Until a few years ago “stay woke” meant being alert to racial injustice and discrimination. Yet in today’s fierce culture wars, the phrase is now more likely to be used as a weapon. Is it because “woke” is associated with Black people that people are quick to use it as a useful club?
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When you stand out as being visually “different” in a space, “Where are you from?” “Can I touch your hair?” or (the most interesting,) “I wish I could be as tan as you,” are common questions and comments. Now, disclaimer: I am all for giving genuine compliments; heck, I am more than happy you love my chocolate glow! That being said, there is a fine line between being intentionally curious and celebrating someone’s unique characteristics, and exoticizing these characteristics.
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Last week, I found myself recording a video of my 2-year-old daughter dancing in her car seat to Old Town Road by Lil Nas X. The song came on as I was waiting in a drive thru line, and as soon as the beat dropped, she immediately started bopping. It’s quite interesting how this song, created by a 20-year-old, has caused the amount of controversy that it has since going viral and topping the charts….
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Last week, my Hulu programming was interrupted by a commercial for a store advertising colorful party cups and “select sombreros and t-shirts at half price!” The commercial’s voiceover never mentioned Cinco de Mayo, but the message was nonetheless conveyed as “Tequila made me do it,” and “Turn down por que” shirts flashed across the screen. I winced, reminded of how an occasion marking Mexican victory over an invasion has been appropriated.
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Oxford Dictionary, which only put the phrase into its official lexicon in 2017, defines cultural appropriation as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.” This “power imbalance” is significant because it often plays out as members of a dominant culture taking elements from those who have been systematically oppressed.
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Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson aka Katy Perry is a pop culture icon who has won awards that range from...
Read MoreTomorrow is Cinco De Mayo. But, what does that actually mean? Check out this video by MTV Decoded’s Franchesca Ramsey and Kat Lazo. They challenge some of the misconceptions around Cinco de Mayo, and share some “inclusion”...
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