Cultural Appropriation Has Been A Major Issue Of Interest

As children, the idea of stealing is engrained in our heads as an unethical line of which you do not cross. In school we learn that taking information and not giving its proper source credit is plagiarism. We live in a society where the idea of taking something that doesn 't belong to you is shunned, but why does that mentality alter when things begin to involve cultures? Certain people everyday seem to be given a free pass when it comes to “borrowing” key components to other cultures. They are almost celebrated for this “multi-cultural approach” to life while the cultures of which these things come from are often subjected to disparagement for celebrating themselves. There is no way to describe it as anything but the heinous thievery of culture by those whom are in power. (Nittle)

Another relationship Pratt says exists between cultures is the concept of transculturation. Transculturation, she states, is a process in which “members of subordinated or marginal groups select and invent from materials transmitted by a dominant or metropolitan culture” and transform it to fir their own principles by giving it a cultural makeover (Pratt, 505). But why is it necessary for transculturation to be performed by secondary, inferior cultures? It can be argued that different types of people can learn and adapt things from each other even if the distribution of power between them is unequal. Larger

It is not wrong to wear clothing or eat food from cultures different from your own, but the minute credit is not given to the right people is the minute one’s “appreciation” turns into appropriation.

Indeed, people consider their traditional beliefs when introduced to Western culture because it allows them to draw valuable lessons from cultural import and enforce their own principles and notions. However, there are instances in which this “cultural imperialism” separates individuals from their traditional beliefs, regardless of their cultural surroundings and efforts to prevent cultural assimilation, because in many situations

Cultural Appropriation is the adoption and adaptation of certain elements of a minority culture by a socially dominant group of people. This is becoming a large social issue because, people are refusing to acknowledge the true meanings of these elements. Malversation has occurred steadily throughout American and global history and it has been very prominent for the duration of the 20th and 21st centuries. For example, wearing a traditional Native American headdress for the sake of an international fashion show and not acknowledging that it is a piece of ancient, and even present day sacred and a religious sacrament. The headdresses are worn by highly respected tribal chiefs and symbolizes great strength and “god's messenger” and is reserved for the highest power in the tribe. To use it in a lingerie campaign is disrespectful

In Western culture, people seldom realize the amount of cultural appropriation that occurs around them. Westerners are blinded by cultural mockery and cultural appropriation without realizing its offensive effects to minority groups. During the Halloween holiday, in Western culture, people of all ages dress up in a variety of costumes such as horror themed, fairy tale themed, job themed, cultural themed and much more. Harvard University members have argued that a cultural themed costume is a form of cultural appropriation. Also in Western culture, in the music industry, white artists have utilized and exploited aspects from minority cultures to boost their fame. Costumes, props, ideas, music, and others considered as cultural appropriation is often overlooked but it is apparent when closely examined.

A man stands proud and tall, an elegant headdress of feathers adorning his head. He is not at a ceremony, nor is he going to war to preserve his way of life. He is not Native American, either, and he is not alone. At the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival, people like this man gather in throngs to listen to alternative rock and electronic dance music. They often claim to be honoring Native American tradition, but others consider his choices offensive. Cultural borrowing and assimilation have been, and continue to be an integral part of American society, but some think that this diffusion has gone as far as theft. In order to determine that, however, on must cast a discerning eye on both arguments.

As our country evolves with different cultures from around the world, people are unaware of the fine-line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. So, what is cultural appropriation? Cultural appropriation is when members of a dominate culture, mainly white, borrow from the cultures of minority groups without their input. While there are many people who feel disrespected by others using their culture, there are still people who appreciate and value ones culture.

Wood (2014) asserts that dilution of cultures is gradually taking place as the Native Americans are influenced by these misrepresentations to forget their traditions and the loss of these traditions can become a reality. Native Americans have a rich history and their cultures are important to the Americans thus losing them will be catastrophic. Besides, Native Americans are jeopardised in economic aspect as fashion are only deemed trendy with a white model. The fashion industries in American heavily invested on white models even when the fashion belongs to another culture hence resulting in loss of economic opportunities for the Native Americans (Schopf, 2016). The problem and its consequences arise from cultural appropriation are thought-provoking and finding a solution is

The authors goal of the text was to discuss cultural appropriation. She uses African American culture as the primary example for inappropriate and misuses of their culture. The paper

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

The United States is abundantly diverse in distinct cultures. There are cultures coming from all around the world mixed up into one little area. So the crossing of cultures is inevitable. It will not be hard to catch yourself using another cultures customs, beliefs, styles, and/or traditions without putting much thought into it. Ultimately when one of these many things is borrowed, from one culture to the other, no insult is purposefully made. Depending on what was adopted or stolen if not careful enough it could be a huge insult to the owning culture. This is where the term cultural appropriation comes into play. Many are confused as to why using something from one culture and making it their own could cause offense to the owning culture. A lot of people think the concept is

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?

Cultural Appropriation is defined as when you take intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions or artefacts from someone else’s culture, without permission (Scafidi, 2005). In mythology and folklore it can have very negative consequences as often a cultures traditional stories are taken without consent and adapted significantly, usually from a western lens. These texts are often not treated with respect, and elements which seem unusual or interesting are sensationalized and exaggerated. The original creators then find that their stories have already been told, complete with misunderstandings and disrespectful changes. Eventually, people within a cultural context can lose control over their own stories and mythology completely.

1. La Plante's statement, "Forms and concepts originating in one culture sometimes blossom better in foreign soils than at home" is interesting and I would be inclined to agree with it in certain situations. If this blossoming is done without appropriation, I believe then this statement is accurate, but not in the case where cultural identity is stolen. Some examples I can think of include how the Japanese adopted European Navy sailor uniforms into their school's dress code, in order to become more "modern." Called seifuku, these uniforms are iconic and well known in other countries as Japanese school uniforms, yet many would probably not know their origin. However, when pointing out the influence, it can be seen how alike these uniforms are