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I don't think it's appropriation if they're ethnically nordic, is it? Whether they have a rainbow or a swastika.

AlecSchueler 2y ago
Why base it on ethnicity? I'm not sure the original peoples would have focused on that rather than, say, culture, for the in/out grouping. It's my understanding that the ethnic focus came much later with the rise of nationalism and even later with genetics. Consider that these seafarers would have habitually mated with people from Britain, Ireland and even the Maghreb as we see here. Do you think they would have considered the offspring of such pairings as less Viking? For my that culture is essentially gone and it's basically appropriation no matter your DNA.
- Unbefleckt 2y ago
  I've only ever seen people cry cultural appropriation in the context of someone not being the "correct" ethnicity.
  - AlecSchueler 2y ago
    Are you sure ethnicity was always mentioned as the factor that determine the in/out group? It could be projection, an assumption from your own cultural milieu.
    - Unbefleckt 2y ago
      For cultural appropriation, sure. A person born in the USA to a racially Vietnamese family isn't going to get shit for wearing Vietnamese traditional garb despite being raised in America. An American that doesn't pass as Vietnamese sure would.
      - AlecSchueler 2y ago
        That ethnicity can sometimes be a factor doesn't mean A) it's always a factor or always the primary factor or B) that we can assume it's how Vikings a 1000 years ago would have thought about it. Consider also the cases of Americans who, despite being able to show "Irish ethnicity," are laughed at in Ireland for calling themselves Irish. Or people from around the world who take Islam as their religion and are accepted into Mecca despite their disparate ethnic backgrounds. I'd also point to multi-ethnic nations such as the British nation where Cornish, Scottish, Welsh and Saxon are all seen as equally part of the nation. As I said in my other comment there are a variety of things like religion, cultural practice, common leadership/political belief, geography etc which can and do play roles in creating in/out groups. I'm not saying ethnicity never plays a role in these things, only that there's little reason to assume that genetics would have been the main playing point in the mind of Vikings.
    - AlecSchueler 2y ago
      Just to add to this, people can define their in group by things like religion, cultural practice, geography, common leadership etc.
Bluestein 2y ago
(I can totally see an AI running amok post-Singularity being "stopped" by being "fed" an incongruous rainbow-swastica and having it collapse :)
INTPenis 2y ago
Well this just shows what an issue right wing extremists are in Europe. The rest of us are very mad about them using runes in their marches. Because they're all about hate and exclusion.
- hellojesus 2y ago
  I think it's best to just ignore them and use the runes as you see fit. The wider the adoption of runes, the less associated they will be with extremists.

Why base it on ethnicity? I'm not sure the original peoples would have focused on that rather than, say, culture, for the in/out grouping. It's my understanding that the ethnic focus came much later with the rise of nationalism and even later with genetics. Consider that these seafarers would have habitually mated with people from Britain, Ireland and even the Maghreb as we see here. Do you think they would have considered the offspring of such pairings as less Viking? For my that culture is essentially gone and it's basically appropriation no matter your DNA.

Unbefleckt 2y ago
I've only ever seen people cry cultural appropriation in the context of someone not being the "correct" ethnicity.
- AlecSchueler 2y ago
  Are you sure ethnicity was always mentioned as the factor that determine the in/out group? It could be projection, an assumption from your own cultural milieu.
  - Unbefleckt 2y ago
    For cultural appropriation, sure. A person born in the USA to a racially Vietnamese family isn't going to get shit for wearing Vietnamese traditional garb despite being raised in America. An American that doesn't pass as Vietnamese sure would.
    - AlecSchueler 2y ago
      That ethnicity can sometimes be a factor doesn't mean A) it's always a factor or always the primary factor or B) that we can assume it's how Vikings a 1000 years ago would have thought about it. Consider also the cases of Americans who, despite being able to show "Irish ethnicity," are laughed at in Ireland for calling themselves Irish. Or people from around the world who take Islam as their religion and are accepted into Mecca despite their disparate ethnic backgrounds. I'd also point to multi-ethnic nations such as the British nation where Cornish, Scottish, Welsh and Saxon are all seen as equally part of the nation. As I said in my other comment there are a variety of things like religion, cultural practice, common leadership/political belief, geography etc which can and do play roles in creating in/out groups. I'm not saying ethnicity never plays a role in these things, only that there's little reason to assume that genetics would have been the main playing point in the mind of Vikings.
  - AlecSchueler 2y ago
    Just to add to this, people can define their in group by things like religion, cultural practice, geography, common leadership etc.

Bluestein 2y ago

(I can totally see an AI running amok post-Singularity being "stopped" by being "fed" an incongruous rainbow-swastica and having it collapse :)

INTPenis 2y ago

Well this just shows what an issue right wing extremists are in Europe. The rest of us are very mad about them using runes in their marches. Because they're all about hate and exclusion.

hellojesus 2y ago
I think it's best to just ignore them and use the runes as you see fit. The wider the adoption of runes, the less associated they will be with extremists.