This is what happens most of the time when people scream cultural appropriation. The problem is that people without understanding of the terms use the terms every day. This leads to scenarios like the one above, or where someone is getting offended you're enjoying a cultural food, or listening to a specific kind of music. Appreciating other cultures isn't appropriation.
Exactly, appropriating means to take and pretend you invented it or created it. Interacting with culture or enjoying other people's culture isn't harmful and if these people actually went to other countries they'd realize their people WANT to share their culture.
Some of the reason cultural appropriation is a bad thing is due to capitalism. Taking something, even symbolically, for profit, is different than learning, experiencing and sharing.
I remember someone giving a huge speech on...tumblr probably it sounds like something that would come from that shithole...that white people learning Spanish was cultural appropriation.
That's why people who do understand the terms need to call the people who don't out at every opportunity, but they won't do that because of "solidarity."
Hundred. Percent. It's astounding, I am astounded at the number of messages I have received as a result of this post exactly mirroring the less desired sentiment you've described.
But it's cool, they can go f*** themselves, there's like 2 billion people wholesomely celebrating this holiday in defiance of bigotry, so it's not a real problem.
plus imagining thinking that, as a white person, you have the ability to decide who gets to celebrate what, while speaking over Asian people. like that was a bigotry 360°; you went right around to being racist again lmao