“Appreciation is when someone seeks to understand and learn about another culture in an effort to broaden their perspective and connect with others cross-culturally.”
“Cultural appropriation takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way.“
“Cultural appropriation is the social equivalent of plagiarism with an added dose of denigration. It’s something to be avoided at all costs, and something to educate yourself about.”
I have a lot of interests, and due to genealogy, I love to learn about the history of other cultures. My family includes people of a variety of different cultures such as Native American, Japanese, Korean, and African American. My own ancestry is mostly English, Scottish, Swedish, Danish, German, Irish, and French. The family history research I do, the most curious I am about those cultures. The same can be said of the family members with who I share a bloodline and those who marry into my family lines.
Asian cultures have fascinated me since I was in Junior High and I have spent years learning about the different Asian countries. I find it sad that many people assume that everyone who is Asian shares the same history, language, cuisine, and more when it’s not that at all. China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Cambodia, and more are all considered Asian Countries, including India and the Philippines. Even middle eastern countries are considered “Asian”. Each country has its own history, language, culture, cuisine, fashion, and decoration styles, naming styles, and holidays and special occasions.
In studying these countries and cultures, I hope that I am striving to appreciate them and not appropriate. I will share what I’ve learned and continue to learn here on my blog.
The same can be said of black cultures; African-American, African and the various countries on the continent of Africa such as Kenya, Nigeria, Yemen, as well as Haiti, Jamaica, and more.
https://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-cultural-appropriation
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cultural-appropriation-5070458
moondancepages.com 