Cultural Appropriation

CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

I've heard it asked, what is cultural appropriation? Greg Gutfeld, on The Five, on the Fox News Network, once asked if taking something from someone else's culture shouldn't be taken as a compliment?

Well it might be if one doesn't acknowledge where it comes from, or worse, makes fun of the cultural source. That's why black face is forbidden.

One form of cultural appropriation that I thought of that happily hasn't happened yet, at least so far, is the appropriation of yarmulkes. Yarmulkes are Jewish skull caps, worn on the top back of one's head to show reverence to God, usually in a temple, though Orthodox Jews wear some form of them all the time. This artifact is very holy to Jews and my cultural appropriation fear is that one day, some American stylist will desecrate it by making a fancy one by putting a cross and an American flag on it and call it an "American Yarmulke".

Another form of cultural appropriation would be the constant attempts to turn Christian culture into American Culture, insisting that America is a "Christian country". I'm sorry, but as a non-Christian American, I disagree. Still, Christmas is legally an American holiday and more than one person has insisted that I should celebrate it.

That's why we have a First Amendment that forbids Christian prayers in our public schools, the Decalogue on public buildings, and many other forms of Christian appropriation.

One form of Christian appropriation the surprised and really angers me is that Cross in a public park, part of an honor for World War One veterans, which the Supreme Court allowed!

Even before and the Nazis invaded and after they left, the very Christian Catholic country of Poland was not too happy with its Jewish population. That's why many Jews, like my grandfather, left and came to America, where he was free to be a Jew or any religion he wanted. When WW! came, he served and is "honored" by this memorial with the cross on it, which is like putting a Polish flag on his headstone!