For all of Jesse Williams' astute comments and observations in the press pieces and articles he's written, as well as those he made the other night at the BET awards, how do we distinguish between artistic/economic inclusion in the market place, and black art and culture being "appropriated" by the white power structure?
What's the difference, and how, specifically, do individual whites consciously avoid doing the latter?
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I am a Canadian schoolteacher, and there has been a lot of discussion recently at my school about the appropriation of Aboriginal culture. What makes appropriation difficult to avoid is (a) there is no universal standard of any given race's culture, faith, art, etc. - different Aboriginal communities have different cultural practices, as do different black, Asian, white, Hispanic, etc. communities, and (b) there is no universal interpretation of "appropriation." One man's appropriation is another man's inclusion, and the lines grow further blurred as baselines shift from generation to generation (e.g. I grew up in a world with white rappers, black women wearing blond weaves, and folks of all races getting Chinese and Japanese words/characters tattooed on their bodies - based on my life experience, it would be inauthentic for me to personally cite these as cases of appropriation because, unless I actively take a woke POV, they have always been features of the society I occupy).
I think that the key is to simply respect all people. If you do not have disrespect in your heart for any entire race, etc., you are already on the right track. If you are aware that something is a novelty for you because it is not typically associated with your race, make sure that you are approaching it with respect and not as a joke (e.g. white people in blackface, which was used to exaggerate and make a mockery of black people). If you love your fellow man and your actions reflect that, then only people with a victim complex will come for you. Let them! Whiners need to whine. The best that you can do is listen, consider, and adjust if/as needed.
If anyone else reading this is a Christian... #1Peter3:8 God bless.