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What is cultural appropriation? What is cultural appropriation?
Political correctness gone too far Political correctness gone too far
A cultural appreciation A cultural appreciation
Cultural theft Cultural theft
Racism through aesthetic Racism through aesthetic
Cultural appropriation is a meaningless term Cultural appropriation is a meaningless term
Borrowing from other cultures is not cultural appropriation Borrowing from other cultures is not cultural appropriation
The charge of 'cultural appropriation' is racist The charge of 'cultural appropriation' is racist
The charge of 'cultural appropriation' stops us celebrating other cultures The charge of 'cultural appropriation' stops us celebrating other cultures
Cultural appropriate is really emulation and appreciation Cultural appropriate is really emulation and appreciation
Cultural appropriation is the theft of elements of another culture for personal gain. Cultural appropriation is the theft of elements of another culture for personal gain.
Cultural Appropriation is belittling and demeaning Cultural Appropriation is belittling and demeaning
Cultural appropriation is a form of colonialism Cultural appropriation is a form of colonialism
Cultural appropriation is a form of erasure Cultural appropriation is a form of erasure
Cultural appropriation fails to include class Cultural appropriation fails to include class
Cultural colonization would be a better term Cultural colonization would be a better term
Cultural appropriation isn't the act but the how Cultural appropriation isn't the act but the how
Debate Mini Map

What is cultural appropriation?
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Cultural theft

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Cultural appropriation is the theft of elements of another culture for personal gain.

Borrowing elements from another culture is not cultural appropriation. But leveraging them or exploiting them for financial gain is cultural appropriation.
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Context

Borrowing from another culture is a gesture of appreciation and is not cultural appreciation. Stealing or exploiting another culture for financial gain is cultural appropriation.

The Argument

There is a difference between borrowing and stealing. Cultural appropriation is when someone steals from another culture for their own financial gain. For example, if someone who is not Native American, begins making jewellery in a Native American style and selling it for profit, they are stealing from Native American culture.

Counter arguments

Ideas don't work like physical objects - you can't "steal" them; if I use your idea of an aspect of your culture, you still can have it at the same time. Cultural expressions belong to the realm of ideas, which propagate and multiply when shared. Sharing culture makes it richer, and cultures that are not shared become abandonded and die.

Premises

[P1] Cultural appropriation is not borrowing elements from another culture. [P2] Cultural appropriation is using elements of another culture for personal financial gain. [P3] Therefore, if no financial gain has been made from the instance of cultural borrowing, it is not cultural appropriation.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] Cultural appropriation does not require personal financial gain.

References

This page was last edited on Tuesday, 1 Sep 2020 at 13:38 UTC