Ignorance Fueling the Flame of Cultural AppropriationIt turns out that there is a great deal of misunderstanding about what cultural appropriation actually is. Nadra Kareem Nittle of About.com's race relations section defines cultural appropriation as "...usually [involving] members of a dominant group exploiting the culture of less privileged groups – often with little understanding of the history, experience and traditions of the latter. .” (Nittle) Cultural appropriation has recently made a re-emergence in today's society. The most discussed controversy these days concerns the cultural appropriation of traditional African culture, styles and contributions. However, if someone were asked today to name three other cultures and how they are appropriated, the answer might be short, if at all. Many everyday objects that we use without thinking come from another culture. Olive oil originated in Jewish culture, sushi came to us from Japan, headdresses and fringed leather were part of traditional indigenous clothing, the list has gone on for some time. So, with all these parts of our lives offered to us by other cultures, how can we avoid cultural appropriation? As the definition says, cultural appropriation involves the exploitation of a select group. Being aware of your position in society is the first step. A person of color in the community is generally not placed above a white person. Ethnic groups of color vary, but each experiences discrimination within their own group. If you are not of color, it just means you have little to no chance of having your culture appropriated. This is a privilege that many see automatically granted at birth to non-colored or white-skinned people. The issue of race has been successfully avoided by almost everyone with white skin, rendering terms like reverse racism invalid, and for good reason. Jenn Jackson of watercoolerconvos.com wrote an article about how reverse racism and reverse cultural appropriation aren't entirely realistic. She explains that the advantage that exists between white people and people of color makes the reverse impossible. Jackson writes: “Racism requires power. Without it, negative racial sentiments might be discriminatory, but they are certainly not racist. Any racial animosity by minority groups toward white people cannot be considered an initial offense in itself, because we have already experienced centuries of targeted racial oppression from white people. The idea of ​​reverse racism is therefore irrelevant. (Jackson) Cultural appropriation is a phenomenon because it is easily preventable, and yet there are many instances every day where it is openly displayed and offends the ignorance of the cultural appropriator. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Racism is one of the main offenders that enable the continuation of cultural appropriation. However, currently there is a sub-discrimination within racism called colorism. Colorism is when there is discrimination within colored races, it goes beyond black and white. Since skin tones range from pale to very dark, colorism is a shade preference. Typically, given the advantage of white skin in society, lighter shades become the “preferred” shade. Under the pressure of a forced “universal image”, the effort tochanging oneself is more than apparent in many of these races. In Jamaica, there is a dangerous trend called skin bleaching, which means exactly what it is. Skin whitening involves using lotion or other topical chemicals that contain chemicals similar to bleach, this lightens your skin from a dark shade to lighter. Skin bleaching, even if it does what it says, is a very dangerous practice. Skin bleaching is known to thin the skin, so much so that even a paper cut can lead to massive blood loss. Although this is a result of significant skin whitening, a review website specifically based on skin lightening writes: "There is no doubt that the evidence suggests that prolonged use of skin lightening techniques Skin lightening products that use harsh ingredients like hydroquinone [skin whitening] and mercurous chloride [skin whitening] ] can be dangerous, not only to the skin, but to the entire body. (?) So why do people go to such dangerous lengths to achieve a specific look? The human race needs acceptance. Factors such as racism, colorism, classism, and the "norm" that has been predefined before some of us are even born make it difficult to be seen as inferior in a society where one culture is more accepted and another quite the opposite. Cultural appropriation is a way for a dominant culture to continue to oppress. When you take the customs of a less privileged culture, without proper credit or representation, and then exploit them, you create an even greater effort that will be necessary for that culture considered "inferior" to be accepted as well. the conflicts that have arisen in recent times over trends such as hairstyles, clothing and accessories. Traditional clothing such as the Bindi from India, Dashiki from Africa or native hairstyles are worn as a costume and transform a custom into something less than what it really is. There has been a huge uproar surrounding the traditional African hairstyle known as dreadlocks. Many celebrities and people in the spotlight have recently implemented dreadlocks on themselves or in their work. At the same time, they completely missed the point, the meaning of these locks and, ultimately, why what they did was wrong. An article by Emanuella Grinberg on CNN explains: “Black hair is a sensitive topic related to beauty, identity and politics. Whether it's afro and black power or cornrows and hip-hop, hairstyles associated with African American culture can make a statement before the wearer says a word. So when white people choose a traditionally black hairstyle, like dreadlocks, it adds another layer of complexity to the problem. (Grinberg) When a black person wears dreads, a natural afro or other African hairstyles, it gives them power. There are years and years of history condemning them for these styles, for their skin and for their culture. On the contrary, a white person has not experienced the difficulties of daily life and history as a person of color has. Wearing dreadlocks and displaying a style that belongs to the African American community can be seen as disrespect and cultural appropriation, as many who are not African but embrace their traditions typically use them as a way to exploitation. Grinberg explains: “Rastafarians view padlocks as a sign of their African identity and a religious vow of.?