Cultural Appropriation in Coldplay's Latest Music Video?

[Bay]

If this is cultural appropriation then what about Princess of China from years ago? :P

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Just move on or not watch it. They aren't even showing anything inappropriate or offensive, to be real honest.

I briefly pointed out that video several posts back, lol. But yeah, in short the way the music video had this stereotypical "House of Flying Daggers/Crouching Tiger Hidden Tiger" vibe didn't sit well with me, even though I like those movies haha. Compare to Coldplay's latest video, which is more tame.

I don't know if that's a real issue. I'm not Indian myself, but grew up around a lot of people of South Asian descent, and to the extent of my knowledge a sari is just a piece of clothing.

I think I hear some South Asian influences in the music itself, so I don't think it's a big deal if the video matches the music. As for people watching Beyonce, well she's the featured artist and she was invited by Coldplay to sing the song, so I don't know if it's wise to look too much into that.

I'm of South Asian descent, and yeah for the most part we don't mind others wearing attire similar to ours as long as they're respectful.

I can understand Coldplay wanting Beyonce to be in the video and it's likely the Indians were fine with her wearing the sari. It seems though her sari is much more eye popping than the other Indians wearing it. Granted it's a music video so they'll want her to be noticeable, but as I mentioned the execution just doesn't seem right.

 

[Grey Wind]

I don't know if that's a real issue. I'm not Indian myself, but grew up around a lot of people of South Asian descent, and to the extent of my knowledge a sari is just a piece of clothing.

I think I hear some South Asian influences in the music itself, so I don't think it's a big deal if the video matches the music. As for people watching Beyonce, well she's the featured artist and she was invited by Coldplay to sing the song, so I don't know if it's wise to look too much into that.

Well yeah, like I said I don't know if I'd call it outright appropriation and there's definitely much more egregious examples (like the Katy Perry video linked above). There's just a fine line between what is and isn't okay in this situation, and considering the trend of western people appropriating in that fashion it made me raise an eyebrow.


@Thepowaofhax... I honest to god don't know how to reply to that post. I feel like debating someone who tries to push cultural Marxism in my face is just going to be more trouble than it's worth (especially given your track record of using any excuse to go on a rant against Those Darn SJWs), so like... I don't think a proper reply is gonna happen, sorry.

 

[Thepowaofhax]

Well yeah, like I said I don't know if I'd call it outright appropriation and there's definitely much more egregious examples (like the Katy Perry video linked above). There's just a fine line between what is and isn't okay in this situation, and considering the trend of western people appropriating in that fashion it made me raise an eyebrow.


@Thepowaofhax... I honest to god don't know how to reply to that post. I feel like debating someone who tries to push cultural Marxism in my face is just going to be more trouble than it's worth (especially given your track record of using any excuse to go on a rant against Those Darn SJWs), so like... I don't think a proper reply is gonna happen, sorry.

Cultural Marxism isn't an excuse. You seem to be unable to see that liberals and collectivists aren't mutually inclusive and defend a group who is anti-Freedom of Speech, anti-Meritocratic and pro-Nepotism. It's sad when an actual liberal has to tell you this distinct difference. I see no reason to treat any race differently just because of ideological biases (cultural marxism has a lot of this) and make out the people they defend as damsels in distress. They're not even SJWs at this point because their whole aim to be progressive really shows that their true nature is regressive as they will attack anyone who isn't in their group.

 

[Careful With That Axe Pichu!]

The problem with cultural appropriation is not one of offence. It is just a missed opportunity. It's proudly showing the world how shallow your understanding of a culture is, having had the chance to portray the real thing, true empathy for its people and an interest of what all the colors, garments, rituals etc. mean and originate from. It's just lazy.

It's also pretentious, and it makes you look like an asshole sometimes. It's like supporting a football team because you just like the colors of the uniform. Like buying a RED camera to shoot videos of your dog eating Doritos, or posting apocryphal Bob Marley quotes on social media. Not intrinsically bad. But douchey nonetheless.

 

[Melody]

I don't see appropriation going on here. I see artistry. Very good artistry! Like seriously!

Nothing was appropriated, the video content was just a really good backdrop for the song. I don't see any reason for people to be upset.

Really it's just another reason why you should always ignore Internet Trolls kiddos.

EDIT: Top comment on video (Youtube) seems to support Indians not being offended by this at all.

 

[zakisrage]

I'm sick of hearing the term "cultural appropriation". It's everywhere, and it really needs to stop. Most of it is just mindless complaining from SJWs. I once heard that some university in Canada had to cancel a yoga class because students complained about it being offensive. (I also noted that the SJW media only has a problem with "cultural appropriation" when white people do it. I see black rappers do similar stuff in their videos and no one complains about them for it.) But seriously, if we keep finding everything offensive, then we can't freely express ourselves.

My friend Ashley, who is white, went to India last year and he bought a salwar kameez for himself. (His brother did too.) None of the locals complained about him wearing it. He said it was only when he went back to Australia that people complained about him wearing it, and none of the people who complained were even Indian.

The whole concept of "cultural appropriation" can easily be abused. I mean, take my friend Ashley. Ashley is an English surname, but my friend doesn't have a single drop of English blood (he's half Italian, half Polish), and no one in his family has Ashley as a surname. (Sometimes, I see people on name websites telling people that they shouldn't use surnames as first names if they're not in their family.) So I guess, by that logic, Ashley's parents must be guilty of "cultural appropriation". Or you could easily say that people in India shouldn't speak English because English is not native to India. (Most Indians will defend the use of English since India has a large amount of languages. I mean, the north of India mostly speaks Indo-European languages while the south speaks Dravidian languages. Years ago, India tried using Hindi as a national language since it was the native language with the most speakers, but the southern Indian states objected. English was an obvious solution since it doesn't favour one native language over another.)

 

[mew_nani]

You mean we can't even include cultural influences in muic videos anymore, even if they're not offensive to the culture being hosted, because these nuts get offended by it?

These guys probably are the same ones offended by Halloween costumes and the Washington Redskins. Apparently only other cultures can wear clothing unique to that culture, or display customs unique to that culture, while us white oppressors have to stick to oppressive white culture. At the very least these fruitcakes need to put their smartphones down and go outside for a while. They're ruining the internet, music, Halloween and the enjoyment of other cultures for the rest of us. Who says we have to dress like our culture, or be banned from partaking in others? Most of these nuts are white so they don't have any authority on the subject anyway.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

The whole notion of cultural appropriation is basically advocating for segregation. You can't call for integration and diversity and then prohibit borrowing from other cultures. Borrowing happens naturally when different cultures interact.