Dear White People

#13|| Cultural aproptiation

(I can't believe I didn't do a chapter on this already?)

Dear white people...

Cultural appropriation is actually a thing.

Many people have different views about it:

a-group: Cultural appropriation? What even is that? It's just hair, it's only a hairstyle. Stop being so sensitive.

b-group: *whispers to friend* Why is she wearing braids? What does she know about braids? They look good though, I guess. It looks like her edges are being snatched though.

c-group: *out loud* Uhh?? What is that in your head? You are appropriating the African culture, you think yall could bully us about our hair-styles, and then turn around and wear them in your own heads? That's a no-no. Take those out.

Let's first define cultural appropriation, "the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture"
(This definition is from the Cambridge dictionary)

Let's take a scenario:

I, a black girl, am spotted wearing a "red dot" on my head. I walk around thinking I'm cute, until someone comes up to me and asks, "What's that on your head?"
I smile a wide smile, raise my eyes as if I didn't know it was there, and say, "Oh, this thing? It's a red-forehead jewel! I think those people who eat curry all day wear it?  Selena Gomez wears it, too."

That is cultural appropriation.

That would be me taking from a culture that I knew nothing about, re-naming it, and giving credit to a non-Indian individual for making it popular.

Let's take another scenario.

I, a black girl, am spotted wearing a bindi on my head. I walk around thinking I'm cute, until someone comes up to me and asks, "What's that on your head?"
I smile smile, wide, raise my eyes as if I didn't know it was there, and say, "Oh, this thing? It's a bindi. It's Indian headwear."

That's not cultural appropriation. I think it is culture appreciation.

Here is a story from everyday feminism.com by Jarune Uwujaren who is Nigerian.

"I remember that at my sister's wedding, the groom – who happened to be white – changed midway through the ceremony along with my sister into modern, but fairly traditional, Nigerian clothes.
Even though some family members found it amusing, there was never any undertone of the clothes being treated as a costume or "experience" for a white person to enjoy for a little bit and discard later. He was invited – both as a new family member and a guest – to engage our culture in this way.

If he had been obnoxious about it – treated it as exotic or weird or pretended he now understood what it means to be Nigerian and refused to wear Western clothes ever again – the experience would have been more appropriative.

But instead, he wore them from a place of respect.

That's what cultural exchange can look like – engaging with a culture as a respectful and humble guest, invitation only"
http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/09/cultural-exchange-and-cultural-appropriation/

Cultural appropriation is not a white person wearing braids, it's a white girl wearing braids and telling us she looks better in them, and that Kim Kardashian looks great in them, but when a black person wears them they are ghetto and dirty.

Please, culture is something that people hold dearly in their hearts. And when a person of a race that has oppressed them for years (Yes, white is the race that has oppressed for so many years it's horrific) it can come off as an insult to wear something that y'all have taken from them, and thought of it as nothing.

Here's a story I found the same website from above.

"For example, owners and fans of the NFL team the Washington Redsk*ns have largely come to the defense of the name, pulling out every reason including "honoring Indians," "keeping to tradition," and "you're being too sensitive," in reaction to Indigenous activists calling for the end of Indian mascots.

The fans and the NFL are emotionally and financially invested in the name and don't want to take extra time and money to change it. And that makes sense.

"But consider this: When violence systematically targets a group of people through genocide, slavery, or colonization, the resulting trauma lasts through generations.

So here's what's at stake for the Native people: The term "redsk*n" comes from the time when the colonial and state governments and companies paid white people to kill Native Americans and used their scalps or even genitalia (to prove their sex), aka "red skins," as proof of their "Indian kill."  

Given that history, is it a surprise that so many Native people are angry about football fans who think they're "honoring" Native people with this mascot and their excuses?"
http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/cultural-appropriation-wrong/

So, if you have any further questions about this topic, which is a very very complex topic, ask here.

As a white person, I bet it's nice for you to be looked at as "normal", and beautiful. You need to recognize that you have privilege. You were born with it on your skin. I will reiterate that privilege does not equal lots of money, there are several forms of privilege.

When you search the word "beautiful woman" online, what pictures do you see?

Let me show you.

Love, black people ❤️