Is your Halloween costume offensive?
Cultural appropriation is a large, complex topic. In this article, I will simplify this topic. For a more in depth description, please watch this video:
Cultural appropriation for beginners:
Are you,
1) Using elements of a culture that is not yours?
2) Is it portraying distasteful ideals about this culture?
3) Are you making a joke about a culture?
4) Is it generalizing a culture?
If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you are appropriating a culture.
I know in the past that we've dressed offensively for Halloween. Don't be hard on yourself--- just learn from your mistakes. Dressing in a way that appropriates a culture is difficult to understand if you are not a minority.
I am white and I understand that my white privilege has shielded me from confronting such offensive acts. Put yourself in the shoes of someone from a culture that is historically a minority. For example, Native Americans. They were the first people of America and they were savagely taken from their land and brutally treated.
Dressing in traditional Native American garb is offensive. Each piece of these garbs are intricately embellished and blessed. Each piece has a meaning. Even if you are trying to respectfully dress as a Native American, you are technically still appropriating. Cultural Exchange and Cultural Appropriating are different.
America is not a melting pot, but instead, more of a salad. A heterogeneous mixture of cultures---each one unique and beautiful. You cannot assume the culture of someone else if you have not practiced it or have an understanding of it. For a more in depth description of Cultural Exchange, refer back to the video listed above.
Making a joke about a culture, even though you may think it harmless, may just be your privilege disguising a harsh truth: your race may be discriminatory against another.
Black face, which is a race literally painting their face black to make a joke about the African American race, was something practiced more in the days of slavery, but still can be seen today. This is practiced with other races today, too. If you think this a myth, look at this costume that I see every Halloweeen:
This is making light of a culture and making mass generalizations about it. I don't think I need to point out the details of this injustice for you. It is blatantly racist.
Cultural Appropriation is an unfortunately overlooked term. You've seen this every Halloween.
Even if you believe you are being respectful to that culture, there is a lot more to that culture than you know. Each piece of the traditional garb, or as you would say if you were dressing, a "costume," means something. A headdress, a Kimono, a Sombrero, each means something.
Be courteous and cautious of the feelings of others. It's that easy.
