The Importance Of Cultural Appropriation

What is Cultural appropriation?
Cultural appropriation: is a sociological concept which views the adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of a different culture as a largely negative phenomenon. It has become normalized in media to take specific components from different cultures and weave it into “trends” while downplaying the significance of those same components to their cultures. While cultural appropriation seems harmless to those who do it, it is demoralizing to those societies, people need to be aware of the ignorance that they are demonstrating by picking and choosing what they consider to be the “cool” aspects of a culture. Cultural appropriation is a topic that is currently highly debated and criticized. Many celebrities have appropriated cultures, it’s become popular. Why is stealing from other cultures considered fashionable and trendy? It is highly insulting to people of color. “It’s not appropriating, it’s appreciating!” This argument is probably the weakest one for defending cultural appropriation. It is very transparent and is easily deconstructed. “Cultural Appreciation is learning about another culture with respect and courtesy. It is appreciating a certain culture enough to take time to learn about it, interact with people among the culture, and actually understand the culture.” …show more content…
If more education was spread about the history and significance of cultures, more people could understand that cultural appropriation is a form of racism and discrimination. It should not be considered controversial and shouldn’t be as popular as it is in media. When people do not understand other cultures and what is important and sacred to them, it will create conflicts. Therefore, education is key and actually learning and gaining knowledge is infinitely better than using elements from other cultures for your own aesthetic values. Spread appreciation and not appropriation for there is a big difference between the