Difference Between Culture And Cultural Appropriation

Victoria Foco

Brydi King

5/30/17

5th hour

In today’s society, many people don’t realize that some of the things that they refer to as “cool’ or “trendy” are actually appropriating another’s culture. There is a sizeable difference between cultural “appreciation” and cultural “appropriation” and while these differences may be hard for you to recognize, it’s still important that you attempt to identify them. Acknowledge the differences between appropriation and appreciation. As you come to know these differences, you should make sure that you’re respecting them.

Cultural Appreciation is defined as, “learning about another culture with respect and courtesy” (Quynh). With this, you take the time to interact, and learn about this culture instead

People who culturally appropriate don't understand the background and history of what they are trying to extract from that culture. In today’s society, we have no difficulty appropriating a variety of cultures, nonetheless when we are asked to actually learn and understand these aspects of various cultures, we are reluctant. Privileged people take parts of another culture, and “use it for fashion or performance purposes, leaving behind the true meaning of the characteristic and thus disrespecting the culture from which it was born” (Florio). Many people think that taking an attribute from other cultures, is “appreciating” the culture, but it is not, it is disrespectful and offensive. The line between appropriation and appreciation is often crossed and many don't know where the line

We interviewed 10 people, both students and staff, and out of those 10, only 1 student knew what the term meant. Some tried to define it, but often thought it meant “what is appropriate and what is not in a particular culture” (Surprian). These results are, honestly, sad. There are many people in our society that are uneducated on this subject and frankly, that is why cultural appropriation still exists and continues to occur. We live in a world where education is so expansive and so complex, and to see how many people have no idea what cultural appropriation is truly