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my thoughts on the whole issue as someone who is arab (disclaimer that these are my own opinions and in no way reflect all arab rohas. also this thread might be messy and all over the place because i am actually upset that i have to make this thread in the first place)
first off, for people who don't think this is wrong, or find it offensive (whether you are or aren't arab) that's fine, it's your choice, but i think people need to realize the bigger picture here and why this is actually harmful
kpop (and sk in general) has had a long history of appropriating other culture for "entertainment" purposes and uses concepts and ideas from other cultures in their industries, which here's the thing, is fine if sk was able to appreciate and incorporate these cultures properly
we live in a world where there's so much overlap and sharing of media, I personally think its amazing that people from all around the world can have access to other culture and ideas, its what promotes change, innovation and so many other amazing things in this world
but there's a fine line between sharing and learning about a culture and outright reducing it to something as simple as "kpop mv concept" or a "variety show" and how you handle these different cultures is what makes or breaks the difference between appreciation and appropriation
what we are seeing most of the time, unfortunately is not appreciation but rather appropriation and it really does make me sad that desi and arab culture have been targets of constant appropriation in the media (not just in sk but we'll focus on kpop for now)
so the problem with this variety show, and why its NOT just a cute little cartoon concept, is that a culture is being reduced TO a simple, general concept. I literally showed the poster to my roommate (who is desi) and she was appalled at the blatant wrongness of the costumes etc
how is it fair for sk entertainment to get away with such inaccuracies and stereotypes, and for everyone to think its cute and quirky, and then for these same people to turn around and discriminate against arabs and desis??
sk being able to get away with using arabian architecture, script styles, designs etc (even the holy quran during a kpop song which is just another level of disrespect i wont get into right now) when I can't even feel comfortable going to sk for fear of being targeted or mocked
that's not okay, and THATS whats wrong with what is happening right now. it's not the fact that its a cute little cartoon or whatever, its the fact that my culture and heritage have never been respected in sk so they have no right to use it in any way they wish
and for everyone who thinks its okay or its not that big of a deal please unfollow me because i literally have gotten so much shit over the course of my life for just being who i am and for you to not see the problem in astro doing this *makes* you the problem
so yeah, in conclusion, I really do hope fanmu realizes that this is fucked up and not okay and I hope that if astro is unaware then they get the opportunity to become educated. i won't be unstanning them, because i care about them but I do think that this should be addressed
also another note: if you are not arab/ if you see other arabs being okay w this: IT'S NOT A GREEN LIGHT FOR YOU TO IGNORE THE ISSUE
for ppl who want change silence is not an option, but if you're just going to be racist then maybe silence is your best option
for ppl who want change silence is not an option, but if you're just going to be racist then maybe silence is your best option
