This week on 4/20, the unofficial national weed holiday, snapchat released a controversial filter that changed users’ likeness to that of reggae legend, Bob Marley. I first learned of the filter when a white friend of mine sent me a snap using it and honestly I was offended, but not for the same reasons most people on my Twitter feed were. The reason for my dismay, however, was because a music icon and philanthropist was being reduced to a mascot for weed. It wasn’t until I did some research on my own that I realized that people felt the filter was racist. Cries of cultural appropriation and accusations of digital blackface flooded every news feed I saw until suddenly, the next day, they vanished. The outrage and disgust was a thing of the past; back to your regularly scheduled programming. What happened? STOP PRETENDING YOU CARE WHEN YOU ACTUALLY DON’T.
Was the Bob Marley filter tasteless? Yes, absolutely. Was it racist? I’m not sure if I’m buying that argument. For starters, let’s talk about the digital blackface argument. Blackface was makeup made from burnt cork, applied by stage performers in minstrel shows during the 1800s. In some cases, red lips were painted around the mouths of actors as well, like those of a circus clown’s. Blackface was used to enforce and create racial stereotypes and mock black people. Blackface stems from hatred and oppression. The Bob Marley filter on the other hand, changed features of the user to look like Bob Marley, not a racist caricature of all black people. Look at the crying Michael Jordan meme for example; is placing that meme on a white person considered digital blackface as well?
Next, let’s talk about the always trending topic of cultural appropriation. Simply put, cultural appropriation is the use of an aspect from someone’s culture e.g clothing, music, or hairstyles , without permission. This definition made me wonder, who owns black culture? Or better yet, who owns any culture for that matter? This is not to say that one’s culture shouldn't be special and respected, but who am I to say that someone else can’t appreciate a culture that’s not their own? Who should a white man ask for permission to listen to rap music? As a black man with Jamaican roots, who should I ask to get drunk on St. Patrick’s day? The issue is not participating in a culture that isn’t necessarily your own, the problem comes when it’s mocking or disrespectful, like actual blackface, not a stupid filter on snapchat. Recently, I saw a video of a black woman assaulting and harassing a white man because he had dreadlocks and was "appropriating" black culture (What the f***?). People like that are not fighting for racial equality, but instead encouraging separation and hatred.
My biggest issue, above all previous stated problems, is that most people who are so called outraged by cultural appropriation are blind to the real racial issues in this country. On March 19, 2015, Otis Byrd was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi. Initially, his body was too decomposed for police to identify him. That’s right, there are still people getting lynched in the 21st century. Additionally, there is a blatant racist running for president, who believes that we should build a wall to keep Mexican immigrants out. He actually might win. All the while, Islamophobia is running rampant in our nation. Cultural appropriation, whether you're offended by it or not, is absolutely minuscule when compared to the gaping problems in our society. I’m tired of people hopping on the bandwagon and resorting to Twitter fingers to say how offended they are about appropriation just because it’s trending. Racism is more than just a hashtag. It’s a very real problem, and people need to open their eyes and see it.
