- Japanese social media briefly lit up in exasperation and bewilderment. People were mystified that anyone could accuse a kimono try-on event of being racist or imperialist. Few comprehended the identity politics assumptions driving the protesters. Some right-wing nationalists assumed they were anti-Japanese Chinese and Korean agitators.
Perhaps for the mainstream Japanese media and for many fashion commentators such a controversy is of little concern, being just another inexplicable skirmish in America’s culture wars. But it is more than that; if casual yukata styles are to attract foreign consumers who are also sensitive to social justice issues, a clear message needs to be communicated to them by Japanese supporters of the industry.
I wouldn't say that they are racists, but speaking for another culture, you might say that they are appropriating that culture; that is, they are "taking (something) for one's own use, typically without the owner's permission". Appropriation assumes both that ownership exists, and that permission can be given. Personally, I don't find arguments for either points very convincing. One of the things that happens when cultures mix, is that they adopt aspects of each other, and both cultures change in irreversible ways. It's not always a comfortable process, particularly because one of the cultures typically has the socio-economic upper hand, but it is the same process that brought both of those cultures to the point at which they were right before they mixed. Kimonos aren't even originally Japanese. They were based on styles the Japanese adopted from the Chinese hanfu.
I think I understand what you are getting at, but IMO that is to stretch the definition of racism in an effort to highlight how distasteful or ignorant this behavior might be. I don't get the sense that these protesters were against any specific race of people, only that they have a cause and that it is misguided and intolerant. There's no need to counter the protesters. IMO the MFA should have just kept the show running, and let the protest continue. Just because you have offended someone doesn't mean that you are doing something wrong or that you are obligated to respond.
I think the distinction here is that the Japanese people interviewed here do not regard the kimono as a sacred symbol, and consequently embrace it as part of the spread of culture to and from America. And of all the places that a symbol would be used respectfully, museums are at the top of that list (Especially the MFA, which the last time I went, had a gallery dedicated to the damage done by the 2011 tsunami). I would say that racist is a harsh and unnecessary word in this context. Cultural respect has all sort of grey area, and in many cases (as I would say here) people get it wrong. I think the inverse is true as well as many people confuse accidentally insulting with purposefully discriminating, which in most cases appropriation is not. But hey, it does makes for a funny headline: Japanese Americans counter-protest Asian Americans protesting use of Japanese symbol.Since that last set of threads about Yale and cultural appropriation, I've come to the conclusion that those who cry about appropriation are nothing more than racists.
Just speculating out loud, I think these people know they're upset but don't have a visible, Tweetable, Buzzfeed-ready example of why they're angry. Eventually something comes along and gets some media traction, and they try to use it to get visibility for their cause. Sometimes they hit the nail on the head, and sometimes it's a really awkward joining. The cause is often real, but what we end up seeing in easily digestible pieces is so skewed we can't see the real issue.Are these people doing research to find things to be offended at?
People in Japan, a massive homogeneous culture, are not equal to Japanese Americans, members of a much larger society who try to retain a grasp on what their own culture is. To say that Japanese people are going to have correct opinions on the matter isn't accurate. The issue isn't the US actions on them, but on the US actions on those living in the US, or Japanese Americans. The regular Japanese have their own nation, their own culture, and it is not at risk of being twisted into something it is not. I honestly think culture should not be respected in the least. Not held as sacred, but broken down and twisted apart at every opportunity. If you don't want to line up with the culture of the nation you are in, and want to control that nations actions so you can have your own little box of things that belong to you, go back to Japan. But the people with a say in this situation should not be the Japanese. It should be the Americans.Japanese social media briefly lit up in exasperation and bewilderment. People were mystified that anyone could accuse a kimono try-on event of being racist or imperialist.