Where's the Line Between Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation?

The line between appreciating and appropriating someone else's cultural products can be a blurry one. Learn how respect and research can go a long way in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff, production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff, Lauren vog Obam. Here, let's talk about the
complex definitions and pitfalls of cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation.
In May of twenty nineteen, Nordstrom had to apologize for
advertising a turban designed by Gucci that they were selling

(00:22):
for seven nine dollars, which closely resembled sacred turbans worn
by people of the Seek faith. Simwren Jeet Singh, a
senior fellow with the New York based Seek Coalition, told
the Associated Press, we feel that companies are commodifying and
capitalizing on something that is dear and sacred to people
around the world. Nordstrom stopped carrying the product, though Gucci

(00:42):
has not yet responded to the criticism. In February, Gucci
got in trouble for featuring a black sweater that could
be pulled over the chin and nose. The sweater had
to cut out for the mouth, framed by giant red
lips that called to mind images of black face for
many people. Gucci ended up removing the offending garment. The
health food restaurant Sweet Green also recently came under fire
for using the hip hop lyrics of black artists to

(01:04):
promote items on their menu in predominantly wealthier, wider neighborhoods.
The rise of social media has significantly contributed to public
outcries against what some people see as the exploitation of
cultures that historically have been marginalized. For instance, Brazilian model
Alessandra Ambrosio was heavily criticized on Instagram for posting a
picture of herself wearing a sacred Native American headpiece as

(01:26):
a fashion item to Coachella Music Festival. Others argue that
the movement has gone too far and persecuting people who
mean no harm. So where's the line? On the most
basic level, cultural appropriation happens when a member of one
culture uses the products, hair, clothing, customs, et cetera of
another culture of which they are not a member. This

(01:48):
in itself is not fundamentally wrong, says philosophy professor Eric Mathis,
who teaches at Wesley College and has written about cultural appropriation.
If it was, would all be in deep trouble given
how interactions between cultures have been going on for millennia.
So when does it cross the line from something benign
or even productive to something that causes harm. The reality

(02:09):
is that there's simply no hard and fast rule. It
depends on the context, and a few key factors make
the determination power, intent and outcome. For example, if you're
a white American and a close friend of yours invites
you to their traditional Indian wedding, it would likely be
fine for you to don traditional Indian clothing for the occasion.
Your intent would be to honor your friend's wish and

(02:31):
show respect for their traditions. Now say, before the festivities,
you're running a last minute errand and bump into a
white American friend They can't get over how great you
look in your sorry and snap a photo they posted
on Instagram without mentioning the wedding tag you and add
a hashtag Bollywood. You and or your friend might be
in trouble for appropriating or perhaps mocking a culture. In

(02:53):
this case, the style of dress that in the US
has historically been marginalized. And let's take it one step
for there, say the sorry you're wearing was designed by
a big name Western brand. Did the companies seek consent
from an Indian culture to use traditional designs in their clothing.
This is where the logic of cultural appropriation gets messy.
Of course, you can't ask a culture for consent. Cultures

(03:15):
are fluid and often have ill defined boundaries. If you're
a celebrity with millions of followers around the world, the
possibility offending someone is compounded, as when Beyonce performed at
an Indian wedding in twenty eighteen wearing an Indian inspired
outfit including a deeply v necked in a high side
slit dress plus quasi traditional jewelry. As Mathis said, taking

(03:36):
a picture of something that might be viewed as wrong
in one context and broadcasting that to the entire world
is inevitably going to result in disagreement. What's important in
these cases of cultural exchange is due diligence. Mathis notes,
if someone from a marginalized culture raises a concern, you
should investigate to find out why. The best source for

(03:56):
this information is always going to be people from that culture.
Other people, even with the best of intentions, might misrepresent
the issues at hand. Mathis also advises against speaking out
on behalf of other cultures, though I would personally say
that if you do your research and perhaps consult with
a friend or a public representative from that culture, it
can be helpful for someone of a dominant culture to

(04:17):
check their friends and family's behavior, though what constitutes good
ally ship is a whole other episode. Critics say that
this whole movement against cultural appropriation is causing some people
to be less open to cultural exchange at Jenny Avans,
in an article for the Atlantic, said, no matter how
much I love Cablenet sweaters and gree Aer cheese, I
don't want to live in a world where the only

(04:38):
cultural inspiration I'm entitled to comes from my roots in Ireland,
Switzerland and Eastern Europe. There are legitimate reasons to step
carefully when dressing ourselves with the clothing, arts, artifacts, or
ideas of other cultures, but please, let's banish the idea
that appropriating elements from one another's cultures is in itself problematic.
Mathis agrees that in some case as an overabundance of

(05:01):
caution can also cause harm. For example, say you're traveling
through New Mexico and stop at an arts and crafts show.
Because of how much negative attention there's been lately about
Coachella attendees wearing Native American headdresses. You wind up not
buying anything from the Native American booths for fear of
acting offensively, but arts and crafts are how many Native
Americans support themselves in their families. In fact, the U.

(05:24):
S Government passed the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which
outlaws marketing products in a way that suggests they were
created by Native Americans if they were not. The intent
was to protect the livelihoods of Native crafts people. Learning
about the art you're buying and the traditions behind it
can help you purchase and display the art respectfully. Critics
have also accused the movement against cultural appropriation for being

(05:46):
overly sensitive. Here, Mathis pushes back. He said, when you
think about the changes in contemporary culture that allow for
the possibility of making clear and public statements about ways
in which you've been marginalized or oppressed, that's a good
thing in a context in which people feel free to
talk about those experiences. If it leads to people sometimes
going overboard, that's a cost we can deal with. Today's

(06:13):
episode was written by Daniel Duvies and produced by Tyler Clang.
Brain Stuff is a production of I Heart Radio's How
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