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Cultural Appropriation?
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I have to say that the term appropriation is a very loaded term and was used by the article’s author purely for its emotional impact. The term is sensational and irresponsible from a journalistic perspective.
If we take that stance that we should never try to emulate or adopt another culture we take the stance that humanity should not seek to understand anyone else and we further the separations between ourselves and others.
Cultural adoption and emulation has gone on throughout the history of mankind. It is one of the primary ways cultures evolve, change improve and find solidarity in one another. We find understanding by emulating others in life and in art.
Much emulation in art or life comes from a perspective of honor and desire to understand. When someone dances to cultural music in their understanding of the cultural dress they have found something beautiful about it and are simply trying understand a culture in the way that they explore the world.
We can then choose to accept that gift in the spirit in which it was intended or we can be offended. If someone chooses to be offended, that is on them and not the person who was trying to understand or honor them.
This argument breaks down in the face of caricature and that is where we need to apply some critical thinking. Is someone making a statement through their caricature? Perhaps they do not understand the implications of their costume choice? Someone who chooses a sexy Native American costume for their halloween party probably doesn’t understand the implications of their choice while someone who chooses an unflattering representation of Obama or Trump most likely full understands what they are doing and is making a statement. I will leave it to you to choose how to deal with intentional and unintentional caricature.
In the end we need to seek to understand each other, not just the cultures we emulate but the ones emulating us. Being offended just gets in the way of open dialog and better relationships between everyone.
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my dad is Apache and my moms family is German Jew- but I’m just white…. i think both sides of my family have faced lots of cultural adversity throughout history so it makes me sad to hear that I am just a white person who is part of the problem.
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I feel compelled to say something here because, um, I’m a 1st generation Mexican American…and while I can’t speak for all Mexican or Latin American people, I can definitely say that Calaveras have great significance, but one of the main reasons to use the face painting is to welcome all those crossing over from the other side on Dia de los Muertos. After all, you don’t wear sweatpants to a wedding, and when your dead relatives come to visit you don’t want them to feel weird when they’re having pan de dulche with the family–we’ll all be joining them one day, so it’s only polite for us to cast aside our earthly bodies so we can enjoy the time together. Would I be offended to see (for example) Japanese people having a great time in full makeup at a Marigold Parade? Absolutely not. I’d gladly offer ANYONE (Native American, African American, space alien, etc.)to share my empanadas, neopolitinos, and tamales. Would I be bugged if the meaning of a celebration near and dear to me were used to conceal identity and act as a narrative for loss? Maybe. Try to remember, you’re basically using imagery from Mexican Memorial Day. We deal with loss, um, differently though so it’s a little silly, colourful, and definitely full of food and fun. But at it’s root, we’re welcoming our loved ones to visit us so we can defy death through love and then carry on as we part ways again. We tend to their graves and tell their stories to keep them close. I think preserving those ideals is key to using the imagery without being offensive. I try to remember that there’s a lot of culturally relevant imagery that often gets used for purposes other than those originally intended and we’ve all been party to it without meaning to be offensive. I’ve been to a luau dressed as a hula girl thinking it was super cute then later realized hula is a very disciplined art of storytelling through dance. I’ve dressed as a geisha at Halloween because it was just so damned pretty then read about how those women devote everything to their art as early as age 9. I think education is a huge part of avoiding any major faux pas and if you really don’t know what it’s like to live in or grow up in a particular culture, try hard not to use it’s imagery or repurpose it’s meaning for those who do. At least that’s my two cents. And sincerely, today is Todos Santos and tomorrow is Dia de los Muertos so this consideration is a lovely time to see if there are some celebrations anywhere near you and take part in them so you can decide whether or not it feels right for you to represent them on stage. Additionally, I don’t know a thing about you. Maybe you have some Hispanic heritage or have been in a place where this is a good identity for you. My husband is Norwegian but he’s been in the southwest so long he makes better flan than my aunt. 🙂 Anything is possible and I really think you’ve done a lovely thing in considering that it might be offensive at all. Good luck, thank you for entertaining my rant, and I hope you can find a suitable solution to balance your pole dancing and professional life 😉
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Phoenix Hunter, Mexicans are white people. We are considered Caucasian as a race and Hispanic by ethnicity. So you and I are just like sisters and you can buy all the sugar skull masks you want! ;P
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Hehe! thank you Demi! I think its just funny to assume anything about peoples culture or ethnicity just by the way they look. I think there is so much more to people than how they look on the outside. No one looks at me and would think that my dad is Apache- he looks VERY different from me. People just assume Im “white” and like you mentioned- white includes many things. My boyfriend is 2nd generation Mexican American and his family have always been so open and welcoming when it comes to the holidays. This openness and warm heartedness is what I think of when I think of the Mexican people as a culture. I have so much reverence and respect for that. I live near the border and love that I have exposure to so much culture. 🙂
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Demi, I also love your idea of actually attending local festivities. My significant other is hosting a family event for Dia de los Muertos at his theatre he works at. There will be a lady painting faces and I might actually get her to paint mine too! 🙂
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I just wanted to say I have a sugar skull tattooed on my chest and I do believe intention is everything. I have had this tattoo for 9 years and I have never had anyone tell me they thought it was disrespectful. It has merely been art. That’s what we re here to do.. make art. All kinds of it:) It’s beauty, it tells a story about a chapter of my life. Just like a costume, expression. My intention is never to hurt my fellow brothers and sisters. Intentions can be felt by people who are able to be connected and can feel things from there heart and not judge strictly from the mind. We are born to love, not hate, that’s something we learn through life. Be You !! We will never make everyone around us pleased after all. we are here to overflow our joy into the world. Intentions are everything. They mold our daily life. Have a beautiful day SV!
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Phoenix Hunter, funny. I have blue eyes, medium skin, and sandy blonde hair and anytime I go to visit family in Oaxaca, Mexico there’s always a funny story or five I come back with. When I’m here I get aggravated in social situations where I know people look at me and my married last name and start asking about ludafisk and Vikings. It happens all over. Some of it is amusing, insulting, annoying, awkward, but all of it is life and I just try hard to remember I’ve been guilty of the same. Sometimes being wrong is a great tool for growth and learning-everyone needs humbling on some level. Besides, for all I know there’s a Norseman somewhere in the woodpile–plenty of Spainards have beautiful red hair 😉 Just sayin’. I wouldn’t have been surprised a bit if you had Hispanic roots too. I had honestly wondered since you’re exotic looking and in San Diego.
I’m encouraged to hear you’ve had such wonderful experiences with your proximity to Tiajuana and through your beau’s family. I think welcoming and community play huge parts in our upbringing, and again, that’s not everyone everywhere, but it is no surprise to hear that the Mexican government is encouraging people to do Calavera makeup, etc. We are the people who say, “Mi casa es su casa,” so sharing is certainly in our nature. I truly, truly hope I’ve conveyed the warmth, respect, and acceptance I believe are at the heart of my culture, and this is a great time to take part in a celebration that is hugely important and can only display it’s quirks and eccentricities to participants. Knowing this holiday is about a lot more than death and remembrance (recuerdo)–it’s about transcending (and sometimes playfully mocking) the void between life and death through love. I hope down to the marrow of my bones that EVERYONE can experience that authentically. It’s beautiful and comforting.
Okay, enough of my passionate Latin prattle. I have to go to mass, buy marigolds, and make offrendas–my relatives will be here this evening. Amor Para Siempre (Love Forever), mi compadres. I wish everyone a great visit with their dearly departed this Dia de los Muertos.
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I’m very wary of appropriation myself. It’s especially risky if you don’t know much about the cultural tradition you are “borrowing” from. For example, a lot of white people wear First Nations’ headdresses at music festivals and it’s generally considered very offensive. This is because those headdresses aren’t just “decoration”; they signify status. It’s similar to wearing a Memorial Cross (or a Medal of Honor for Americans) when you didn’t actually do the things that would normally earn you the right to wear that insignia. Veterans would be quite rightly upset if someone who wasn’t ever in combat started ‘appropriating’ their honours and symbols of valour, and that’s exactly what we do when we put on headdresses and other FN paraphernalia as costuming.
So, before borrowing a tradition from another culture, ask yourself: Do I really understand how this is used in the original culture? What does it mean? Am I perpetuating a stereotype about this nation or ethnicity? Does the symbolism still make sense in my work, or am I just using it because it’s more “exotic” or “unusual” to my eyes that something from my own cultural traditions? Am I acknowledging and giving appropriate credit to other artists in the source culture? (If you don’t credit it, you’re kind of plagiarizing in your art.) I don’t think you can get to a simple “do or don’t” answer, but if you can’t answer those questions or the answers and reflection makes the choice less comfortable, then you should probably choose something different.
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Thanks Demi5e2991 for sharing that – it’s interesting to learn about how other cultures view death and deceased loved ones. The Buddhist culture I was raised with doesn’t have any of this (ancestor worship doesn’t exist in our denomination and there are denominationally specific concerns about the priesthood taking advantage of lay persons) – it’s just not something we focus on. We may have someone tell a remembrance (or do a performance – we love performances haha) at a meeting and/or incorporate prayers for them in our daily practice. For us, the deceased doesn’t come back to the old life, but moves forward to the next one (allowing them to continue improving their karma).
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I don’t like the article because I don’t think it’s necessary to overly police people for what they do for fun. I worked at a Mexican restaurant and could recount many things that could be deemed offensive by some people’s standards. Just a lack of understanding imo, but I wouldn’t call it blatant racism. I would go and joke about people’s “fuax pas” to my co-workers, stuff happens. If people drink and are happy then I’m happy too and that’s all that matters. People can choose to learn about me or they can choose not too. It’s a free country.
It’s admirable for people to be so compassionate and considerate toward others, but also, it doesn’t need to be forced fed either. MeganJoan, you deemed what is and is not appropriate, I apologize, but do not feel that is appropriate for you to tell others how to behave or dress. I do not mean this as a personal attack by any means, I just feel the article was a tad bit excessive. You have good intentions and that’s appreciated, but not everybody has to behave the same way.
I hope people have fun, life is hard enough without nitpicking like the article did. I’m pretty positive many of you do not have ill will when choosing to represent a culture other than your own. It’s a fun way to learn about others too if you’re interested.
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If you’re going to say something to me then at least have the backbone to actually say it, rather than caveat it with a version of “I’m sorry but”.
I will continue to advocate for social awareness, especially by those I positions of social privilege. And I will continue to insist that we be mindful of how we behalf and listen first and foremost to the people groups whose culture we are taking from. I really couldn’t give a shit if that makes you, or anyone else who would rather ignore the issue, uncomfortable.
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Oh and btw I did stop following this thread, but was then tagged by someone else in another community. Literally laughing in abject horror at what is happening here and the comments being made.
The arrogance of the ignorance here, and how quickly Veena was on to discourage anyone from giving a second thought about the social implications of their costume choices means I am done with this place. As are many others in the aforementioned other community.
Enjoy guys! Laters.
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The article and MeganJoan’s comments are put in the ‘excessive’ category by participates in this thread, but casual everyday racism is not. Everyone is really missing the point of the article – which has been articulated well in the article and by MeganJoan so there’s no point me adding more when everyone is so willing to ignore, silence and not participate in learning.
Sure not being offended is not a right. But as people who have a choice; I find it disheartening that in the pole community – one I promote to non-polers as inclusive – can’t take a step back and be critical of themselves and realise their privilege.
It’s easy to choose a costume that is not appropriating (though apparently this word is too loaded!? So insert borrowing if it makes you feel better) from a culture and still do a great show. When it’s so easy, why can’t we just give the benefit of the doubt and choose the kinder, more considerate option? There is no excuse. Can we please stop making excuses?! You’re privileged to have the choice to take what you want. It’s not merely showing appreciation because you think it good thoughts. It’s still taking because you have the position of power.
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My “dismissing attitude” is not over racism but the ARTICLE. The timing of the article seemed like a ploy to get people rilled up drawing attention to the BK blog over the halloween season. Which of course will sell costumes. The over all tone of the article was not caring or encouraging others to learn more about each others culture, but rather accusatory. It was written in a way that made it sound as if this was a raging issue among pole dancers.
I’ve not seen anyone making videos on here or creating routines for competitions where they have used costuming in an offensive way. Maybe is it an issue that I have not come across yet, but it’s not happening in videos I’ve seen. Had I been seeing many dancers choosing costumes that may offend that would be a different story, and we would need to get the word out for sure! I just haven’t seen these offenders.
I don’t see any REGULAR members being hateful or racist in anyway, the hate is coming from outside our SV community. I see members who are upset over the tone of an article….and it seems wrong to use such a powerful thing like racism to sell costumes.
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