Appropriation can be defined as “taking something such as an idea or custom from a group that they are not a member of and using it yourself”. There are a lot of examples around us.
I always remember the most Scottish people at the St Andrews night dance had never been to Scotland. They saw it as celebrating a culture they liked. I have no problem with that – but when they start to preach the culture it can get a bit annoying.
In a lot of English churches they celebrate Celtic spirituality. Is that appropriation?
I was watching some of the day-time stuff the other day. One of them is about upcycling, the other about buying old stuff and reselling at a profit.
I saw a chair that I recognised as being similar to one we used to have in the kitchen. I can remember when an old fashioned “tramp” came round the doors my grandmother put the chair at the door while she gave him a sandwich and a cup of tea. The chair was “highly sought after”. It sold for a lot of money.
It struck me that a lot of the fashionable kitchens are trying to mimic what was the best some people could achieve. A lot of stuff being sold for a fortune started in the homes of people that could never hope to afford them these days. Is that cultural appropriation?