Cultural appropriation is a phenomenon that possess a great threat to society as it is not being analyzed and utilized properly. The problem when analyzing this phenomena arises when trying to define it. Defining cultural appropriation is arduous because society struggles to define clear boundaries between who is oppressed or disenfranchised. To the best of their ability society has defined cultural appropriation as a sociological concept which views the adoption or use of elements of one systematically oppressed culture by the members of a dominant culture as a largely negative phenomenon. Once it has been taken the element in question is usually turned into a commodity or form of entertainment, erasing the culture that it once was a part of. Cultural appropriation is a phenomenon that has existed as long as cultures have been interacting. It is not necessarily a bad thing but when erasing the history behind the culture it becomes terrible. For instances of negative cultural…show more content… Rachel Dolezal is a white American who has been accused of falsely claiming she is an African-American. Dolezals identity is complicated as a white woman who teaches African studies at Eastern Washington University. An event in her past led her to believe that the only way she would achieve her means to an end was to appropriate a black identity. Rejecting white privilege Dolezal developed a backstory to explain her transition from a white girl born to white parents in Montana to the president of the Spokane, Washington, NAACP branch and a studio artist whose work centered on black identity and social oppression. Sporting culturally black hairstyles, and bronzing her skin Dolezal fooled the world into truly believing that she was an African-American only to be outed by her white parents. To many she represents the line that stands between cultural appreciation and cultural
