Questions of authenticity and cultural appropriation have enjoyed ever-increasing prominence in media as of late, and this attention has prompted some debate. One major question is where do we draw the line between appreciation and appropriation of someone’s culture? Cultural appropriation perpetuates harmful stereotypes and harms one culture at the expense of another. However, some people have been trying to combat this appropriation in ways that do more harm than good.
Mishan’s article on cultural appropriation presents a definition for cultural appropriation that emphasizes the importance of profit in appropriation. I agree with her here, that appropriation usually involves directly profiting from a minority culture in some way detrimental to them, but I disagree with her saying it is an essential characteristic of cultural appropriation. This lens excludes some important forms of culture that often fall victim to appropriation, like cultural dress. In her article, Mishan denies that something like wearing a sombrero would be classified as appropriation, but I disagree. Oftentimes, when white people wear sombreros as party hats, they are making a mockery of fiestas and Mexican culture, while furthering…show more content… Dennis Zotigh, a Native American writer, explores the controversy over cultural dress in his article “Do American Indians Celebrate Thanksgiving?” He thinks that when outsiders try to imitate cultural dress, especially that of Native Americans, they get it wrong and make a mockery of the culture. He recounts an experience in school where he had to make Indian headdresses for Thanksgiving, which were both inaccurate and problematic. I made the same headdress when I was in pre-school for Thanksgiving, and I can see how it could be offensive and perpetuate a stereotype of Native American culture. Therefore, while Mishan claims instances like these may not be culturally appropriate, I
