Is it culturally appropriate to culturally appropriate? (1)

Cultural Appropriation Intro

   

      As a heterosexual white male, I enjoy a great deal of privileges in my everyday life. As a result of this, writing about certain topics is construed by some, in the worst case scenario, as inherently logically or morally wrong, with said privilege clouding my judgment and said topic demonstrating my commitment to the ideals of patriarchy. I find this bothersome because it limits democratic discourse on important socio-political issues and all I have to work with, if indeed I operate from a perspective of privilege, is the immutable truth of logic. In my mind, logic is accessible to people of all distinctions, including class, race, or gender, so all critiques against an argument should be grounded in it rather than the status of the speaker. I completely accept that my argument about cultural appropriation may be completely wrong, but I need to know where the logic fails in order to make such an assessment. Finding a solution to the complicated issue of cultural appropriation ultimately is only possible if all sides are willing to interact meaningfully to understand the positions that must be represented when debating the issue.
   
      Cultural appropriation is still not an issue of national relevance, but the term has been increasing in usage; here is the rising prominence of the term over time. Debates about various cultural controversies have hinted at it as an underlying issue for years; one of the more recent examples is the controversy surrounding Miley Cyrus' use of "black" imagery in her music (Atlantic, Huffington Post, Thought Catalog), with many of the arguments against her coming down to theft of certain race's culture or abuse of their image through stereotyping. These arguments make out her iconography as cultural appropriation, a thing which author Susan Scafidi argues is

      “Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else's culture without permission...[including] unauthorized use of another culture's dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc." 

      I feel that this is an interesting definition, especially considering how Scafidi seemingly implies that the solution is merely asking permission. I don't know how that would work (can I ask any member of the culture if use of their materials is fine?), but even if that is the case, most discussions of the topic seem to see the very use of appropriation as harmful, allowed or not. Saying that it promotes racism, disrespects religious symbols, and constitutes theft, others argue that it should be discouraged in nearly all instances. While important arguments, I find that too many of them rely on logical fallacies and misunderstandings about how ownership and exchange work. That's not to say that the idea is silly and promoted by people who are overly sensitive; it is to say that there are merits to the arguments that are overshadowed by illogic and failures to keep in mind the needs of a sustainable global order. An ethos of cultural defense that balances the needs of sustainability is certainly possible, but the arguments for and against current schemata must be closely analyzed to determine the best possible compromise for the parties currently invested in the issue. With that in mind, the next post will focus on a comparison of arguments, a discussion of the nature of ownership, and potential solutions to the problem. 

Citations

Berlatsky, N. If Miley Cyrus's Twerking Is Racist, Isn't Janis Joplin's Singing Also Racist? Atlantic Magazine. 29 Aug, 2013. Digital. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/08/if-miley-cyruss-twerking-is-racist-isnt-janis-joplins-singing-also-racist/279162/

booksexual. Cultural Appropriation. Tumblr.com. 13 Nov, 2013. Photo. Retrieved from http://booksexual.tumblr.com/post/63377029278\

jaythenerdkid. stop calling your makeup "war paint." Tumblr.com. Jun, 2014. Photo. Retrieved from http://i.imgur.com/7xGHGdO.jpg

Julious, B. How Miley Cyrus’ Image Evolved Into Calculated Racism. Thought Catalog. 26 Jun, 2013. Digital. Retrievd from  http://thoughtcatalog.com/brittany-julious/2013/06/how-miley-cyrus-image-evolved-into-calculated-racism/

killvolume. A guide to cultural appropriation according to Cracked. Reddit.com. Feb, 2014. Photo. Retrieved from http://i.imgur.com/O6ZrqLe.png

Makarechi, K. Miley Cyrus Brings Her Race Problem to the VMAs. Huffington Post. 26 Aug. 2013. Digital. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kia-makarechi/miley-cyrus-race-vmas_b_3817286.html

Scafadi, S. Who Owns Culture?: Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law. Rutgers University Press. 8 Jun, 2005. Print.