"It once was the case that only those foolish enough to take a course in sociology risked being accused of “culture appropriation.” Unfortunately, the concept has leaked out into the larger society to the extent that I now get emails from people seeking advice on how to respond to the accusation. The following is an example of an email I received just a few days ago:
Hello Mike: I have a question. I don’t know if this is appropriate to ask, but what is your response to cultural appropriation? I think it is stupid liberal whining, but how do I address it in a "high road" way? Are there any articles or schools of thought resources I can research? Thanks! Alicia."Having found no specific resources, I decided to publish my brief response in column-form so that those facing the accusation will be prepared. It is brief, but here is all you need to know the next time you are accused of “appropriating” another culture:
Dear Alicia: The concept of cultural appropriation is like a lot of progressive ideas. It is so ridiculous that all you have to do is ask the proponent of the idea some pointed questions in order to poke a hole in the concept. Let’s start with an example.
Several years ago, some fraternity men were accused of cultural appropriation because they decided to throw a Cinco de Mayo party at which they all wore sombreros. The results were predictable. They got drunk, they posted pictures of themselves wearing sombreros all over social media, and then people got offended. That led to the specific accusation of cultural appropriation and subsequent trouble with their school’s administration. The question is: What would you do if faced with a similar accusation?
There are two possible responses I would recommend – the first slightly aggressive and the second much more so.Keep reading...
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