The Dangers of Appropriating Culture in the

50 IMPACT We see it everywhere nowadays, throughout music genres, but what is the real impact of cultural appropriation on the consumers and on the minority groups affected? Ryan James Keane investigates. The term “cultural appropriation” is pretty commonplace in today’s society. All anyone has to do is log onto Twitter and they’ll probably see a story trending about an artist who has allegedly committed it. To some, it is “faux-woke nonsense”; a concept so inconsequential it doesn’t even deserve consideration. To others, it is an incredibly serious issue, and reflects a society hell-bent on twisting perceptions of identity. Initially, I used to view it as the former. I thought it was just people nit-picking, being bored and finding something to get upset about. However, the more I researched it, the more my opinion on the matter changed. I realise now that cultural appropriation, especially in the music industry, is dangerous and has lasting effects on minority groups. “Cultural appropriation, especially in the music industry, is dangerous and has lasting effects on minority groups” “In essence, society has always found ways to weaken the emotional and physical endurance of native people. If they are seen to be pre-colonial, they are seen to be devoid of value” If we consider this in the context of music videos, we may picture Katy Perry decked in Egyptian-style clothing in “Dark Horse”, or Lana Del Rey donning a Native American headdress in “Ride”. We may then say, “Well, even if it can be considered a form of theft, is it not more annoying than harmful?”. But putting stock into this line of thinking means we are symptomatic of the social system that continues to belittle and op press minority groups within society. In fact, before we examine why appropriation is more dangerous in the music industry, we need to examine why it’s dangerous in general. Many examples could be given, but for now, let’s consider the plights of indigenous peoples around the world throughout history. In Australia, the frontier wars gave host to the brutal and intentional decimation of the country’s aboriginals. In Canada, First Nations children were stripped from loving homes and placed in residential schools, forced to assimilate into Euro-centric value systems and broader ways of life. In essence, society has always found ways to weaken the emotional and physical endurance of native people. If they are seen to be pre-colonial, they are seen to be devoid of value. There has been an incessant emphasis on the “importance” of assimilation and racism has played a fundamental part in this. The Dangers of Appropriating Culture in the Music Industry

For those who have never heard of such a concept or aren’t sure what it means, the term refers to a situation where people of a certain culture take elements of other people’s and include them in their art, style or everyday lives. In this sense, an American of European origin having a Native American dreamcatcher in their room, or a white woman having cornrows can be considered examples of cultural appropriation. In this sense, appropriating culture can be analogous to stealing it, especially if someone (say, a musical artist) doesn’t credit the genesis of the items incorporated into their endeavours.

51MUSIC We also have to consider that this abhorrent behaviour of subjugation and belittlement occurs even to this day. Take Standing Rock for example. In 2017, the Trump administration continued to build the Dakota Access Pipeline through the native-owned area, much to its population’s disgust, and once the media realised the story was becoming a little old, they dropped it. Imagine how the world abruptly turning a blind eye to your tribulations can set a precedent of alienation for you and your people. Now imagine how it must feel for a person of indigenous identity to be living on an underfunded reservation, dealing with a higher chance of health issues thanks to the racist, oppressive system that has affected your genetics through diet reconfiguration, and seeing a white American walking around wearing indigenous jewellery. It’s a slap in the face. Salt in the wound. For centuries, your culture has been experiencing erosion at the hand of white people, and now they’re walking around the local supermarket sporting it. How is this not a problem? How is this justifiable? We also have to remember that identity exists in relation to other people’s self-perception. In other words, we identify in a certain way, because we are excluding another. Therefore, identity becomes meaningless if we see everyone else trying to replicate our own, and if we lose our sense of identity, this is going to have dire consequences for our mental health. The image of a white, American Katy Perry sitting on a Sphinx-esque throne has been seen by more than 2/7 of the world’s population. Let that sink in. When artists, notably those with large fanbases, are sending out these kinds of subliminal messages that appropriating culture is edgy, we can only expect the subjugation and mental health issues of minority groups to deepen. “Therefore, identity becomes meaningless if we see everyone else trying to replicate our own, and if we lose our sense of identity, this is going to have dire consequences for our mental health” Of course, most of these artists dressing up in foreign or indigenous clothing aren’t doing so to be malicious. I highly doubt Lana Del Rey put on a Native American headdress for her music video just to upset the native community. As a self-confessed fan, I’ve researched a lot about her, and can deduce that her character has little malevolence. But not every Native American will see it this way. Not every person viewing that music video is going to be truly aware of the history behind that headpiece. Like much of its cultural partners, its narrative has become lost to the wind, leaving yet another incident of appropriation to thrive.

The music industry is colossal, and music more generally has an even bigger outreach. “Dark Horse” has accumulated 2.7 billion views on YouTube alone.

Ultimately, we just have to be careful with the items and styles we dabble with, especially for those of us pursuing musical careers. There really is a danger of inciting blips in identity for minority groups and rubbing the nettles of oppressive histories into their faces. Intent isn’t always fool-proof, and content being offered to the masses possesses copious power. Anyone should be free to consume culture. But when we are putting it on display through the media of songs and music videos, we need to be more meticulous with whose culture we’re showcasing.