Understanding and Navigating Culture Appropriation will take Collaboration in Society

in #culture6 years ago

native-american-cultural-appropriation-feature (1).jpg

Source

Culture appropriation occurs when an individual (or group) of the dominant culture within a society, adopts the symbols, traditions, icons, or attire (among other things), from a minority culture and claims them as their own.

One of the features that distinguishes culture appropriation from other behaviors like cultural sharing or cultural transference, is the element of a power differential, mostly in regards to colonialism. Colonialism is the practices or policy of acquiring political and/or economic control over another country through exploitation or occupancy. As such, culture appropriation typically only moves in one direction. What I mean by this is that, only the dominant culture within a society can appropriate a minority’s culture but not the other way around. For instance, the reverse situation of a minority culture adopting the culture of the dominant group is not appropriation but rather the minority culture trying to fit in with the dominant group in order to avoid discrimination or being ostracized.

If this sounds confusing, it’s because it is. Culture appropriation seems to have a sort of built in double standard to it which does make it a bit convoluted at times and often makes people feel resentful towards other groups because their behavior is being judged as negative while the same behavior in reverse is seen as ok.

It’s confusing but overall, culture appropriation seems to be a kind of theft and when taken to extremes, it can actually result in the complete absorption or disappearance of a particular culture – which is cultural genocide.


beyonce (1).jpg

Source

Though the idea of culture appropriation is not new, discussion on the topic does seem to be more prevalent in society these days. There have been many cases in the news lately of individuals, pop-stars and corporations receiving backlash from others about the clothes that they are wearing or about the symbols that they have adopted. Overall, I think that the idea of appropriation begs the questions; what is appropriate behavior in our society and who makes that decision?


offensive-cultural-appropriation (1).jpg

Source

For me personally, there are several things that add to the confusion surrounding the topic. I think part of it is that society does not seem to be clear in its stance on what is appropriate cultural behavior. This becomes apparent in situation when some members of a particular cultural group criticize an individual for their behavior and state that it is appropriating while other members of the same cultural group simultaneously praise the individual for supporting and appreciating their culture. These mixed messages demonstrate that the issue is quite complex and at times very convoluted.

As an example, let’s imagine that a person visits an artist or merchant of a different cultural background. The artist happily sells the person an article of clothing that contains cultural symbols on it. The artist is happy that they made a sale to a person who values their artwork and their culture and the individual who bought the item genuinely appreciates the articles beauty and wears it with pride. However, when the individual wears the article of clothing in public, they receive backlash from other members of society who say that they are demonstrating culture appropriation. In this case, it seems that a case of culture appreciation is wrongfully deemed culture appropriation because the ones passing judgement are unaware of the story that lead to the behavior (i.e. they are unaware of the context of the situation and the intention of the individual). I think that examples like these actually happen and that they demonstrate how confusing and convoluted the issue really is.

I personally think that it mostly comes down to respect for the other culture, and purpose and intent for doing the behavior. For instance, costumes and music videos are often not about honor or validation of a group’s culture, they are about gimmickry, making light of another groups symbols and often profit. On the other hand, individuals who judge others often do not try to understand the context of the situation or the motives and intent of the individual, but instead pass judgement without fully understanding the individual’s perspective.

With that being said, I think that both sides need to collaborate when dealing with appropriating behavior so that culture is respected and people are not wrongfully attacked. For me, the example above points out this idea of appreciation vs. appropriation.


culture-1-e1491587898874 (1).jpg

Source

Like any behavior, the challenge of appreciation and appropriation is that these behaviors are not black and white but rather, they seems to exist on a sort of continuum or spectrum. Appreciation seems to exist on one side of a continuum and appropriation seems to exist on the other.

But how do we determine what is appropriation and what is appreciation and who makes that judgement? These are questions that I personally do not know the answer to but I feel that they are nonetheless important. On the one hand, people need to have the freedom to share in the experiences of cultures other than their own, but they need to do so in a way that respects the other culture and validates it in society so that other culture groups do not feel as though their culture is being altered, extinguished or stolen. This seems to be about balance.


iggy (1).jpg

Source

To create balance society needs to speak out and critique behaviors that are appropriating so that we do not see instances of cultural genocide toward a particular group of people. However, challenges may arise if society goes too far in their criticism, like demonstrated in the example above. What we do not want to do is divide people or to have the reverse effect of alienating the very culture we are trying to protect.

For instance, if society scrutinizes every behavior and puts it under a microscope (including behaviors of genuine appreciation) then this can have the reverse effect of alienating the very culture that we are trying to protect. What we do not want to see is that people become so confused by the issue or that they experience fear of backlash to the extent that they adopt the stance of “when in doubt – avoid.” We do not want people to begin to think that dealing with a particular culture is more trouble than it’s worth, to the point that they withdraw themselves from every aspect of that culture. In other words, we do not want people to adopt the belief that no matter they do, they will receive backlash so they instead avoid other cultural experiences, stop buying and supporting cultural artwork, food or merchandise…etc. Ultimately, this behavior could divide people in society.

So the overall message is that we want to avoid situations in which people feel completely uncertain about what is appropriate behavior to the point where they do not want to deal with any potential negative consequences, so they instead demonstrate cultural avoidance. On the other hand, we also want to avoid cases of cultural theft and genocide.


maxresdefault (1).jpg

Source

For me personally, this means striking some sort of balance between the two ends of the spectrum of appreciation and appropriation so that people can freely appreciate other cultures without feeling that they are being scrutinized for doing so, but also in such a way that does not claim ownership over the other groups culture and which respects, honors and validates it within society. To do this, I believe that society needs to collaborate and discuss the issue of appropriate behavior without attacking one another. We need to somehow find a way to fully understood and rectify the issue, but in a way that does not divide people further.

What do you think? What are your thoughts on this subject? I would love to hear what other people have to say. All opinions welcomed.



Thanks For Reading


follow_leaky20.gif

Sort:  

Social justice warriors just think too much about what they want to be offended over. If it's not one thing, it's something else until they're painted so far into a corner all they can do is call it their safe space.

I agree that a lot of people are in search of something to be offended by. There are also many cases in which people quickly judge others without actually trying to understand their perspective. These cases can often be identified by the person resorting to name calling/insults and such. Correct me if I am wrong but I get the impression that you disagree that cultural appropriation is a real issue? Care to elaborate on that?

I object to people getting offended and labeling things 'appropriation' for the sake of trying to defend people that don't even want their 'help'. Too many people feel the need to be activists without even knowing what they're talking about or understanding that maybe some of us actually like wearing clothes from another culture, maybe it's our way of paying tribute to something beautiful or that has meaning to us. Maybe some of us want to make a Bahn Mi without being accused of eating a sandwich from a culture that we are not part of. I would consider it appropriation when someone tries to benefit from a culture by claiming that they are part of it when they were not born into it at all, like Elizabeth Warren, for example. But if I want to open up a Chinese restaurant (I'm not Chinese) because I love the food, the people and the culture, I shouldn't be accused of anything other than being an entrepreneur who likes Chinese food. All this can be applied to the trans issue as well....I know plenty of trans individuals and none of them need spokespeople. All these tantrums are being made by people who call themselves "progressive"--even our words are being manipulated and redefined. That's not progressive.

I agree with a lot of what you are saying here. In the article I talked about how society (individuals or groups within it) often jump to criticizing/confronting individuals without trying to understand their motives and intents or the context of how they arrived at their behavior. I explained why I thought that was an issue so I wont bother re-stating it. I personally do think that some behaviors are damaging though. Using distinct cultural rituals or symbols out of context for the sake of profit or making light of a culture is damaging in my opinion. They can create stereotypes and can effectively claim or extinguish a culture in a society. For me the behavior seems to exist on a spectrum, with appreciation on one side and appropriation on the other. Balance is important.

Overall, I think its a very confusing topic. Thanks for commenting and explaining your point further. I find nowadays people do not even want to take the time to hear or listen to ideas/opinions that differ from their own and because of that people do not understand the "others" perspective. I think that it takes dialogue to understand an issue so that people do not become divided further in society. People are already extremely divided.

Anyway, thanks again

You're absolutely right. People don't want to hear other perspectives and that is mostly because they don't want their paradigm to shatter...if they even go so far as to understanding why they do what they do. Understanding where individuals come from and where they get their perspective is super important. We can't all be lumped into one label of right or wrong. I think people make this issue more complicated than it is, honestly. Good post.

I think that it takes dialogue to understand an issue so that people do not become divided further in society.

I wholeheartedly agree. Thanks for the discussion

Those that cry "Cultural Appropriation!!!" are lacking healthy psychological boundaries and a great deal of maturity. If someone puts on an american aborigine headdress and that person isn't an american aborigine, so what?

You see this cry of "cultural appropriation" from members of any sub-culture that wants to remain "special" and "unique" (read: full of themselves.)

Back in the day, people who would be accused of "cultural appropriation" were merely called "posers". But, that was back when the strategy for being "unique" and "special" was to pretentiously appear superior to the inferior knock off. These days the popular self-righteous pretense is pretending victimization.

You may be aware that I'm a Satanist. We have healthy psychological boundaries, and don't take ourselves too seriously, so we don't have this "problem":

A9ykrlB.jpg

I'm not aware of any case of "cultural appropriation" in the original sociological sense in the current day US.

Personally I don't agree with this. I don't think we can completely "write off" the experiences of others as being invalid. We have to keep in mind some of the history of colonialism and how it is used as a tool to eradicate certain cultures from society. Oppression exists in society and to say that is doesn't is pretty naive. Some groups experience more oppression than others. Many individuals in society do not actually realize how much privilege they have in their lives. Often our privilege shapes our view of the world, but life isn't experienced the same for everyone. For instance, as a white, middle class, able bodied, heterosexual male, I've grown up to believe that the world is a safe and fair place to live. I don't have a fear of being arrested or shot by the police for driving my car or walking down the street. I am treated fairly when I enter a store or interact with people in general. I'm not followed around unnecessarily and I never hear racial slurs or experience micro-aggression's. The reality though, is that this isn't the case for everyone in society.

I personally wouldn't be so quick to say that the experiences of others are invalid, especially when we have not experienced what others have experienced.

POOR BABY!!! THESE PARENTS SHOULD BE SHOT FOR IGNORING THEIR SUFFERING INFANT!!!

I'm not sure i understand the point you are trying to make with the video

BTW: The best way to support equality, if you are into that sort of thing, is to simply treat everyone as a human being. It's really that simple. Here's an example: When the actress who plays Uhura was considering quitting Star Trek after the first year she was advised to stay on the show by Martin Luther King because her character "reflected what they were marching for." And that was simply being herself as just another part of the crew rather than "black".

The poor child is being "oppressed". The people aren't doing what he thinks they should and this causes him great pain, unless of course, he's not being seen... hmm...

Unlike you, I am a white-ish uber-under"privileged" male who's experienced being followed around a stores and kicked out of them for no other reason than my clothes were too black and red and my hair too long and I wasn't handing the cashier cash at that very moment.

But so what? This in no way is "oppression". This is an encounter with an asshole. An encounter with an asshole in no way calls up a history of colonization written vaguely and indistinctly on the wikipedia article about the scientific version of the term "cultural appropriation" nor does it in any way make the store manager asshole responsible for something that happened a long time ago and that they didn't do.

Let me be clear, while there isn't colonialism or oppression, there is bullshit. I would say it's pretty naive to claim that dime-store bullshit is some form of legacy colonialism that oppresses those not holding a uber-privilege card. I'm from the other side of the tracks and I can't make that connection -- honestly, I have to wonder why you do.

What the mundane, non-scientific version of "cultural appropriation" is just another example of "special" people playing stupid mind games for attention and get what they want. Just like the baby in the video.

Please tell me how a someone who isn't an american aborigine putting on a headdress hurts anyone in a real sense.

Your "asshole" situation, is a little different than situations of systemic oppression that some groups experiences because of the color of their skin for instance.

Also, colonialism is only one lens in which to view the world and doesn't apply to every situation. Though colonialism relates to the issue of culture appropriation, sometimes a lens such as racism better fits a given situation. As such, colonialism does not apply to every instance of oppression.

Please tell me how a someone who isn't an american aborigine putting on a headdress hurts anyone in a real sense.

I cannot speak to that from experience. That is their story not mine. But, for instance, when Caucasian fashion models walk down runways with headdresses on repeatedly, over time they become associated with Caucasian culture and their cultural significance gets lost along with the true meaning of the symbol. Over time, symbols essentially get assimilated into the dominant culture. When that happens, cultural genocide takes place.

Your "asshole" situation, is a little different than situations of systemic oppression that some groups experiences because of the color of their skin for instance.

I may have labeled it "an encounter with an asshole", but it was your example.

I am treated fairly when I enter a store or interact with people in general. I'm not followed around unnecessarily and I never hear racial slurs or experience micro-aggression's.

I've been stopped a few times and had a gun pointed at me as the cop approached my car. But you know what's interesting? You've admitted you don't have any real experience in this sort of thing and are telling ME, who has, the ways of the world.

It's not just black people getting shot. Fairly recently white guy (wearing black) who got blown away (with an automatic rifle) for pulling his pants up. It's not race that's the problem. It's the police policy of "shooting first, asking questions later." Or, as they call it "officer safety."

THAT's the problem with police shootings. Don't take my word for it, see it for yourself:

The above video happened because the guy matched the description and his only crime was being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Also notice, it's not on a dark street.

Also, colonialism is only one lens in which to view the world and doesn't apply to every situation. Though colonialism relates to the issue of culture appropriation, sometimes a lens such as racism better fits a given situation. As such, colonialism does not apply to every instance of oppression.

Colonialism doesn't apply at all:

colonialism, noun: the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

But, for instance, when Caucasian fashion models walk down runways with headdresses on repeatedly, over time they become associated with Caucasian culture and their cultural significance gets lost along with the true meaning of the symbol. Over time, symbols essentially get assimilated into the dominant culture. When that happens, cultural genocide takes place.

We call this a "slippery slope."

https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/slippery-slope

It's the same kind of bullshit that gives us such wonderful non-arguments as "If the gays get married, then marriage will be meaningless."

I can't counter-argue a slippery slope, except to say if we keep using slippery slopes, the intelligence of everyone will plummet, causing us all to leave logic behind and doom humanity once, for all, and irrevocably!

(that, too, was a slippery slope.)

You've admitted you don't have any real experience in this sort of thing and are telling ME, who has, the ways of the world.

Being that I am White, I do not have any direct experience that would allow me to answer the question that you asked me. However, I'm currently taking a course on Indigenous Knowledge and have been listening to the first hand accounts of Indigenous people, guest speakers and researchers about how colonialism is slowly destroying their culture. Though I used to have a similar viewpoint that you do, I'm no longer quick to say that culture appropriation or that colonialism is not a valid issue in society today.

Regarding to the video you posted. I don't really know what to say to that. You found a video of a white guy being shot by police - I guess that proves that racism doesn't exist in the world?

Honestly, I'm sure you can find plenty of anecdotal evidence that will confirm that theory.

I'm not saying at all, that other people do not experience oppression. Everyone (generalizing) in society experiences oppression in some from or another and it can be based on nearly any aspect of a persons characteristics or life situation (color of skin, ability, socio-economic status, or even clothing or hair style as you pointed out with your experience). My point is not to say that others do not experience these things but that there are some systemic constructs in society that can lead to oppression of certain groups.

Regarding the slippery slope argument.

Firstly, I should mention that I am speaking from a Canadian perspective so things may be different in the U.S. My link between culture appropriation and cultural genocide isn't clear because I currently do not have the capacity to discuss the history or current systemic action being taken against Indigenous people in Canada. To fully clarify how they are linked I would have to explain "the 60's scoop" and the residential school system in Canada. I would have to explain how native "status" is regulated by the government in such a way that the "Native" is essentially bred out of the people over time. I would have to explain how, land is divided and historic treaties are not adhered to by the government. There just too much to discuss on a forum like this.

My overall point is not to discredit your experiences. This discussion has shifted along the way and has become very convoluted so it may come across in that way. Its not my intention.

My original point was to validate the experiences of others and not discredit them off hand - like i may have done in the past.

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.19
TRX 0.15
JST 0.029
BTC 63550.59
ETH 2644.53
USDT 1.00
SBD 2.81