5 Things People Keep Getting Wrong About Cultural Appropriation
It can create a slippery slope, but it doesn’t always deserve the outrage it inspires.
The times they are a-changing — and so is the language we use that define them. As racial awareness continues to steadily rise, our lexicon has become inundated with race-related buzzwords and phrases no-one was using a decade ago (“microaggressions,” “antiracism,” “White fragility”), and for many, some of those words and phrases, like “cultural appropriation,” are as misunderstood as “racism” continues to be.
This week, the buzzwords flew as watchdogs on social media leveled accusations of cultural appropriation against actor Michael B. Jordan over a new business venture. While some of the criticism was constructive and warranted, some of the snark underscored the complicated nature of a concept many people don’t fully understand.
If you live in the real world, it’s next to impossible to always stay in one’s lane culturally. We borrow from other cultures every day without thinking…
