appropriation?'

Not that I want part of that dance. Cultural appropriation is a concept for remedial minds with pointless axes to grind. It's lazy as hell too.

If you think for one second I'm going to be made to feel guilty, you're kinda on the wrong side of the track, pal.

History, in case you haven't noticed, is but one gigantic cultural appropriated process. Never mind you can't *own* culture. If you could, it means you have to own people; the minds, soul and body.

Sounds like, erm, slavery.

Culture isn't a piece of tangible property. Sure there are works of arts the form a nation's patrimony but this is not what we're talking about here. The point is, as a Quebecer, I can't prevent someone from eating poutine. I don't have that kind of power; the nation-state gives itself this sort of power but that's another matter altogether.

Think Madame Butterfly. It's a French novel about a Japanese girl that was made into an Italian libretto. Opera, by extension, is not exclusively performed by Italians but singers often sing in Italian. And in the opera a bunch of Americans wear kimonos.

And yet it's a landmark piece of art loved by millions around the world.

Why do you hate opera Jesse? I think Jesse needs to read 'I, Pencil'.

Or are we to rewrite this like some dopes in the States with Huckleberry Finn because it's offensive and racist.

And while we're at it, Shakespeare set his novels in Italy. This triggers me.

It's all so reminiscent of Tipper Gore with her dumb crusades in the 80s. People always gotta find something to bitch about.

As for storytelling, you get to set the parameters, right Jesse? You get to project your arbitrary and subjective values onto someone else, correct? 'You can't write like that. You gotta do it like this!'

Next thing you know, you have shitty writing thanks to your kind. This is how imagination and great storytelling gets stunted and even recedes. And when you push for Native literature isn't that cultural appropriation too? Native American (not Mesoamerica since this is not the focus of the discussion) history is oral and not a written word civilization. Writing is something that belonged to other civilizations. 

The Jesse's of this world are looking to set a narrative and in the process eliminate those who don't kow-tow to it. The bottom line being offended is something you choose to do or be. 

Don't let Jesse (and his appeal to emotion) have power over you via nonsensical anti-intellectual l gibberish like cultural appropriation.

What a silly, sad state of affairs our intellectual discourse is at the moment.