The Ethics Of Cultural Appropriation By Brunk & Young

It is not wrong to wear clothing or eat food from cultures different from your own, but the minute credit is not given to the right people is the minute one’s “appreciation” turns into appropriation.

Many cultures incorporate styles, looks, and clothing from other races, and religions, to create or add into their own traditions. Everywhere you look, you see a mixture of traditions, from music, to foods served in a restaurant. Some people might even begin to love a certain tradition so much that they claim it as their own, which is not a bad thing unless they change up the name, or say that their race, culture was practicing it first, which is called subject appropriation. Subject appropriation occurs when an outsider represents members or aspects of another culture.(qtd Young 136).

The Native Americans seldom receive recognition when aspects of their culture are appropriated by famous celebrities and well-known brands. This essay will examine the ways in which Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams and Spur Steak Ranches appropriate the Native American culture, as well as explore their intentions to do so. The term cultural appropriation is defined to be “the adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of a different culture.” Cultural appropriation harms the appropriated community, and wrongly allows one to benefit material detriment from others such as benefiting financially. Jonathan Hart states in his book Translating and Resisting Empire: Cultural Appropriation and Postcolonial Studies that the debate over

World War marked the starting era for in the military. Due to the needed skills to the war effort and aid soldiers into the battlefield, led the military establishment to call women into service. Although their call to service was voluntary, held unequal treatment and no benefits, more than 12,000 women enlisted in the war, and 400 nurses died during World War 1.

An invasive species is a plant, animal, or fungi that is not native to a certain area. These species can cause great damage to an ecosystem, human economy, human health, and other species that are native to the area.

A man stands proud and tall, an elegant headdress of feathers adorning his head. He is not at a ceremony, nor is he going to war to preserve his way of life. He is not Native American, either, and he is not alone. At the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival, people like this man gather in throngs to listen to alternative rock and electronic dance music. They often claim to be honoring Native American tradition, but others consider his choices offensive. Cultural borrowing and assimilation have been, and continue to be an integral part of American society, but some think that this diffusion has gone as far as theft. In order to determine that, however, on must cast a discerning eye on both arguments.

The scene was set for a nation to change. Fresh off of the economic and political victory that was World War II for the United States, The Soviet Union sent a challenge to the U.S that set up one of the biggest, and potentially apocalyptic stand-offs in history. The Cold War, the great stand off between the Americans and the Soviets lasted from 1947 to about 1991 according to Major Problems in American History Since 1945. This Cold War would change the culture in the United States forever, stamping it’s air of alertness and terror not only on the citizens of the U.S but on the politicians that ran the country as well. After the second world war, there was a brief sense of ultimate security within the country. The United States was the lone wolf, the top dog in the terms of defense and especially, in regards to the A-Bomb which the Soviets first tested successfully in 1949 (Brands, H.W). That all changed with the Cold War, the Soviet Union stepped into the arena, thus sending shockwaves throughout the country. These two countries also shared differences ideologically especially in the years immediately following WW II. The American government, specifically foreign policy officials, took it their mission to successfully spread capitalism and democracy across the globe, this was a very drastic difference to the Soviet’s desire to overthrow capitalism. The Cold War shaped 1950s American society and culture by creating the containment mentality that would follow the United

In America, cultural appropriation has been a prominent topic in the media. From the afro in the 70’s and perms in the 80’s, some ethnic groups see some ethnic groups culture fashionable and “aesthetic.” Though not intended, those specific groups (mostly African American and Native American cultures) see this as a form of mockery and feel discredited when someone with power in the media takes a certain style and profits. I believe that if you take a specific item out of it’s original context it is cultural appropriation by using certain items in the media as everyday

Cultural exchange is something that has been happening for centuries. It allows people to learn more and experience other cultures through “mutual understanding, equality, and respect” (goodmenproject.com). Now there seems to be confusion on where cultural exchange ends and cultural appropriation begins. Cultural appropriation is the “taking [of] intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else 's culture without permission”(racerelations.about.com). Instead of educating and spreading knowledge about different cultures and practices, the way cultural exchange does, cultural appropriation puts people of color at a disadvantage because it allows outsiders to profit off of their culture, while the people of color who produced said culture still have to endure oppression and injustice every day. Although cultural appropriation is something that happens in all aspects of our lives, the two most prevalent areas are in the fashion and music industry.

The drastic change in punishment for the crime of theft in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Britain, demonstrates the social and cultural shift away from capital punishment. The two court cases from the Old Bailey, that will be used in this paper demonstrate the changing social and political attitudes toward thieves. This change is ultimately connected to the slow growing humanitarian sentiment of society along with alternative punishment options.

Avoiding cultural appropriation does not mean you can't ever participate in a culture that isn't directly associated with you. I believe that sharing culture and creating a more equal environment helps us better understand each other. So with that being said, I’m asking everyone to do their research and study other cultures. My mom always tells me that you don't have to wait until you're in a classroom setting to learn, educate yourself. Research, find the purpose and ultimately decide whether your act is appreciation. Keep in mind that you don't have to own something to enjoy it . Appreciate, don’t

The great Che Guevara once said “Silence is a continuation of dispute by other means”. Born in 1928, and executed in 1968, the Marxist revolutionary, author, guerrilla leader, and military theorist still holds a large public interest to this day. Holding a major role in the Cuban revolution, Che Guevara is a controversial figure, but fixed a majority of problems Cuba was facing in the mid 1900’s involving starvation and a deteriorating government system. Throughout his 39 years of life, Che Guevara faced the Cuban government and overthrew it for positive change, stood up against tyrannical nuns of the Catholic Church who refused to feed people in their congregation, and overall improved Cuba’s entire government with a promising future through

Relevancy for target audiences is a large aspect of marketing to maintain interest within the target market. However, ethical and moral considerations need to be understood when using aspects of other cultures, especially when re-selling and mass marketing ideas that emerge organically within society (mainly minorities). Ethics can mean many different things, so in this essay there will be a general focus on cultural appropriation including basic information on why it is wrong and a comparison of cultural appreciation. Conversations about cultural appropriation can be brought about in so many different ways that it can be hard to separate information. Therefore this essay will argue that cultural appropriation is not inevitable and not ethical, and will mainly contain information about; companies that use cultural appropriation for profit, cultural appropriation in media, and the general ethics of cultural appropriation. Please note that the topics discussed will be done so in a very brief form, compared to the information that can be found on this topic.

In 2016 I remember watching former President Barack Obama hold the first ever Diwali celebration in the White House. And although this was an attempt for America to appropriate Indian culture, at no point did I feel offended or mocked. As an American Indian, this made me garner a feeling of great pride for both my country (USA) and for my ethnicity. I felt as though I was more a part of the USA, as it supported the same values I was taught growing up. According to Oxford Dictionary, cultural appropriation is defined as the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society. This can be especially dangerous due to the distortion and disconnection of such custom from its roots. Losing one’s cultural identity to another group is not fair or proper. However, at the same time, cultural appropriation can be beneficial to the overall development of the world. People can relate to aspects of other cultures and feel as though they too support the same ideologies. In this case it is improper for us to discourage such actions because many people in the world can share the same viewpoints and therefore be connected. Therefore, cultural exchange is the act of sharing cultural values between different groups of people and thus connecting the world through similar interests. One universal commonality between many groups is art, specifically music. Music is a media which can be

A prevalent dispute on social media today is whether cultural appropriation exists or not. However, imagine a group of students discussing ideas for a school carnival. Person A shares their ideas, but because they are the quiet student no one agrees. Person B, the popular student, restate Person As ideas and everyone approves. Person B takes pride in their plagiarized work while Person A is not credited. This is the concept of cultural appropriation. As a society, we can avoid this type of exploitation by acknowledging that cultural appropriation exists.