How and when is it considered wrong? Pt2

Cultural appropriation is also something that leads to the fetishism of a culture. For example, there are slutty Indian, cowboy, Arabian dancer, gypsies and much more (you name it, they got it) as costumes or lingeries. Because these are considered as "exotic" therefore it is being used as costumes to cater to one's fantasy. This is called racial fetishism.
  "We’re often introduced to other communities via their cultural practices. We get tricked into thinking that appreciating someone else’s food, music, and other traditions are akin to being in solidarity with one another." 

  Rachel Kuo, a Taiwanese writer at everyday feminism disagrees with the statement above. She mentioned that we need to learn each other’s struggles and work alongside each other than appreciating other cultures. Non-Black people of color need to do better to address anti-Blackness within our many communities. "Just like we shouldn’t benefit off of Black movements without contributing to the struggle and the fight, we can’t take aspects of Black culture that we enjoy and that we feel an affinity towards, yet continue being complicit and silent in the face of rampant anti-Black racism." (Kuo, 2016)

  Rachel also stated that if she wants to show her appreciation of the Black and/or Indigenous culture she needs to improve in terms of her own activist practices instead of just wearing different symbols to appear political, she should align herself in the actual struggle and I really do agree with her.

In my opinion, there is a very fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation and I have yet to find where that line sits. I will have to do more research and digging into this matter, till then, I'll see you on the next post.

References

Kuo, R. (2016). Yes, People of Color Can Practice Cultural Appropriation – Here Are 3 Ways How - Everyday Feminism. [online] Everyday Feminism. Available at: http://everydayfeminism.com/2016/06/poc-cultural-appropriation/ [Accessed 27 Jun. 2017].

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