Cultural Appropriation has become an everyday form of racial exploitation and violence. Watch this video and better understand how to refrain from perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
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Despite the fact that people of color (POC) are being imprisoned, deported, evicted, and murdered at atrocious rates, contemporary media often tries to imply that the US is post-racial and politically just.
In reality, capitalism has turned Indigenous and POC cultural items and customs — which are usually born of precolonial legacy and historical trauma, resilience, and survival — into an economic currency that in no way benefits the groups from which they were stolen.
This exploits and ignores the very real violence that interferes with the well-being of POC and Indigenous Folk around the globe.
This is the sort of racism that people, on an individual basis, can recognize and interrupt.Please watch this video from Marina Watanabe to learn how you might be perpetuating cultural appropriation – and not even known it — and why you should stop.
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About the author
Marina Watanabe is a vlogger, blogger, overenthusiastic tweeter, college student, and creator of dumb literary tees. Her passions include putting off responsibilities and being sarcastic on all social media platforms. She is majoring in Women’s Studies with a minor in Communications at Sacramento State and hopes to continue using social media as a tool to discuss and raise awareness for feminist and social justice issues. Marina is currently working on a project calledWomen of YouTube that aims to give perspectives from a wide array of female content creators on the internet and give advice to and educate young women and girls. She also runs a Tumblr called Everyday Harassment that serves as a safe space for women to share their stories and educate others on the nature and frequency of sexual harassment. Check out herTumblr, or follow her on Twitter!
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This article originally appeared on Everyday Feminism.
“Cultural Appropriation” Herbie Hancock writes in “Possibilities” about how his sextet transformed into the Mwandishi band in the 60s….They re-named themselves with Swahili names, even though they never spent much time thinking about their African roots….they started wearing dashikis and African talismans in order to feel more connected to their collective African past….so is it only okay for Herbie and other black musicians to wear those things, but perhaps not the white musicians? Vivienne Tam, the Chinese-American fashion designer, makes a living on re-inventing the qipao, the tailored and well-constructed feminine silk gown, re-invented from its Manchurian costume roots….I think… Read more »
So where do ‘Paul Revere & the Raiders’ fit into this- were they inappropriately appropriating the culture and history of early revolutionary colonial America?
Some years ago, a couple of Jewish friends thew a party, a costume party that was a big hit. The theme? “Come as “Jew” are” Their 52nd floor condo at Lake Point Towers in Chicago was a big hit. The winner of the contest was a Jewish women who wore all new clothes which were two sizes too small. She kept all the labels attached and promised to return all the clothing the next day. In our early years of marriage, one of our male friends that came to our costume parties commonly wore a nun’s habit, it was funny… Read more »
Comparing swastikas to Katy Perry wearing a kimono?
I wasn’t aware Katy Perry had singlehandedly caused kimonos to be “over”.
As a white person I totally agree we need to be careful to avoid ignorant or offensive appropriation of other people’s cultural symbols and customs. On the other hand, this leaves me wondering what, as a boring and de-cultured suburban WASP, is ok? There is practically nothing in “my” cultural background that is authentic to the culture I grew up with. Halloween? Irish. Christmas trees? German. Rock ‘n’ roll? Appropriated from African Americans.
this type of cultural Marxist guilt tripping of americans, people belonging to western European cultures, and whites in general is not about fighting any real oppression , it is about progressives/leftists showing in various sanctimonious ways how they are superior to other white people and gaining a kind of pseudo intellectual and emotionally dominance against other white people. “look at me I have more non-white friends and pamper to nonwhites more than you, aren’t I a superior person.
It doesn’t make you a superior person, but it does make you electable.
Forcing the American language? My wife exclusively spoke Spanish until 1st grade. She is now fluent, written and verbal, in both languages which made her highly desirable in the business world. There was nothing culturally taken away from her. Her brother who similarly learned English the same time and way, progressed in the corporate world because he was fluent in both English and Spanish. Let’s talk about the Mexican “culture” for a moment. Many Mexicans who have come to this country have done so because they wanted a better life. For many of them, the life they experienced in their… Read more »