Quote:
Originally posted by MothtoaFlame
Right? Americans seem to really love segregation.
Most of people in the world would be honored to have their local culture influencing foreign people.
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I’m not sure you’re understanding what appropriation means or the history behind it.
Let me break it down for you.
Hundreds of years ago, white people went to Africa, stole lives and brought them back to America to work as slaves. At this point, it was really about business and not race. In order to remove the issues associated with the morality of slavery, race was used as an excuse for this behaviour and so they perpetuated the idea that black people are naturally inferior. Over generations, this created an entire culture wherein blackness was ridiculed, shamed, degraded, bullied and worse. Rape, murder and all sorts of violence against blackness was accepted because blackness was regarded less than whiteness. Finally free, the black “citizens” of America were still cut out from society, poor and living under the same mentality that accepted slavery.
Today we have come a long way in legal rights and perception but so much still remains an issue.
SO when a white person takes a predominantly black style that black people are ridiculed, shamed, degraded and bullied for and puts it on a white body with all it’s privelege, acceptance and power, and that style is celebrated and seems cool or edgy, there is a huge problem.
Sure, let’s share and be friends but it’s not really sharing is it? What are white people giving back? Acceptance of the style? Not really, it still is seen as “ghetto” or “ratchet” or other such terms on a black person and thus it’s appropriation. I’m not sure that many people would be honoured that people have completely taken their styles with applause while they get abused for the same thing.