A French braid which is not even French , (funny how you didnt' know that) and many white people are NOT FRENCH, does NOT protect the head and hair the way cornrows do, so it wouldn't be useful in that case. In fact it would give more handle to hold. It's also not common at all for men to wear that form.
I also think it's presumptive to assume that many different styles of braiding weren't commmon to white people who were in seafaring cultures, because they had a daily reason to restrain their hair. DAILY. So telling people which form of braiding that is simple and comes naturally on the head may be culturally insensivitive on your own part.
I'm also not calling anyone a jerk, but YOU are. Who's being insensitive?
No one should turn someone else's cultural or religious look into a halloween costume. If you see something strange, rather than calling people names in your head and assuming the worst, it might be better to ask that person what's in their heart.
Some people, it seems have full on psychiatric level identity problems. But you want to abuse them rather than show love and kindness because you’re afraid of them getting a few dollars, I guess. I’m still not impressed with you mentally or emotionally. Have compassion for people who hate themselves so much, they can’t be who they are.
Those Jamaicans are the only family my friend has ever known. It doesn't make HIM insensitive to wear his own family's styles, it makes YOU insensitive to not leave room for HIM. You run around demanding inclusion but here you are EXCLUDING people who deserve a place at the table. And for their skin at that. You don’t know the difference between cultural appreciation versus appropriation and it shows. And from here, you are acting in the same way as the very people you call bigots.
In Jamaica, his family is known in the town that he was born in for their kindness even though they are barely middle class. When he' s there, people who have never met him know who he is. The people there are so loving, they love to spread their culture and are delighted to see signs of it in other countries. He is NEVER treated badly there and no one there objects to his hair. The problem is in the US with rhetoric that doesn’t allow people to share and separates people. NEEDLESSLY.
As a Jew and 1% of the US population, I love it when people learn about us as opposed to just making assumptions. It means even if we’re all gone someday, we’ll continue. I’m happy that some of my culture’s ideas can make people happier and stronger. I like that. I invite people to learn and to show that they're curious.
