DAY 30: Give up cultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation is a layered and nuanced phenomenon that many people have trouble understanding and may not realize when they are doing it. The best determinant of whether or not cultural appropriation has happened is the word of someone from the culture being appropriated.
Cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or cultural elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression and doesn't respect their original meaning or give credit to their source. Essentially, it happens when people from the dominant culture use elements of the non-dominant culture in ways that are exploitative. Elements that are often appropriated include artifacts, beliefs, rituals, dance, clothing, music, religious or spiritual symbols, hair styles, language, medicine and tattoos.
Cultural appropriation is a form of colonialism because it seeks to achieve economic dominance by benefitting from the resources, ideas and labour of people whose land is being occupied or who come from minority cultures, while simultaneously imposing the dominant culture’s religion, language, traditions, norms and laws, often by force.
TIP: Learn the history, origins and cultural context of songs, art, stories, ceremonies and rituals that you enjoy and want to share. Ask permission to share them or use them. If you are not able to get permission and/or offer adequate compensation to the individuals or communities who created it, consider finding alternatives from your own culture instead. And never use anyone’s traditional dress as a halloween costume!
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