University yoga class suspended over 'cultural appropriation' dispute

[GenesisNemesis]

According to the Ottawa Sun, staff from the Centre for Students with Disabilities, where the classes were held for students of all abilities, wrote in an email: “While yoga is a really great idea and accessible and great for students...there are cultural issues of implication involved in the practice. Yoga has been under a lot of controversy lately due to how it is being practiced”, and which cultures those practices “are being taken from”.

The email went on to say that because many of those cultures “have experienced oppression, cultural genocide and diasporas due to colonialism and Western supremacy... we need to be mindful of this and how we express ourselves while practising yoga.”

Link. I'm confused. I thought yoga was a method of therapy for a lot of people. Why would they want to be thinking about genocide and diasporas? How is that in any way conductive towards good mental health?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Oh, shut up.

Can we repsond by committing cultural genocide against all the stupid people mentioned in that article? The "cultural" part is optional.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Wow. I suppose Canada has to have a fair share in the crazy too.

Good thing Curling is Scottish.

 

[ksen]

I wish they'd stop appropriating outrage which was invented by white folks

 

[Metaphor]

I love the culture of 'cultural approriation' permanent offence: whenever I make a reductio ad absurdum to point out how arbitrarily 'cultural appropriation' is applied, I'll read later that yes, people really are offended by white people eating Chinese food.

Sometimes, the social justice warriors merely provide mealy-mouthed admonitions to be 'mindful' whilst being unable to really describe something as wrong (although, see 'problematic'), because they don't have the dictatorial power to ban it, nor do they have any convincing arguments to persuade people to abandon it.

And sometimes they'll write incomprehensible nonsense, like 'there are cultural issues of implication involved', and if they have the power to ban it, they do (as in the case above).

Among the practises that are now offensive:
* white girls braiding their hair
* cis gay white men acting 'sassy' (because, apparently, cis gay white men have 'cultural access' to 'Black women's bodies and Black femmes')
* white people doing yoga
* white people eating Asian food
* white people naming their children with a name that did not originate in their specific ancestry.

Of course, we are supposed to accept, without question, that cultural appropriation is actually a coherent concept (it isn't).

Now sometimes, a white person may get permission to enjoy the benefits of copying an idea if they are willing to perform the mystical incantations demanded by the high priests. For example, Kylie Jenner could wear braids if she dedicated her life to speaking out against injustices to black people. Other times, the penance demanded is merely praying: be mindful of what you're doing. If you're mindful, we can vouchsafe to you something that you are clearly trying to steal.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I don't like the way that Muslims are going around killing people over religious differences. That's a European thing. Who said they could take our thing?

 

[Metaphor]

I don't like the way that Muslims are going around killing people over religious differences. That's a European thing. Who said they could take our thing?

No: anyone who isn't "the West" can copy anything originating in "the West". It's just the other way around that is 'problematic' 'cultural appropriation', because colonialism.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I don't like the way that Muslims are going around killing people over religious differences. That's a European thing. Who said they could take our thing?

No: anyone who isn't "the West" can copy anything originating in "the West". It's just the other way around that is 'problematic' 'cultural appropriation', because colonialism.

That's a load of bullshit. Stealing shit from other people's cultures is our thing. They can have their own things. At least until we steal it from them because then they become our things and they're not allowed to do them anymore.

 

[hinduwoman]

Did some idiot Hindus complain? I cannot find that out
Or was it just what the student council thought?

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/university-of-ottawa-students-cancel-yoga

Acting student federation president Roméo Ahimakin could not be reached for comment Sunday.

He has said that the yoga program is on hiatus while consultations take place to make the class more accessible and inclusive: “We are trying to have those sessions done in a way in which students are aware of where the spiritual and cultural aspects come from, so that these sessions are done in a respectful manner.”

What consultation? All it needs is an introductory lecture and anyway how do you do a headstand (sirshanaya) respectfully?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Did some idiot Hindus complain? I cannot find that out
Or was it just what the student council thought?

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/university-of-ottawa-students-cancel-yoga

Acting student federation president Roméo Ahimakin could not be reached for comment Sunday.

He has said that the yoga program is on hiatus while consultations take place to make the class more accessible and inclusive: “We are trying to have those sessions done in a way in which students are aware of where the spiritual and cultural aspects come from, so that these sessions are done in a respectful manner.”

What consultation? All it needs is an introductory lecture and anyway how do you do a headstand (sirshanaya) respectfully?

Teaching yoga seems to be very personal and different teachers approach it in different manners. Most that I've had have been rather secular, but one seemed to care a bit more for chanting. Someone may have been unhappy with the secularization of a yoga class.

 

[ronburgundy]

Did some idiot Hindus complain? I cannot find that out
Or was it just what the student council thought?

As with most such manufactured offense and outrage, the people supposedly being offended probably had no objection and nothing to do with the response. It was likely privileged college kids trying to manufacture meaning in their empty lives by defending people who didn't asked to be defended because they aren't being attacked.

 

[repoman]

Cut this cancer out of the otherwise somewhat healthy liberal/progressive body politic.

 

[thebeave]

Did some idiot Hindus complain? I cannot find that out
Or was it just what the student council thought?

As with most such manufactured offense and outrage, the people supposedly being offended probably had no objection and nothing to do with the response. It was likely privileged college kids trying to manufacture meaning in their empty lives by defending people who didn't asked to be defended because they aren't being attacked.

Yep. Its quite a trendy thing these days with white people, particularly the progressives, to learn about other cultures and "come to their aid":

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/28/101-being-offended/

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/23/20-being-an-expert-on-your-culture/

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Did some idiot Hindus complain?

I don't know but there was some commentary afterward. The guy's name is mentioned here:
http://youtu.be/m55-3YocyGg

 

[RavenSky]

Did some idiot Hindus complain? I cannot find that out
Or was it just what the student council thought?

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/university-of-ottawa-students-cancel-yoga

Acting student federation president Roméo Ahimakin could not be reached for comment Sunday.

He has said that the yoga program is on hiatus while consultations take place to make the class more accessible and inclusive: “We are trying to have those sessions done in a way in which students are aware of where the spiritual and cultural aspects come from, so that these sessions are done in a respectful manner.”

What consultation? All it needs is an introductory lecture and anyway how do you do a headstand (sirshanaya) respectfully?

“We are trying to have those sessions done in a way in which students are aware of where the spiritual and cultural aspects come from, so that these sessions are done in a respectful manner.”

sounds more like introducing religion into an exercise class

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Use of others' cultural features can be stupid inasmuch as it is misuse, abuse, or conning people. Just because something is stupid doesn't mean it should be banned or stopped. People are free to be stupid in the cases where it actually is (and no, I don't think it always is). On the other hand, if we are in control of such stupidity, then we are also free to try to stop it. So if we partly own a corporation or are part of an organization or other institution and such entity is misusing, abusing, or conning people, then we are free to voice our opinion about it and also to put our two cents in to try to stop it. Personally, I probably wouldn't make such issues a priority unless the specific issue has high impact or risk to other people.

Regarding cultural appropriation, that may be somewhat different in that it requires an oppressed group whose culture "owns" a feature which then gets appropriated by a larger oppressive culture. I think this also has to be looked at in terms of freedom to be stupid and what freedoms we have not to be stupid. We should also consider to what extent appropriation of said features impact persons being oppressed. I suppose if it is economically impacting them, it is systemic, and it is a recurring issue, extensive through time, then inasmuch as we have freedom to do something about it, we should. However, I do wonder if the greater problem is the oppression itself and if the cultural appropriation is only incidental to that.

Now, as far as the op, yoga probably has been "appropriated" in the sense that a lot of non-Hindus are practicing it, but that is not to say it carries the negative connotation of "cultural appropriation" as described above. I think that today in the US (and Canada) Hindus have a lot of freedom. Many choose professional careers over being yoga instructors and there is not a lot of discrimination except at the upper most tiers (being a corporate executive) for these people. So I think the impact of this issue is very low. The benefit, too, is high, in that yoga is very healthy for all of society. Now, could a yoga class teach something about the cultural originators of the concept? Yes and education in that regard would probably have some value. It just does not seem like a priority to me based on the cost-benefit I have described.

Though I could be wrong.

 

[ronburgundy]

As with most such manufactured offense and outrage, the people supposedly being offended probably had no objection and nothing to do with the response. It was likely privileged college kids trying to manufacture meaning in their empty lives by defending people who didn't asked to be defended because they aren't being attacked.

Yep. Its quite a trendy thing these days with white people, particularly the progressives, to learn about other cultures and "come to their aid":

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/28/101-being-offended/

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/23/20-being-an-expert-on-your-culture/

It isn't just white people who manufacture outrage over pseudo-injustices (aka "micro-aggressions) against other people who are too busy dealing with their real problems to spend time inventing things to be offended by.

 

[Metaphor]

Use of others' cultural features can be stupid inasmuch as it is misuse, abuse, or conning people.

In this case, the product is better. Yoga has been good exercise for millions of people worldwide over decades, and people get it without the ridiculous religious claptrap in which it was originally bound.

Regarding cultural appropriation, that may be somewhat different in that it requires an oppressed group whose culture "owns" a feature which then gets appropriated by a larger oppressive culture.

If something is "owned" then I guess it can be "appropriated". Of course no one owns a culture and a culture cannot be appropriated.

I think this also has to be looked at in terms of freedom to be stupid and what freedoms we have not to be stupid. We should also consider to what extent appropriation of said features impact persons being oppressed. I suppose if it is economically impacting them, it is systemic, and it is a recurring issue, extensive through time, then inasmuch as we have freedom to do something about it, we should. However, I do wonder if the greater problem is the oppression itself and if the cultural appropriation is only incidental to that.

So if Sally McWhitey-WASP opens up a secular yoga class in the same complex next to Aishwarya Anand's bone-fide "Real Deal School of Ashtanga Yoga", should Sally be boycotted? Should you encourage others to boycott Sally?

Now, could a yoga class teach something about the cultural originators of the concept? Yes and education in that regard would probably have some value. It just does not seem like a priority to me based on the cost-benefit I have described.

It seems to me it is a disbenefit, not a benefit. Hinduism is claptrap. If I wanted to get lectured on half-baked religio-philosophy while getting exercise, I'd listen to Christian talk radio on the treadmill.

If some yoga instructors want to saddle their otherwise valuable product with mumbo-jumbo, that's up to them. But they've got no right telling others that they're not allowed to improve the core product.

 

[repoman]