The Cultural Appropriation Defense for Christians

[Talisker]

According to Wiki, “cultural appropriation is the adoption of an oppressed people's cultural elements by members of the dominant culture, or by members of any culture that has historically oppressed the peoples of the originating culture. Appropriation may eventually lead to the appropriating group being seen as the new face of said cultural practices. As oppressed peoples' cultures are mimicked by the dominant culture, observers may begin to falsely associate certain cultural practices with the mimicker, and not with the people who originated them. This is often seen in the use by cultural outsiders of a minority, oppressed culture's symbols or other cultural elements, such as music, dance, spiritual ceremonies, modes of dress, speech and social behaviour, among other cultural expressions.”

Therefore: As gays consider themselves oppressed, and as gay marriage is not recognized in thousands of years of human history by virtually every religion on the planet, then the creation of gay marriage in America is a new cultural event by an oppressed people.

(Stay with me here)

In addition, we now live in a time where Colleges, Universities, Corporations and governments in America all employ and empower “Coordinators” for “Diversity and Inclusion.” An extreme, but unfortunately common, example is found in the article College Apologizes for Serving Mexican Food at Science Fiction Event.

The point therefore, is that this is now considered a "compelling interest" - one of actual legal import and effect, subject to enforcement by both policies, regulations and lawsuits. Right?

Well then, the question is simple: What right do Christians, or members of any other religion or culture, have in claiming to represent gay marriage?

Isn’t that - clearly - cultural appropriation? Note, I’m not talking about whether or not gays can be married under the law. What I am talking about is the celebration of that event. In the above example, it wasn’t any excuse whatsoever to simply pick “Mexican food” for the sake of it’s enjoyment by everyone. No - cultural nuances were declared, and enforced, as far more important issues than the mere popularity of the food.

By the same token, then, practicioners and believers in marriage being between one man and one woman come from a background culture that supports that. They have NO experience, sensitivity, or understanding in what that concept means between homosexuals, by definition. They cannot - by definition - understand homosexual suffering, experiences, or cultural oppression. And they certainly cannot take part in the newly created, and still being developed, cultural expression of gay marriage. And no, they cannot be “educated” in it, either. In the same way that no amount of study or respect would allow even a professor of native traditions to ever appropriate a spiritual dance from a native culture. It’s simply impossible, if you’re not of that culture.

That comparison, by the way, is exact. You could know the language, know the dance, play all the instruments and even personally practice the native religion, and the LEft would still reject - absolutely and forcefully - your claim to “be able” to take part in authentic native dances. You see, the very idea that you think you would be able to is, in fact, considered to be evidence of your “privilege blindess” and “cultural arrogance.” Your very insistence that you are practicing the “same dance” would be rejected as an astounding level of insult to the native culture, because it is NOT the same dance because YOU are NOT a native - period.

So why shouldn’t the same argument be held up for Christians asked to take part with their businesses in gay cultural events. Not the legalizing of the marriage, but it’s celebration?

Aren’t gays oppressed? Yes. Don’t they have a unique understanding of their own culture and it’s meanings that cannot be shared by those who are not of the same practicing culture? Yes. Wouldn’t any non-gay businessperson creating any kind of interpretive artistic or custom effort be therefore “wrongly appropriating gay culture” - by definition, because they aren’t gay and so simply cannot never understand gay marriage - especially because they are also accustomed to their own strict definition of marriage excluding gays?

Yes.

Not, I’m not saying gays can’t - of their own decision - buy cakes or flowers available for everyone, just as Christians offer them anyway. But custom gay marriage cakes? Even if the gays tell them what they want, there’s still a personal creative effort involved that will expose the cultural bias, the inescapable privilege, the arrogant appropriation of that gay event by the dominant cultural bias of innate Christian (or heterosexual) cultural privilege. By the Left’s own definitions, such discrimination is inescapable unles, and only unless, the person doing the cultural interpretation work is actually a member of that culture - i.e. in this case, homosexual.

You might be snorting with ridicule. You might be laughing or think this is trite. You are wrong - this is dead serious. This is actually how people in power think these days. This is what they teach at all sorts of seminars and in all sorts of hearings and even courts. What I am describing is fast becoming the LAW.

So what I’m saying is that it works both ways. Christians and other who follow an actual spiritual tradition that does not acknowledge the legitimacy of gay marriage should not be ALLOWED to culturally appropriate gay marriage celebrations - the cultural events surrounding the event - by expressing ANY personal, artistic work in that area. Because they are simply NOT QUALIFIED by our current standards of appropriateness, policy and law. If they do, they are acting to “culturally appropriate” the traditions and cutlure of an oppressed people, and thereby diluting and undermining this oppressed group from practicing their right to be free in their own ways.

And therefore, in my humble opinion, this outrage by Christians and others who are already participating in their own lifelong, deeply held, inescapable traditions of heterosexual-only marriage, who are then presuming to intrinsically, inescapably and culturally oppress and bias the the devopment of these brand-new, never seen before gay marriage traditions by way of their own innately biased artwork and interpretations - which can only come from the perspectives and beliefs of the oppressing culture itself - must stop.

Otherwise, homosexuals will never be really free to define themselves BY themselves, and instead will remain defined and chained by an oppressive culture that has stolen the essence of their very humanity, which - clearly - must be recognized as their very right to express their own cultural definitions without influence from those who enslave and oppress them.

Think about it.

And again, no, this is not a satire.

[freebilly]

Where’s the Like button...?

[Sicvee]

Wait a minute—I am not following this. I need to try harder, I guess.

[freebilly]

Very simplified interpretation—Native Americans don’t want us to participate in their rituals. Gays should also not want us to participate in their rituals....