It is easier to “do nothing” and “keep quiet”. It is wise to be nice, even superficially, to grab what we want. Needless to say, everyone wants to have “peaceful” and “happy” days. So do I. However, I do not want that “happiness” over someone’s pain.
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It is always easy to go along with the flow. It is probably too late to speak up the truth I carry. However, how can I keep quiet when it comes to my identity where others paint it with the color I do not want? It was shocking to receive an accusation from a person who claims “I live in Sashiko & Japan”. They insisted that “Sashiko is the Art”. They concluded their point that “What Atsushi writes is prejudice and racism”. I wondered, what does they know about Japan and Sashiko if they kept attacking me in English. They even translated their point into Japanese by “Google Translation”… Is the culture that shallow? (This wondering lead to the story I posted yesterday). The language is not only an indicator to see the cultural understanding, but if they attack someone native, they should have either the language or modesty.
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They stated “Cultural appropriation(C/A) is a sad 2020 attitude”. So, they think C/A is bulls__t. This is “the example of C/A”. They insist they know about the Japanese culture without learning the language & custom, yet spreading their “opinions” ignoring the pain from native person. If you worry about C/A in Sashiko here on this account, please do not worry about it & keep learning what Sashiko is. C/A happens when one thinks there is no C/A. It was shocking & painful, but it helped me to clarify my understanding. Just unbelievable.
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*I purposefully change “he” to “they”.
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「俺は日本在住で日本文化も刺し子も知ってる。刺し子は芸術だ。だからぎゃーぎゃー言うな」という方からコメントを頂きました。勿論、刺し子が芸術だという考えがあるのも承知しているし、議論は深めるべきだと思ったのですが、その方、日本語はできないようで……。一般論ですが、日本語ができないのであれば、「日本文化を知っている」とは言わない方が良い。言語ができるから文化がわかるとは言いませんが、文化を知っていると偉そうに言う時は、そりゃ言語できなきゃマズイだろうと思うんです。英語で議論できない人が、「アメリカ文化の専門家だぜ！」って恥ずかしいでしょ？ちなみに、日本文化を真剣に学んでいらっしゃる方は、「日本文化を知っている」とは言いません。俺も「日本文化を知っている」とは一回も言っていないはず。奥が深すぎますから……知れば知るほどわからなくなるんです。自戒の念も込めて。
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2020-12-18 11:25:56
Totally agree… happiness in any form at the expense of any other conscious being isn’t happiness worth having because it isn’t real.🙏❤️😘
Some people just don’t get it.
この柄も素敵ですね😊
日本文化、知ってる＝理解しているではない気がします。
Showww
Bellísimo bordado 💙💙💙
I live in an area with a strong Indigenous culture going back thousands of years. I had the privilege to learn grass basket weaving from a Nuu chan-nulth elder. We collected grasses that grow in certain places, learned to prepare and dry them, how to weave, and create designs. I made the mistake of saying that I was learning Nuu chan-nulth weaving, and my teacher firmly corrected me. “You are not learning Nuu chan-nulth weaving. You are learning grass weaving.” I understood why. I am white. I am not part of that culture where it’s art is deeply woven together with long history, clan, beliefs and a unique relationship to this particular part of the world that I can’t possibly fully be part of. Cultural appropriation may be recognized and named now, but it is not new.
Excelente propuesta.Me gustaría agradecerle la interacción on line disfrutando de sus trabajos. Buen año 2021😊💚
😘
Japan Artists and Crafts People are some of the best in the world, holding themselves to the highest standard… while remaining ever humble and keeping respect for nature.
👏👏😍
日本文化を知ってるだけで理解はしていないってことですよね
🙌🙌
🙏🏻❤️