system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: Cultural apropriation is BS

Edit: Thank you all. Its come to my attention that I did not know the definition of cultural apropriation and that it does and can exist. The term is grossly misused far more often than it is correctly used. In reality I was arguing that cultural exchange is acceptable, expected, and probably good for the world. Now I know the difference.

Edit: There are a lot of good arguments in these comments and it has shown me how is should clarify my view: Cultural appropriation is based on the opinion that a gesture is disrespectful and should carry no more moral weight than any other gesture that could be offensive to an individual.

If cultural apropriation is a thing then we are all constantly apropriating culture.

 I have a tattoo and enjoy smoked means but I don't belong to the cultures who originated either of those things. If you are not white and have ever worn a collared shirt you are apropriating western culture. If you are Christian, Jewish or Muslim and not from the middle east you are apropriating culture via its religion. 

I believe that ideas can be culturally significant but do not "belong" to the culture that originates or celebrates and idea the most.

EDIT: I agree that gestures can be distasteful but I do not think wearing a Yamaka as a non Jewish person is unethical or immoral, no more so than flicking a bird at someone.
gpt
Cultural Appropriation is a much more specific concept than merely using item/concept X that came from culture Y where culture Y is not yours. Moreover, it does not include the use of other culture's items/concepts in a manner that is non-exploitative. For instance, using another culture's items/concepts in a way that is respectful or engages cultural exchange, sharing, and appreciation is not a form of cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation takes place when cultural elements are copied from a minority culture by members of a dominant culture, and these elements are used outside of their original cultural context—sometimes even against the expressly stated wishes of members of the originating culture. All that cultural appropriation says is that it's not cool to take something that is important to other people and treat it like it has no meaning/value. That seems pretty self-evidently a valid claim to make.

Now, it can be a little more complex. It is possible to culturally appropriate something while, at the same time, praising what your are culturally appropriating. This occurs when people from a dominant culture take on elements of a minority culture that they think are cool or hip, while ignoring the burden imposed on the minority culture by those elements. For example, women might dress up as sexy Pocahontas for Halloween and argue that they aren't culturally appropriating native american culture because they're dressing up like her because they think she's cool, sexy, powerful, etc. The danger here is that the imitator does not experience any of the oppression and daily discrimination faced by aboriginal women. The imitator is play-acting, in a fetishistic manner, a specific aspect of the aboriginal experience. In doing so, it minimizes the lived experiences of aboriginal women, and downplays the fact that they are an extremely high risk culture group. Moreover, by sexualizing Pocahontas (and aboriginal women in general) it can perpetuate the kinds of stereotypes that contribute to the current extreme high rates of sexual assaults against aboriginal women. All of these factors arise because the person engaged in the appropriation is doing so from a place that is completely separate from the lived experience of the people from whose culture they are appropriating. They are also doing it from a place of security and safety, that allows them to casually cherry-pick these cultural elements without engaging with the reality of the culture as a whole.

Keep in mind, cultural appropriation does not have to be intentional, it can happen by accident. That's perfectly normal. Also, cultural appropriation is not the same as cultural mixing or cultural cross-fertilization. These are positive processes that enrich both cultures. Cultural appropriation is a term reserved for an exploitative relationship where a dominant culture takes from a minority culture.