The racism of a kimono

[Russell]

Boston museum cancels 'Kimono Wednesdays' after racism protests

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is cancelling “Kimono Wednesdays” after protesters decried the event as racist.

In a statement, the museum apologized for offending some visitors with the event, where museum goers were encouraged to don the traditional Japanese garments and pose in front of Claude Monet’s “La Japonaise.”

The museum said it had hoped to create an “interactive experience,” helping museum goers appreciate the rich details, embroidery and fine materials of the garments. It said similar events took place when the painting, depicting a woman in a kimono, travelled throughout Japan for an exhibition.

But protesters have held signs at the Boston museum’s events, calling them “racist” and “imperialist.”

The museum says kimonos will now be on display Wednesday evenings for visitors to touch, not try on.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a Facebook page titled “Stand Against Yellow-Face @ the MFA” described the Kimono Wednesday event as an “insult not only to our identities, experiences, and histories as Asian-Americans in America, but affects how society as a whole continues to typecast and deny our voices today.”

Link

I wonder who those "our" are. Bet they are not even Japanese.

[wagyl]

I certainly hope that those Asian Americans aren't going to work or to the shops in dresses. That just typecasts Eurpean-Americans, insulting their histories and identities.

[matsuki]

I certainly hope that those Asian Americans aren't going to work or to the shops in dresses. That just typecasts Eurpean-Americans, insulting their histories and identities.

LOL, Yoooooofuku! Yellow face?

Most of the perpetually offended "Asian Americans" I've met are the ones who don't speak much besides English nor know jack shit about the culture(s) they claim to "identify" with. They don't realize how far they are from that identity/culture til they visit their "motherland." (and sometimes even that doesn't do it for them)

[dimwit]

Gawd, art galleries are suckers for self-rightous indignation. I suppose because most of the curators are left leaning and the word racism is like a roach repellant to them.

Looking at the names of the site hosts:

Ames X Siyuan
Loreto Paz Ansaldo
Xtina Huilan Wang
Amber Ying
Pampi Thirdeyefell

not a single one is Japanese, so they are hijacking another culture to try to score points based on the presumption that people won't know the difference. Time to call in Davy Arbeiter.

[robuzo]

Don't tell them about this:

[Samurai_Jerk]

Was I being racist the times I wore a hanten and tabi and carried an omikoshi in a local matsuri? What about the tourists I see in Asakusa walking around in kimono they've paid Japanese shops to dress them up in? If those tourists are racist, is it only the ones who are white or black? I've seen more than a few Chinese girls all done up Japanese style taking photos in front of Sensoji. Are they racist for appropriating Japanese culture? How about the Japanese girls who I've seen in China dresses at every Halloween party I've ever been to in Japan? What about my foreign friends who married a local girl and wore a hakama at their wedding?

[yanpa]

From the Facebook page:

Again, please do not take pictures of yourself wearing mobster costumes and eating pizza. My fragile Italian ego cannot take it.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Another good one.

And yet dressing up as a plastic leprechaun for st Patrick's day is not racist...go figure.

[kurogane]

I think that there will be at least one major benefit arising from this seemingly silly and trivial emospazzout: the old stereotype about Asians all being smart has been irrevocably crushed. Whadda bunch of overdetermined Ethnic Studies BS (oxymoron alert).

[matsuki]

I think that there will be at least one major benefit arising from this seemingly silly and trivial emospazzout: the old stereotype about Asians all being smart has been irrevocably crushed. Whadda bunch of overdetermined Ethnic Studies BS (oxymoron alert).

Real Asians knew this long before...

[kurogane]

Hahahaha. At least that idjit at the bottom wasn't wearing Gunte. Great emergency coffee filters, though, btw. In case things up Rapevan way ever get desperate.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I GISed some photos of these assholes.

assholes01.jpg

assholes02.jpg

assholes03.JPG

But at least there's hope.

Notanasshole01.jpg

It says, "Wearing a kimono does not make you a Racist or an Imperialist. Bring Back Kimono Wednesday"

[wagyl]

General search on those names brings up a posse of tortured, misunderstood performance artist/poets and artists.

If the message given by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is wrong, I would be interested to hear what they propose in its stead. Maybe their proposal is somewhere in the articles people have linked to, but I haven't got off my arse to look at the primary sources, and if the entire part of your message which attracts attention is the negativist protest and not the proposal of the solution, then you have failed to get your message out correctly.

And come back to speak to me when you have got some decent clothes on. That whiteface is fucking offensive.

[Yokohammer]

Whiney dumbfucks who have never accomplished anything in their lives just want to bitch so they can feel better about themselves.


~ Tapatalking ~

[matsuki]

orientalism?

As in the middle east?

[kurogane]

Orientalism is a perfectly valid sociological term to use when discussing problems with the representation of all Asians (aka Little Brownies), so no need to quibble. They're doing a fine job of that all by themselves with their ridiculous hyperbole, and their grasp of the theory and analysis is positively sophomoric.

This not what Edward Said.

Never get tired of that.............

[matsuki]

Getting upset over the word "oriental" is the same as getting upset over "western(er)"...

[Coligny]

Whiney dumbfucks who have never accomplished anything in their lives just want to bitch so they can feel better about themselves.


~ Tapatalking ~

I think it's a lower stage of narcissism... (Church lady syndrome -not linked to the bible thumper crowd)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narciss ... y_disorder

Which is good and bad..

Good because it make it eathir to spot them...

Bad because there's seem to be a lot...

[kurogane]

Getting upset over the word "oriental" is the same as getting upset over "western(er)"...

In a perfect world, yes. In our world, sadly, no. The problem lies in the differential power vectors that manifest themselves through the institutional structures and agencies which determine, and thus oppress, those without privileged access to the means of negotiation and transformative self-identification by which the dominant class continues to restrict the available terms and means of discourse. They key is to exploit the hegemonic lacunae in the hope that even really, really whiney gayboys like these ones can stop being such blithering killjoys.

IOW, those with more power aren't affected by labels in the same way as those without it. And if you're white and find terms like Westerner or Gaijin offensive, it means you're Very Very Gay.

[Yokohammer]

If these self-righteous nitwits are so concerned about cultural appropriation they should come to Japan and hang around Tokyo station yelling and waving placards, telling all the Japanese walking around in western clothes that what they're doing is appropriation and racist.

These guys are so dumb it's surreal.

I'm sure people like that have always been lurking around, but when they actually start forcing changes in institutional policy and affecting other people's lives it's time to remember that we once had this thing called "common sense" and do everything in our power to bring it back.

[Wage Slave]

Last time I went to Narita airport they had a stall run by the Tourist Agency at which a team of earnest and friendly folk were dressing up passing tourists and travellers in kinomo and photographing them. Just for a bit of fun they thought and giving people a little taste of the culture. I now realise that in fact they were being deeply disrespectful of their own culture and polluting the ethics of their clients. And with public money.

[yanpa]

It's because they're house negroes prostituting their native ethnic culture for tourism dollars.

Anyway this doesn't seem to have been reported in the Japanese language media; at least searching Google produces mainly sites recycling 2ch threads and translations of foreign articles.

Mrs. Yanpa: "考えすぎじゃないの？"

[kurogane]

Wage Slave,
I shudder in empathatetic sympathy. You must seek proper care to deal with the unavoidable PTSD that is sure to follow. Given the timing, I also possess a deep and dark secret I will now confess: I have helped thatch at least 20 traditional Japanese farmhouses wearing Japanese work clothes, using traditional methods as taught to me by Real Japanese, accepting no renumeration above the free lucnhes they fed me, the tax yen I received and a couple of cash gifts.
However will I cleanse my guilt!!!!!!!!???????????

I betcha Samurai Jerk has some serious penance to do: he was a JET. They have been known to wear Jinbei at Festivals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS Mrs. Yanpa called it.

[yanpa]

PS Mrs. Yanpa called it.

In a show of ethnic gender solidarity she also pointed out that the demonstrator in the orange t-shirt and white shorts was not doing herself any favours with her choice of clothes.

[Wage Slave]

PS Mrs. Yanpa called it.

In a show of ethnic gender solidarity she also pointed out that the demonstrator in the orange t-shirt and white shorts was not doing herself any favours with her choice of clothes.

Or the fact they are a size too small. That's really silly. What is it with the orange attire and lettering BTW? Is orange now the campaign colour of the anti orientalists?

And yes. Mrs Yanpa is exactly right - It really is just a bit of fun and indeed at that Narita event everyone taking part and the little audience gathered were wreathed in smiles. Lots of mother and daughter combinations being dressed up and photographed.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Getting upset over the word "oriental" is the same as getting upset over "western(er)"...

I remember when using the word "oriental" suddenly became racist. I was in junior high and referred to someone as oriental in front of my Chinese-American friend. She told me it was "Asian" and it was racist use oriental. She claimed it had roots in the term "disoriented." I knew that was bullshit and wondered why it couldn't mean "oriented" but knew better than to argue with her. She also used to get mad if a guy held a door for her and she ended up going to a performing arts high school.

I betcha Samurai Jerk has some serious penance to do: he was a JET. They have been known to wear Jinbei at Festivals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never wore a jinbei on JET but as mentioned I did wear a hanten and tabi when I carried an omikoshi. I did it again this year at the Sanja Matsuri. I did once wear a jinbei that was given to me as a gift by *GASP* Japanese people to a Tanabata party at a bar because anyone in a jinbei got a free drink of their choice. Holy shit I just realized I also wore a gi when I took karate classes as a kid and then again in my Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes as an adult. I got a lot of 'splaining to do. So does every non (East?) Asian Olympic judoka.

[yanpa]

Technically wouldn't Australians and New Zealanders be orientals?

[Samurai_Jerk]

Technically wouldn't Australians and New Zealanders be orientals?

I think disorientals would work.

[Yokohammer]

Technically wouldn't Australians and New Zealanders be orientals?

I think disorientals would work.

I resemble that statement!



~ Tapatalking ~

[Takechanpoo]

they apparently went excessive on this case. .but you guys should watch the whole flow
racially inappropriate things about yellows, which never be allowed on black and hispanic, are overlooked and tolerated in public and the stereotypes are reproduced on an enlarged scale. japanese are insensitive about this kind of issues. and instead chinese and the other asians do it.
i would support them on big-picture