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Help[Opinions] Cultural appropriation
What do you think about cultural appropriation of the naming process? Personally, I think it's okay as long as it's not sacred or taboo in the culture.
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I agree. As long as the name is not completely associated with a religion or culture I think it’s fine. I don’t think it’s wrong for a non Hispanic to name a child Carmen or Santiago or a non- Chinese to use Mei. On the other hand I don’t think a non-Muslim should use Mohammed or Khadijah or a non-Christian to use Jesus.
I don't even think of Carmen as Hispanic.
I think it definitely depends on the name and context. If it is a typical given name that originates in a culture that you have no ties to, I think it's fine. My name is Greek, but I am not, nor is anyone in my family.
You do see a lot of people with parents of forgein birth be given standard western names, in some cases due to societal pressure or the want for their child to fit in or have a name that is easily pronounced. However, if you give your kid a name that is very obviously outside of your culture, maybe one you yourself can't even pronounce properly for the sake of being "unique" and "exotic" in a place where such a name is very far from the standard, people may be weirded out.
It is inappropriate in instances when it is the name of something sacred or important in a certain culture, like the name of a major god in a religion that is still practiced. For instance Bodhi is a Buddhist term referring to enlightenment, which is a key element of their religion. People have been using it as a name for their children, because they thought it sounded cool or the meaning was cool, without fully understanding its meaning or just how important it is. Some people will give a culterally inappropriate name to their child because they think it sounds "exotic". With the example Bodhi in particular, it stems from a western obsession with Indian religions.
So basically, I think it's okay if it's a standard name from another culture, but not if it's something sacred like the name of a god or an important element of their culture or religion, or just something from that culture that you don't understand or know how to pronounce.
You do see a lot of people with parents of forgein birth be given standard western names, in some cases due to societal pressure or the want for their child to fit in or have a name that is easily pronounced. However, if you give your kid a name that is very obviously outside of your culture, maybe one you yourself can't even pronounce properly for the sake of being "unique" and "exotic" in a place where such a name is very far from the standard, people may be weirded out.
It is inappropriate in instances when it is the name of something sacred or important in a certain culture, like the name of a major god in a religion that is still practiced. For instance Bodhi is a Buddhist term referring to enlightenment, which is a key element of their religion. People have been using it as a name for their children, because they thought it sounded cool or the meaning was cool, without fully understanding its meaning or just how important it is. Some people will give a culterally inappropriate name to their child because they think it sounds "exotic". With the example Bodhi in particular, it stems from a western obsession with Indian religions.
So basically, I think it's okay if it's a standard name from another culture, but not if it's something sacred like the name of a god or an important element of their culture or religion, or just something from that culture that you don't understand or know how to pronounce.
The issue is simple to me. Too often people make a big deal out of foreign names and historically people were pressured to "Americanize" their name. Think of how many names were changed at Ellis Island.
Then people fought back and reclaimed their culture, and now it's cool to give your kid cultural names - if the culture is a trendy one. Irish, Swedish, Italian, Japanese- but not Igbo, Korean, Nigerian, or anything "too weird."
To each their own but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. I love Hindu mythology, but I'd never use a name from it.
Then people fought back and reclaimed their culture, and now it's cool to give your kid cultural names - if the culture is a trendy one. Irish, Swedish, Italian, Japanese- but not Igbo, Korean, Nigerian, or anything "too weird."
To each their own but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. I love Hindu mythology, but I'd never use a name from it.
I agree with Mirfak.
I personally am skeptical about the whole idea of "cultural appropriation" being a bad thing. The examples that are truly offensive and should be avoided, like blackface on stage or naming sports teams "Indians" or "Braves", aren't just taking something from another culture but deliberately mocking it, or treating an ethnic term in the same way one would the name of an animal species. Simply giving your child a name from another language or culture, or using a word from another language as a name, isn't the same thing.
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I personally am skeptical about the whole idea of "cultural appropriation" being a bad thing. The examples that are truly offensive and should be avoided, like blackface on stage or naming sports teams "Indians" or "Braves", aren't just taking something from another culture but deliberately mocking it, or treating an ethnic term in the same way one would the name of an animal species. Simply giving your child a name from another language or culture, or using a word from another language as a name, isn't the same thing.
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I agree it's fine as long as it's not known to be a disrespectful usage - and I would not even call it "cultural appropriation."
I'd reserve that term for commerce practices that exploit the value of a culture in a way that could actually contribute to the vitiation of that culture. Things that make it actually harder for the people in the source culture, to enjoy and possess the value of their own cultural artifacts as such.
Individuals naming children can't be said to be stealing value from a source culture. They could literally just be expressing admiration and a shared value. It's more like reverse-assimilation or cultural exchange. Sure, it might appear to people within the source culture, to seem silly or like a mistake - but it's not disrespectful, and can't hurt anyone. At worst it might sometimes be a bad look for the person bearing the name.
I'd reserve that term for commerce practices that exploit the value of a culture in a way that could actually contribute to the vitiation of that culture. Things that make it actually harder for the people in the source culture, to enjoy and possess the value of their own cultural artifacts as such.
Individuals naming children can't be said to be stealing value from a source culture. They could literally just be expressing admiration and a shared value. It's more like reverse-assimilation or cultural exchange. Sure, it might appear to people within the source culture, to seem silly or like a mistake - but it's not disrespectful, and can't hurt anyone. At worst it might sometimes be a bad look for the person bearing the name.
This message was edited 4/4/2024, 1:34 AM
as long as the name in question isn't sacred or taboo, I'm inclined to agree with you that it's morally or ethically fine to name a child (or a pet, or a pot plant, etc.) a name from another culture. however, I'd definitely think about how the name might be received by others as well. I don't think that for white Brits living in Britain, especially if they have no close familial or personal connections to anyone Igbo or with Igbo heritage, or connections to Nigeria as a whole, it would be the most pragmatic decision to name a child Akobundu. even though I wouldn't say they've done anything wrong in naming their child as such, and the name itself is meaningful and I think it sounds nice personally, it will probably result in awkward situations for the child, as a lot of people will probably expect to see a Nigerian when they hear the name. it's interesting to think of cultural exchange when it comes to names, and which names become seen as English because of common use and being featured in popular culture, when in fact they have other origins. perhaps because of increasing immigration, global sharing of information and so on, cultural appropriation/exchange from all sources will grow.
Difficult! English is such a universal language that I think English names are pretty well up for grabs; the danger is that someone who doesn't know the back story might love a name that English people have learned to dislike - serial killer, disgraced public figure, whatever - and choose it for a child who would face a lifetime of explanations. Conversely, there are so many English names to choose from that I'm puzzled when people who speak only English choose a name from another language or culture.
Honestly, that's so true. There are way more English names on this website than any other origin.
I have a white friend who gave their kid an Asian name, and my Asian friend in the same friend group was very uncomfortable with it. So I'd say it depends on the culture and the name. If you choose a name that's obviously very cultural, and you don't look that culture, people are going to be weirded out by it.
This message was edited 4/3/2024, 8:38 PM