Every once in a while, I get a concept in my head and think about it ad nauseum. Today, I am obsessing on the concept of cultural appropriation. It’s not a fun expression: it’s yucky, and it doesn’t roll of the tongue nicely. It’s especially annoying when it’s overused.
A definition of the word “appropriation,” is: “taking something for one’s own use, typically without the owner’s permission.” The word, itself, appears to have been appropriated: it should be about physical possessions, but instead it’s been culturally adapted word to be about cultural misuse.
What does cultural appropriation mean? It’s the adoption of elements of a minority culture by a majority culture. In other words, cultural appropriation is any item or idea from a subculture that becomes mainstream. When I was a kid, you were called a “poser” for dressing like others, and trying to pull of “someone else’s look. Is that cultural appropriation?
Cultural appropriation dictates extreme politeness. It dictates that I cannot say “ten-fifteen minute” in a Chinese accent when I’m ordering my Chinese food, or make jokes about Indian food being “vewy good, vewy good,” in an Indian accent. (though Asian and Indian aren’t minority cultures, so does this concept really apply?) Anyway, even though I’m Jewish, I’m not insulted when people fake a Jewish accent. Even though I’m a redhead, I’m not insulted when people dye their hair red. Even though I was a teenage in the 1990’s, I’m not insulted when someone dresses like a 1990’s teenager.
Recently, the news has gone viral about a teen who decided to wear a traditional Chinese dress for her prom dress. Was this offensive? Maybe so, maybe not. In my day, no one would have heard about it. But now, with everything being recorded and televised, the smallest offense can go nationwide.
With all this talk about cultural appropriation, I’m wondering who I have accidentally offended in my life. For me, most offenses will just roll of me, but occasionally, for some unknown reason, something sticks and truly offends me. I’m sure I’ve truly offended people as well, without meaning to, over the years.
I must mention comedy: a few days ago, Michelle Wolf did her infamous comedy routine at the 2018 White House correspondent’s dinner. I found her hilarious, but also a little bit demeaning and insuIting. I think you should know and respect your audience. I have similar political beliefs to her. She, as a comedian, might have taken it too far. If I were in a room full of foes, I would have been a little more sympathetic to my audience. But I’m still impressed she was able to push her boundaries… What does this have to do with cultural appropriation? It has to do with pushing the envelope…
Comedy is an opportunity to say things that might ordinarily be considered offensive. Comedians say inappropriate things all the time! They get to say all the things that other people don’t feel comfortable saying. That’s a big responsibility for comedians. The rest of us should talk about hot button topics, too. We should apologize if we offend people, but we shouldn’t live our lives by trying to make everyone happy.
If you tread super carefully through life because you are afraid of offending people, then I think this world gets too soft. We shouldn’t be soft! We should offend people sometimes. We should risk that our words won’t be perfect. Let ourselves be heard. If offenses occur, then discuss it as adults. Get it out in the open. Don’t hide behind walls.
We should apologize when we offend people. We should admit when we are offended, but then we shouldn’t take every offense so personally. As adults, we should strive to let things “go” more often than not. This society is moving so fast. Some of us will be burned a bit in the shuffle. Play with those flames, but don’t let that fire destroy you.