Dialogue should change to "cultural exploitation", I do think it is good when one is able to identify when a "dominant" culture is exploiting minority aesthetics for gross profit. Example being an AWFL opening up a Chinese restaurant shop and titling it "Me So Hongry" or something similar. This is offensive, at worst, on multiple level…
Dialogue should change to "cultural exploitation", I do think it is good when one is able to identify when a "dominant" culture is exploiting minority aesthetics for gross profit. Example being an AWFL opening up a Chinese restaurant shop and titling it "Me So Hongry" or something similar. This is offensive, at worst, on multiple levels and tasteless in every capacity. I don't think this situation is comparable to that poor woman who spent a decade in China learning how to speak the language and making their food, who turned around to write a cookbook about it and was mercilessly castigated online by people who otherwise could not care less about Chinese food any other day of the week. "Appropriation" doesn't adequately describe either of these situations. The former is exploitation, through and through. The latter is successful integration and sharing in respect.
And yet, how well would a restaurant called "Me So Hongry" do? Not every well I think, chiefly because it would be obviously recognized as what it was. Naming a restaurant after a phrase that is blatantly mocking the people it purports to serve? This would be a perfect example where "bad art" would extinguish itself almost immediately. No bank would lend such an establishment money to get started, they'd find no workers, and no city council would approve it either.
They "were" going to open with the name and due to push back changed the name. That was pretty much my point. They were free to use any stupid, racist, or misguided name they wanted. And yet if it was pretty much universally offensive beyond a small circle of adolescent-minded individuals then it would fail. Every business, especially a small customer-facing one, is entirely dependent on the good-will of customers and the surrounding society.
Anyway, this is less a case of cultural appropriation and more just old-fashioned ethnic stereotyping that is in very poor taste. It's also a kind of bizarre alteration of a famous scene the movie Full Metal Jacket, which took place in Vietnam, so the restaurant owner just seems pretty mixed-up all around.
Reminds me of that white guy who decided to open an ill-fated ersatz "Asian Fusion" restaurant called "Yellow Fever", apparently named after the Bloodhound Gang song. Yet all he had to do was Google "yellow fever", and within about 10 seconds he would immediately see why naming it that was such a failure. He canceled himself with his own stupidity, basically.
Dialogue should change to "cultural exploitation", I do think it is good when one is able to identify when a "dominant" culture is exploiting minority aesthetics for gross profit. Example being an AWFL opening up a Chinese restaurant shop and titling it "Me So Hongry" or something similar. This is offensive, at worst, on multiple levels and tasteless in every capacity. I don't think this situation is comparable to that poor woman who spent a decade in China learning how to speak the language and making their food, who turned around to write a cookbook about it and was mercilessly castigated online by people who otherwise could not care less about Chinese food any other day of the week. "Appropriation" doesn't adequately describe either of these situations. The former is exploitation, through and through. The latter is successful integration and sharing in respect.
good comment.
And yet, how well would a restaurant called "Me So Hongry" do? Not every well I think, chiefly because it would be obviously recognized as what it was. Naming a restaurant after a phrase that is blatantly mocking the people it purports to serve? This would be a perfect example where "bad art" would extinguish itself almost immediately. No bank would lend such an establishment money to get started, they'd find no workers, and no city council would approve it either.
I hate to break it to you, but that place existed.
https://littlevillagemag.com/me-so-hungry/
And again: It really didn't.
They "were" going to open with the name and due to push back changed the name. That was pretty much my point. They were free to use any stupid, racist, or misguided name they wanted. And yet if it was pretty much universally offensive beyond a small circle of adolescent-minded individuals then it would fail. Every business, especially a small customer-facing one, is entirely dependent on the good-will of customers and the surrounding society.
Anyway, this is less a case of cultural appropriation and more just old-fashioned ethnic stereotyping that is in very poor taste. It's also a kind of bizarre alteration of a famous scene the movie Full Metal Jacket, which took place in Vietnam, so the restaurant owner just seems pretty mixed-up all around.
Miso Hungry would've been better.
Reminds me of that white guy who decided to open an ill-fated ersatz "Asian Fusion" restaurant called "Yellow Fever", apparently named after the Bloodhound Gang song. Yet all he had to do was Google "yellow fever", and within about 10 seconds he would immediately see why naming it that was such a failure. He canceled himself with his own stupidity, basically.