Reflection 3: Please Don't—Notes on Cultural Appropriation

Cultural appropriation is the act of one culture "incorporating" aspects of another culture into its own. This differs from cultural exchanges in which American hip-hop and Bollywood-style dancing might incorporate each others' moves, or Korean and Mexican cuisines integrate each others' ingredients. In cultural appropriation, a dominant group assimilates aspects of a foreign culture without regard to their original use or intent. In other words, parts of one culture might be absorbed into another in insensitive, even offensive, ways, often for their perceived exoticism or cool factor. Thus, in America, we've seen hipsters embrace Dia de los Muertos, the popularization of sacred Tibetan symbols as tattoos, celebrities sporting Kabbalah string bracelets, and the labeling of a clean, Asian-influenced design as "Zen" style. Each of these is misunderstood and, in turn, misapplied; and yet each has seeped into pop culture. How have you seen the iconography of other cultures absorbed into the American mainstream? What is the line between borrowing, often sacred, cultural artifacts and misusing them? For example, can we truly understand the traditions of Ojibwa dreamcatchers when they're worn as necklaces, or respect Hindu principles when we do yoga with our dogs?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "What’s Wrong with Cultural Appropriation? These Nine Answers Reveal its Harm" (Everyday Feminism)
• "A Much Needed Primer on Cultural Appropriation" (Jezebel)
• "On Hipsters/Hippies and Native Culture" (Bitch)
• "Día de los Muertos: Cultural Appropriation Meets Craft" (ONTD Feminism)
• "Should You Wear a Native American Headdress to Coachella This Year?: A Handy Flowchart" (Vice)
• "Why You Shouldn't Get Chinese Script Tattoos (If You Can't Read Them)" (Kotaku)
  

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• 1.5 pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: Thu 3.3