Appropriating Catholic culture


Pix3M's avatar
After reading up on stuff about cultural appropriation, I'm curious now. For those of you who grew up Catholic, how do you feel about the way East Asia plays around with Catholicism?

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Valsayre's avatar
I see no problem with it.
Valsayre's avatar
I have no problem with it. 
UsagiToxic's avatar
Cultural appropriation is just like God - doesn't exist. 

Even if it did, Christians, who basically just copy-pasted stuff which existed long before them, do not get any right to whine. 
brianvds's avatar
Cultural appropriation is the very wellspring of virtually all human creativity. Those who don't like it don't have to do it. {shrug} 
skulkey's avatar
Cultural appropriation is the very wellspring of virtually all human creativity. 

or as Confucius say: Everything derivative.
brianvds's avatar
I always thought he said "evelything delivitave."  :-)
Pix3M's avatar
All human creativity? I do borrow from a lot of things but another person's culture is just one source out of many =)
brianvds's avatar
Perhaps I was speaking a bit too broadly, but suffice it to say, I have no problem at all with cultural appropriation. 
MorellSunweaver's avatar
I'm not catholic, but you may also ask, how someone feel about how west alters religions of the east.
Pix3M's avatar
Personally, as somebody from a Chinese family, it becomes more difficult to talk about because there is no organized religion, but many cultural beliefs that are intertwined with culture. Basically, religion is a square peg for our circular hole. I wouldn't even describe them as a religon, not even buddhism. Elements of Buddhism are easily accepted as another body of knowledge like Chemistry.
MorellSunweaver's avatar
To be honest, I think that it is so organised and defined here because in history it was more improtant to be member of the "right" church, than spiritual meaning of it. religion is term that came from need of naming membership in these our churches.
But the truth is, that spiritual layer of christianity is also very complex and has a lot of variants.
hunter7104289's avatar
Cultural appropriation has become a term people use in all the wrong ways and I think that's why this discussion is so polarized. True cultural appropriation is when someone from out side a culture, with out any attempts to understand, uses a piece of culture (such as clothing) and then claims that means they know the culture, or that they suffered the same as that culture. 
Example. 
A white person gets cornrows
It's cultural appropriation if: They say it's because they are 'hood' or 'a G' because that is using negative, and idiotic misunderstandings of the cultural relevance of the practice. 

It's NOT cultural appropriation if they: Say they like how it looks, and think it's a beautiful hair style. 

Religious things are a bit trickier - since if you do not follow a religion wearing their religious garb that requires some sort of religious understanding is wrong. But if some one truly tries to join a religion - reads up on, practices fully. It does not matter where they come from or their skin color. If they believe and practice it is no appropriation - even if the culture is a non converting culture they may not be 'accepted' into the community but they appropriated nothing. 

Back to what you asked though. Using a religion in a piece of fiction is not appropriation at any time unless you try to portray it as 'truth'. Working in different religions to a fictional world is not appropriation as long as you are doing it to increase the fiction and not attack the religion. 

Catholic culture is practiced in asia though, so even if you use the definition of Cultural appropriation used by over PC Teen 'heros'- that using anything from a culture not your own is bad - it wouldn't apply here. 

Culture is something meant to be shared because if we try to lock every culture up to only the people who were born to it we will never know a world of understanding. Sharing cultures, understanding them, and embracing them is the only way this world will ever be at peace, and happy. We are more the same than different and if you find beauty in a culture , you should embrace it. 
Pix3M's avatar
This is a lot more well thought out than the "shut up, stop caring, this isn't a big deal" responses I usually see. thank you
Piquipauparro's avatar
Just to clarify the term:

"cultural appropriation typically involves members of a dominant group exploiting the culture of less privileged groups — often with little understanding of the latter’s history, experience and traditions."

“Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else's culture... ... This can include unauthorized use of another culture's dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It's most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.”

" Cultural appropriation remains a concern for a variety of reasons. For one, this sort of “borrowing” is exploitative because it robs minority groups of the credit they deserve. Art and music forms that originated with minority groups come to be associated with members of the dominant group. As a result, the dominant group is deemed innovative and edgy, while the disadvantaged groups they “borrow” from continue to face negative stereotypes that imply they’re lacking in intelligence and creativity. In addition, when members of a dominant group appropriate the cultures of others, they often reinforce stereotypes about minority groups."

"cultural appropriation highlights the power imbalance that remains between those in power and those who’ve been historically marginalized. As such, a member of a dominant group can assume the traditional dress of a minority group for a Halloween party or a musical performance. Yet, they remain blissfully unaware of the roots of such dress and the challenges those who originated it have faced in Western society"

An example is the "Dia de Muertos" which is a Mexican religious celebration of those who have left us, its a time where families gather at cementeries and remember them by celebrating parties for them in their honour as it is believed the souls of the deceased ones are allowed to come back for one day to be with their beloved ones, its something that has been done way before america was discovered and is part of our culture, and very meaningul to many
But now tons of people from the US are getting into it and make carafts and stuff for it to make a profit and what not, but they only see it as a big colorful party with pretty costumes and lots of Tequila and Mexican music, just a mexican halloween or something, but they dont care or know anything about its roots, its origin, its significance, what it means, as i said, to them it is just a clorful party and costumes, and even worse they dont even care about us Mexicans and our culture, and sometimes they even want us out of the picture, of our own culture.
Pix3M's avatar
Then what is the better term to describe the phenomenon explained in OP? The description given shouldn't be too far off of what's going in with Anime Catholicism, I would think, and Catholics would be a disadvantaged minority in Japan, though maybe (maybe not?) and actual minority in the big picture
Piquipauparro's avatar
I think that is a bit tricky to say, catholisism is a religion that looks to extend and reach people in many places no matter their culture or language, and it even becomes part of cultures in other countries, here in mexico its highly indented in the popular culture, a religion from another continent!, a really strong one i must say.
This is the reason it canot be considered cultural appropriation, i think, because it is a religion that looks to be availabe to anyone from anywhere, and for them to claim it as their own. And its rather strong one.
Not to me tion that the center of catholisism and main figure is in the vatican, they are respected, wealthy and venerated by many, so we cannot consider them an opressed, minority.
And somehow catholisism doesnt belong to a culture, or single culture but is rather an elemnt that cultures can adopt (or more like the people on them, displacing other religions)

The thing here is the culture in Japan, and their tendency to write fictional over the top stories of all things that surround them, part of becoming part of their general culture is being exposed to the chance of being talk and wrote about in odd ways,(as in any place)
And they have made tons and tons of stories with gods and goddesses for all tastes (even dirty ones) twisting them with no shame,and they may not consider this could be offensive to others, who knows what the studio that made them was thinking, its difficult to say, maybe is more of a culture assimilation on a country that makes over the top anime
But thats just my thought
hunter7104289's avatar
I know, A lot of people don't care to explain what their thinking, they just think people are stupid for not agreeing. If you have a thought and can't explain it it probably means you don't really understand your argument. Everything in life has two sides so I always try to explain where I'm coming from instead of just yelling at people as if that is by some angry magic going to change their mind.  
HerbalDrink's avatar
Cultural Appropriation is the belief that your skin tone and your place of birth determines what you are allowed to do with your life and what you may or may not choose to do... but only if you're caucasian/white.

If it's anyone else doing it to any other culture, especially european cultures, then it is not seen as cultural appropriation at best, or as imperialism at worst. (Even though many of those things are, surprisingly, done willingly and not done because some evil white overlord said 'you must do this' and some of these things in consumable media are, interestingly, never truly intended for an international release...) 
Pix3M's avatar
"Cultural Appropriation is the belief that your skin tone and your place of birth determines what you are allowed to do with your life and what you may or may not choose to do... but only if you're caucasian/white."

Where did you get this definition?
HerbalDrink's avatar
From seeing it in practice. 

Look at the accusations of cultural appropriation, and you'll find a trend amongst people accused of it. 
Legio-X's avatar
I think it's more shoddy research by non-Christians than it is appropriation.  And keep in mind that many in the Western world grossly mishandle and sometimes appropriate from Eastern religions (Buddhism tends to get this the most in my experience).  
Pix3M's avatar
lmao I once played a Ludum Dare game, one made in like three days, where I play as a presumably Tibetan monk who moves around by fart propulsion and calms people down with his mighty chant
skulkey's avatar
Catholicism is not a culture.
Pix3M's avatar