Just what is culture rape?

[MaddLlama]

I know this term gets used a lot, but I;d like to hear just how everyone defines what exactly culture rape is, and seeing as this is the "fluffy rehabilitation center" how one on the fluffy side of life avoid this?  

[TeaDidikai]

Culture Rape:
Pronunciation: 'k&l-ch&r 'rAp
The decontextualization and removal of aspects of the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that transmitted to succeeding generations which includes but is not limited to the customary beliefs, social forms and characteristic features of everyday existence for haphazard use in an alien culture wherein the practices take on meaning that is not an accurate representation of the practice or concepts outside of the initial culture, especially when the initial culture prohibits this practice.

Open Cultures may experience Cultural Appropriation, and severe bastardizations can and do become Culture Rape. For example- Asatru may be an Open Tradition, but there is not enough crack in the water supply to argue that Suna is a masculine being.

How to avoid it? Know you're stuff. Be mindful of the context and while intellectual understandings of closed traditions are all well and good where they extend such, prying, breaking or otherwise taking information is just rude.  

[Deoridhe]

There's also an aspect of culture rape which ties into the systemic racism of Western culture. For example, the white author writes about Native American traditions and makes millions, while hte Native American's are starving in their homes without cars, roads, or public transportation to get to jobs, much less money to spare.  

[TeaDidikai]

Deoridhe

There's also an aspect of culture rape which ties into the systemic racism of Western culture. For example, the white author writes about Native American traditions and makes millions, while hte Native American's are starving in their homes without cars, roads, or public transportation to get to jobs, much less money to spare.

Buckland anyone?  

[Deoridhe]

TeaDidikai

Deoridhe

There's also an aspect of culture rape which ties into the systemic racism of Western culture. For example, the white author writes about Native American traditions and makes millions, while hte Native American's are starving in their homes without cars, roads, or public transportation to get to jobs, much less money to spare.

Buckland anyone?

That would be one example of this, yes.  

[MaddLlama]

Deoridhe

There's also an aspect of culture rape which ties into the systemic racism of Western culture. For example, the white author writes about Native American traditions and makes millions, while hte Native American's are starving in their homes without cars, roads, or public transportation to get to jobs, much less money to spare.

Oh, that drives me crazy. The "Plastic Shaman" phenomenon makes me want to hurt people.

Question, since I've never actually heard this before (I know, bad llama...), but how does one know which cultures/traditions are open and which are closed?  

[TeaDidikai]

MaddLlama

Deoridhe

There's also an aspect of culture rape which ties into the systemic racism of Western culture. For example, the white author writes about Native American traditions and makes millions, while hte Native American's are starving in their homes without cars, roads, or public transportation to get to jobs, much less money to spare.

Oh, that drives me crazy. The "Plastic Shaman" phenomenon makes me want to hurt people.

Question, since I've never actually heard this before (I know, bad llama...), but how does one know which cultures/traditions are open and which are closed?

Usually through research. Odds are that if you pour over the mythology, you'll come across something to indicate that the tradition is closed.

The Celts have the oaths to their gods in the Annals, Judaism is firmly established as having a Chosen People mythos- and any of the most basic research into the Roma will show that they are not an open culture.  

[Fiddlers Green]

One thing to look out for tho, is when a Culture is closed, but the religion they are claiming exclusive rights to is not. Not all gods struck pacts of exclusivity with their worshipers.
In the case of oaths between humans and gods, that is one thing, but when a group tries to claim, with no ecclesiastic backing, that their gods belong to them alone, then what?  

[TeaDidikai]

Fiddlers Green

One thing to look out for tho, is when a Culture is closed, but the religion they are claiming exclusive rights to is not. Not all gods struck pacts of exclusivity with their worshipers.
In the case of oaths between humans and gods, that is one thing, but when a group tries to claim, with no ecclesiastic backing, that their gods belong to them alone, then what?

Good question. A good example of this is Asatru- we see it reflected in the turmoil of the White Supremacists within the theology all the time.

The division between cultural practices and faith are then noted in my book.  

[Sybil Unrest]

Out of interest, how does Christianity fit into all of this?

As an offshoot of Judaism, could it be considered closed? I'm thinking of the conservative/evangelical/fundamentalist part of Christianity, which denies syncretism and insists on absolute adherence to the texts of the faith. Would that be considered a closed culture?  

[TeaDidikai]

Sybil Unrest

Out of interest, how does Christianity fit into all of this?

As an offshoot of Judaism, could it be considered closed? I'm thinking of the conservative/evangelical/fundamentalist part of Christianity, which denies syncretism and insists on absolute adherence to the texts of the faith. Would that be considered a closed culture?

According to Paul's texts- it's an open tradition.
According to Peter- there was the requirement to convert.

People practice Paulian Christianity for the most part. ~Shrugs~  

[CuAnnan]

Fiddlers Green

In the case of oaths between humans and gods, that is one thing

Glad you approve wink

Fiddlers Green

but when a group tries to claim, with no ecclesiastic backing, that their gods belong to them alone, then what?

I would tend to challenge. Though I tend to challenge for the sake of challenging.  

[CuAnnan]

TeaDidikai

Fiddlers Green

One thing to look out for tho, is when a Culture is closed, but the religion they are claiming exclusive rights to is not. Not all gods struck pacts of exclusivity with their worshipers.
In the case of oaths between humans and gods, that is one thing, but when a group tries to claim, with no ecclesiastic backing, that their gods belong to them alone, then what?

Good question. A good example of this is Asatru- we see it reflected in the turmoil of the White Supremacists within the theology all the time.

The division between cultural practices and faith are then noted in my book.

This came up in conversation with a Catholic friend of mine last night at dinner.
We were talking about the Gael and how being Catholic did not preclude her from being a Gael. I drew the comparison between Judaism. (Which lead on to the Rabbi/Druid comparison)

I operate under the assumption that most Irish people don't practice the Culture so I asked her. Turns out she is, as was massively demonstrated by her outrage at finding out that the white power movement attempted to coopt Cúchullain.  

[MagickSlushii]

Wouldn't culture rape usually consist of fictional info that is so absurd? Or maybe it could be very stereotypical? sweatdrop  

[TeaDidikai]

MagickSlushii

Wouldn't culture rape usually consist of fictional info that is so absurd? Or maybe it could be very stereotypical? sweatdrop

Not always. That's one form of it for sure- but taking from a closed Culture is still culture rape.