Recently, as I was listening to the song A Dios Le Pido by the Colombian singer/songwriter Juanes, I was accused of "Columbusing" Spanish music and Latino culture. I had previously been aware of the stigma surrounding "cultural appropriation" and the utilization of the entertainment devices of other cultures, but I wasn't aware of the scope and broadness of the concern on this issue.
I was confused. I was taken aback. And I was mildly offended.
I was primarily shocked by the audacity and the extremity of the accusation, or at least, by the implications therein. I am a Polish American man listening to Latin music. In so doing, I have evidently joined the ranks of men who have committed acts of cultural genocide and conquest.
This trite, throwaway manner of handling speech and evaluating history is not only unfair to me, but also to the thousands of legitimate victims of Christopher Columbus and men like him (Cortes, De Soto, De Leon, Coronado, Pizzaro, etc.). It is not simply ignorant and wildly inaccurate; it is offensive both to me and to the people who suffered at the hands of Conquistadors. In an age of warranted cautious tact and tedious sensitivity surrounding language in regards to race and culture, it is astounding to see such careless and foolish use of real historical tragedy. How dare we minimize this plight by comparing it to my taste for Latin music? I can think of fewer less culturally sensitive things.
This occurrence inspired a myriad of thoughts regarding cultural appropriation, and ultimately, it caused me to evaluate such claims with no small amount of skepticism for several reasons.
It is firstly worth noting that the term and concept of culture is incredibly ambiguous and somewhat undefined. In contemporary society, it is essentially impossible to determine who belongs to exactly what culture(s), the rationale and qualifying characteristics behind such cultural allocations, and what allowances such individuals are afforded as a result. The global amalgamation of hundreds of ethnolinguistic people groups facilitated by centuries of migration, immigration, and diversification has blurred the lines of race and culture, and thus has blurred the boundaries between the appropriate and appropriation. How many generations must pass before the descendants of immigrants are no longer entitled to practice the customs of their ethnic roots? What percentage of a one's heritage must be traceable to a given culture in order for that person to be permitted to observe it? There are no direct answers, because how could there be?
This occurrence inspired a myriad of thoughts regarding cultural appropriation, and ultimately, it caused me to evaluate such claims with no small amount of skepticism for several reasons.
It is firstly worth noting that the term and concept of culture is incredibly ambiguous and somewhat undefined. In contemporary society, it is essentially impossible to determine who belongs to exactly what culture(s), the rationale and qualifying characteristics behind such cultural allocations, and what allowances such individuals are afforded as a result. The global amalgamation of hundreds of ethnolinguistic people groups facilitated by centuries of migration, immigration, and diversification has blurred the lines of race and culture, and thus has blurred the boundaries between the appropriate and appropriation. How many generations must pass before the descendants of immigrants are no longer entitled to practice the customs of their ethnic roots? What percentage of a one's heritage must be traceable to a given culture in order for that person to be permitted to observe it? There are no direct answers, because how could there be?
Further muddying the water surrounding the conversation on cultural appropriation is the fact that every culture appropriates every other culture all of the time. And generally speaking, we don't bat an eye.
What happens, I ask, when the world at large wears blue jeans, listens to Taylor Swift, and indulges in French fries? When Japan, Korea, and Latin American nations participate in competitive baseball, should I be incensed? How am I to respond to the Jackson Pollock exhibits located around the globe? When I walk through the streets of Cairo, Egypt, or through the markets of Quito, Ecuador and I witness Egyptians and Ecuadorians selling, purchasing, and wearing New York Yankees ball caps by the thousands, am I to be outraged? Is Western/American culture not being imitated? Is my culture not being appropriated?
The outrage surrounding cultural appropriation seems to stem from the underlying assumption that only white majority cultures can appropriate, or at the very least that only appropriation on the part of white majority cultures is offensive. This, of course, is an inherently racist premise. The fact is that every culture is equally capable of appropriating every other culture. In actuality, my culture is being appropriated all the time. I am not the least bit offended by this. Rather, I am glad for it.
The examples are endless. Culture permeates all aspects of human life and interaction. We can extrapolate and logically conclude, therefore, that when we drive foreign cars, eat foreign food, listen to foreign music, wear foreign clothing, or learn foreign languages, we must be appropriating other cultures. And conversely, when the rest of the world drives Ford or Chevy, wears Vans, and fawns over Cardi B, they must be appropriating ours.
But here's a thought: Perhaps cultural appropriation is actually a beautiful and incredibly beneficial phenomenon?
Bear with me here.
It seems that we accuse one another, with some degree of frequency, of being insensitive and unappreciative of other cultures and the value that their traditions, customs, ethics, beliefs, and devices offer. We also tends towards frustration with our own monochromacy, bemoaning our obstinate and closed-minded refusal and rejection of the new, the different, and the foreign.
Couldn't it be beautiful for me, as an American, to sample and enjoy Chinese cuisine? Isn't it perhaps worthwhile for me, a Westerner, to attempt a Turkish style of dress? Isn't it actually admirable to seek a genuine understanding of and sincere appreciation for the ways in which humanity differs in its sameness? Isn't it vital to recognize the idiosyncrasy of human character in the midst of its overwhelming conformity? Doesn't cultural appropriation lend to us the concept that other cultures are not WRONG for their foreignness, but rather, equally valuable, albeit slightly different? Doesn't it reinforce that these differences are not quite so big as we might perceive or anticipate?
I've heard plenty about the harmful nature of cultural appropriation, but ultimately, I've never heard anyone actually explain how it is so intrinsically and universally negative. There are a few obvious outliers and scenarios in which cultural appropriation could certainly become offensive (e.g. appropriating a culture simply to paint it in a negative light or to shame those who are a member of it). For point of clarification, when cultures diminish the value of other cultures by pirating sacred rituals or styles and utilizing them in a casual and careless manner, this is offensive appropriation. Making light of and mocking the hallowed practices of other cultures is an example of cultural appropriation which is unacceptable and insensitive. However, this is not the limit of outcry surrounding the derogatory nature of cultural appropriation. Here are just a few examples:
These cases are, frankly, absolutely absurd. Unfortunately, they are not isolated or occasional. These incidents and hundreds like them have polluted and poisoned the dialogue surrounding culture and the appreciation of it.
The design of this article is to a) highlight the incredibly arbitrary nature of what modern anthropological thought considers appreciation and what it considers appropriation, and b) demonstrate that the line between the two has been blurred so as to label and brand some things offensive appropriation which, quite simply, are not. Watching as foreign cultures delight in and enjoy things in which I also delight and enjoy bridges gaps and tears down barriers. Observing as the outside world familiarizes itself with concepts and devices so familiar and comforting to me provides a commonality over which I can bond with people who might otherwise be more difficult to understand. Layers of complexity can be peeled away by this common ground.
Something interesting happened to me when I traveled to India last March. I stayed for two weeks in the city of Lucknow, in the north of India. In the course of my time there, I experienced the warmth of Indian hospitality every single day. I was also asked to appropriate Indian culture.
During my first night in Lucknow, a small celebration was thrown in honor of the arriving guests. After eating copious amounts of Indian food, my friend Kristopher and I were both asked to try on a sari, the traditional dress of Indian women. As Kristopher and I donned our saris, our new friends smiled and laughed and remarked "now you look like real Indians!" After this, I was given my own kurta, a long shirt which is the traditional dress of an Indian man. I wore this shirt on several occasions, much to the delight of my new Indian friends and strangers that I encountered throughout the week.
Has anyone paused to ask whether "cultural appropriation" might be a wonderful thing; a thing which makes us capable of seeing, understanding, and appreciating other people and cultures for the variety and value that they offer?
My experience is anecdotal, of course, but when I have traveled abroad or met members of other cultures right here in the United States, I have only witnessed their curiosity, inquisitiveness and even outright delight when I have informed them that I eat their food, listen to their music, wear their clothes, or speak their language. And when members of other cultures eat my food, listen to my music, wear my clothes, and speak my language, I feel the ice break as connections become easy to construct. My culture is a valuable and indispensable part of who I am, and ergo, when others seek and strive to emulate and identify with it, I feel as if they are seeking and striving to identify with me.
This makes cultural appropriation one of the most useful possible tools for increasing tolerance, respect, awareness, and appreciation for people who me might otherwise discount, ignore, or even fear.
I eat Thai food. I listen to Latin music. My friends know that I am quite fond of wearing cardigans (traditionally Welsh). And at this point, I have been given no logical or empirical reason to apologize for any of it.
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