Read on Twitter
Growing up in the diaspora, we’ve seen far too many white people learn Arabic b/c they have a fetish or want to work for the CIA. So when we see a white TikTok creator speaking Arabic in nearly all of her videos, it’s hard not to be suspicious of her motivations. (1/ )
The thread shows her other TikToks about using a dating app specifically designed for Arabs and her fixation with getting an Arab boyfriend. Why are y’all discrediting the argument simply because of the vid the poster included first? Look at the context! (2/ )
And I want us to think about the worshipping of whiteness in MENA countries. Would our relatives feel “ecstatic” if they saw a Black person speaking Arabic or Farsi? We don’t even treat Black Arabs in our own countries with this same level of welcoming and kindness. (3/ )
Trying to make people seem ridiculous for calling out a genuine instance of fetishization, especially if you’re not from that culture, is inappropriate. Accusing us of feeling “threatened” is weird. I think there are more respectful ways to talk about this. (4/ )
Yes, people have weaponized and distorted “identity politics.” Does that mean that critiques of cultural appropriation are always baseless and feed into gatekeeping/liberal notion of identity? (5/ )
There are definitely disconnects between the diaspora and our relatives back in MENA countries, and those of us in the diaspora have a tendency to speak over/for our relatives. But there are other ways to start that convo and discuss how that can be harmful. (6/ )
Some people want a reference. Just scroll through the thread to see what I’m talking about: https://twitter.com/sultanreina/status/1354581349135491074
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