We hear the term racism thrown around very liberally these days. In fact, I'd bet that the majority of the times it is used in this day and age it isn't actually racism at all.

That has just become the go to label to go to in order to try to shut someone down, or virtue signal to justify not listening to anything they have to say that you might disagree with. In a sense, it is using RACE to censor what other people can say, or perhaps just to censor someone who you may disagree with when there is some "race" that can be used to try to pin as the cause for that disagreement. An example of this would be when someone calls a country "a shit hole country". That has nothing to do with race. A country is not a race.

Racism is essentially giving favoritism to someone on the basis of race, or restricting them on the basis of race. Essentially not treating someone with equal behavior due to their race.

If the go to attack when you disagree with someone is to call them racist or say that is racism when they have not specifically spoken about race then it is in fact YOU that choose to go there that are practicing racism. You have this idea that someone of a certain race that you perceive as PROTECTED should not be able to be challenged. Therefore, you believe there is a SPECIAL way they should be treated. That is not equality. It is in fact racism.

Cultural Appropriation

The phrase Cultural Appropriation has been in the news off and on for the past decade or so as the education system, and media around the world ramped up identity politics and training of people look for opportunities to claim that they have been offended or made into a victim in some way.

It has been used to shut down yoga centers. It has been used to shut down acupuncture situations. It has been used to restrict people from operating a sweat lodge if they are not native American. Recently, it has been done to make a big deal about a teenager wearing a dress of Asian/Chinese stylings and rant and rave about Cultural Appropriation.

First of all. Culture and Race are TWO very different things. One you are born with and can do nothing about. The other happens inside your mind. It is the behaviors that you decide best fit you. They generally will be learned from the society and family you grow up around, but they are not limited to that. They are products of your mind, your creative expression, and your personality. That has NOTHING to do with race.

However, when people attack someone for "cultural appropriation" I contend they are in fact practicing racism. They are stating that certain behaviors, dress, food, activities are only permitted by those of a specific race, or heritage. This is not equality. It is therefore restricting others due to their race/heritage not fitting who others deem are permitted to believe, act, dress, or speak certain ways. This is a clear example of racism.

There is actually no case where the phrase "cultural appropriation" is not racist. It implies special privileges exist on who can do or say certain things. If you are not racist then the phrase "cultural racism" should never enter your mind to describe something. It is a construct of a racist mind. They likely don't realize it, but the truth about bigotry which includes racism is that those people don't walk around saying "I am a racist, I am a mysoginist, I am a homophobe, I am an Islamophobe, etc." Those are labels other people throw at them. They may be those things, and not even be aware. These days there is a good chance they are not those things since people love such labels to attack and silence those they disagree with. It doesn't matter if it is true or not as long as it gets them to shame, or intimidate someone they don't like into silence.

Such actions by the way are not known as tolerance.

Culture can be changed. Other people can adopt it. People can find new ideas they like and incorporate them into who they are.

Culture unlike race can be changed.

So is their Native American culture, Black Culture, Jewish Culture, Irish Culture, etc.?

There are indeed ideas and cultures that will be first discovered by a group of people. Yet they are still ideas. They are not ideas due to the race. They are ideas because that group of people happened to think about them.

That doesn't mean they suddenly get a patent on thinking that way and everyone else that thinks that is a good idea and incorporates it into their life is suddenly stealing their intellectual property.

This can get even more petty though. The culture that people usually will go to cultural appropriation over is generally very old ideas. No one living actually invented those ideas.

So the people complaining about it actually have no claim to that idea beyond anyone else. They may say it is due to their heritage. This is called an Appeal to Tradition fallacy. It doesn't make it true.

The only reason it has any weight is that society has been so damaged into supporting anyone that can claim victim status. Even if they are really no victim, other than perhaps in their own mind.

Culture is important. In reality, there are also Cultures with really bad ideas. There are cultures with very good ideas. Yet unlike race, you can learn and change this.

I hope I've made my point. Though I do want to add one thing to this that I've said before and it is suitable here.

Consider why Black Lives Matter started... Which do you think makes more sense to explain the things they are protesting, the color of their skin, or the cultures that are predominant in the areas where the disproportionate interaction with law enforcement occur?

Also. Why say black? Do you want equality, or wish to single out a race? If you think it is important to give special attention to a race then know that is not seeking equality. That actually feeds racism.

So while you may have an honorable and important goal there are two things to consider. 1) Is focusing on race the best way to achieve that, 2) Is race even where the actual cause is coming from or is it a product of culture?

I'll tell you now that I believe the issue is a cultural one. It has nothing to do with race, other than the culture in question is more popular in a lot of neighborhoods that are largely populated by people with dark skin tones.

The culture in question was actually initially introduced with the Irish who were not black at all. So should we be yelling about the Blacks cultural appropriation of admiration of thugs from the Irish? No. People can take ideas, or not take them. They don't own them.

If a culture admires thugs then it should be logical to reason that the culture will have more negative interactions with not only law enforcement, but also among themselves. As far as I can tell this is a far better fit for explaining statistics of all kinds than skin color.