Fair enough. Whether nefarious are not, is it always a bad thing?
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Yeah, that.
It seams to me that this may be a unique opportunity for real change.
That opportunity could be lost with the application of caution.
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I think if it warps our understanding of the power dynamic in modern society, or disproportionately benefits people who already disproportionately benefit from that power structure, then yes. Even if they have pure intentions or don’t mean to hurt others, it can and does. The inability, or worse the unwillingness to recognize that is the problem. I think if people enjoy a culture not “their own” and are interested in learning about it and supporting artists/cultural producers from that tradition, that’s great. If they want to take it and commercialize it, and cut out the people who generated it in the first place, that’s a problem. Honestly, the best way to sort through this whole complicated mess is most likely to ask the people whose culture is in question, because people outside that culture might not fully be able to see the pain they’re causing, even if they don’t mean to do so.
If this is a case of that, I don’t think necessarily so, but the people to ask would be the people whose culture is being debated - that’s not me. But if people who already benefit from the state of the modern world can’t take even the slightest criticism about the still existing white/Euro power structure, then we have a problem with acknowledging reality.
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I know, right? We’re not going to fix anything by going along with business as usual. We’re not.
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thanks for the thoughtful reply. I guess I am reading “cultural appropriation” as a specific type of cultural taking (that is exploitative by nature and/or intent). And there is plenty of that, but there’s plenty of other cultural exchange that has gone out throughout history. I brought up El Paso because it’s not an American city changing due to an influx of new people, but rather part of a binational/multicultaral metro where I am pretty sure that a kid with a Mexican nickname who is not of Mexican heritage does not really bother people. It certainly doesn’t seem to have been an issue for O’Rourke during his political career there. (Someone there may have other things to say of course). Anyway, really the nickname thing I think is just a dumb criticism of him (the other items brought up in the article are not).
Your advice about “ask the people” is spot on. Thanks.
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That’s beautiful. I can hear Anthony Hopkins reading that. Now use your pretty words for something hopeful! 
Nothing that you’ve posted is, either.
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Sure, but at this point, we’re living at a point in history where much of the modern economy (including the culture industries) were built on exploitation. Does that mean that culture exchange didn’t also happen? Of course not, but we do need to be mindful of that, and hence more critical of delineating what’s exchange and what’s exploitation.
Yes. it’s important to note that the border changed around people in the 19th century, in part due to Anglos moving into the area and making demands at the expense of others. But you’re spot on that it’s a multicultural environment, with a good bit of cultural exchange happening in real time. That doesn’t mean that cultural approrporation with economic exploitation also didn’t take place. Because it’s on the American side of the border, it’s still fully within a white supremacist system, and that’s not something to entire ignore or dismiss.
Seems like, and that should tell us something, too. I’m far more interested in how minorities in El Paso feel about him (his policies and his nickname!), honestly, than how someone who isn’t there feels about it. I’m even more interested in his policies positions on race, coming from such a multi-cultural place. What concerns me most is the people he’s hiring (which of course brings this tangent back on topic). We do know that policies that benefit corporate interests the most hurt the people with the least amount of power the most (and that means working class people of color, especially single mothers, happy mothers day!). So, I do agree that rather than get caught up in debating whether Beto’s nickname is cultural appropriation, we should wonder if having a former Keystone lobbyist is going to push his policies into the neo-liberal direction. Because that will be more hurtful to the working class latino community in El Paso.
I think it’s advice that we all could follow, my white ass included! 
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I share a lot of your concerns, and I really wish he had chosen to run for John Cornyn’s Senate seat or for governor. I think he had a better shot at those than president and could do a lot of significant good here in Texas. I was a huge supporter of his run against Cruz, right down to $$ and the yard sign, but am at best lukewarm on him for president. Just too many other stronger candidates.
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Hey, gotta be flexible in politics. Biden is also flexible.
Bend over and spread 'em, America. You should be loosened up enough by now, what with the Trump family mafia running things.
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with the way the generational voting blocks are currently divided. Baby boomers still have an unduly amount of influence in US Politics. Nate Silver said you just have to accept this fact and style the Democratic Party around this for the moment if you don’t want Trump to get another 4 years. From what I’ve seen, I don’t disagree with his analysis (at least this portion).
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didn’t he get it wrong the last time?
anyway, the point of statisticians is to figure out how we all are going to behave. let’s each choose the candidate closest to our principles and then see who our fellow citizens choose, and if we all agree hooray. don’t lets put the cart in front of the horse, and don’t lets give nate silver ( or pundit x ) the power to choose our candidates for us.
we don’t have to play n dimensional chess. we just have to vote.
[ insert princess bride vinncini gif here. locane is the white (supremacy) powder we gotta inoculate ourselves against. no point in over thinking things ]
He was less wrong than most.
OTOH, since then he’s been wrong about pretty much everything. And he has taken to passing off purely subjective punditry as if it were data-driven analysis.
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Historically he got more predictions right than any other think tank in existence. He floundered 2016, but so did everyone else. In 2016 we learned what someone says is not who they vote for I.e. I say one thing and do another. Maybe I’m embarrassed who I’m voting for or it’s frowned upon by the public.
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