Are You Cultural Appropriating Or Appreciating? POC Share Their Insight On This Issue

The issue is that microaggressions against minorities are so normalized, oftentimes we might not even realize when it’s happening. Here’s why it relates to cultural appropriation: they’re both ultimately rooted in racism and perpetuate that *willful* ignorance and disrespect against POC is okay. Micro acts of racism have evolved from “you’re pretty for an Asian girl” to non-POC cherry-picking parts of a culture that isn’t theirs and gentrifying the culture for profit, clout, and aesthetics, all of which ultimately come at the expense of the people of those cultures. Here are some examples:

“Three white American women redesigned mahjong tiles to sell for $425 a set, saying the game needed a ‘respectful refresh,’ and were accused of erasing Chinese culture.” (Insider)

Faiza (Pakistani, 24:) “My first understanding of cultural appropriation was in high school when I saw people go to music festivals and get henna done and wear south Asian clothing to look “exotic,” but didn’t understand that these things have meaning to people. Using something for your own personal interest that doesn’t involve any thought other than aesthetic value is appropriating the culture for your own use. In a different situation, I remember the visit of Angelina Jolie to Afghanistan/Pakistan several years ago and she wore Pakistani clothing and a headscarf. The difference is that in this case it was done to make the people comfortable enough to open up to her about their problems. These two are very different situations that show non-POC acting in self interest vs. in a way where the culture is being acknowledged and respected.” 

“Adrienne Keene writes on Native Appropriations, ‘Eagle feathers are presented as symbols of honor and respect and have to be earned,’ and they’re traditionally worn by male chiefs in sacred ceremonies. But that doesn’t mean anything to those Coachella attendees who don’t respect other cultures.”

Fran (Chinese, 22): “Cultural appreciation is when someone who bears an interest in a culture outside of their own and takes time to learn about it and understand it while all in the context of understanding how they themselves identify with the culture (i.e a white person learning Chinese culture). Appreciation also comes when it’s from a pure place of interest, which is where the line between appreciation and appropriation can become blurry because “pure interest” can be perceived differently depending on the person.”

Christina (Indonesian, 24): “Appreciation is when we take our time to step out and learn about someone’s culture and understand why/how it impacts them as an individual or even as a country, and then use that knowledge to grow.”