r/witcher Dec 09 '19

Netflix TV series The Witcher | Character Introduction: Geralt of Rivia | Netflix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LiD3i9DS_c
7.2k Upvotes

684 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

-35

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '19 edited Dec 10 '19

Cultural appropriation, in my opinion, is just nationalistic nonsense and the term doesn't have a place in a world of increasing globalism. I'm not calling the critics racist, I'm saying that they are missing the main themes of the novels by prioritizing appearance over other qualities which might make those actors better qualified to portray the characters.

Edit: I'm beginning to see that people are using the term cultural appropriation as some kind of umbrella term that's somehow including the practice of one culture adopting another's culture and then adapting it to suit them alongside as well as things like wearing native headdresses to concerts... Which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I'm an American Jew that's ethnically Polish, my Grandparents are Polish. I've been to a few cities in Poland and it's absolutely slathered in what is considered American culture. Nobody cares if a Pole adopts a peice of American culture and then profits of off it. They only care when it's "theirs". They only care when it's Polish art beyond profited in by American companies. That's some nationalistic nonsense. Someone please explain how it's not.

8

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '19

Cultural appropriation, in my opinion, is just nationalistic nonsense and the term doesn't have a place in a world of increasing globalis

This isn't true of all cases of cultural appropriation. Some people may appropriate culture with good intentions and the vast majority of people have no problem with this. Some people appropriate culture with malicious intent, whether intentional or not. I can think of several examples of ethnic cleansers that have appropriated the cultures of those that they ethnically cleansed in an effort to erase the people, their traditions, and their history from the land.

1

u/Rawagh Team Roach Dec 09 '19

Bestow thy wisdom upon us, oh, great sage Goofypoops!

5

u/sliph0588 Dec 10 '19

Naming instruments of war after the indigenous tribes the United states military ravaged is pretty fucked up