There seems to be a new group of people out there, and I like to call them Warriors of Cultural Appropriation. These are the people who are against cultural appropriation or the adoption of particular cultural practices by outside groups. They feel that anything involving their own culture should never escape their own inner circle. These are some of the most closed-minded people I’ve ever heard of.
Recently, there have been particular dances and music genres that have been inherent to the people of African-American culture, which created a firestorm among some of the people who felt that they should never abandon their own cultural practices. That is, people of different races should not use these particular art forms in their own work. Instead of being proud, they were filled with disgust. While I can understand being upset if something from your own culture is disrespected and made fun of, the notion that no one outside of one’s own race has a right to it is just ignorant and short-sighted. How far will we take this? Should I be upset that yoga, which is inherent in my own home country of India, has been embraced by non-Indians and has become a worldwide phenomenon? While traveling the world, can’t I enjoy the multitude of culinary flavors? Can’t I learn to cook other countries’ meals? If I’m looking at a traditional dance from a different culture, can’t I choose to be interested and learn it myself? Should I never travel? Should I never teach anyone about my own culture?
These questions may seem ridiculous, but for some, it seems to be the natural course of their thought processes. One day we will wake up and be in our own little boxes, surrounding ourselves with people who only think like us, act like us, and look like us. The beauty of this world is that we are a multitude of cultures coming together, creating an amalgamation of beautiful societies. Yes, I understand that there is also a lot of conflict in this world related to this. For now, I choose to look at the positive.
When we think of particular cultural practices, even though they are often associated with a particular race or ethnicity, there is no clear definition that can’t be pulled out of some imaginary box we put it in. In doing so, we limit the amalgamation of our cultures and those of other peoples and do not allow them to create a beautiful melting pot. We do not allow diversity to flourish.
Why must we also paint ourselves and others in a preconceived portrait that represents an established stereotype? While I understand that stereotypes exist and are often true, automatically placing them on people we don’t even know is just ridiculous. We hear statements like: This person doesn’t act black enough, or not Hispanic enough, or not Asian enough, etc. I myself have been told that I don’t act like an Indian and that I should. Sorry for not putting your hands together, bowing your head and speaking with an Indian accent while wearing traditional Indian clothing and some sort of headdress. Surprise! I’m not really sorry. If this is what you expect from me, you will be sorely disappointed.
What does it even mean to tell someone that they don’t act like their race? Is a person supposed to act a certain way based on his race? How about we just act like the people we are on the inside and not based on the color of our skin or where we come from? Sounds pretty good to me.
The people who put us all in our own bubbles like this are the real dividers in this world. They create conflict, hatred and problems where they need not exist. If you feel like this; if you are against cultural appropriation, just go back to your own solitude and isolate yourself from the rest of us as we continue to love, embrace and spread all of our cultures around the world. If you think this is a problem, then YOU are the problem. Excuse me now, while I enjoy my Mediterranean dinner, with Italian dessert, a Mexican beer, and end my night watching a great American sitcom.