2013 Was The Year Of Cultural Appropriation

Dig a bit deeper into history and you'll understand why the word "stealing" is appropriate. Most of the time blacks just are not properly credited to our contributions to entertainment, education and science are severely downplayed. Your Zumba example unfortunately is not the best way to drive your point home. Everyone knows that is Latin dance.

23 Dec 2013 6:39 PM

who should they give credit too? should they make a big announcement or something ?

24 Dec 2013 2:44 AM

Ever been to an Appalachian community? The problems you mentioned are not exclusive to the Black community. Poor white communities in an city, you will find the same problems.

25 Dec 2013 4:22 PM

Thank you sir, your honesty is something rarely found on here. We can only move past the things that separate us, is through honesty, and true equality. My wife is mixed, and I managed a store near Memphis for two years, and I never knew how bad prejudice could be, until seeing the unadulterated, and candid prejudice, that flowed every way imaginable. We heard comments, some very creative, yet still hateful, from blacks and whites, and the occasional Asian,( she has the "Tiger Woods" mix as she calls it). We must all commit to treating each other equal, wholeheartedly, or it will never change.

25 Dec 2013 12:36 AM

A good example is the Harlem Shake. The original dance is absolutely nothing like the one that is shown above and it got to the point where when people mention the Harlem Shake, they automatically think the horrible aberration that is posted above instead of the original.

Also, I shouldn't have to explain why Blackface is bad.

24 Dec 2013 12:11 AM

The melting pot, in my humble opinion is some excuse for we are going to take what is valuable and dismiss the rest. From indoor toilet, door knobs, fountain pen to cellphone, yes, even the cellphone, and an entire list of other items which frankly few know created by black people, the melting pot does not even amount to being given credit. At times, I wonder whether those who so passionately HATE black people could live without all the things we have created and never given credit or the money or recognition for them. Stop at any stoplight. It was not only George Washington Carver, Madam C.J. Walker who were inventors, provided things which are still being utilized without ever having been given credit or proper credit. There are more inventions and creators by black folks than the 300 uses Carver is attributed to in finding uses for the peanut. Oprah maybe wealthy now, but Madam C.J. Walker was known to be the first black female millionaire back in the day. Let alone, her adopted daughter was one of the pivotal figures of the Harlem Renaissance era providing those of the time with her Soirees in the Dark Tower. See, when you know your history, you don't fear the other ingredients of the melting pot. The problem is we continue to believe the hype of the melting pot instead of the ingredients and individualities and contributions of those who make up the meal! IMO

23 Dec 2013 9:48 PM

Different strokes for different folks. While we don't own certain things, it is nice to get some recognition for them. I think what happened at the VMAs was a pretty bad culmination of what can eventually happen.

As for Twerking, many people thought Rock and Roll and Jazz to be disgusting as well as rap music. However, I enjoy the history of how people are able to innovate new things, such as the Harlem Shake and Twerking, because they both take considerable skill to do properly.

24 Dec 2013 12:14 AM

Caitlin, you know, artists singing other genres is not the issue. You see, they made sure that JT and Macklemore took the honors in genres generally given to Blacks. It started with Eminem. That wasn't by accident. There's a history of that. Anytime Blacks are successful at something, you can bet that a White face will be made the king/queen of that genre.

24 Dec 2013 3:54 AM

First of all this is cultural appropriation, not technological and intellectual appropriation. Second of all, I would go back and completely revisit your knowledge of history if you honestly believe this racist notion that even close to most inventions in human history were made solely by what we now know as white people.

Nobody has a problem with you using a writing system that was appropriated over some time from a writing system invented by 'black Africans' in an ancient kingdom in north east Africa. That is technology that needs to be shared. However, if you take an aspect of someones culture and stake a claim on it (something that has often been done throughout the last 300 years by a certain 'gun-wielding' group to another) without any credit, WHILE also demeaning the contributions of that particular civilisation (like you did here underhandedly by implying that white people invented everything and black people should be grateful for being disenfranchised) then that is stealing and cultural appropriation. I hope you can understand the difference.

25 Dec 2013 4:25 PM

Yes, but who's making the $$. Country music isn't necessary "White." They may dominate the genre, but that's not where it started. That's the issue. I wish we were making money off our own innovations, but we aren't. We are making everyone else wealthy.

Look at R & B/Soul. Way back in the day, the face of that genre was Elvis and Pat Boone to name a few. They covered the music made by Blacks; yet the Blacks did not make the money. It's the same today.

No one is saying we can't share cross-culturally. We do that all the time. I don't have an issue with that. The issue is the take-over that is happening, i.e. R & B/rap/hip hop. Trust me, they would NEVER allow Blacks to dominate country music.

24 Dec 2013 1:32 AM