The Lesser Evil:

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Ep33.🀄️🀄️誰主宰了麻雀的話語權?

喂喂大家好嗎,呢幾日好凍呀+ 寫稿好凍呀!係呢到祝大家新嘅一年,健康如意,希望今年可以喺夜晚陪到大家。記得好好照顧身體,先可以有力氣照顧身邊嘅人,做到心目中想做嘅事。唔知大家識唔識打麻雀嘅呢?我就係所有聯誼遊戲嘅白痴,啤牌、麻雀全部都唔識,但係最近睇到一副麻雀,個設計都非常特別喎,就引起好多人嘅注意!

如果有喺instagram上面follow我嘅話呢,應該都已經有睇過相關嘅相同埋實物嘅樣嘞!如果冇睇到嘅話,可以click去podcast description入面我嘅文章入面!我當時就repost咗Diet Prada,內容係有三個外國女人重新設計咗麻雀嘅牌面,個標題係「Three white women are colonizing Mahjong with $325 luxury sets」。Diet Prada,如果大家唔熟悉呢,有時裝界嘅人會形容佢係「industry watchdog」,佢喺2014年成立,當時無人知個account背後係邊個!而我開始留意佢嘅時候佢專係call out一啲品牌設計嘅抄襲,左右對比嘅format。佢哋開始嘅宗旨係「to re-stigmatize stealing for an audience benumbed by streetwear “remixes” and fast-fashion knockoffs」【1】,用輕鬆嘅方法(instagram)控訴啲快時尚牌子毫無道德抄襲一啲名牌嘅設計,因為呢啲係設計師嘅生計。之後都會feature一啲品牌嘅互相抄襲。 去到近年開始涉足cultural appropriation、種族歧視、時裝界醜聞嘅範疇。例如當時Dolce & Gabbana 2018年一段宣傳係上海嘅fashion show嘅片,入面用上一個華人嘗試用筷子食意大利菜,Diet Prada當時就形容係racist,然後搞咗一輪Stefano Gabbana DM個account鬧佢,Diet Prada就repost對話,瘋傳幾個鐘頭後個fashion show就取消咗。尤其是Black Lives Matter同美國大選之後,就對白人至上主義等等議題更加著緊。講返個麻雀先:我就喺instagram問大家覺得呢個新設計點呢?係呢度我極度建議大家去睇睇個設計先再繼續聽今晚嘅故事⋯⋯

76%人(141人)都話個設計無咩問題,只有24%(44人)嘅人話覺得佢哋冒犯咗中國文化。而喺外地,清一色都係鬧,話係cultural appropriation,上晒新聞,創辦人仲出聲明道歉【2】。究竟咩係cultural appropriation呢?Appropriation嘅意思係taking something from somebody without their permission 講咁多即係不問自取啦。根據BBC,Cultural appropriation is when a tradition, such as clothing or a hairstyle, is taken from a culture and used in a different way. It can offend people when people do this without making it clear where the traditions come from, or when they don't acknowledge how important they are to certain cultures. This can make some people feel as if their culture is not being respected. 喺香港我哋好少聽到呢個字嘅,所以容許我繼續用英文,因為冇翻譯。我要指出嘅係,其實外國人都唔一定對呢個字有一樣嘅理解,例如我問過係英國長大嘅同事,佢哋嘅認知係例如你搵一個白人去扮演一個日本角色,因為你覺得白人收視會好啲,咁先叫cultural appropriation。其實cultural appropriation係好值得我哋留意,尤其係而家種族、文化嘅關係微妙,大家都如履薄冰。喺現今globalised全球化嘅社會,經常有文化交流,再加上最近好多香港人講移民⋯⋯如果淨係一個文化嘅人先可以consume自己嘅文化,咁我哋唔可以聽hip hop、食pizza、唔可以煮法國菜、唔可以講英文?咁用韓式化妝作招徠嘅香港公司,全部都唔啱喎!究竟幾時先係cultural appropriation,幾時先係cultural appreciation?

喺兩年之前,我去咗印度公幹。啱啱遇到當地公司嘅新年派對,大家都著傳統服飾盛裝出席,我諗咗好耐究竟買唔買一套saree呢?我戰戰兢兢咁去咗買一套,好驚大家會唔鍾意,又驚如果自己唔跟dress code,會唔會俾人話我唔尊重場合。真係好驚呀,究竟條線點界架!!啱啱講到呢,同一副麻雀,同一個設計,喺香港嘅華人覺得無所謂,幾好呀、可以將麻雀傳揚開去更多嘅人、幾得意呀,係難啲摸牌姐哈哈!Sorry但係我嘅文化係唔會被你劃花幾隻麻雀而受傷,你咪玩下囉it's okay who cares~~~有邊個唔知麻雀係中國傳統遊戲?但係亦都有人話冒犯咗中國文化,連東南西北都唔見咗,整到鬼五馬六,好似將耶穌同佛祖撈亂咁!仲話要「refresh」個design?而家個design有咩問題?甚至搵咗一啲英文網站介紹麻雀工匠,話如果你真係想尊重麻雀,應該支持我哋嘅根--喺香港嘅工匠嘅手造麻雀!我睇到嘅時候覺得第一好慚愧因為我係香港人我都唔知我哋有咁好嘅工匠!第二我覺得好奇怪平時呢位版主都無關心過香港,點解而家呢個時候會咁激昂⋯⋯ Anyway,另外一個例子係之前有一個白人女仔着咗一條旗袍去prom,當地華人好大反應係咁鬧,但反而你問吓身邊嘅人,好多都唔覺得有咩問題,仲好開心添,覺得咁即係個女仔欣賞我哋嘅傳統服飾【5】,好似你去日本、韓國都著人哋啲衫啦!講到尊重,著去prom喎一生人一次點都尊重過去人哋國家到此一遊影相啦,有咩問題先?呢個其實係一個好好嘅機會比我哋去釐清點解同一樣嘢,大家會有咁兩極嘅反應:

坊間已經有好多文章例如呢一篇The Atlantic嘅文章都已經講好多do's and don'ts【3】。但呢啲都係流於表面,因為cultural appropriation定appreciation,好在乎邊個整,而接受嘅一方又係邊個。

同一副麻雀:

  • 如果佢哋喺香港賣,我相信迴響應該非常唔同。

  • 同埋個intention都好重要,對個文化有冇尊重,唔係白紙黑字寫出來,所以會有好多爭議。

  • 又或者如果佢嘅designer係華人呢?又或者如果designer係越南人/非洲人呢?當地華人仲會唔會咁大反應?Diet Prada用嘅字係colonialism,意思係話呢三個白人想延續殖民思想,將華人文化用作生財工具。但如果係越南人、非洲人、中東籍嘅人,就應該唔可以用colonialism呢隻字嘞。好視乎產品嘅市場邊個係大多數,邊個係少數。

  • 或者更難掌握嘅係,就算係社群入面係少數,都唔代表可以話其他人culturally appropriate喎!香港廚師煮法國菜煮到烏厘單刀,好少聽到法國人跳出來話香港人culturally appropriate我哋!你哋全部都種族歧視!

所以當我哋遇到一啲被稱爲cultural appropriate嘅例子,應該視之為一個symptom、病徵。好簡單,如果呢個社會個個平等、人人開心,你話邊個appropriate邊個嘅文化有咩所謂?有人覺得冒犯就係因為呢件事引申出背後嘅社群面對著一啲欺壓。而一啲欺壓唔係單單從多數少數可以釐清,反而同當地嘅歷史背景、communities、power dynamics等等相關,呢啲都需要好多嘅research。總括嚟講,我哋同當地華人嘅反應唔同,有幾個factors:

1)被借用嘅文化喺當地算唔算係少數,就算係多數,佢哋係咪被欺壓嘅一群。

2)被借用文化嘅人對於自己文化嘅信心同距離。喺香港,我哋身處一個我哋都係多數嘅社會,本質上就難遇到一啲所謂cultural appropriate嘅嘢。我哋同文化距離近,因為我哋係多數,所以信心大。但係喺海外嘅華人,正如The Guardian文章所講:「When you’re a second- or third-generation migrant, your ties to your heritage can feel a little precarious. 第二、三代移民,夾喺美國文化同自己文化中間,兩邊遊走,You’re a foreigner here, you’re a tourist back in your ancestral land, and home is the magpie nest you construct of the bits of culture you’re able to hold close. 你能夠捉得住嘅「根」係東拼西湊嘅文化碎片。The appropriation debate peddles a comforting lie that there’s such thing as a stable and authentic connection to culture that can remain intact after the seismic interruptions of colonialism and migration」【4】。 同文化冇穩定、真實嘅連結,日常經常已經要面對歧視,所以見到自己嘅文化、「根」被輕視、用作生財工具,會比較protective。如果聽眾之間有人考慮要移民,呢個亦都係要面對嘅問題--你要知道,當你遇到呢一啲事嘅時候,喺香港嘅人永遠都唔會明白你每一日嘅辛酸同委屈,而好instinctive嘅係,好多喺你嘅根出世嘅人,都唔會有cultural appropriation嘅感覺⋯⋯呢個唔係邊個啱邊個錯,而係自然而然嘅事。

我覺得cultural appropriation係好regional-specific嘅,唔好俾「cultural」呢隻字誤導咗,覺得所有相同文化嘅人都會有同樣嘅感覺,it's not that binary。文化本身就唔係一樣可以一刀切嘅entity。例如有一次有外國人assume我會覺得一個白人着旗袍去prom係cultural appropriation,嗰時我覺得⋯⋯你覺得我嘅文化係咁fragile先係真正嘅侮辱!所以當我哋判定一件事係咪cultural appropriation嘅時候,除咗係對方做咗啲乜,亦都係一個機會俾我哋釐清自己嘅角色、文化定位,令到我哋能夠更清楚地articulate表達我哋係代表緊邊一個文化、邊一個community,點解嬲點解唔嬲。所以我話cultural appropriation係一個唔簡單嘅題目,牽涉嘅係歷史、政治、人事同社會,而個重點係uncover hidden tension in a community,重要嘅唔係邊個啱邊個錯,要全世界都認為個麻雀係cultural appropriation係冇意思嘅。而係我哋點樣articulate、表達、發掘到更深層嘅社會議題。呢個過程先係最緊要。

【1】https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/03/trend-spotting-at-zara-with-diet-prada

【2】https://www.today.com/tmrw/mahjong-line-apologizes-after-cultural-appropriation-complaints-t205121

【3】https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/the-dos-and-donts-of-cultural-appropriation/411292/

【4】https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/29/cultural-appropriation-racial-oppression-exploitation-colonialism

【5】https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/world/asia/chinese-prom-dress.html