This is a thorny one, that I end up discussing now again, mainly on the spiritual/religious angle. I haven't really answered the poll proper, because I haven't broken it down to this level, and, frankly, I think a lot depends more on the context, and from whom you're appropriating.
There are, for example, inclusive and proselytizing religions that actively want to spread their doctrine and bring in others. They would be glad to have people who don't fully understand the practices follow them to the letter - but the Catholic Church, for example, would frown on a neopagan performing Mass as part of their own practice, regardless of whether the person has a cultural connection, and I wouldn't want someone trying to grab the symbolism etc because they think it's "cool" without considering the deeper implications. On the other hand, I'm told that everyone is a good Hindu, and there are religious leaders in the community who would be glad to find you incorporating their beliefs respectfully into any practice.
However, with the kind of person you describe, I'm not sure they're capable of respectful incorporation on their own. That takes research and knowledge of the context of the things you're appropriating.
On the fourth hand, if you are "celebrating holidays" in the sense that you're coming together with actual adherents of the cultural structure as a guest and they're running the show, I think that's fine. I started going to Seder when I was 5, and I certainly didn't speak Hebrew, my family wasn't Jewish within the last 4 generations, and I certainly didn't have any in-depth knowledge of the culture. Attending Seder every year though, as a respectful participant, is part of how I gained a greater understanding of Jewish practice and culture. There are those who'd say that a gentile probably doesn't belong at Seder in the first place, regardless. It didn't bother Murry and his family, though, so I don't consider it inappropriate, because I was just along for the ride and didn't interfere.
Now consider one of the most common cultural theft targets, Native American belief structures. A whole lot of people incorporate them whole hog as "new age practices" without any attempt to make connection to the culture and understand the context. Some tribes now actively refuse to give out any more information on their beliefs, having decided that what they said in the past was incautious, got abused, and damages their own practices. I'd say if no member of the culture is willing to engage with you on the practice, that's always right out, so celebrating... well... anything of theirs would be an inappropriate appropriation.
Once we get beyond that, my standards relax a lot. I think it's generally AOK for utter foreigners to enjoy ethnic foods, to seek out training in cultural practices that would hopefully give the person a better grounding in the culture. I do not think that those who haven't studied the context should pass on those practices, at all. The inevitable "transcription errors" would be massively disrespectful, and over time would neuter the practice, I should think.
Tattoos I don't think of nearly as much on the "cultural appropriation" plane, unless they're especially significant - you're getting a tattoo of a symbol or phrase that has deep cultural implications, for example, symbols, names of gods or cultural movements, etc. Beyond that, it's more a question of practicality - if you don't know what's written on your ass, the phrase you translated as "devilish flirt" might just mean "total bitch", etc. You don't know the connotations, and you don't know how much semantic overlap the native and foreign words might have, so you don't know what you're getting and even a friendly translator might not know what you're really aiming for if you can only present the idea in your own language. A tat might signal familiarity with the culture erroneously, but nowadays, the tribal tattoos and Eastern pictographs have been stripped of that value on foreigners by the hordes of frat boys and sorority girls.
This is of course an immensely huge topic, that I probably shouldn't handle just after waking up at all, but that's a small slice of my thought process, muzzily explained.
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There are, for example, inclusive and proselytizing religions that actively want to spread their doctrine and bring in others. They would be glad to have people who don't fully understand the practices follow them to the letter - but the Catholic Church, for example, would frown on a neopagan performing Mass as part of their own practice, regardless of whether the person has a cultural connection, and I wouldn't want someone trying to grab the symbolism etc because they think it's "cool" without considering the deeper implications. On the other hand, I'm told that everyone is a good Hindu, and there are religious leaders in the community who would be glad to find you incorporating their beliefs respectfully into any practice.
However, with the kind of person you describe, I'm not sure they're capable of respectful incorporation on their own. That takes research and knowledge of the context of the things you're appropriating.
On the fourth hand, if you are "celebrating holidays" in the sense that you're coming together with actual adherents of the cultural structure as a guest and they're running the show, I think that's fine. I started going to Seder when I was 5, and I certainly didn't speak Hebrew, my family wasn't Jewish within the last 4 generations, and I certainly didn't have any in-depth knowledge of the culture. Attending Seder every year though, as a respectful participant, is part of how I gained a greater understanding of Jewish practice and culture. There are those who'd say that a gentile probably doesn't belong at Seder in the first place, regardless. It didn't bother Murry and his family, though, so I don't consider it inappropriate, because I was just along for the ride and didn't interfere.
Now consider one of the most common cultural theft targets, Native American belief structures. A whole lot of people incorporate them whole hog as "new age practices" without any attempt to make connection to the culture and understand the context. Some tribes now actively refuse to give out any more information on their beliefs, having decided that what they said in the past was incautious, got abused, and damages their own practices. I'd say if no member of the culture is willing to engage with you on the practice, that's always right out, so celebrating... well... anything of theirs would be an inappropriate appropriation.
Once we get beyond that, my standards relax a lot. I think it's generally AOK for utter foreigners to enjoy ethnic foods, to seek out training in cultural practices that would hopefully give the person a better grounding in the culture. I do not think that those who haven't studied the context should pass on those practices, at all. The inevitable "transcription errors" would be massively disrespectful, and over time would neuter the practice, I should think.
Tattoos I don't think of nearly as much on the "cultural appropriation" plane, unless they're especially significant - you're getting a tattoo of a symbol or phrase that has deep cultural implications, for example, symbols, names of gods or cultural movements, etc. Beyond that, it's more a question of practicality - if you don't know what's written on your ass, the phrase you translated as "devilish flirt" might just mean "total bitch", etc. You don't know the connotations, and you don't know how much semantic overlap the native and foreign words might have, so you don't know what you're getting and even a friendly translator might not know what you're really aiming for if you can only present the idea in your own language. A tat might signal familiarity with the culture erroneously, but nowadays, the tribal tattoos and Eastern pictographs have been stripped of that value on foreigners by the hordes of frat boys and sorority girls.
This is of course an immensely huge topic, that I probably shouldn't handle just after waking up at all, but that's a small slice of my thought process, muzzily explained.