Cultural appropriation is not okay

Hi Cindy,

I'm really glad you brought this up, because I think it's important to talk about, considering all the buzz it has generated in the media. One thing I want to talk about is the sharing of cultures, and how that isn't only inevitable, but (in my opinion) beneficial to a nation as a whole. The U.S. is a great example for this because it's known as the "melting pot" of the world, because so many cultures live together, and their values become shared. Up until recently, this was something most people were proud of, however it's becoming more controversial. However, the fact is that, having humans been around so long, every culture is the result of other cultures being mixed. And the incredible things that have come from cultural mixing wouldn't exist if we didn't share things (if musical styles from white and black communities hadn't mingled, rock 'n roll would've never existed). I also do think that there is a double-standard when it comes to these kinds of issues. If a person of African ancestry is allowed to wear their hair in traditionally European styles, why can't a white person get dreadlocks? Does cultural appropriation apply to St. Patrick's Day, when everyone stereotypes the Irish (and how many of those people wearing "kiss me, I'm Irish" shirts are really Irish?). I have parents with two drastically different cultures, one being Irish, and this doesn't offend me at all. However, it does make me beg the question: why is cultural appropriation only matter when it is a white person sharing the culture of a person of African, Asian, Native American, or Hispanic descent?

Hi Cassidy,

You bring up a fantastic point that there is only public outcry when a white person is sharing the culture of others. I do agree with Cindy though that there is a very fine line between cultural appropriation and appreciation. There has been a lot of coverage in the media regarding appropriation of Native American culture. There has been controversy over white people getting traditionally Native American tattoos or wearing traditional clothing. When exactly does somebody cross the line from enjoying and appreciating other people's beautiful culture and simply beginning to insult it, for example, wearing Native American head dresses and face paint for sporting events or "Indian themed frat/sorority parties."

Chase, you bring up a great point, as the Native American issue is really relevant in my town right now. We're trying to decide whether or not to keep the "Indians" as our mascot, because in the past our logo has presented a male and female Native American. We changed it last year to our school letter with feathers coming off the sides, but there is still unrest. The contention, as I understand and believe, is that no matter who the group of people are, no one should be used as a symbol or mascot of another group of people. A lot of people claim that they're trying to honor Native Americans by having them as our mascot, but it's not honoring when you're only depicting them with a theme of violence. However, this brings up the case that Cassidy mentioned, with where you draw the line. Are the Celtics wrong for using an Irishman as their mascot as much as the Redskins? Does cultural appropriation only apply to minority groups, and is that even a fair way to look at the issue?

Hi Cindy! Thank you for bringing this up. This is an incredibly important issue nowadays; what's more is that it's only been brought to my attention recently. In my first grade class, our teacher used to have us make Native American headdresses out of construction paper and pretend that we were Native Americans battling against the Pilgrims. My six-year-old self wasn't aware of it at the time, but what we were doing was perpetuating the idea that it's okay to take someone else's culture without understanding the historical relevancy and oppression behind it. None of my classmates were Native American; it wasn't our place to represent their culture. Furthermore, us pretending we were a minority group battling against a majority was an extremely problematic simulation, even at that age. I think it only goes to show how deeply embedded into our culture this marginalization of minorities is. For me, I've always found it difficult to draw the line between cultural appropriation and appreciation, but I think that one can only fully understand the implications of another culture by first educating themselves on it--really, education is key to looking at the issue.

Hi Valerie! I definitely would want to start a conversation about this topic with you, because it sounds like we come from different sides. I'd like to point out that the term "cultural appropriation" does not actually apply to the situation you are describing, as well as most other situations people usually accuse it of. "Appropriation" denotes to take exclusive possession of something (in this case, culture or a cultural practice), usually without right or consent. However, this doesn't apply in these cases because, even if you were wearing an emblem of Native American culture, the so-called "owners" of that culture are still free to wear the same thing that you were and participate in their culture to the fullest extent. They haven't had anything stolen from them; nothing was appropriated. Now, I'm not sure on the specifics of what went on in your class, but from the brief description you gave, I don't see anything wrong. You were portraying roles in history (my classes did this a lot too, even in my AP U.S. History class - it actually helped a ton!) and, given that you were taking on the role of Native Americans, it sounds like your teacher was trying to show their perspective and help you to understand the history behind it. Arguments like yours, on the other hand, discourage assimilation and the overall idea of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is one of the things that I think is essential to the American identity; this means that, although we all come from different parts of the world and have different backgrounds, we can all come together under the identity of being an American. However, quite a lot of people nowadays have regressed to discouraging multiculturalism, and instead focusing on the things that make us different, rather than what brings us together. Don't get me wrong - it is great to be proud of where you come from and make that a part of your identity. But the extremism to which this is being taken today brings it to, honestly, segregation. I have a very unique culture with my family coming from a small group of islands near Africa/Europe, and I'd be more than happy to see others embracing it! That's what America is all about - different cultures coming together and embracing one another. Let me know what you think of my response - I'd love to talk more about it.