Cries of cultural appropriation causes Hawaii-themed restaurant to close

[misunderstood 8,736]

Damn soon freedom of speech won't even exist anymore....just wait haha

[gagzus 23,077]

I'm two pages in and I'm not reading the rest because of all the whitesplaining and idiots on this site yikes.

But yes, he may have meant it harmlessly but as with a lot of other things you have to understand the context and history of things. Although I wouldn't and don't get offended by people stereotyping British stuff in other countries when I visit but that's just because our stuff isn't mutually exclusive much like American food- both are made up of different stuff from different countries not exclusive to our countries (unless there's some indigineous reciepes in the US that excist only there bc idk). Plus he's white profiting off of other people's culture whilst his neighbours are probably going and screaming how much they hate people who arent white Americans so

[tomsches 17,550]

Where are we going with this?

In my Austrian hometown one of my favourite bar is a mexican inspired cocktail bar/restaurant run by hungarians and they serve american food... am I ignorant now?

[Eighteen 5,430]

4 hours ago, Lanius said:

Are you a nativan Hawaiian or a white one? Because of the people against it are natives 

i'm native hawaiian. and i can say that the hawaiian people in my family wouldn't be so deeply offended either but the world only hears the objections tbh.

[Hurem 17,801]

This kind of bullshit needs to stop.

Focus. On. Real. Problems.  

[Regina George 59,387]

6 hours ago, PartySick said:

Why take it to such an extreme?

I'm pretty sure @ReginaGeorge meant a time before social justice meant tear someone else down and the fight for equality was exchanged for the fight of getting even

So about the mid to late 2000's, maybe early 2010's 

Then we can nip this thing in the bud and have all this offense and anger put to productive rather than destructive use

Thank you! This is what I meant 

@Alexander Levi actually doesn't like me so he had to quote me as usual.. he does that all the time.. good thing feelings are mutual ♡

[AJH219 4,448]

Hopefully they're also targeting other ethnic establishments that "appropriate" cultures different from the owners. Yet another reason I continued to be embarrassed by my generation. 

[YeehawKylie 7,817]

It really depends on the execution. If he was going to make it a 'themed' restaurant, then it was insensitive. Hawaiian isn't a party or dinner theme, it is a culture with a rich history. However, if he was inspired by the culture and took the time and money to learn how to cook the cuisine, then I don't see the issue. Culinary arts are often studied by a range of students who choose to focus on a cuisine that inspires them. I, for example, have spent years studying Brazilian cuisine and am not a Brazilian myself. Jose Andres, a Spanish chef has multiple restaurants in D.C.: the Spanish-Tapas restaurant Jaleo; the Mexican restaurant Oyamel; and China-Chilcano (a Peruvian restaurant). Is a Spaniard opening a Mexican and Peruvian restaurant cultural appropriation? Or is it a chef skilled in the cuisine opening a restaurant?

Like I said, I am unaware as to whether this Oregon restauranteur was intending on a themed restaurant or a restaurant to serve Hawaiian cuisine. If it's the former, he was right in abandoning the idea. If it was the latter, that's unfortunate. 

[YeehawKylie 7,817]

7 hours ago, Lanius said:

Are you a nativan Hawaiian or a white one? Because of the people against it are natives 

Are you suggesting all native Hawaiians have to be against it and think alike? 

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

10 hours ago, Katie14 said:

There are many foods, food preparation styles, and food rules that are symbolic. Im Jewish and eating matzo on Passover is symbolic because we are honoring the fact that the Israelites had to flee quickly and didn't have time to wait for their bread to rise. I would never be offended if one of my non Jewish friends ate matzo because they like the taste and have no idea about the cultural/religious history of it. I really am not understanding the difference between what people wear on their bodies and what they put inside.

With the sari example, yes there is a cultural/religious meaning behind it. However, saris are also fashion statements. They are specifically made to look beautiful and have a meaning behind them at the same time.

If a non Jewish person wore a yamacha without knowing the meaning of it and just wore it because they thought it looked nice, I would not be offended by that. After all, its a piece of cloth that goes on your head. Just because someone isn't Jewish doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to wear a yamacha. 

None of this makes sense to me and i feel like i dont even know how to get my point across 

Well I stated it as best as I could. Like I said, each case is different and may be perceived as ok or bad. It's not that hard. Just go research and come to your own conclusion. 

[Logan. 52]

15 hours ago, Lanius said:

THIS.

He's a white man from a mostly white community taking a marginalized groups culture and profiting from it. While those same POC don't have the same resources/sucess

 

Life is not and never will be fair. The sooner you accept that the sooner you'll stop getting triggered by things like a man's childhood memories. 

Realistically, no ones culture matters. So stop making life less enjoyable with your shitty rhetoric

[aaronf1991 1]

Next to close is Outback Steakhouse for culturally appropriating Australian and Aboriginal culture.  

[Sizzily 14,571]

[Chr 4,217]

9 hours ago, PartySick said:

Ludicrous. The adult thing to do here would've been to reach out to the owner, provide some tips and information, educate him properly on their culture, and the guy that honestly loves that culture enough to open a business centered around it would've adopted their ideas into his business plan.

Chipoltle, Taco Bell, Little Ceasers, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Olive Garden, Panda Express, etc etc. However, McDonald's, Burger King, Arby's, Chick-Fil-A, KFC, Popeye's, Wendy's, and the like should be safe as they embrace and profit off of the evil American white culture

  Reveal hidden contents

I'm sorry but I just have to laugh at this stuff as it's ridiculous 

When did social justice go from fighting for equality and unity to "Stick it to the white, straight, Christian men of the world! They're evil! They're incapable of empathy or tolerance!"  At this point, SJW "culture" has just become what it claims to stand against. Only they think it's justifiable to hate or generalize people if they're part of a majority.

And I'm not trying to invalidate anyone's opinion here, I'm just saying this whole thing seems childish and ridiculous to me  Beyond this one restaurant closing, that is. Idk, maybe growing up in rural Florida makes me less prone to be offended and outraged any time someone breathes. I'm called racist and homophobic terms on a weekly basis and shrug them off 'cause they're meaningless comments from ignorant people and I know they represent only themselves as individuals. So the idea that someone could be SO upset about what food someone serves at a restaurant or what hair style an artist has in a music video, so upset that they want nothing more than to see those people fail completely and be stripped of everything...it's so alien to me.

People have forgotten how to lift others up together. They've forgotten that enlightenment and patience is the way forward. Now they're just consumed with trying to knock everyone else down to the same level. It's sad honestly.

And I totally understand that we all have our lines in the sand and when someone crosses it, we become angry or upset. I just hardly see those emotions put to use in productive ways anymore 

 

Exactly, there are so many more I mportant things to worry about in the world and the theme of a restaurant shouldn't be one of them 

[Chr 4,217]

11 hours ago, River said:

My husband was in Mexico for a few days and he bought for me the painted skull and it's Aztec culture from the touristic market, so I understand what you say.

Now I live in Costa Rica, so far for 4 months and it's kinda difficult for me to recognize the culture because it's heavily based on Christianity and the development process and the US tourism made it looks like they embraced the Americanization and the US culture.. for example it's full of US fast food chains here and you can see more people there and less in the Costa Rican food restaurants.. I hope I'm wrong, I'll travel more and learn more in the future (still settling down..) but at the jungle area (like Manuel Antonio) the jungle and nature culture is still there and visible, you will not find US chains at all! and all the tourism is around the jungle and the nature, mainly the animals.

Skull art originated in the Aztec people which are ancestors to Mexicans so no we aren't ripping off any culture with our skull art