Cultural Appropriation

One of the things that stuck out to me the most about the Pham reading was the power hierarchies associated with the notion of cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is not only offensive and disrespectful, but undermines the authority people have over their own cultural. It illustrates that what is perceived as the dominant race, or white people, have the power to manipulate a minority groups culture and profit it off of its exotic nature. As mentioned in my quote it “deepens existing divides…” and heightens tensions between races that have a history of conflict. This is detrimental for the progression of peace for different races and hinders advancement of political and racial unity. I chose these videos and different mediums to express both sides of the argument of cultural appropriation by incorporating a comedic clip from Comedy Central addressing the topic. Despite the light-hearted nature of the segment, it highlights how wrong it is to appropriate another’s culture. I chose clips from fashion shows that have been accused of cultural appropriation, and what element it is trying to emulate in the look. I also picked a segment that I thought had a great example of what cultural appropriation feels like in a way that’s relatable and uncomfortable for anyone. I decided to splice these clips together issuing iMovie and incorporating voice overs to add another texture to the overall video. It also relates to the key words because cultural appropriation is a form of othering by “reinforc[ing] the mainstream by differentiating individuals and groups and relegating them to the margins according to a range of socially constructed categories.” By making someone’s culture into a fashion statement it others them in a derogatory way.