The End of Cultural Appropriation
How do you know when you are appropriating culture and when you are honoring it? I’ve already written about how to support us Asian-Americans. But what about appropriation? As a mixed-race Asian woman, this question has always dogged me. The debate is multifaceted. Here’s a thought:
Imagine this: You are in your weekly meditation sitting group, and after you are on your cushions, your (likely) white teacher gives teaching on the US immigration system. Say, 10 minutes. She explains the biased hurdles that immigrants face. She finishes by introducing you to local Asian nonprofits that serve Asian, Buddhist immigrants. After this, you begin your silent meditation.
Some people would say that other cultures’ innovations are there for the taking. In our capitalistic world, that has its roots in colonialism and plunder: Everything is simply here for the taking. My taking. And hey, I like it, so therefore, I must be respecting it.
In this model, there is no reciprocity. Yes, you are taking from this culture, but what are you giving back? Meanwhile, the real people from these cultures are being shot on the street, suffering from white supremacy.
The healthiest systems are systems in which all parties benefit. Not just you.
First, you can start learning about these cultures from which you benefit. I’m not talking about ancient history, either — I’m talking about contemporary lives, contemporary political issues, social issues. The goal is not to become a walking Wikipedia. The goal is to humanize the contemporary, real life situations of real-life people. Because that is who we are: Real-life people. We are not stick characters or caricatures; we are not some fantasy creature. We are people. For many of us, we are fetishized in people’s minds and yet these same people have no awareness of our actual, lived experience. They have no idea what it is like for us to live in a country of white supremacy or what people in the actual countries’ lives are like.
Second, there are so many advocate groups that are working on behalf of these People of Color whose cultures originated the products from which you benefit. It would be pretty easy for you to Google it and add these organizations to your donation list and/or get involved.
One of the key triggers for me about cultural appropriation is that you are taking the culture but not the people who created that culture. The human beings, flesh and blood. Some of these people were geniuses. Some were average. Some were not too morally great. My point is that these cultures produced the whole spectrum of humanity, and to put “all of them” on some cultural pedestal — or to ignore them entirely — is dehumanization. Even more: Some of these folks live in this country today. They could be in your city or neighborhood.
So, you are an avid meditation practitioner. That’s great. What are you doing about Asian racism? You like Latinx food. That’s great. What are you doing about immigration rights? You love soul food. That’s great. How are you supporting Black Lives Matter?
You might feel that this expectation is exhausting: How is one supposed to know everything about all these countries and be acting for justice on their behalf? But that question in itself is one that is rooted in “taking” and in plunder — I’m going to take whatever I want, on my terms. I should be able to take without any expectation of reciprocity.
Let me reframe that for you: This reciprocity can be exciting, world-enlarging, and deepen your real, true connections to the real, live people of these countries from which you benefit. The United States is so ignorant of the world. We are so fundamentally tied up with our colonial, white supremacist roots. How exciting and healing could it be for you, knowing that you yourself are entering into a mindset of reciprocity, healing from colonialism and white supremacy, and stepping out of the cycle of dehumanization and plunder.
Cultural appropriation can be a really slippery topic to discuss or try to tackle. Likely, many other people of color will disagree with my stance. That’s fine. Cultural appropriation is a multifaceted problem that merits multifaceted solutions.
But just imagine this: When you advocate for other people’s liberation, that grants you a part of your own liberation in breaking out of the white supremacist philosophy of isolation, power, and plunder; you enter into the healing model of interconnectedness. The humble link, then, between you and us — as real, live people — is your love of Mexican food, soul food, or mindfulness.
