The strange thing for me is that it lumps all (white) imperialists together. There's a clear division between people who think others should abandon their cultural heritage (ie. American melting pot mentality) vs. those who appreciate diverse cultural heritage (ie. Canadian mosaic mentality).

What if you're the type of person who would encourage US Desi girls to stick to their roots to whatever capacity they wish? What if you actively call out racists who make fucked up comments both in relation to this issue and in general? Is there any point at which you can take aesthetic inspiration from other cultures without being considered an imperialist and a colonizer? Is engaging in cultural exchange inevitably racist when it involves a white person?

Why is longing for a two-way cultural exchange racist, when it's the one-way cultural exchange that's desired by racists?

Why is longing for diverse expressions of culture racist, when it's the expression of only white culture that's desired by racists?

I've read about colonialism and privilege, but nothing I've read has sufficiently answered all of my questions and that makes me feel like an asshole, sorry for having tons to learn still.

It's still really hard for me to get behind a cultural critique that seems to label all white people as imperialist by virtue of skin colour (what about Nordic countries resisting Russian imperialism?) while white-washing imperialism/colonialism (what about Japan/the majority of history?).