Cultural Appropriation Essay

The term “cultural appropriation” is vaguely known in today’s society. That is a major contradiction due to the fact that, many people are perpetrators of it. The definition of cultural appropriation is, taking an aspect of a different culture, particularly one of a lower social class, and degrading it, devaluing its importance (“What Is Culture Appropriation, Anyway?”). It’s important to understand and acknowledge the existence of cultural appropriation, while educating people on the correct ways to interact with different cultures, so that every person, of every culture is equally respected.

Cultural appropriation is done by stripping the historical, religious, and cultural context of something, to make it mass marketable (Joshi). This can be defined as reproduction of the elements in a certain culture; for purely aesthetic value (Neti). It is problematic because, it strips away cultural meaning and context; making the new adoption void of significance (Joshi). It reveals the imbalance of power that still remains prominent between cultures that have been colonized, and ex-colonized (Uwujaren). It must be acknowledged that, not every culture will welcome itself to the adoption of outsiders (Uwujaren). Appropriation is ultimately about century old patterns of taking, stealing, exploiting, and misunderstanding the history and symbols that make different cultures important (Uwujaren). It’s critical to be unprejudiced; one must educate themselves on the symbols and cultures they’re using without understanding, and the historical and social aspects needing to be acknowledged (Uwujaren).

There is a variety of forms that cultural appropriation can be found in. Anything that involves using a culture in a superficial or shallow way is a...

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...opriating is problematic (Neti). There is a history in the United States of culturally appropriating marginalized populations (“Culture Clash”). It’s important to educate others that, it is harmful to appropriate because, it removes cultural significance, and makes it seem as though cultural aspects can be specifically selected (Neti).

Cultural appropriation is a term vaguely known, in a society it’s so commonly done. It devalues the significance of a cultural aspect for the purpose of aesthetics. Many cultures are willing to globally share some of their components, but it must be known that not all of them will. These decisions must be respected by the people of other cultures, so everyone feels equal. Cultural appropriation is a real concept, and must be understood, acknowledge, and taught to those who don’t know this, so everyone in every culture feels valued.