To all the Snookis of the world...

This started out as response to this post, but it kind of focused too narrowly on the Halloween costume issue instead of the broader topic of cultural appropriation so I'm choosing to post it here rather than clog up Kenaz's blog.


When my friend and I saw these adverts, we made a joke about dressing up as the cast of Jersey Shore since we're both Italian.  And then she reminded me she had dressed up as a Native American one year, which is also part of her heritage. 

That got me thinking... Would anyone, other than Italian-American organizations, bat an eye at people dressed up as the Jersey Shore cast?  Is it OK because we're mimicking celebrities rather than directly mimicking the culture?  Is it OK because it's our culture?  Is it OK because most people think of Italians as "white"?  Or should we be offended because they're a horrible stereotype?  Most of the cast isn't even Italian...

Would certain costumes get a pass if they were historically accurate rather than derogatory stereotypes?  What if my friend went as a historically accurate Pocahontas? Would that be acceptable since she's going as a historical figure?  Is that any worse than me going as Sylvia Plath, whom I share no heritage with?  Where do we draw the line?  What about a Roman soldier costume or a typical English princess or even a Viking?

I didn't personally see it, but my friend swore one of the adverts was about Geishas, which to me is no different than going as a ninja, knight, or cowboy.  It's a profession with historical significance; not a representation of everyone in that culture.

I'm not sure where I stand on all of this yet.  I'm still forming my opinions.  But I will at least say that those adverts got me thinking.

Pluto

Back in my day, Pluto was a planet.

Amateur astrologers and neo pagans seem to think that this is some major blow to astrology. After all, what about all those poor people whose charts are really affected by Pluto? The consequences will never be the same!

First of all - chill. Let’s not conflate astrology and astronomy.

Pluto is no longer a planet in astronomy. That doesn’t mean that astrology needs to follow suit and diminish Pluto’s importance. Look at how important the moon is to one’s chart, and it’s certainly not a planet. It’s not like Pluto changed size or got destroyed. It’s still the same lump of space rock it’s always been. And if astrologers want to still consider it a planet, why not? This is an issue of taxonomy, not physical change. 50 years from now scientists might reinstate its planethood because they’re using some other method of classification.

The only issue I foresee is that Pluto’s demotion would mean a change of perception in the collective unconscious. But would this affect astrology? Well, only if astrology is based on people’s perceptions and preconceived notions of heavenly bodies’ attributes rather than something more mathematical and independent.