Cultural Appropriation 101
Published: Thursday, November 1, 2012
Updated: Thursday, November 1, 2012 23:11
With Halloween just behind us, it seems appropriate to turn to the much debated subject of cultural appropriation. Let’s start off with a pretty simple definition: Cultural appropriation is the use of an aspect of a culture – religious/political holidays, clothing, jewelry, music, language, etc. – by a non-member of that culture who ignores its cultural, political and historical significance. The act of cultural appropriation takes power and privilege: the power to take the easy and beautiful aspects of a marginalized culture and use them, generally without being questioned, and the privilege to ignore or give back everything politically or religiously significant, meaningful or historically difficult associated with that marginalized culture.
Now, let’s look at some examples. That trendy, “tribal” print from American Outfitters? Yes. Bindis worn as a fashion statement? Yes. The name of the Redskin’s Football Team? Yes. Indian Princess costumes? Geisha costumes? Blackface makeup? Sugar skull makeup and paraphernalia? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Everyone can culturally appropriate. Let me repeat. Everyone can culturally appropriate. Everyone has a culture of which they are not members and because of that, they have that power and privilege to pick and choose.
So what’s the big deal about cultural appropriation anyway? As long as you’re not actively inflicting violence on a minority group, it’s okay, right? As long as you’re not using racial slurs, all is well, yeah? The answers to those questions are: Everything. No. And no.
Cultural appropriation turns the realities of different groups of people into entertainment or into fashion statements. It groups widely diverse communities into one stereotyped image. It takes away the sacredness of a tradition and turns it into the next fad. It tells those cultures and those people that their way of worship, their way of dressing, their music, their language are acceptable as long as they’re fun or pretty. That way, no one has to think about what those things mean, and what injustices and violent acts have been done to people simply for being who they are. Cultural appropriation continues to normalize this idea that one image or one person can represent and homogenize an entire group.
There’s a difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Cultural appropriation is taking aspects of another culture and using them without permission or understanding. Cultural appreciation, on the other hand, involves learning about another culture and the significance it places in certain objects. Cultural appreciation is being invited into a culture’s practices to observe, participate and learn. However, just because you’ve been invited to a Native American tribe’s open powpow at some point does not make it okay to wear moccasins made by non-Native Americans or wear a war bonnet you have not earned. And taking photos or wearing elements of a culture you don’t belong to because “you like how it looks” or “it’s fashionable now” isn’t cultural appreciation, it’s appropriation.
I want to leave you with words of wisdom Professor Kevin Quashie once said: “There are three things we must keep in mind simultaneously: 1. Culture belongs to no one. 2. Culture belongs to everyone. 3. If culture can belong to someone, it belongs to those who have significant experiences with it.”
I urge you to keep that idea in mind when you do anything from picking out a new item of clothing to deciding what to be next Halloween. If before you put something on you wonder if it might be problematic, racist or appropriative – it probably is.
13 comments
''Moccasin'' comes from ''maskisina'' - Cree for ''footwear'' including sandals and boots. I am 1/4 Cree and it 's perfectly acceptable to wear whatever you like on your feet including moccasins produced anywhere by anyone. The warbonnet might get a laugh or eyeroll if worn by a visitor to a powwow but that's it. Looks like if white folks followed Micah's hilarious rules they would be running around naked most of the time! Hey Micah- you have a lot of dopey rules for white people - do you have any equally ridiculous rules for yourself? We'd certainly like to hear about them!
Whites have no more of a ''demonic racist heritage '' than any other racial group. On every continent strong clans, tribes, etc. of every race conquered/enslaved/decimated other weaker groups. Whites ended feudalism long before other places/peoples and this gave them an edge on dominance.
Wear what you like, dress up for Halloween in whatever appeals to you, put your sticky earrings wherever you want, have the wedding of your dreams- whatever the cultural sources are. We will always have the hyper-sensitive and easily offended among us, seeing evil all around them, calling others names, and generally having a lousy time wherever they are. That's their problem, let's not make it ours.
Also, I fail to see why how it's more acceptable to lump all "white" culture together than to lump, for instance all "black" culture - neither one is that simple. Your assertion is really Amerocentric, completely ignoring the fact that there's diversity within "white" culture as well and that, yes, light-skinned people actually do have our own traditions. Eastern Europe, where I live, is a good example: A Russian, a Ukrainian and a Bulgarian all have fair skin, but all differ very strongly from one another in terms of cultural heritage and expression. Also, we have lived in this part of the world since even before Kievan Rus', so maybe next time you talk about how white people only exploit and steal their cultures, you could remember that that isn't the always the case outside of the U.S., and that light-skinned people from outside this country are part of your "white" culture too.
Because I'm an American, several generations removed from all the other cultures of my ancestries(and I am a Heinz 57 so you can bet there's a lot) do that mean I'm limited to jeans and a t-shirt? Or if I need to be dressier trousers and a blouse? I guess I could borrow from era's like the 50's and 60's I might be able to pull of some of the Civil War era outfits without people yelling "APPROPRIATION!" And since I might be able to get away with some traditional European costumes/patterns if I could spout their significance on demand and come up with convincing ancestry.
When I was a young child I used to have stick on earrings. Some of my favorite places to put them? Corners of eyes and forehead. It wasn't until I was 8 that I learned that there were people in another culture who viewed dots on foreheads as sacred. I stopped my practice because I was afraid people would find it offensive. They would find something I had come up with on my own offensive because another culture already used it in a spiritual way. This fear of offending people makes me hesitant to wear styles and patterns and items I like because I might offend someone. What I should've done is if people came up and told me that my forehead jewel was offensive to Hindus is act like I didn't realize there was a culture that wore forehead dots and ask them to explain everything they can about that culture. And then I would've continued doing what I wanted because I happened to like having that stick on there.
There's very few "American" styles that I actually like. Most I just tolerate because it is available and I won't get a lecture about the historical importance of the printed kitten on the back of the tee. I've been reading a lot on what people think of other people who wear outside culture clothing and what I've read so far has made me feel really slimy. Because everything I read is against cultural appropriation and no matter how I read it I still walk away with the sense that the author is an unintentional racist, which lets face it is one of the worst kinds. Even arguments from people of a different background to me sound unintentionally racist. "You can't do this, it is a part of my religious/racial/cultural heritage. It belongs to me and you do not deserve it." People who think like that don't deserve any of the cultural offerings of Americans/Europeans then, yet they are so willing to appropriate the better parts of our culture.
I think I've made my decision. I will go out wearing what I want because I like the way it works. Screw the overly sensitive. If anyone does want to try to enlighten me to the significance of what I'm wearing and why I can't wear it I will politely listen to them, thank them for the knowledge they just imparted and go about my day wearing what I like because I find it aesthetically pleasing.
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