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Should white people have dreadlocks?
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People with dreadlocks are judged by others

White people who have dreadlocks often get unsought hate from others.

The Argument

Many white people with dreadlocks have heard rude comments from others about their hair. Dreads are stereotyped to be unhygienic and unprofessional no matter what the race of the person who has them. Everyone with the hairstyle has to handle being a target for hate. At San Francisco State University, a black student yelled at a white student with dreadlocks. She claimed he shouldn't have them because they're her culture, but he argued the original culture doesn't matter.[1] The black writer stated that her dreads have made her feel unsafe because strangers have come to her to buy drugs and have called her hair "dirty." She has wondered if white people go through the same unpleasant things as her. It is better for white people to simply not have dreads so that there will not be this possibility.

Counter arguments

People should be prevented from attacking others for having dreadlocks instead of forbidding the hairstyle. Everyone has the freedom to express themselves so people should be more accepting of unusual hair. In the present day, it is unacceptable to still continue to be discriminatory against dreadlocks.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Dreadlocks have a stereotype of being dirty and messy. [P2] There are instances of multiple races experiencing hostile comments about their dreadlocks. [P3] Therefore, white people should not have dreadlocks.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P3] People should refrain from commenting on others' hairstyles.

References

  1. https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/31/living/white-dreadlocks-cultural-appropriation-feat/index.html
This page was last edited on Friday, 30 Oct 2020 at 14:47 UTC

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