[myspacecoo]

We often believe that we live in a world of many globalized cultures. I want to ask you of your opinion, of what you think when you witness your own culture appear or being "used" by other nations. For example, when others take your own traditions, food, music, ideas, forms of dance and clothing style. For a specific example, a British woman performs a Turkish dance. An American plays Finnish rock music in his car. A French company designs Greek-style clothes. A Russian opens an Irish bar and restaurant.

There are of course different arguements and opinions about this.

In favor arguement says that their culture is being preserved and is thriving when others are using it. That globalization as thought of as unavoidable does not only need to be Anglo-American globalization, that it is good for people around the world to get a taste of their culture too, that they are proud to see some tradition they love to touch the hearts of others, and to become popular.

The against arguement says that, others should not make a mockery of MY (or YOUR) culture, that even if for example the custom is learned correctly, it is still somehow false when taken by someone else... that National and cultural Preservation means that everyone shall stick to just their OWN culture that they were born with and not take anyone else's, that your culture is what makes your nation unique because it does not belong to anyone else.

And of course, there may be arguements in between or that are neither one of them.

So I want to know, what do you think? Also, notice that I mean use of your culture in a positive sence, that others honestly try to imitate and present an aspect of your culture, not to intentionally make fun of it.

[Fdhwzctl]

It's pretty cool unless foreigners start preaching a biased version of my own culture to me.

[Julik19]

I haven't noticed that elements of Lithuanian culture would be used by non Lithuanians. Of course, though there are some Poles and Belarussians who love to make certain aspects of our history as theirs but that's another topic.

[bMc8F9ZI]

i dont care

[mdUzAMbG]

I didn't vote but I do not think that cultural appropriation is very cool.

[SaamanthaSterlyng]

Fast food restaurants selling "Cajun" burgers... pisses me off.

[EbrsaRynleot]

People should practice their own culture instead of others. This is what keeps the cultures alive. Globalization, as well as capitalism destroys the core of cultures. So basically they are bad.

[nobodyhere]

People have been using Turkish culture for way too long...

like eating kebab/baklava, bellydancing, listening to Turkish music, etc... so I don't care. I am very used to it.

[pumpineemob]

Of course, though there are some Poles and Belarussians who love to make certain aspects of our history as theirs but that's another topic.

thats because you are only 2 million poles are 40 and its easy falsificate something same problem is with georgians

[PyncGyncliacy]

America's culture got globalized long time ago. One thing i find difficult to understand though is what exactly is 'Anglo American culture'? and why is it often promoted more than any other culture as if distinct from the rest? Everything we have here our art, music, archictecture, cuisine, and traditions all of it is the result of many different people and reflect our mixed demographics not just Anglos. Our culture is completely hybrid. Describing a new world nation as anglo dominate would be better suited for Austrailia. Everything you look at here will have been brought over or invented from people totally different from each other. Whether its the Chinese American tradition of selling fortune cookies, the German christmas tree practice brought over, the mafia brought over by the Italians.

The last part was obviously a joke.

[G8whlTAe]

I don't like it, because the culture cannot be exported and pretend it will keep its original state.
In first place no ethnicity is fully represented by a single culture, it is more like individual variations of a homogeneous culture, in other words culture is hard to define, only the individuals can define the culture because it is a living phenomenon.
So when someone (a company, an artist, a Government, a university) exports a culture they take the elements they prefer or the elements they think are the most outstanding, but they cannot take all the elements and the essence is lost in the process. It is like a caricature.

What happens next people from another side of the world will be biased by that partial representation of something very complex, and the first impressions are really hard to change.

[Mr_White]

How dare you all steal from Amerikan culture?!?!

(Obviously kidding)

[Psymoussy]

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange was the first of its kind and it traded the first shares of stock (from the Dutch East India Company). Here, the Dutch also pioneered stock futures, stock options, short selling, debt-equity swaps, merchant banking, bonds, unit trusts and other speculative instruments. Also, a speculative bubble that crashed in 1695, and a change in fashion that unfolded and reverted in time with the market.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_market