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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

I agree PPs that [b]the cultural appropriation argument is silly[/b].  What if you name your child after a dear friend from another culture?  That's not "cultural appropriation."

People making this argument don't understand cultural appropriation.

Cultural appropriation is not simply [u]using[/u] something from another culture.  :roll:  That is cultural diffusion. It is a normal part of human interaction. My seventh graders are studying this. Things you can do without any "white guilt":  
Use algebra.
Have a pinata at your 4 year old's birthday party. 
Eat bagels and lox.
Wear snowshoes.
Name your newborn "Nzinga" after the famous 17th century Angolan queen who defied Portuguese slavers.

Cultural appropriation occurs when this borrowing is[u] disrespectful[/u]. For example, "Columbusing": celebrating claims by a person of your ethnicity that her or she discovered something that people of another ethnic group have done for a long time. A good example of why this frustrates people of color is Miley Cyrus "twerking". My Chinese coworker says she finds it irritating when she sees whites and AAs with tattoos in Chinese characters and they can't tell her what the word or phrase is in Mandarin. Sometimes, they actually have a totally different concept inked on than they paid for.

Imagine the difference between 
1. a coworker adopting a technique that you created and your boss acknowledges as your work
2. a coworker adopting a technique that you created and using it to get a raise or promotion because your boss won't acknowledge that it is your work.

Many minorities are frustrated because cultural appropriation is a continuation of unfair practices in place for centuries. Many patents awarded to whites in the antebellum era were actually the inventions of slaves and free people of color, but their intellectually property could not be legally or socially recognized.

[/quote][/quote]

This is all such bullshit. [b]Please tell me that this isn't part of the 7th grade curriculum - that, instead,  this is your way of "padding" the guide with crap[/b].

Cultural misappropriation stems from ignorance - not knowing the difference between the spoken Mandarin and Cantonese and trying to impress your in-laws with the wrong version. It's not intentional.

And do you honestly think that anyone intelligent (from any race or culture) would consider twerking a "black invention" to be proud of?  Furthermore, using the term "Columbusing" is both offensive and in this case, ironic.

Your other examples are plagiarism - intellectual theft.  This is intentional. Stealing patents from slaves and free persons is still plagiarism, unless you're defining the institution of slavery as a culture.

[/quote]

Actually read what I wrote.
My students are studying cultural diffusion as part of the County-mandated curriculum. According to the curriculum guide "When cultures interact with one another, traditions, beliefs and values are exchanged through the dynamic process of cultural diffusion." (http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/curriculum/socialstudies/middle/grade7/7.2%20Overview.pdf)[/quote]

And I see cultural diffusion in the guides.  I don't see cultural misappropriation or appropriation.  There's a big difference between the two.  Cultures change and evolve as a result of immigration.  I'll also add our "internet-friendly" environment to that mix, as it opens up the world to people who live in insular communities.

Once you address cultural misappropriation (b/c this is really the term you're teaching) with a group of students who - in 7th grade - don't know if they're coming or going, you can easily sway them, as there's no way to handle this concept with non-biased methods.

Intellectual theft is intellectual theft.  Yes, you can bring up the fact (and it's a fact) that white society overpowered African Americans - took advantage of their situation by stealing their ideas.  But that's not cultural appropriation.  It's intellectual theft - or plagiarism.

Go for it, lady.  Talks about oppression and institutionalized racism. It's there.  But don't confuse terms - or bring up concepts that go over their heads.

Why am I not surprised that my 9th graders enter HS with a very shaky knowledge base.[/quote]

Again, still not reading. I never said I taught my seventh graders about cultural appropriation. I said twice that they're learning about cultural diffusion. You had some type of conservative fear induced reading comprehension issue. [/quote]

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