Cultural Appropriation
Two summers ago I traveled to Antigua Guatemala with a program called Global Visionaries. This is where I first heard the term "global citizen" and where I first learned what people think it means to be a global citizen and it began my thinking into what I think a global citizen is. A question that has been with me since those two weeks in Guatemala is, how do I not feel guilty for having the privilege that I was born with, that was handed to me solely because I'm white and live in a first world country? It has taken me a while to think of some kind of answer and I'm 100% sure it will change as I learn more about the world and everything around me, but for now my answer is that I need to use my white privilege to do what I believe is "good" for the world. I think that my best chance of doing this is by traveling, and creating what Manfred Steger calls "cultural constellations" (Eitzen pg.149).
I brought up the term cultural constellation in my reading group on Friday and we ended up in a discussion about cultural appropriation and where do you draw the line from admiring and appreciating other cultures, to copying or mocking other cultures? I think this question has a different answer for everyone that answers it, but personally I think that learning about and adapting to other cultures is key in creating cultural constellations and keeping the process of globalization on the path to do good in the world instead of bad. However the world is full of different opinions. A New York Times article posted in last August says, "Stealing is bad. Its especially terrible when those doing the stealing are "rich"-as in they come from a dominant racial, religious, cultural or ethnic group-and those they are stealing from are "poor", (Bari Weiss). I agree with his statement that stealing is bad, but I think that without the sharing of different cultures, countries and the people within would be stuck in a bubble and the world would be at a stand still if every country was stuck in its own bubble. This article also brings up the fact that the people who are accused of "stealing" cultures are people who live in a privileged world, but what if that is only because the developed countries are the only ones that get the attention? In Guatemala everyone wears popular Westernized brands like Nike, Adidas, Hollister, etc. but nobody considers that cultural appropriation. So how do you balance privilege, and the risk of cultural appropriation, to create cultural constellations? A global citizen would be someone who would work to find the answer to this question and find the perfect balance.
Bibliography:
I brought up the term cultural constellation in my reading group on Friday and we ended up in a discussion about cultural appropriation and where do you draw the line from admiring and appreciating other cultures, to copying or mocking other cultures? I think this question has a different answer for everyone that answers it, but personally I think that learning about and adapting to other cultures is key in creating cultural constellations and keeping the process of globalization on the path to do good in the world instead of bad. However the world is full of different opinions. A New York Times article posted in last August says, "Stealing is bad. Its especially terrible when those doing the stealing are "rich"-as in they come from a dominant racial, religious, cultural or ethnic group-and those they are stealing from are "poor", (Bari Weiss). I agree with his statement that stealing is bad, but I think that without the sharing of different cultures, countries and the people within would be stuck in a bubble and the world would be at a stand still if every country was stuck in its own bubble. This article also brings up the fact that the people who are accused of "stealing" cultures are people who live in a privileged world, but what if that is only because the developed countries are the only ones that get the attention? In Guatemala everyone wears popular Westernized brands like Nike, Adidas, Hollister, etc. but nobody considers that cultural appropriation. So how do you balance privilege, and the risk of cultural appropriation, to create cultural constellations? A global citizen would be someone who would work to find the answer to this question and find the perfect balance.
Bibliography:
Weiss, Bari. “Three Cheers for Cultural Appropriation.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/cultural-appropriation.html.
Eitzen, D. Stanley, and Maxine Baca Zinn. Globalization: the Transformation of Social Worlds. WADSWORTH CENGAGE Learning, 2012.
I have yet to travel much internationally so it's nice to read about your thoughts and experiences in Antigua Guatemala Skylar. This class so far has also made me feel guilty, but also grateful, for my privileged upbringing. As you mentioned, it's hard to know where to draw the line between cultural appropriation and constellation. It seems more subjective than objective. Though, I feel it can't hurt to try to keep an open mind (as class has been teaching) when forming a view of it. I agree that traveling can help to broaden your perspective to other cultures and hope I can do more of it later in life. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your topic for this first blog post, and I think that it's something many in this class can relate to. I agree that it's important to use our privilege to do what we can whenever we can to make things better for others (without trying to be the savior for others.) I agree that cultural appropriation is a grey area, and where to draw the line can get confusing in many topics. I do think that when something is shared from a more powerful country to one with less it's not necessarily appropriation but rather stripping away of the culture, since the "appropriated" culture (of the US) is one that is flourishing on it's own and is more being forced upon others than taken by them. Anyways, I think you chose a great topic and I appreciate your personal additions to the blog post!
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed reading your article because you used your own experience from another country to shape your own views. You then used this knowledge to further your understanding of globalization through this class. Excellent. I would have to disagree about your broad statement regarding white privilege; I am white and this is not really the main point of your blog so I will keep my opinion short. I believe that white privilege is far less of a problem than the problem of economic privilege. In my opinion, the term white privilege breeds racism and hate towards all whites. Some of which are poor and starving just as much as others. I believe that to have a truly raciest free view of the world, we must first become race-less. Other than that, great article! Keep it up, and don't be afraid to use personal experiences from your travels!
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