Fuller House's cultural appropriation

Whatever happened to predictability?

Netflix released its first full season of Fuller House Friday, Feb. 26. But, it wasn’t the same family-friendly, sentimental sitcom many people grew up with.

I really gave the show a chance. While the first episode was a tear-jerking reunion for any fan, Fuller House should have just stopped there. Every episode after that seemed to be filled with forced catchphrases, awkward dance scenes, and many not-so-family-friendly kissing scenes.

But nothing could compare to the blatant cultural appropriation this Netflix original series decided to dedicate an entire episode to.

In episode 11, D.J.’s boss, Dr. Harmon, retires from the veterinarian business to travel to India and join an ashram. Dr. Harmon then asks party-planner, Kimmy Gibbler, to throw him an “Indian-themed” going away party.

The fact that Kimmy reduced thousands of years of rich culture and background into one theme is not the only problem.

In the article, “‘Fuller House’ Appropriates Indian Culture For Party Episode & It Goes Too Far,” written by Karen Fratti, explains how Dr. Harmon’s willingness to “give up all earthly possessions” after one visit in India only re-enforces the stereotype that all Indians are laying on the ground, doing yoga all day.

She goes on to explain that India is the ninth largest consumer in the world; they consume lots of “earthly possessions.” But, nevertheless, Harmon’s decision to essentially become Buddhist is respected by me.

What wasn’t respectful, however, was bringing in a cow.

“Cows are sacred to Hindus as a symbol of wealth and abundance,” the article states. For Gibbler Party Planning to bring in a cow to a new-found Buddhist’s party is totally contradictory.

In India’s 2011 Census of religion in rural and urban India, only 83% of the population are said to be Hindu.

“White people, especially those in Hollywood, want so badly to wear our culture as a costume because it's pretty, but they never want to carry all that it means to be a South Asian in the western context -- in which we are constantly reminded we don't belong,” wrote Miranda Deebrah in a recent article, “The Blatant Cultural Appropriation in ‘Fuller House’ Is Not Cool.”

The portrayal of turbans being an accessory is a huge example of what Deebrah was trying to say. Sikhs are continuously ridiculed and mistaken as Muslim for wearing the turban.

Recently, Canadian YouTuber Jasmeet Singh, known as JusReign, had an unfortunate encounter with the TSA when they pulled him aside for a screening, checked his turban, and refused to provide a mirror to retie it. He was forced to walk out in public with his hair down, and search for the nearest restroom.

The turban is a religious garment and these types of situations are relevant for so many people around the world. Singh went on to explain via a Twitter rant that he knows many Sikhs who do not wear the turban at the airport because of these types of situations.

So was it right for actor John Brotherton to make the joke, “Swami Tommy with his hot mommy — where did you get that hat, Turban Outfitters?”

What makes matters worse is that while they were all decked out in traditional, sparkly, colorful, Indian clothing, there seemed to be no visible sign of any Indian person at the party. What are these middle class, white people truly learning about India?

From my perspective, they’re learning that it's okay to use a culture to seem trendy in one episode without having to actually include any person of color in the episode.

By 2010, the Bay area had over 120,000 Indian residents. Could the Tanners not have seeked advice from an Indian neighbor?

Fuller House is a great blast from the past, but it can’t stay there. While it was great that they tried to diversify their show, they still have a lot of research and work to do.

Until then, Fuller House, you need to cut it out with the cultural appropriation.

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