Faculty and students weigh in on Cultural appropriation vs appreciation

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Shakell James
Staff Writer 

Cultural appropriation is a phrase that causes a lot of confusion and controversy in conversations among different races.

When asked, “What is culture appropriation?”, many examples were given, like:

1. Wearing sombreros and ponchos on May 5th. 
2. “Acting black” to either frighten people, impress people, especially in the presence of African-Americans.
3. Taking a known cultural elements and rebranding it and passing it off as your own. An example would be Kim Kardashian in braids, with silicone injected lips and butts. These people are called ‘culture vultures’.

Cultural appropriation can also be described as utilizing a particular race’s culture without giving them credit and/or using it for belittlement. 

Members of the Jackson State University faculty and student body weighed in on this issue.

Department Chair and sociology professor Thomas M. Kersen, Ph.D., shared his insight on the topic, as well as some ways to avoid the use of cultural appropriation. 

Kersen has a teaching and research interest in social theory and does not believe there is a clear distinction between cultural appropriation vs. appreciation, but rather that the line between the two is fuzzy and complicated. 

“I think that the university experience is important for students to learn. Culture is everything, but it doesn’t stay in one spot. There are periods where culture diverges from one place to another, and also where it converges.  Culture is such a slippery slope, and it’s hard to really put hands on it. I think it’s important that students gain an appreciation about what they think is exploitation or motivation,” Kersen explained. “If one is celebrating/elevating, then that’s something to think about or discuss. If they are doing it to belittle, minimize, or to extract a gain from it, then that’s wrong.” 

Damien Terry, a freshman biomedical engineering major from Houston, Texas, shared his opinion on cultural appropriation.

“It depends on if you’re deeply rooted within your culture. Cultural appropriation is not right, but I don’t acknowledge it unless the issue is presented directly in front of me,” Terry said.

According to teenvogue.com, cultural appropriation has been happening for years, but has gained more attention recently. 

Several tips were given to appreciate cultures.

• Attending cultural events
• Trying new foods
• Learning about the traditions/history of the culture
• Be considerate of others
• Acknowledge that your actions are not apart of your nature

Latavius Johnson, a senior criminal justice major from Lambert, Miss., gave his definition of cultural appreciation.

“Cultural appreciation is when you take one’s culture that you’re not a part of and showcase it in a respectful way,” said Johnson. “It should be approached with an open mind and a willingness to learn, rather than an attitude of entitlement or superiority.”

The Teen Vogue article ascertain that appreciation is “a better experience” because multiple parties are working together, instead of them being at opposition.

As previously mentioned, some aspects of appropriation can be in the gray area, but other times it’s simple.

“It’s major parts of American history that are peeled away, and it becomes bland. That’s a form of cultural appropriation. We try to take away that richness and diversity. We are a diverse country. The magic of us is, we’re full of people with different cultures. We need to have dialogue, because we live together,” said Kersen.

A 2015 interview with Zendaya, available at Mic.com, displays the cultural significance of the actors’ appearances. 

“You can go about it as cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation. The key to that distinction is understanding the meaning behind an item. You have to be very careful. Some things are really sacred and important to other cultures, so you have to be aware, politically, about those things before you just adopt them,” said Zendaya in the interview.

Culture defines who we are and what we represent. We have the ability to express multiple cultures without bringing a negative connotation to it. Cultural appropriation is the act of not knowing, or not acknowledging traditions from multiple cultures. 

In order to respect other cultures, do research and give credit. Appreciation is better than appropriation.