Cultural Appropriation From A White Perspective. Cultural

It is a term that has dominated the media; from Halloween costumes to NFL mascots, headlines across the nation blare the words: “cultural appropriation.” Yet, many still are not quite sure what the term means. To put it simply, cultural appropriation is the exploitation of a culture that is not one’s own.

Cultural appropriation is something that is starting to become a very big epidemic in America’s society today. Appropriation occurs when a style or high fashion is developed from racist generalizations or stereotypes of other cultures. Many see no problem with this appropriation and some might take it as paying homage to a race, but others may see it as a sign of disrespect.

Racial and cultural appropriation has become increasingly significant in society within the past 30 years. “The idea of “cultural appropriation” has recently entered mainstream

Cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of the elements of one culture by members of another culture. Cultural appropriation is portrayed as rude, called cultural misappropriation, and claims to be a violation of the history of a culture. Often unavoidable when cultures come together, cultural appropriation can include using another culture's traditions, such as fashion, symbols, language, and cultural songs without permission. Even though society consistently uses Native American and African American styles at festivals, in magazines and on celebrities, this form of cultural appropriation is not right because we are not using it for the right reasons.

In the article, “I was That Girl On Halloween –Here’s How I Learned My Lesson” by Alden Wicker, discusses how she was influenced to change her perspective when buying or creating a Halloween costume and how it has a hostile response in peoples cultures. Wicker

The article is about cultural appropriation. Awareness of cultural appropriation surface when there seems to be a misuse of a culture. Cultural appropriation describes the borrowing of a culture as inappropriate. In the United States, there have been debates about the misuses of different cultures, especially towards the African American culture. We live in a new digital world that gives us instant access to many of the cultures all around the world. When using another culture there should be familiarity and knowledge of the meanings of the particular culture.

At a birthday party there is an African American boy wearing a sombrero while hitting a piñata. Down the street, there is a Russian girl who dances with a Japanese fan that her neighbor gifted. These two children, according to the current media, are displaying cultural appropriation. In America, citizens have the rarity of experiencing what many call the “Melting Pot” of different cultures and ethnicities. To many other countries, the different cultural exposures are not of such a common privilege. Cultural appropriation is what sets us back from connecting to other cultures around the world. I understand that it may bring misunderstanding of what certain clothing items and practices really mean respect and value wise. However, demonstrating

Cultural appropriation is the adoption or theft of icons, customs, beliefs, or styles from one culture or subculture by another. McWhorter argues,“But what began as a legitimate complaint has morphed into a handy way of being offended by something that should be taken as a compliment.”(McWhorter 1)A multitude of people may believe when there is adoption of one culture it should be seen as a compliment as well because they are appreciating the culture by imitating it into their own. “It used to be that we said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But now there is new way to see the matter: Imitation is a kind of dismissal.” But if not fully understandingthe significance of what is being adopted then to the owning culture it is seen as appropriating and not appreciating. If it was indeed appreciating, time would be taken out to fully understand what and why the culture indulges in the custom or belief and so on. Just noticing a particular act of item in a culture and putting it into your own without the proper

Cultural appropriation is shown in many ways among the public. When a member of the majority takes an element of a minority culture and attempts to make it their own, they are appropriating the minority’s culture. Appropriating a culture is disrespectful and can lead to loss of valuable meaning of cultural practices. This is shown in many ways, such as the use of blackface or wearing a significant piece of Native American history as a fashion accessory. Each of these elements is an example of appropriation of a minority culture and is never acceptable and needs to be stopped.

Every fall, Americans are excited by the return of cooler weather, changing leaves, seasonal lattes, and the endless possibilities for Halloween costume choices. Whether it be for attending a party, going trick or treating, or just handing out candy, a majority of Americans choose to dress up and celebrate the holiday. Choosing a Halloween costume used to be an untroubled task, yet it has become an increasingly difficult decision in recent years. In times of an “easily offended society,” choosing an appropriate and non-upsetting costume has now become tedious and wearisome. Much of this is because Halloween costumes contribute to and promote cultural appropriation in our society. The Cambridge English dictionary defines cultural

According to Oxford Dictionary, cultural appropriation is defined as the inappropriate adoption of the customs of one people by members of a more dominant people. This can be especially dangerous due to the distortion and disconnection of a culture’s custom from its roots. However, at the same time, cultural appropriation can lead to cultural exchange which is beneficial to the overall development of the world because different cultural groups can connect to others through cultural similarities. An example of this is when former President Barack Obama, in 2016, held the first ever Diwali celebration in the White House. Although this was an attempt for America to appropriate Indian culture, at no point did I feel offended or mocked. As an American Indian, this made me garner a feeling of great pride for both my country (USA) and for my ethnic background. Therefore, cultural exchange/appreciation is the act of sharing cultural practices between different groups of people. Nonetheless, there is a fine line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. The issue of this boundary can be explored in the rap industry which is dealing with an influx of multicultural attention. Rap, historically, was an artform founded and pioneered by the African American community. Recently, there has been a surge in the participation of whites in rap. Robert Clift's 2010 documentary, Blacking Up, investigates the issues of cultural exchange and appropriation in the hip hop

We as black girls were and still are teased for our “unusual” features. Cloaks of shame are draped around our bodies and self-hate shatters our identity. It is insane, because when our white counterparts sport our anomalies it is exotic and chic. They adopt our culture and make it their own. For example, if a white man were to decide to grow dreadlocks, mind you, this is a popular hairstyle in the black community; he is able to wear them without abiding the obstacles that a black man with dreadlocks would face. The white man is not called a thug nor is he is he labeled a criminal, but the black man is. Moreover, within the past year, cornrows or french braids have become more popular in the white community. The problem is not just a matter of copying the hairstyle. Similar to fashion, beauty has a historical context and in the black community cornrows has added a layer of

Yet, Michael Arceneaux attacks white culture because he believes it is known for stealing, or cultural appropriating elements from African American culture, such as slang and traditions. A writer for the website Ebony calls white people “culture vultures” and lists all the cultural elements white people have stolen when he says, “In the last year white people have discovered and therefore invented … cornrows; baby hair; Bantu knots; trap music; big booties. …clueless White people who continue to “create” trends that have already existed and lay claim to other people’s cultures with no receipt in sight” (Arceneaux). He argues that whites cultural appropriate, intentionally or unintentionally, all the time and act dumbfounded when someone exposes

Cultural appropriation is a huge topic, within today’s society, many question what is cultural appropriation and what is not. The definition of cultural appropriation is, “....the use of ideas, symbols, artifacts, images, objects, etc., derived from contact between different cultures. It often implies a negative view towards the minority culture by the dominant one and is often culturally insensitive”(Biron). Examples of cultural appropriation would be portraying a culture through stereotypical depictions of them or wearing a culture as a ‘trend’. Another example would be wearing a headdress to portray a Native American or wearing a sombrero and a poncho to depict a Mexican. Just those words sound degrading and racist each of these ethnicities. Many think it is socially acceptable to be insensitive to a culture, because they classify the appropriation as them appreciating the culture. Cultural appropriation shows only the stereotypical view of culture and has no regards to the actual culture. Many look at the cultures as inspiration for ideas, but that does not mean to steal the ideas completely. Cultural appropriation is not only insensitive, but also racist. Blackface, for example, was used to portray an African American by painting the face of an non-black actor black. The NFL team Redskins uses an offensive and racist word to label their team; their mascot is a “Native American” wearing headdress. First and foremost, not all Native American cultures wear headdresses, these depictions of Native culture show natives as all the same. Minorities have faced appropriation for decades, but why did this problem only recently come about?

A new year is soon approaching and we as a society have made so much advancement, where even simple tasks such as walking is made simple by hoverboards. Despite all this; however, we are still lacking in some areas and have yet much to improve on. One is cultural misappropriation, it is so prevalent in our society and most don’t even know and see it as something wrong or that they are even doing it. Cultural misappropriation is essentially a misrepresentation and misrepresentation of another's culture that isn’t your own. And this is wrong because it negatively affects and offends the culture being taken advantage of. And we are flooded with cultural misappropriation in our everyday lives from brands and companies to even celebrities.