Evaluation II

 

Following the same dynamic for this week, we followed with an essay using the method of composition point by point. In addition, to this for this task instead of using a chart for my pre-writing process, I used the Venn diagram technique. I was running out of interesting topics and after spending a few hours looking for a good one, I chose the following:

Can cultural appropriation be masked as cultural appreciation?

 

There’s a lot of controversy regarding the concepts of cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, people have divided opinions and perspectives when it comes to these two. Social media and several media platforms can’t either become the fuel that will light up the situation even more or can be used as beacons for the education of many. Some people are not able to understand where appreciating another culture can become an attempt of appropriation and misrepresentation of another culture that is not their own. That’s why this text will clarify this topic for anyone that is interested.

For starters this topic might get confusing because we understand cultural appropriation as the one that gives an inaccurate perspective of the culture that’s taking elements from, generates conflict while doing it and reinforces stereotypes. This side of the coin tends to take symbols or elements from other cultures without any actual knowledge or respect of its cultural value and even looks to profit out of it. However, on the other side we have cultural appreciation, like its counterpart it also takes symbols or elements from another culture, but instead it gets permission and understands the background of the elements taken from the culture, uses them as intended and doesn’t claim to have any authority over the culture that is not its own. 

So the big question that follows should be, how do I know which one I’m doing?. For example, if you go into a store and buy mass-produced Native American items neither the shop owner or the company that produced the items understands or works with Native American members of the community, and yet they look to profit out of their culture, everyone involved in this scenario has fallen under cultural appropriation. Following the same pattern, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying Asian food from that restaurant owned by that Japanese family, however without being aware you used the chopsticks in the wrong way, by sticking them right up in a bowl of rice, you didn’t know this but by doing so you might be offending the family since this symbolizes incense sticks in a food offering to dead ancestors. However, if we want to do the right thing and avoid falling into the wrong side, let’s say you’re an exchange student in another country and the family of a local friend invites you to celebrate a holiday, and they give you traditional clothes for you to wear, you don’t only get invited to share, but you also understand their background and live the experience with the locals. Following the same scenario, if the family gives you the clothes you could take them home, but you don’t wear them as a Halloween costume since it leads to any kind of misrepresentation.

There’s a fine line between the appropriation and appreciation of another culture that is not your own, being curious or enjoying the culture of another country or another ethnic group is not a sin. However, it is important to always keep an open mind and be sensitive towards other cultures' struggles and often misrepresentation by the mass media, trying to always avoid being part of the problem and start working on being part of the solution is the way to go, by learning from your mistakes and helping on spreading the word. Nobody knows everything about anything, but as long as you’re willing to help others that were once in your position is the best course of action.