Cultural appropriation

As told by Amandla Stenberg. 

I would have written about this topic but she says all that I would have said and I totally agree with her and respect that she made such a well informed, articulate video. 

I hope the message behind this is taken on board. I'm not someone who is uptight or can't take a joke but people need to understand the thin borderline between a cultural joke and straight up racism. It is integral to understand how important it is to respect all cultures and know that just because one is different from yours doesn't make it heathen- the western way isn't the only way.

I would recommend one does their before appropriating so you're able to do it respectfully or decide that it isn't the best choice for you as often, people appropriate for douchebag reasons to put it bluntly. It's rare they understand what they're representing or how to even portray a cultural item it correctly. I've seen so many bindis in the wrong place and it makes me itch. It's wrong, it looks bad in the wrong place and if you're going to appropriate don't bastardise the tool you're working with. 

Sometimes I wear a bindi as appropriation because I love them and I appreciate the symbolism of the third eye behind it. I hold on to parts of that belief in my own life. This is because I believe there is something beautiful to learn from every faith and culture if you are open minded and you do your research. No one (that I have come across) gets offended when I wear a bindi and I am often complimented on it Asians themselves tell me they love it and love that I know about it. I wear it out of respect and maybe even solidarity because it's a beautiful tradition! 

However, not everyone seeks knowledge and open mindedness. Many rely on what the news and media tell us which is pretty much all biased, western-supremacy crap.

 Personally, I am tired of having to compete against stereotypes of what my character should be because of the colour of my skin. I am happy when people want to try things from my culture and are interested in it because that's what I love too, but when it is mocked, done disrespectfully or people are portrayed as a stereotypical kind of joke because they're an ethnic minority I can't deal with it and I find it so disrespectful, tasteless and offensive. I don't know why it's so engrained in our society. I don't know why it's okay to do things like tell a black person they sound 'white'... what is black meant to sound like? I'm black and I sound like myself, I don't aspire to be anything but me. Behind these jokes and slurs are real, quite disturbing messages. Telling a black person they sound white- usually said because they sound educated. In saying that you are in fact claiming only white people can get decent education and be/sound intelligent. It's saying no way you sound like that, black people are too stupid to sound like you. 

When they have the stereotypical funny black people roles in movies and music videos, it actually originates from old post slavery times where they stopped doing black-face and black people actually started to star in movies. They had to make black people seem overly happy, funny and dopey so that the audience wouldn't know black people are normal human beings with feelings just like them. This was put in place to help them not feel guilty about the slave trade. People don't ever look at that area of history before writing a script though, they just follow along society's rules and stereotypes. These unwritten rules are there for a reason and it's high time you started to question what you're being indoctrinated with instead of taking it and acting upon it automatically. They want to spread hatred and you may be helping to do their dirty work without even realising it. 

I will say it again, don't take what you are given: think about it, question it, then form a judgement on it. Many people don't usually do this and I'm sure you'll realise you've probably been racist or prejudice amongst other things to someone or in your actions without even realising it. I mean, given today's society, it's not that hard at all because concealed racism is the norm. Don't get me wrong, I can and do laugh at racial, cultural humour but only when there are no sinister, degrading undertones and it's not more than a light joke. 

As you will have seen from my posts-if you read my blog often, race isn't ever really something I talk about at all because it's not really a thing to me. I don't care what colour you are or where you come from, I will still be your friend providing you're a decent person. To me we are all human beings and there is one race which is the human race. However, I can't ignore things like the institutional racism we live with because society keeps bringing it up and unfortunately I and many others suffer under it simply because we were born an 'undesired' colour. I am not European, I am not western in my physical appearance, I don't fit their standard of beauty even though they're happy to take my features, put them on a European girl and call them beautiful whilst scolding other minorities like me who were born with these features in the same breath. I have no European blood in me whatsoever but I don't think it's right that I or anyone else has to suffer because of that. We didn't have a choice in what we were born as and we can't change it even if we want to- and this goes for everything. Yet minorities are constantly being subjected to violence, discrimination and hatred. It's a violence that has lasted centuries. 

Fortunately, people are tired and following in the footsteps of great freedom fighters like Martin Luther King & Malcolm X by speaking out more in the face of these issues and I'm joining that number.  

Although not millions are going to read what I have to say now, I still have to say something. I owe it to myself and the others suffering far more than me for being the wrong ethnicity. As Desmond Tutu said, if you remain neutral in conflict, you have chosen the side of the oppressor and I want to be on the right side of history.  

It's sad that in this day and age I personally have experienced racism and prejudice many times and I still have to be mindful of where I'm going to visit, or I have to be careful when meeting people because of they don't like minorities they will not be very nice at all. It may seem silly to those who haven't experienced it themselves but it's real. I've come across a lot of racist, prejudiced people or just people with fetishes that want to conquer a black girl. It's totally fucked up and it can make you feel like a thing instead of a human being. I am complaining but I just the tip of the iceberg... To some I have it really easy. What about those minorities that are being brutally murdered by those meant to be protecting their freedoms and liberties? What about those minorities who are happy in their own land only to have western ideals forced upon them and their way of life destroyed forever?  

Fuck ideological warfare, fuck racial stereotypes, fuck racism itself. A system based upon hatred shouldn't be so rampant in today's world. 

Love one another, in the end love is all we have to share that is deep and meaningful. Things are all man-made and superficial... Why don't you connect with someone at a deeper level first? If you learnt to do that then maybe you would look past the colour of someone's skin, or their gender, or just their external appearance in general and see them for who and what they really are which is human. Just like you and I. 

Think. 

Love,

-Dalanda 

xoxo

P.S- I will end this post with a thank you to all the people who aren't intolerant, who also hate the racism engrained in are society. To those who refuse to perpetuate things like racist and cultural stereotypes and feed into the media's portrayals of people of colour. And also to those who are suffering brutality of all kinds just for something as trivial as the colour of their skin. Keep your head up, my prayers are with you. You most likely won't read this, but I will make the gesture and extend the love regardless because it's really important. Maybe you can do the same too? We need more compassion in the world... X