Is this cultural appropriation?

[Anonymous]

White parent at our school has "still I rise" in typewriter font on her inner arm/wrist.

I didn't think anything of it, I love the poem myself, but do not have tattoos. But apparently there is an uproar about it being cultural appropriation and some parents have been passing around a petition to be presented to the PTA and BOE to have her banned from school events if it is not covered up?! This seems outrageous, it's not racist or harmful. To me, she is appreciating Maya Angelou.... please teach me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:White parent at our school has "still I rise" in typewriter font on her inner arm/wrist.

I didn't think anything of it, I love the poem myself, but do not have tattoos. But apparently there is an uproar about it being cultural appropriation and some parents have been passing around a petition to be presented to the PTA and BOE to have her banned from school events if it is not covered up?! This seems outrageous, it's not racist or harmful. To me, she is appreciating Maya Angelou.... please teach me.

This might be the best troll post of 2019.

[Anonymous]

It feels a little tone deaf but not enough for everyone to get their panties in a bunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White parent at our school has "still I rise" in typewriter font on her inner arm/wrist.

I didn't think anything of it, I love the poem myself, but do not have tattoos. But apparently there is an uproar about it being cultural appropriation and some parents have been passing around a petition to be presented to the PTA and BOE to have her banned from school events if it is not covered up?! This seems outrageous, it's not racist or harmful. To me, she is appreciating Maya Angelou.... please teach me.

This might be the best troll post of 2019.

It has to be, right?

[Anonymous]

Agreed. I am sure people are sending around petitions to have a woman banned from school events. Suuuuuuurrrrrreeeee. Good god.

[Anonymous]

Are the people raising this as an issue also white? I find myself thinking they must be, in which case I suspect they are crazy. But maybe no, in which case (as a white person) I don't feel qualified to weigh in.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are the people raising this as an issue also white? I find myself thinking they must be, in which case I suspect they are crazy. But maybe no, in which case (as a white person) I don't feel qualified to weigh in.

OP here, not a troll. I'm honestly concerned. The moms who are sending the petition are UMC, and white for the most part. I think one is Indian and one may be half Asian.

It never occurred to me that this was a problem. I get sugar skulls / Japanese symbols / etc. but this is a poem, no? I am happy to be taught

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:White parent at our school has "still I rise" in typewriter font on her inner arm/wrist.

I didn't think anything of it, I love the poem myself, but do not have tattoos. But apparently there is an uproar about it being cultural appropriation and some parents have been passing around a petition to be presented to the PTA and BOE to have her banned from school events if it is not covered up?! This seems outrageous, it's not racist or harmful. To me, she is appreciating Maya Angelou.... please teach me.

OP here again. I didn't mean to be confusing. I meant as in she is acknowledging or enjoying Maya Angelou, celebrating her and the words from her poem and connecting with them on a personal level, as one should with poetry. But apparently this petition states that she is taking from the black community and acting as if her white privileged life struggles are comparable to slavery and systemic poverty and oppression.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why the eye roll?

Because people don't realize that Maya Angelou was not just a black poet.
She was a woman.
Because people don't respect the fact that Maya Angelou did more than write passionate poetry about the black experience.
She wrote about being a woman.

"Still I Rise" along with another famous poem "Phenomenal Woman" are both celebrations of the feminine spirit.

Just because someone is black doesn't mean that their thoughts/feelings/sympathies/artistry is limited to one those three areas (slavery, poverty, and oppression).

Black women are women too ya know.
"Still I Rise" is a about female empowerment whether black or white or red or yellow or green or blue.

END OF DISCUSSION.

[Anonymous]

This is sad. Why can't this poem be appreciated by all?

This world is going to hell in hand basket.

[Anonymous]

This can't be real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:White parent at our school has "still I rise" in typewriter font on her inner arm/wrist.

I didn't think anything of it, I love the poem myself, but do not have tattoos. But apparently there is an uproar about it being cultural appropriation and some parents have been passing around a petition to be presented to the PTA and BOE to have her banned from school events if it is not covered up?! This seems outrageous, it's not racist or harmful. To me, she is appreciating Maya Angelou.... please teach me.

You're saying that people are passing around a petition asking a governmental entity to ban a person from the premises based on the words on the person's arm?

IF this were true, OP, it wouldn't be outrageous because the woman's tattoo isn't racist or harmful. It would be outrageous because it would mean that there are people in the DCUM demographic who have never heard of the First Amendment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is sad. Why can't this poem be appreciated by all?

This world is going to hell in hand basket.

Because some WP think that it's if a Black person creates anything, then it is created only for the enjoyment by other Black people. Also, it is difficult for some WP to sincerely believe that they have anything in common with non WP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White parent at our school has "still I rise" in typewriter font on her inner arm/wrist.

I didn't think anything of it, I love the poem myself, but do not have tattoos. But apparently there is an uproar about it being cultural appropriation and some parents have been passing around a petition to be presented to the PTA and BOE to have her banned from school events if it is not covered up?! This seems outrageous, it's not racist or harmful. To me, she is appreciating Maya Angelou.... please teach me.

This might be the best troll post of 2019.

+1000000000000000000000000000

I'm cracking up at all the people in this thread taking the bait.