[Opinions] Re: Cultural appropriation
in reply to a message by Francisinfp5w4
I think it definitely depends on the name and context. If it is a typical given name that originates in a culture that you have no ties to, I think it's fine. My name is Greek, but I am not, nor is anyone in my family.
You do see a lot of people with parents of forgein birth be given standard western names, in some cases due to societal pressure or the want for their child to fit in or have a name that is easily pronounced. However, if you give your kid a name that is very obviously outside of your culture, maybe one you yourself can't even pronounce properly for the sake of being "unique" and "exotic" in a place where such a name is very far from the standard, people may be weirded out.
It is inappropriate in instances when it is the name of something sacred or important in a certain culture, like the name of a major god in a religion that is still practiced. For instance Bodhi is a Buddhist term referring to enlightenment, which is a key element of their religion. People have been using it as a name for their children, because they thought it sounded cool or the meaning was cool, without fully understanding its meaning or just how important it is. Some people will give a culterally inappropriate name to their child because they think it sounds "exotic". With the example Bodhi in particular, it stems from a western obsession with Indian religions.
So basically, I think it's okay if it's a standard name from another culture, but not if it's something sacred like the name of a god or an important element of their culture or religion, or just something from that culture that you don't understand or know how to pronounce.
You do see a lot of people with parents of forgein birth be given standard western names, in some cases due to societal pressure or the want for their child to fit in or have a name that is easily pronounced. However, if you give your kid a name that is very obviously outside of your culture, maybe one you yourself can't even pronounce properly for the sake of being "unique" and "exotic" in a place where such a name is very far from the standard, people may be weirded out.
It is inappropriate in instances when it is the name of something sacred or important in a certain culture, like the name of a major god in a religion that is still practiced. For instance Bodhi is a Buddhist term referring to enlightenment, which is a key element of their religion. People have been using it as a name for their children, because they thought it sounded cool or the meaning was cool, without fully understanding its meaning or just how important it is. Some people will give a culterally inappropriate name to their child because they think it sounds "exotic". With the example Bodhi in particular, it stems from a western obsession with Indian religions.
So basically, I think it's okay if it's a standard name from another culture, but not if it's something sacred like the name of a god or an important element of their culture or religion, or just something from that culture that you don't understand or know how to pronounce.