Cambridge students cancel theme party over 'cultural appropriation' fears

Ergo, you’ll dress however I desire, and you’ll observe the rationality of, and value in, my position

Depends how religious you are I guess.

Where have I said Arabs are a skin colour? And who here is painting the UK to be racist? We are talking about this individual case and these individual students making a mockery. I don't know what victim complex you're talking about,I have white friends,I'm mostly white myself,they've never tried to appropriate my middle eastern culture.

Who has said the whole of society is racist? We are talking about this particular issue. Again,you seem to be confusing race with religion. I'm an Arab,a Christian Arab but do I hate atheists? Nope. Do my Syrian family hate atheists? Nope. Do my Middle eastern friends hate atheists? Nope. I think you're confusing this whole story alittle. Nobody is talking about the UK as a whole. We are talking about this individual case right now,so for you to try and brand all Arabs as atheist hating is abit confusing to me.

Most of our culture is the same. That's what unites us as Arab. The language and culture,sure we have changes and differences here and there but we are mostly the same,so yes it does represent Arabs unless you specify which country in the Arab world.

I know he's a very nice guy but he's not my role model,so I don't care who he decides to invite to his palace. Yeah he did it in a jokey way but that doesn't give the other guy the right to mock Jordanian culture because he probably doesn't know the history of said culture m. Why can't people just stop with the need to feel like they have to mock this and that in the name of having fun and 'satire'. Russell peters shouldn't be mocking our culture in the first place. People take pride in their culture,it what brings them closer,so yes I'm sorry if people are easily offended.

I'm not against comedy,satire but intentional mockery of a minority people/majority,especially where the mocker knows nothing about said culture is disgusting if you ask me.

It's not a racist comment as I wasn't talking about a particular race,re read

'That's the thing. The majority of the time,outsiders who are culturally appropriating another person's culture are uneducated about that particular culture and its history.'

That goes for everyone. We aren't just talking about Arabs in particular,even the Arabs you mentioned. Mockery of any culture is unacceptable. And yes most of the time people genuinely have no clue about the history of said culture but they appropriate it for fun and games

Err its not as black and white as that?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_people

And both are human beings. Still Arabs are Arabs and Jews are Jews.

Arab Jews are (in fact were and then were successfully expelled) Jews living in Arab countries. If a person identifies himself as an Arab he is an Arab.

I don't think you understand the history and origin of this "cultural appropriation movement", and how it became a thing. But that's a long story. I have to reiterate again that I've never tried to brand all Arabs as atheist hating (I've specifically said that is not the case). I used this as an example, to show that Arabs criticise non-Arab "culture" as well. I think they have the right to do that

But do you think "Arab culture", much like every other culture, don't have any negative aspects... and if they do, do you think they shouldn't be highlighted through satire?




I don't see how a non-Arab wearing an "Arab dress" is offensive (or appropriating their culture) - specially as not all Arabs wear them.




I don't think he's anybody's "role model", my point is he clearly enjoys Peters' work (as do many Arabs), what right do you have to say he shouldn't satirise Arabs?



I understand intentional bigotry, but how is comedy not "intentional mocking", are comedians accidentally making fun?



I used it as an example, specially considering what this "cultural appropriation movement" entails.

'

What's "appropriating"? Me eating Arab food and commenting on it is appropriating? No outsiders can ever comment or do anything on "culture" that's not theirs?




Even people who mock their own culture (including Arabs)?

You’re in danger of becoming part of the 'triggered' pariah brigade, peach. This is the living definition of the term ‘kill joy’

Yet you idolise Lawrence of Arabia, who was arguably the biggest, and certainly the most iconic, Arab ‘cultural appropriator’ in human history

So you’ve culturally appropriated North African culture and heritage yourself. Awkward

Who is an over-simplified/culturally insensitively romanticised/sexualised embodiment of Disney (white, Western) cultural appropriation

Ok, so only fuglies/people out of the media spotlight are allowed to culturally appropriate?

That’s to do with the problem of misogynistic Arab culture, and nothing to do with appropriation

So people aren’t allowed to dress up in anything other than attire traditionally conceived of as emanating exclusively from the West, for fear of stimulating orientalist fetishes? This just gets more and more bizarre. Have you any filter on anything you are saying dear?

Furthermore, lucky for me I am a dominant, commanding, and addictive neosexual, not to mention cogent and erudite; ergo, you’ll dress however I desire, not to mention observe the rationality of, and value in, my position et. argumentation

Then you don’t understand satire. In your world classic comedy like Monty Python would be outlawed. I don’t want to live in such a world, and neither does the vast majority of the rest of the free world, sorry

You still haven’t answered my question: why should culture get special protected status against replication, imitation, and satire?

I'm going to check out king's college London safe spaces and see what they're like. I'm glad my uni has safe spaces for vunerable students who have been affected by cultural appropriation

I find it very hard to take your seriously sometimes, QB.

wallah I'm serious. I want to find out why people feel the way they do? what's wrong with that

Surely you can see why this whole 'cultural appropriation' thing is nonsense?

At first yes but then i got to understand it abit more and realise why it's upsetting

At first yes but then i got to understand it abit more and realise why it's upsetting

And why does it matter that it's 'upsetting?' Assuming (wrongly), of course, that these people are upset not by choice but by a genuine, perceived injustice. Universities are not playgrounds, and anybody who wishes them to be ought to be told to take a break until they're ready to act like grown-ups.

Pray tell, I'm always interested in learning new things

Maybe that's the same question we should be asking the universities who have felt the need to create such 'safe spaces'?

Universities are definitely to blame, yes. But they didn't just dream this up on their own; it's a capitulation to the demands of people who went to university for the wrong reasons. The universities deserve criticism for capitulating, but that doesn't absolve the students who are the source of this nonsense.

well ,isn't is obvious that the universities care about the emotional and mental welfare of their students?

Ridicule is an absolutely awful way of making someone change their perspective. It's much more likely to make them even more confident in their own beliefs and it's a very petty strategy that requires no intelligence or maturity to pull off. If you think ridicule is an effective debating strategy then I think you need a bit of a lesson in persuasion...

To clarify, I don't oppose 'safe spaces' for those with mental health issues.

As for emotional welfare -- tough. The universities concerned need to get their priorities right. They are first and foremost institutions of learning and intellectual progress. Giving in to people who claim the right not to be offended is not why they exist. Universities are not playgrounds, and it's a sad development that some universities don't seem to mind turning into playgrounds for immature individuals clinging to their sheltered childhoods at the expense of their peers and of the university that they chose to attend (at a substantial cost to both themselves and to the taxpayer).

Arab Jews still exist. They are Arabs who practice Judaism. They do not identify as Israelis but rather Arabs and anyway there's a lot more to it.