The “wild west” is a mostly invented culture anyway. It’s like high fantasy middle Europe, tiki bars, pirates of the carribian, ninjas… Can you really claim appropriation when the underlying culture is essentially a fiction?
In real terms, what we think of as “the wild west” was made up by mostly-Italian movie directors.
Not to even mention the screenshot is an English-language film that is unambiguously parody.
Italien directors made a new wild west “culture” based partly on Japanese made Samurai movies which were partly based on the old wild west “culture” that was created by Hollywood.
I don’t think anyone was arguing it’s cultural appropriation (or it’s negative). As an American I’m just glad that our nation’s history and culture has matured to the point people across the globe want to enjoy it with us.
Last year, I learned that there’s a special spot in German culture for the American West in general, and Custer’s last stand in particular. Apparently it stems from a 19th century German author named Karl May, who wrote several hugely popular fiction books set in the American West. Despite the fact that he’d never visited America, Karl based his personality off Buffalo Bill and went around dressed with a beartooth necklace.
Anyway, this German friend is incredibly knowledgeable about Custer’s life. He told me about his family’s vacation to the site of Little Bighorn, and described in great detail the unit formations and troop movements that led up to the engagement.
The “wild west” is a mostly invented culture anyway. It’s like high fantasy middle Europe, tiki bars, pirates of the carribian, ninjas… Can you really claim appropriation when the underlying culture is essentially a fiction?
In real terms, what we think of as “the wild west” was made up by mostly-Italian movie directors.
Not to even mention the screenshot is an English-language film that is unambiguously parody.
Italien directors made a new wild west “culture” based partly on Japanese made Samurai movies which were partly based on the old wild west “culture” that was created by Hollywood.
Spaghetti Westerns
This is a reference to
and 
Wait, which movie is it?
Looks like Tsukiyaki Western Django to me.
I don’t think anyone was arguing it’s cultural appropriation (or it’s negative). As an American I’m just glad that our nation’s history and culture has matured to the point people across the globe want to enjoy it with us.
Samurai received a similar white washing and romanticization as cowboys did.
Last year, I learned that there’s a special spot in German culture for the American West in general, and Custer’s last stand in particular. Apparently it stems from a 19th century German author named Karl May, who wrote several hugely popular fiction books set in the American West. Despite the fact that he’d never visited America, Karl based his personality off Buffalo Bill and went around dressed with a beartooth necklace.
Anyway, this German friend is incredibly knowledgeable about Custer’s life. He told me about his family’s vacation to the site of Little Bighorn, and described in great detail the unit formations and troop movements that led up to the engagement.
All cultures are invented.