Define Cultural Appropriation

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.

Culture is very important to many individuals in this world. It plays key parts in a vast amount of people’s lives. While some may follow everything to do with their culture, your culture doesn’t have to affect your life. You can still choose to have your own personal views, or to follow your accustomed culture. People will all view everything differently depending on who they are, what cultural background they have, and what scenario they’re in.

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 and cultural appreciation. Two very different terms that many individuals have yet to comprehend. It’s understandable, it can be daunting trying to figure out how to please everyone or at a minimum not offend anyone. The difference between the two is not always clear. There is a very thin line to walk on.

Another reason I believe Black culture appropriation is a problem is the simple fact that “Everyone wants to be black until it’s time to be black.” Those who enjoy and partake in black culture are silent when it comes to their problems and issues. They seem to be able to “switch” back and forth from black with dances and styles, to white when problems arise. In our society, White people don 't have to deal with their people being ruthlessly killed every other day. We have to teach our children how to talk to officers so they come home safe. A tweet by black artist, Azealia Banks said: “It’s funny to see some people like Igloo Australia (Iggy Azalea) silent when things happen (police brutality). Black culture is cool, but black issues sure aren’t , huh?” White celebrities that are in the hip-hop genre and “adopted blackness never spoke about the racism that goes along with blackness.” They wear black hairstyles, partake in black dances, and listen to black artists, but never have to deal with their people being murdered in the streets.

In countries that celebrate Halloween such as the United States and Canada, it is a tradition to dress up in various types of costume themes. Some people dress up in cultural costumes or religious costumes. Herman Bhupal and Judy Park from Harvard University have addressed that dressing in cultural or religious costumes for Halloween, “can serve as mechanisms for cultural appropriation” (This Halloween, Choose Respect). Cultural appropriation is the adoption of standards and aspects from another culture when the culture is a minority group. Some people may agree that wearing cultural clothing as Halloween costumes may be offensive to those of whose culture is being mocked as

Another example of this kind of cultural appropriation is exemplified in a more contemporary example: Lana Del Rey’s music video for her song entitled “Ride.” This music video features Del Rey riding through what is presumable the expansive West while being with men, burning fires in the western desert, and sporting a traditional Native American headdress. While this example also conflates the same issues as the above example, it also brings on a new problem: taking a sacred cultural emblem and using it for stylistic

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.

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 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 trivializing historical oppression. Many cultures have a history of violence that resulted in trauma that has lasted until today and will go on for several more generations. This past can make certain terms, clothing, hairstyles, or even seemingly harmless costumes be harmful to the group it is being taken from. For example, the NFL team the Washington Redskins refuses to consider renaming their team and changing their mascot after demands from Indigenous activists. Based on the history of the term “Redskin” it’s clear how celebrating genocide can be insensitive. Situations such as this one when colonization, genocide, or slavery is exploited for profit and/or fun can play down the historical oppression of a culture.

Cultural appropriation is when someone adopts aspects of a culture that’s not their own. That's only the icing on the cake. It’s particularly a power dynamic in which members of a dominant culture take elements from a culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant group. Cultural appropriation is not the same as cultural appreciation, (when people share mutually with each other, because cultural exchange lacks that systemic power dynamic). When it comes to wearing fashion based on other cultures, it’s hard to know if you’re being tacky, cool, or offensive. Practicing appropriating culture let’s people show love for the culture,

In the simplest of terms, cultural appropriation is loosely defined as an act that occurs when someone of a dominant culture adopts or utilizes certain aspects of a culture that is not their own. However, appropriation goes far beyond that, and can be especially harmful to the marginalized groups that are having their culture appropriated by dominant groups. A deeper look focuses on the power dynamic that exists within and constitutes appropriation. In other words, when members of a dominant group or culture and take elements of a culture that has been systematically oppressed by the dominant groups in America, they are enacting appropriation. The issue becomes more problematic when these dominant groups (which are typically white people) use elements of a subordinate culture without acknowledging or being aware of the original context or source of the materials being appropriated. This isn’t to say that there cannot be cultural exchange (appreciation), or assimilation either. It is important to distinguish appropriation from assimilation, which often occurs when a less dominant group has to adopt elements of the dominant culture in order to survive or endure the systems put in place. For marginalized groups, assimilation helps to avoid even greater struggles, while appropriation is often a case of a dominant group having a choice as to whether or not they want to adopt certain elements of another culture. This emphasizes the power imbalance that serves as the main dynamic

From the languages we speak, the food we eat, the art we produce, the innovations we create; it is through adaptation and shared intellectual property that we succeed. We should focus on promoting genuine interest, empathy and understanding of other cultures while condemning attempts to mock, disdain or stereotype them. Cultural appropriation is not the problem; it is the solution, if well

A culture is where a group of people develop common ideas, common ways of doing things and common interpretation of certain things. Culture has great influence on foreign countries. People often from other countries get attracted to cultural aspects of other countries. Culture has great influence on media, politics and people’s everyday life. I experienced a pop culture moment where a group of white women was wearing a sari, a cloth that is draped around the woman 's body; it is mostly seen in South Asia. I saw how culture could be imported instead of being exported. However, those women didn 't wear the sari correctly, which raised a question in my mind. Do people wear, ethnic cloth because they respect it, or do they mock the culture by not wearing the clothes correctly? This question is about appreciation and appropriation of culture. This topic is very important to me because I was being bullied in middle school because of my cultural clothes and food. Adopting another culture is natural because of interaction between a group of people and it 's also because everyone is so diverse now. However when does appropriation or offending other culture comes up? Appropriation can be viewed positively and negatively. Culture appropriation can be viewed positively if it 's being portrayed correctly and it also can be viewed negatively if it 's being portrayed wrong. We often see cultural appropriation is being discussed in the media such as the sound,