7-3 Assignment Persuasive Essay

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1 7-3 Assignment: Persuasive Essay Amber Powers Southern New Hampshire University ENG 123 English Composition II Professor Jon Brammer October 13, 2023

2 7-3 Assignment: Persuasive Essay As it gets closer to Halloween, there are more discussions about problematic costumes, often through campaigns like “My Culture is Not Your Costume” which are designed to educate the public about the issues surrounding cultural appropriation and Halloween costumes ( My culture is not a costume n.d.). So, what is cultural appropriation? It is when someone takes an object that belongs to a nondominant or marginalized culture and uses it in a way that does not respect its original meaning and does not give credit to its sources (Barua, 2022). These objects may also be used to reinforce or perpetuate harmful stereotypes and contribute to the continued oppression of the original culture (Barua, 2022). When it comes to Halloween costumes, cultural appropriation can look like costumes that include blackface, Native American headdresses, things that perpetuate harmful stereotypes, or even homophobic/transphobic tropes among other things ( My culture is not a costume n.d.). These types of costumes are exploitative, as they are helping someone from a culture that is not oppressed to profit from the perpetuation of these harmful stereotypes. They disrespect the culture that they come from as the person wearing them likely has no understanding of the significance they carry in their original culture and are usually used as a caricature of the original culture (Lojacono, 2022). Because they are actively causing harm and perpetuating systemic bigotry, they cannot be considered cultural appreciation as someone cannot claim to be appreciating a culture when they are actively disrespecting and harming that culture. When someone takes a culturally significant object from a culture that has historically been colonized and oppressed by their own culture to use as a Halloween costume it is cultural appropriation because it is a form of exploitation, it is demeaning and disrespectful, and when someone is actively harming a culture they are not showing appreciation for it.

3 When someone takes a culturally significant object from a culture that has historically been oppressed or colonized by their culture, harm is being done. This is a form of exploitation, especially if someone takes something that is not theirs for their own gain without giving the owner any kind of credit or financial gain from it. This is problematic on its own but add to it the fact that cultural appropriation involves profiting from the work of marginalized people who would not otherwise be able to achieve similar levels of success on their own it becomes even more harmful. If goods are being sold that are based on or supposed to represent Native American tribes, it should be those individual tribes who profit from its sale, not corporate giants who are mass-producing inaccurate and often offensive replicas of significant cultural items (Brown, 2019). Another form of harm that is caused by cultural appropriation is the continuation of the harm done by colonization (Barua, 2022). Through colonization, the cultures of Indigenous people have been stolen from, erased, and exploited. When the colonizing culture continues to take from minority groups in order to perpetuate harmful stereotypes, such as the portrayal of Indigenous people as savages, they continue to demean and disrespect marginalized people and their unique cultures. The practice of cultural appropriation is demeaning and disrespectful to the culture the item originates from. Taking a culturally significant object without first understanding its significance or completing the rites of passage that are required to receive it in its original culture diminishes its significance and disrespects those who have taken those steps. When someone takes something of great cultural significance and turns it into a “sexy” version to market it as a Halloween costume, they are demeaning it and disrespecting the culture it comes from (Barua, 2022). They are sexualizing something of great importance to a group of people who have already been disrespected and robbed of so many of their traditions and beliefs by the dominant

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4 culture and this causes harm when it is viewed as sacrilegious, scandalous, or morally objectionable by the original culture (Barua, 2022). Cultural appropriation is a form of theft, someone is taking something that does not belong to them without giving any credit to the people it belongs to (Lojacono, 2022). Another way that cultural appropriation demeans and disrespects the original culture is by perpetuating harmful or bigoted stereotypes. Practices like blackface or “Indian Princess” costumes continue to perpetuate racist stereotypes that are demeaning and disrespectful as they do not accurately depict the culture they are meant to portray or have their roots in racist practices. They also serve to perpetuate false narratives about historical events that portray an oppressive culture in a better light, this is the case with costumes based on the Romani people or even Pocahontas. This is something that is beginning to see a lot more public backlash from Millennials and Gen Z than from previous generations as they are most active on social media making them more aware of criticism from marginalized groups and more sensitive to instances of cultural appropriation and the harm that it causes (Lojacono, 2022). When someone is actively harming a culture, they cannot claim to show appreciation for that culture. The difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation comes down to context and consent (Barua, 2022). Cultural appreciation is admiring and learning about a culture that is different from someone’s own culture without taking anything from it (Barua, 2022). Examples of cultural appreciation would include things like learning about the history and traditions of Sioux war bonnets from members of the Sioux tribe; this is showing respect and an interest in learning about the Sioux culture and not taking anything from them and trying to claim ownership of it. An example of cultural appropriation would be a non-Sioux person wearing a Sioux or Sioux-inspired war bonnet as a costume; in this example, someone is taking something that does not belong to them and using it in a way that it was never intended to be

5 used. Another example of this would be dream catchers; if someone is given an authentic dream catcher made by a member of the Ojibwe tribe, that would not be cultural appropriation, however, if they were to purchase one from their local Walmart that is not made by the Ojibwe tribe, is not being sold with the Ojibwe tribe’s consent, and they do not understand the significance and importance of them in Ojibwe culture, this would be an instance of cultural appropriation. So, if someone is actively engaging in actions that are disrespecting, demeaning, and exploiting a culture they cannot claim their actions are only to appreciate that culture. Some may claim that even if cultural appropriation is considered stealing it does not actually hurt anyone, but this is not true. Cultural appropriation harms marginalized communities by reinforcing harmful stereotypes and using culturally significant objects in a way that is demeaning and disrespectful toward the original culture. Stealing is not a victimless crime in the way that this argument implies. When someone takes something that is not their own and uses it for their own gain without acknowledging its cultural significance or the culture it comes from, they are exploiting a marginalized group of people who would likely never be able to see the same kind of profit or success because of the oppression they experience at the hands of the dominant culture. Continued oppression causes harm to marginalized communities and cultures as it normalizes disrespect and exploitation of marginalized groups among the general population and when it goes unchecked it perpetuates harmful stereotypes and narratives; especially when they are pushing false narratives that attempt to scrub the harm that has been done by colonization from the history books. While it may not be a criminal offense, this form of stealing is still dishonest, at best, and disrespectful and exploitative at worst. It can cause members of the original culture to feel humiliated or angry over the way they are being portrayed ( My culture is not a costume n.d.). It can also cause people to lose sight of the original intent within the

6 marginalized culture and the significance that the object may hold. When someone takes something from a culture that has already historically been forced to assimilate into their own culture through coercion or violence and uses it in a way that causes it to lose its significance and assimilate it into their own culture, they are perpetuating the harm caused by colonization and participating in the erasure of the original culture. In conclusion, cultural appropriation is the practice of taking or using objects or elements from a nondominant culture in a way that is disrespectful to the original significance and meaning within the original culture or giving credit to their sources (Barau, 2022). It can reinforce harmful stereotypes and contribute to the continued oppression of the marginalized culture (Barau, 2022). This is important for people to be aware of because it causes harm to already marginalized communities and continues the harm done by colonization. We should always seek to be respectful and aware of how our actions and choices impact others. When someone takes a culturally significant object from a culture that has historically been colonized and oppressed by their own culture to use as a Halloween costume it is cultural appropriation because it is a form of exploitation, it is demeaning and disrespectful, and when someone is actively harming a culture they are not showing appreciation for it. While some may claim that this is not actually causing harm to anyone, the gold standard should be to listen to the voices of marginalized individuals and what they are saying about how something impacts or harms them. When they are telling people that an action or choice that those people have made is harmful and disrespectful to them, those people need to listen to them and acknowledge the ways that they have caused harm, intentionally or not. Because of this, people need to be more aware of and willing to listen to the feedback that they are receiving and understand that they need to adopt a look but not take type of approach when they want to appreciate or celebrate another culture. If

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7 someone wants to celebrate certain hairstyles that belong to another culture, instead of taking them and wearing them themselves which could be seen as cultural appropriation, they can elevate and share the videos or images on social media of creators from that culture with the creator's consent and give them credit for their work while still celebrating the beauty and intricacies of the hairstyles. When it comes to Halloween costumes, people need to be more aware of the stereotypes they may be perpetuating with the choices they make. A good rule of thumb would be if it is uncertain if it is respectful, pick something different. It was not that long ago that blackface was still an accepted practice in theater and American society in general but now it is widely acknowledged that it is a disrespectful and racist practice with its roots in cultural appropriation and oppression ( Blackface: The birth of an American stereotype 2017). Hopefully, someday soon society will look at costumes like “sexy Indian princess” and see the harmful and disrespectful stereotypes they convey about Indigenous tribes who have already faced so much oppression and harm at the hands of American culture in the same way that blackface is viewed today.

8 Sources: Barua, M. (2022). Cultural Appropriation: Can one culture borrow from another without exploitation? CQ Researcher, 32(5), 1–21. Brown, S. H. (2019, July 13). If native-themed goods are used to make a profit, native people should benefit . MPR News. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2011/10/17/brown Lojacono, G. ( 2022 ). The fine line between localization and cultural appropriation in personal luxury goods: An exploratory study . Strategic Change , 31 ( 5 ), 487 – 496 . https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2519 Ohio University. (n.d.). My culture is not a costume . My Culture Is Not a Costume | Ohio University. https://www.ohio.edu/diversity/diversity-leadership-ambassadors-program/ cultural-appropriation#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9CMy%20Culture%20Is %20Not,Teaching%20About%20Racism%20in%20Society). The Smithsonian. (2017, November 22). Blackface: The birth of an American stereotype . National Museum of African American History and Culture. https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/blackface-birth-american-stereotype

7-3 Assignment Persuasive Essay

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