Month: September 2019

Cultural appropriation. Those two words which may be seen as a textbook definition by some, mean something deeper for the others. If not so, then why we hear scandals about celebrities braiding their hair, fashion brands being accused of racism and pop-stars “disrespectfully” using cultural elements in their art?

Is there anyone who owns culture and what actions cross the line?

Honestly, I can’t think of a certain answer to these questions. Culture is not set in stone and it’s constantly changing. I think that a single individual can’t present a culture since culture is a set of traditions, customs, ideas and beliefs that have formed for a long time. However, every single person contributes to the culture in a number of ways and that allows him to be part of a culture. While it is pretty obvious that any form of hatred and disrespect is unacceptable, every single person has his own boundaries of sensitivity when it comes to cultural aspects. So, I can agree that while at least one person feels offended by the actions, those actions cross the line.

Nevertheless, there is some common sense in every action we commit. Having the freedom of speech is pretty cool and all, but is there really a need to say something out loud, if it offends others? It is discernible that modern Western society praises freedom of expression in all forms. Freedom of speech allows to freely express any opinion, but is it OK for any orange-faced idiot to mock women and Latinx people in front of millions? Is it also OK for a so-called Arizonian “activist” to publicly criticize Muslims for no reason and accuse democratically elected senators of Islamizing the country, even though there is no evidence? I guess those kinds of questions should come to our mind when thinking of culture and appropriation.

 

Can texts ever be truly representative of groups of people?

Who gets to represent a group and who doesn’t? (Who gets to tell what?)

Is the act of representation problematic?

Our planet is a unique environment and is home to more than 1000 ethnic groups and 4000 religions. Representation has an important role in such a diverse society. However, there are some aspects of representation, which should be considered in order to objectively portray a group of people.
Modern texts and media tend to include cultural elements more often. With movies like Roma and Green Book getting international recognition, it is obvious that cultural context is present in texts. I think that texts can correctly represent a group of people if they are written by a person that belongs to a specific group and has a broad experience of its culture. Moreover, cultural texts should include a biased opinion. A movie called “Isle Of Dogs” can serve as an example of an unsuccessful representation attempt. This movie doesn’t picture Japan objectively but gives the audience a distorted image of the nation.

https://twitter.com/inkookang/status/977236779257376768

 

The act of representation definitely needs to be approached carefully. Incorrect representation may lead to conflicts, arguments and misunderstanding. Additionally, various stereotypes may be formed because of a certain text. Stereotypes have an impact on how we perceive information and react to a situation. While stereotyped vision leads to conflicts, broader vision creates a better understanding of the world.