One of the saddest things about CRT, to someone that loves aesthetics like me, is the whole cultural appropriation argument. Cultural appropriation occurs when ppl take a part of another culture (usually something religious/spiritual) and utilizes it improperly/disrespectfully.

For example, non Buddhist westerners having a statue of Buddah, for nothing but decoration, in their house. Images/statues of Buddah are sacred in most Buddhist cultures and belong in temples, not homes. Many true eastern Buddhists would find your living room Buddah offensive.

Whether this is actually an issue to the extent CRT proponents argue it is, I'll not get into here. So, it's not that cultural appropriation doesn't exist, but it doesn't account for the majority of cultural exchange.Yet most of healthy cultural exchange is called appropriation.

Most cultural exchange is just that; an exchange. Adopting a food, style of dress, philosophy, practice, technology, etc. from another culture because one finds it worthwhile to adopt. This implies a respect and understanding for that thing being adopted.

Cultural exchange often flows back and forth between cultures, and has occurred globally and historically with great frequency. It's an occurrence that allows for human progress. We learn from one another. And through this process, we grow.

It's a gateway to that truly beautiful epiphany; that the human condition, despite our differences in etiquette, aesthetics and other trappings, is roughly the same everywhere.

One of the things about American culture that used to be celebrated is it's chimerical nature. It is a culture that, on principle, adopts practices and aesthetics from many cultures. Now that characteristic is held up as a bug not a feature, proof of our colonialism...

...and lack of our own culture. We do, in fact have our own culture (but that is another tweet thread in and of itself), but one of it's greatest features is being touted as corrupt (aren't they all).

America is cosmopolitan, ecclectic and open. Our willingness to adopt what is good from any other culture makes us flexible, ever able to mutate to the changing demands of existence. It makes us rich.