What is cultural appropriation?

Cultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group. It describes acculturation or assimilation, but can imply a negative view towards acculturation from a minority culture by a dominant culture. It can include the introduction of forms of dress or personal adornment, music and art, religion, language, or social behavior. These elements, once removed from their indigenous cultural contexts, can take on meanings that are significantly divergent from, or merely less nuanced than, those they originally held. (via Wikipedia)





Okay, so why is it so problematic?

Cultural appropriation is highly problematic because it takes elements of a culture out context. It causes them to be trivialized and cheapened. When parts of the cultures of marginalized groups are appropriated by the dominant culture, they are used merely as entertainment or to add “culture” or“flavor” or to “exotify” the dominant culture. This reduces the cultures of marginalized groups to mere playthings.



Cultural appropriation also fails to take into account that while privileged people can wear objects from minority cultures and be praised, minorities who wear their own symbols may be mistreated or mocked for it. In addition, often the dominant culture tried to wipe out the cultural aspects they are now taking.





But I’m not appropriating your culture, I’m appreciating it!

If you appreciate our culture, show us by respecting our decision to keep some things for ourselves. Taking us out of our own culture, or taking portions for yourself, isn’t appreciation.





How can Christians appropriate Jewish culture? Isn’t Christianity rooted in Judaism?

Christian goyim are not Jewish. It is as simple as that.

Christianity began a cult movement around a charismatic false messiah figure in Roman-occupied Judea. As it spread throughout the Western world, whatever “Jewish character” it initially possessed was lost. The Christianity that spread throughout Europe was a Romanized and Paganized version of what had arisen as a small cult movement in the Middle East. Europeans used Christianity as a political tool to make Europe uniform in religion (and therefore consolidate power) and then oppress religious and ethnic minorities in Europe.

Early Christians were also very anti-Jewish, and tried to distance themselves from the Jews. Between that and later oppression/attempts to wipe out the Jews (inquisition, crusades, etc etc etc) Christians no longer have any right to Jewish culture, languages, and so forth.





Is conversion to Judaism cultural appropriation?

Hi, Bashe here. I’m in the process of converting to Judaism. Nope, it’s not cultural appropriation to convert to Judaism. Jewish law lays out a specific process for conversion to Judaism, and converts have historically been accepted (though at times not so much due to anti-Semitism and laws in hostile nations forbidding conversion to Judaism). However, converts have to understand that they don’t have the same experiences as those who were born Jewish. Once someone converts, they are fully Jewish. However, they lack the background and experiences that most Jews by birth have. Converts don’t have a place in every discussion, and can sometimes do/say problematic things. If you have a question about conversion/converts/etc, you can address your queries to me here or go to my personal blog.





Wait, so can a convert experience anti-Semitism?

Yes. It varies from person to person, but converts can and do experience anti-Semitism, but not always in the same ways that Jews by birth do.





Am I Jewish? Can you tell me if I’m Jewish? Can I identify as Jewish?

Jewish identity is complex and derives from multiple sources, including family history, religious observance, how you’re raised, your community, among others. If you have a family history of Judaism, you might be Jewish. If you were raised Jewish, you might be Jewish. Ultimately, it is a matter of personal identity and up to your local rabbinic authorities when it comes to your standing in your Jewish community. None of us here are rabbis and none of us can tell you if you are really Jewish. If you are in doubt, go talk to your local rabbi. This blog is not equipped to determine everyone’s Jewish identity, and our advice will always be the same: do your homework, understand why you identify as Jewish (or why you want to), and consult your local rabbinic authority for further information or instruction on the matter. We won’t be answering many of these questions in the future.

Why is it so bad for a non-Jew to get a tattoo in Hebrew/Yiddish/Ladino?

Remember that paragraph on cultural appropriation? Yeah. Also, these sorts of tattoos allow us to distinguish our own, and in taking them, you’re taking away a method we have of finding each other. You also tend to take our languages for the wrong reason. It’s one thing if you say, grew up in Israel and Hebrew is your first or only language. But if you get a Hebrew tattoo because you “like how it looks” or it “sounds cool”, or anything else that falls under the banner of exotification, that’s gross.





What is a goy/goyim? Are those insults?

Goy/goyim are simply words for nation. They aren’t insults per se, though sometimes people may use them that way. (For instance, calling someone a child from affection or if they are a child is not an insult, but calling someone whose behavior you frown on a child is insulting.)





So can I call myself a goy?

No. This is a word Jews use to talk about non-Jews. Unless you speak our language, don’t take words from it to toss into your speech. It’s appropriative. And it also makes it harder for us to identify each other, since we then have to question if those who use a little Hebrew or Yiddish are actually Jewish.

What about Sheygetz/Shiksa?

Those are decidedly insulting words for a non-Jewish man/woman. It is only accpetable for Jews to use these words. Despite their unflattering connotations, these words are NOT racial slurs and are in no way comparable to a slur.



Aren’t you being a little harsh?

Maybe. But you know what? When goyim decide that after centuries of oppressing, exiling, and killing us, that they’d really like to make use of the ~*exotic*~ and ~*interesting*~ bits of our religion and culture, I don’t think they’re really owed much politeness.



In addition, telling people they need to say things nicely is ‘tone policing’. There is no obligation to be nice to people who perpetuate oppression, and no, they wouldn’t be more likely to listen if we said things politely. No matter how polite one is, one will always be called angry, or told to stop worrying over trivial things, or ignored entirely. If you respect us, we will be nice to you, but we don’t owe civility to people who mistreat us.





What can I do to help?

Are you Jewish? Share with others how anti-Semitism affects you and other Jews. Let people know that it’s still alive and kicking. When you see anti-Semitism, call it out. When you see cultural appropriation, call it out. Be as open and up front about your identity and the impact of goyische bullshit on you as it is reasonably safe to be. Protect yourself, protect other Jews, and be proud of all our cultures.

Not Jewish? When you see anti-Semitism or cultural appropriation, call it out. You experience less consequences for doing so, and being an ally means challenging other goyim on their bullshit instead of relying on privilege to not be impacted by it. If you can, point people to a Jewish source to help them understand it- it’s best for them to hear it in our own words. You can always submit examples for us to address so that those words are heard. Signal boosts and reblogging content is a great way to share those words, but be sensitive to when issues are intra-Jewish issues and not for non-Jews to get involved in.





Why don’t you let non-Jews submit rants? I care about the Jewish community, too!

That’s wonderful that you care about the Jewish community. However, you have to understand that as a non-Jew, there are certain discussions that you don’t have a place in. We welcome everyone to follow and read our posts, but we ask that contributors be Jewish, as this is a Jewish-lead space. Submit examples of appropriation, but don’t submit rants and expect them to be published. Non-Jewish voices are always heard on Jewish topics. You don’t need this platform, too.





But I’m an ally!

By all means, support the Jewish people. Call out anti-Semitism and cultural appropriation when you see them. But you need to understand that because you are not a member of this particular group, you don’t have the same background, experiences, etc. You are an ally, not a group member.





But I’m a christian zionist!





There’s a post about me on here and I want it taken down!

Do you understand why what you did/said was problematic? Do you have an intention of changing and undoing the damage you’ve done?

Or…could it be that you’re upset that someone called you out and you were clearly in the wrong?





Well, Jesus forgives me for my mistakes / judging me is a sin!

Judging is not always a sin in Judaism. In fact, judging others is how we’re able to determine who’s a threat to us or not, and has allowed us to stay alive. In addition, in order to improve one must be called out on inappropriate behavior, so judgment can be a way to move a person towards self-improvement. Frankly, being able to go without needing to judge anyone is a luxury which a group like oureselves can’t afford (but we don’t believe in being free of judgment anyway, a person should be held responsible for the wrongs he commits and praised for his righteous deeds).



Also, fyi, any argument with “but Jesus!” is 100% useless when arguing with a Jew, because we don’t believe in Jesus. You might as well tell me the tooth fairy thinks your actions are okay.





Well, I’m an atheist/not Jewish, so why do I have to listen to you?

Because you’re in our space, numbnuts. Also, while you may not follow our religion, I’d like to think everyone obeys the common rules of human decency. Thievery is generally frowned on, so don’t steal our culture.



But Christians face oppression too!

In certain Middle Eastern and East Asian nations, yes, Christian populations are oppressed and discriminated against and face violence. But not in the Western world. Especially not in the United States of America, whatever you think about our political culture.

Christianity has been the dominant religion in the West for thousands of years. Laws were (and in many cases still are) based on Christian law. The government, employers, and schools, give days off for Christian holidays—but good luck when it comes to Jewish holidays. Many have to use sick days just to observe a religious holiday, whereas Christians just get the day off. Also look how Jews are portrayed in the media—we’re caricatures of tired old stereotypes. Consider just how the words “Christian” and “Jew” are used in every day life. “Christian” is used to connote wholesomeness, goodness, etc—“the Christian thing to do”, “ a good Christian boy/girl”, etc. “Jew” on the other hand is generally used in a negative way (and often in reference to negative and false Jewish stereotypes) “Jew down the price”, “What a Jew”, “JAP” etc. Jewish stereotypes are the backbone of European folklore, literature, and fairytales. It’s not a coincidence that the image of the witch is a woman with a big nose and a pointy conical hat, the same hat that Jews were forced to wear throughout the medieval period. Or that vampires drain the blood from Christian women and come from Eastern Europe, the same place most Jewish immigrants to Britain came from when Bram Stoker was writing Dracula. There is such a long history of Christian oppression and appropriation of Jewish identities and cultures that it would be faster to list the times and places where Christians didn’t pull this horshit. Christians in the West are heirs to a long and violent history of oppression and subjugation of Jews, and much Christian privilege rests on the fact that they are not Jewish.

When was the last time you heard of a Christian church being targeted by hate groups? When was the last time you heard of a Christian being singled out for death threats because of their religion? Ever heard of a hateful conspiracy theory in which Christians run the banks, the government, and the media? Didn’t think so.

I’m sure there are people who are prejudiced against Christians. However, Christians are not oppressed. The do not face any sort of institutional or systematic oppression in the Western world.

What does Privilege mean? Why are you trying to shame me by saying I have it?

See this post:

But I think…

If you aren’t Jewish, frankly, we don’t care. There are lots of spaces where we engage with goyim, but this isn’t one of them. This is a Jewish-lead space for Jews. Your opinions are not welcome here.



What can I submit?

Anyone may submit problematic/appropriative tattoos, shirts, etc. if you are Jewish you may put in rants on how you feel about appropriation or your own experiences with it, etc. Rants that include racist, homophobic, sexist, classist, or transphobic language (among others) will be deleted, no quarter given. We don’t rise up by kicking down.