Have a Cultural-Appropriation-Free Coachella!

So I thought that after all the hub bub and social media around white people appropriating indigenous headdresses last year at Coachella that we would be passed this. But it looks like white people still don't fully understand what cultural appropriation is and the negative effects it has, as seen by this year's trend of white girls wearing bindis.

But is this really cultural appropriation? What even is and isn't cultural appropriation? Isn't America a melting pot of cultures? If we say wearing indigenous headdresses is cultural appropriation then can I not drink green tea anymore? Can I not get Thai takeout? Where do we draw the line? These are all questions I've asked myself because cultural appropriation is difficult to understand, especially as a person of the dominant cultural, or simply, not of the culture that is being appropriated, or even, someone of the culture being appropriated who doesn't know the significance of something in their culture or has been socialized to internalize racism.

So I'm going to explain cultural appropriation in terms of the power dynamics that are present between various cultures. I believe that an unbalanced power dynamic, a history of (and continuation of) oppression, and a lack of consent are the key factors of cultural appropriation. So let me break it down for you.

1. What is cultural appropriation? 

Kick ass little Rue from Hunger Games gives a great explanation of cultural appropriation of black culture, so check out that link. But essentially, cultural appropriation occurs when a style/part of a culture leads to racist stereotypes yet when the dominant/more privileged culture takes it, without consent, and usually for profit, it is deemed high culture/fashionable without them having any awareness of its significance to culture from which it came, especially when there is a history of oppression by the dominant culture of that original culture.

So the main components of cultural appropriation are:

• The thing leads to racist/negative stereotypes of the original culture.
• But the thing is high fashion when the dominant culture takes it.
• The thing is taken without consent.
• The thing is generally taken to make money off of. 
• The dominant culture isn't aware of the thing's significance, importance, reverence, etc. to the original culture.  
• The dominant culture has a history of oppressing, stealing from, and committing ethnocide against the original culture. 

So no, me drinking green tea is not cultural appropriation because green tea has never been used to oppress API communities. It has not been used to create negative and racist stereotypes against API communities. The origins of green tea in America goes back to trade between China and America, not forceful taking without consent. And although there are negative stereotypes against Asian cultures and the US has a history of oppressing the API community, none of this revolves around green tea. 

But yes, me wearing corn rows is cultural appropriation because this hairstyle is used to create negative stereotypes against black women and men. It is still deemed as a "unprofessional" hairstyle by some which leads to an economic oppression of the black community. Corn rows are also significant to the black culture in that it protects their natural hair. If I were to choose to wear cornrows, I would be taking part of black culture I considered quirky and fashionable while that community is still being oppressed and stereotyped for that same hairstyle. 

So think about the history of something and the relationship between two cultures before you decide to take it for your own. 

2. How can a culture be appropriated? 

Any part of a culture can be appropriated if it possess the characteristics I've just mentioned. That includes clothes/hairstyles, vernacular, food, music, rituals/celebrations, etc. Cultural appropriation doesn't just occur at Coachella by rich white girls. I see you, white boys, I see what you do.

Particularly problematic is white teen's (or anyone's, really) appropriation of AAVE (African American Vernacular English). AAVE has a huge significance in the black community in that it originated out of the African diaspora and has been historically considered a "less intelligent" or "less professional" dialect of English. The black community was and continues to be stereotyped for their vernacular and it is used as an excuse to further oppress this community.

For white teens to think it's trendy and comedic to appropriate words such as "slay", "yaaas", and "werk" which were created by the black community is a gross example of cultural appropriation and white privilege. These words gain traction via social media and become part of "teen" culture when they really originated from the black community who is still being negatively stereotyped for this vernacular.

3. Who can appropriate a culture? 

Listen here kids, only the dominant culture in a society can appropriate something from another culture, which must be a subculture with a history/current condition of being oppressed by that dominant culture.

For a marginalized group to "appropriate" something from the dominant culture would be considered assimilation. That dominant culture in America is that of patriarchy, capitalism, white supremacy, and Christianity. Those belonging to this culture have the most rights, experience the least (basically none) discrimination/oppression, and are idealized by the media and consumerism. So for a subculture to take parts of that culture would not be stealing anything from it without consent. And it surely wouldn't be based on a history of oppression. Assimilation is done to appear more part of the dominant culture for reasons of economic stability, physical safety, emotional health, etc.

So in the US, ONLY WHITE PEOPLE CAN APPROPRIATE CULTURE FROM MARGINALIZED GROUPS. Not vice versa. Never. It doesn't happen. It literally is not physically possible to happen.

4. What is the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural exchange/appreciation? 

First off, exchange is consensual. It is a mutual giving and receiving. For my green tea example, it would go something like this:

United States: "Hey if we give you some silver, can we have some of your tea?"
China: "For sure bros, thanks for the silver, here's your tea."

Second, appreciation is done with the awareness of significance and reverence for symbolism. Another example would go something like this:

White Person: "Damn, I just really admire and respect Buddhism. I truly believe in it's teachings and traditions. With utmost reverence I practice meditation, yoga, and taking refuge. So I think I'm going to get a tapestry of Buddha to remind me of Buddhism's core values and ethics that I practice in my daily life."

Like I said, appropriation is done WITHOUT consent so it does not involve an exchange of cultural things. It is also done without awareness of, or with complete disregard to, something's significance so it does not involve appreciation.

You are not appreciating or paying homage to Indigenous culture by wearing warpaint for one night to a music festival to seem artsy or "bohemian". You are completely ignoring and trivializing its cultural significance and spiritualism. You are participating in the stereotyping of a culture. You are contributing to the United State's history of committing ethnocide against Indigenous culture. You are also aiding the same capitalistic system that was used in justification for stealing from Indigenous cultures.

*So remember, contemplate before you appropriate*