Cultural Appropriation in BJJ / MMA Products and Why They’re Offensive

[thakmd]

Saw this blog post making the rounds yesterday on Facebook.

The 3 Asian guys throw shots at brands that use "Oriental" designs like Rising Sun nazi symbols, saying how it's the same thing as the UFC Ireland t-shirt or Hoelzer Reich and Silver Star using nazi imagery but no one makes a fuss about it because it's Asian. They also talk about other brands with lazy Asian appropriating designs.

Overall sounds very SJW-ish and even throws Chris Leben under the bus. But I thought it was an interesting read.

Flame on, Sherbros.

 

[ngarauru]

What's SJW?
I saw a greek shop brand appropriate the tino rangatiratanga (maori sovereignty) flag on their rash guards
This crap is just a mish mash of what the creator thinks is Maori, not only are they appropriating they're also misrepresenting the culture
http://www.mmateam.gr/en/rashguards/anthrax-red-hunger-rashguard-l-s-1730-detail#.Vrq80r_2t7E

Anything that says its Maori and aint is as offensive as that ginger bitch who said she was black

 

[cheesesteak]

I gotta admit the Asian inspired designs are usually the tackiest though.

 

[Ryukyu Damashi]

I always cringe when the BJJ dorks say Oss. It was a term used by the Japanese Imperial Army and is highly offensive to many people. It is the Japanese equivalent of sieg heil.

 

[ironwolf]

I always cringe when I see people actively looking for something to complain about.

 

[ngarauru]

how dem yellows treating you

 

[ironwolf]

how dem yellows treating you

Not sure why so many mama big deal about it. OH NO!!!! IM YELLOW!!!! I CANT EDIT POSTS!!!!! WHATEVER SHALL I DO!!!! THE HORROR....THE HOOORRRRORRRRR.....

 

[ngarauru]

lololol so that's all you get.....classic movie....classic quote

 

[Regular Joe]

I always cringe when the BJJ dorks say Oss. It was a term used by the Japanese Imperial Army and is highly offensive to many people. It is the Japanese equivalent of sieg heil.

Sorry for the necro but are you serious? I did a bit of Kyokushin and everyone was constantly saying osu. All of my jjj and judo instructors have said it, too.

 

[Regular Joe]

Saw this blog post making the rounds yesterday on Facebook.

The 3 Asian guys throw shots at brands that use "Oriental" designs like Rising Sun nazi symbols, saying how it's the same thing as the UFC Ireland t-shirt or Hoelzer Reich and Silver Star using nazi imagery but no one makes a fuss about it because it's Asian. They also talk about other brands with lazy Asian appropriating designs.

Overall sounds very SJW-ish and even throws Chris Leben under the bus. But I thought it was an interesting read.

Flame on, Sherbros.

Appropriating is one thing that can be discussed but regarding the Nazi references, the Korean Zombie went off on GSP and Hayabusa a fear years ago because of a rising sun gi they put out and got GSP to model.

"Dear Mr. Georges St. Pierre,

Hi, My name is Chan Sung Jung from South Korea. As one of many Koreans who like you as an incredible athlete, I feel like I should tell you that many Korean fans, including myself, were shocked to see you in your gi designed after the Japanese 'Rising Sun Flag'. For Asians, this flag is a symbol of war crimes, much like the German Hakenkreuzflagge. Did you know that? I hope not.

Just like Nazis, the Japanese also committed atrocities under the name of 'Militarism'. You can easily learn what they've done by googling (please do), although it's only the tiny tip of an enormous iceberg.

Furthermore, the Japanese Government never gave a sincere apology, and still to this day, so many victims are dying in pain, heartbroken, without being compensated. But many westerners like to wear clothes designed after the symbol under which so many war crimes and so much tragedy happened, which is ridiculous.

I know most of them are not militarists. I know most of them do not approve unjustified invasion, torture, massacre, etc. They're just ignorant. It's such a shame that many westerners are not aware of this tragic fact. Wearing Rising Sun outfits is as bad as wearing clothes with the Nazi mark on it, if not worse.

Since you're influenced by Japanese Martial Arts, your wearing a headband designed after Japanese flag is understandable. But again, that huge 'Rising Sun' on your Gi means something else.

Many people say GSP is the best Welterweight fighter throughout history, to which I totally agree. This means you have a great influence on every single fan of yours all around the world. And I do believe your wearing 'the symbol of War Crime' is a very bad example for them, not to mention for yourself.

So, what do you reckon? Do you want to wear the same Gi next time as well?"

Hayabusa wound up apologizing and taking the gi off the market. GSP also publicly apologized.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-c...es-st-pierre-stop-wearing-164004367--mma.html

Whether or not you want to do some cultural appropriation, you should at least look into the meaning of what it is that you're appropriating.

 

[Nuclearlandmine]

I personally found Korean Zombie's response is stupid. The rising sun flag isn't exactly a fascist flag. The American equivalent would be the Confederate Flag. Like the Confederate Flag, the Rising Sun Flag get hung up a lot as a symbol for those "racist, imperialistic Japaneses" in the same way Conferederate Flag is used as a symbol for those "racist, xenophobic Southerners". But then again Korean for the most part still hates Japan quite a lot. And the article is quite shit, too. All that posturing and at the end of the article it is nothing, nothing more than a marketing piece of the brand and it is their appeal to emotion based on some vague superior notion on why their brand is better than other brands. I guess if you are Asians then you got a free pass on this?

And before anything, I'm a Vietnamese and for a part of our country's history we got annexed and shit on by the French, the Japan, the Chinese and the American but we harbored next to none animosity with any of them (maybe except the Chinese), so that probably explains why I think this whole Cultural Appropriation is silly and KZ's response it also silly. Fuck, my country would love it if someone use our motifs and designs for their works. It shows that our culture is influential.

 

[makedansure]

I don't think you understand what you're talking about. Just because you don't find it offensive doesn't mean it's not offensive. Also, Japan during WW2 is not considered to be fascist.

I don't find the rising sun flag offensive at all. I have some Korean friends whose grandparents find it particularly offensive, however. I would definitely say that the Korean Zombie's letter/effort is not stupid. Even the fact that he correctly labels the flag as being associated with "militarism" and not "fascism" makes me think he's a little more educated than you on the subject matter.

And before anything, I love Vietnamese food. Pho pho the win.

 

[Pem123]

i really don't see anything wrong with culture appropriation, or why anyone should make it a big deal.

 

[Nuclearlandmine]

I don't think you understand what you're talking about. Just because you don't find it offensive doesn't mean it's not offensive. Also, Japan during WW2 is not considered to be fascist.

I don't find the rising sun flag offensive at all. I have some Korean friends whose grandparents find it particularly offensive, however. I would definitely say that the Korean Zombie's letter/effort is not stupid. Even the fact that he correctly labels the flag as being associated with "militarism" and not "fascism" makes me think he's a little more educated than you on the subject matter.

And before anything, I love Vietnamese food. Pho pho the win.

View attachment 83345

Offense is taken, not given. It is very relative to one another. So if I found it non-offensive compare to other, then you can't just say "well, you are wrong". It is personal opinion. People might have a reason to be offense by X but at the end, it is their own personal reason. And I'm merely just expressing the idea that this is stupid. And also, nitpicking militarism and fascism and the like are rather....nitpicky considering the nationalist streak of WW2 Japan.

Ah well. The article is trash anyway.

 

[akatsukix]

So I assume you are going to go with the Nazi swastika MMA gear? See how that goes...