Essayer

[tilly_stratford]

If there's one thing I've never written much about, it's racial issues. But I've been thinking a lot about priviliege and oppression lately.

I'm trying desperately to wrap my head around the phenomenon cultural appropriation. And already the white guilt is almost paralyzing because Jesus, I'm a Caucasian blue-eyed person living in one of the wealthiest countries on earth, should I even be allowed to have an opinion beyond "it's a bad thing"?



Admittedly I wasn't even aware of the term "cultural appropriation" until recently when I read a series of articles about hipsters wearing Native American headdresses as a fashion accessory and thought "yes of course that's disrespectful". I know that anything that smacks remotely of Empirealism disgusts me to the core, and cultural appropriation is tied to that, so it's an open-and-shut case, right?

But suddenly on Tumblr people are fervently bandying about articles saying that white people wearing dreads is clear-cut cultural appropriation. And I am apparently commiting an act of racism and ignorance - I'm being wildly offensive against Rastafarians in particular and black people in general - because I wear dreadlocks.

And I'm REALLY WORRIED that this is going to read like "It's not racist when I do it". I really really am. But here's what I think.

Yes, a lot of people equate dreadlocks with Rastafarianism. In Rastafarianism, dreadlocks are a religious symbol. This is common pop cultural knowledge.

However, I'm not certain that everybody knows that matting is what happens to human hair when it's not combed or conditioned. Genes have a way of determining how fast it happens (curly, kinky hair mats together faster than straight) but it's something that easily happens on its own, and has ALWAYS happened on it's own. Throughout history. So just about any culture that has had individuals who didn't regularly comb their hair at some point... sported dreads. Vikings. Celts. Ancient Egyptians. Nagas. Sufis. Also cavemen.

Why is it specifically Rastafarians I am apparently oppressing because I'm too lazy to comb my hair? Why aren't these people mentioning the Sadhus of India? Or the Ngagpas Buddhists of Tibet?

I know it's said that racism isn't necessarily about intent, but sometimes intent and context's gotta count for something, doesn't it? I don't wear dreadlocks because I want to be "more African", or because I want to "celebrate black culture", I do it because it's one of the few ways I've been able to manage my hair, because it suits my lifestyle and because I think they look good. Doesn't my intent count?

I think my conclusion so far (because this really will never be an open-and-shut case for me) is that there are certain things that are just too general to really have a "cultural copyright" on. You can't criticize a WASP for shaving his head and therefore being offensive to Buddhist monks. Or you can, but there's really not much point to it, is there?

And to make this whole cultural appropriation thing even harder for me to understand, I look at from my perspective as a history student and from what I know, I just can't see how it's possible for two or more cultures to interact regularly and NOT be influenced by each other. Cultural appropriation is about one culture disrespectfully appropriating from another, but cultural exchange just... happens, doesn't it? Both ways? How on earth would you stop it?

I mean, just look at how language works. Words we've been using for centuries have origins in a whole mess of different cultures. Window, bandana, cot, nosh, autumn... I'm forced to use European examples because those are the ones I'm familiar with, but these things have been going on so long it's hard for me to think they're not universal.

And today, in urban Norwegian environments, due to the increase of Middle Eastern immigrants during the last forty years, there's appeared an entirely new ethnolect among young people called Kebab Norwegian, which incorporates a gigantic amount of Middle Eastern words, and it's used by both second-generation Norwegians and ethnic ones because, well, they talk and work and live together. And I think it's absolutely magical to see language evolve like that. It's not a conscious development, it's just something that happens when people communicate, and in the end it should be helpful when it comes to integration, shouldn't it?

So all in all, I want to make up my mind but I feel like an asshole even trying to think critically about it. I've lived a privilieged lifestyle, but I did spend my teenage years in the district with the largest population of immigrants in Norway, so growing up I had a lot of friends of Middle Eastern backgrounds. I'll fight you if you imply they're not just as Norwegian as I am. I've ended multiple relationships because I thought people were racist fuckheads in general. Again I'm afraid of sounding like those "oh I have a black friend so I can't be racist" assholes but at least you get an idea of where I'm coming from.


Okay and now I know why I never write about racial issues. Sorry, my ignorance is showing. Carry on.

Comments

[harbek.livejournal.com]

I never write about racial issues either, because, yes, it feels like I shouldn't even have an opinion, I'm so ignorant about it. I grew up in a medium-sized town (Horten, Vestfold), and I think I can count on one hand the number of non-Caucasian people I knew growing up, out of hundreds. It just sort of unconsciously formed into the assumption that all darker skinned people are immigrants. Which is the dumbest thing ever, and as soon as I realised I was unconsciously thinking this (mid/late-teens?), I made the conscious decision to change my way of thinking. But man, it can be difficult, especially since the places I most frequently see non-caucasians even now is, well, kebab-places.

Doesn't help that Norway is a kind of racist country, really. Not viciously so, but I think a lot of people, particularly the older generation, have a lot of xenofobia and make assumptions about people's jobs/income/opinions/culture/social standing etc based on skin colour, especially in smaller towns. And it's sadding, really, and it's really difficult to change your way of thinking when everyone around you is thinking it too. But I kick myself every time I catch myself thinking anything remotely racist.

It's one of the things about 22. July that I'm glad of, that it opened people's eyes a little bit about these issues, when one man caused all that pain simply out of xenofobia.

I always feel scared talking about things like this too, like I'm gonna sound like the most racist dickhead, so you're not alone being scared, and you're probably more informed than I am.

[tilly-stratford.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's definitely an on-going process for me too, unlearning whatever prejudices I pick up. I think it was pretty healthy for my social development that I moved to Lørenskog in my early teens - I remember when I first changed schools I was bullied by a clique of Muslim girls and that coloured my perception, but as time went on I came to know all sorts of first- and second-generation Norwegians, some friendly, some not, and I realized they were no different from the ethnic Norwegians I'd been with before.

I agree, I think Norway's a pretty xenophobic country - I'd hate to think how bad things would have gotten if it'd really been Al Qaida or someone like that who'd caused 22. July - but still, I'm optimistic about the fact that it's really the older generations who seem to be the most ignorant and bigoted, and that the younger generations seem - for the most part - to be moving forward when it comes to these things.

But yeah, talking about racial issues does make me nervous - of course I'd put the opinions of someone who've lived through that kind of bigotry before my own. But I also believe in the value of thinking critically and picking things apart, even if I don't think I'll ever be able to make a straightforward conclusion about things like these.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_grayswandir_/]

I just can't see how it's possible for two or more cultures to interact regularly and NOT be influenced by each other.

This is what I'm thinking. I'm not sure when influence becomes "approbation" or when appreciation for the beauty of a culture becomes somehow an insult to the culture, but the whole phenomenon strikes me as rather inscrutable. If somebody collects pieces of antique Chinese furniture, are they therefore a racist? Is there some law that says that whatever culture you're born into, that's absolutely the only culture you're allowed to participate in, or else you're some kind of cultural bigot? Frankly, I think that's just stupid. People should respect each other's cultures, but I don't think respecting them has to mean being afraid to touch them. :P

[tilly-stratford.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I get the sense that the argument assumes that all cultures are these fully-formed pristine things, and that any development caused by outside forces contaminates them somehow - and that doesn't really fit with how I think the world works. I supportrespecting and preserving unique cultural aspects and being proud of your background, but I can't see how you can even pinpoint what is "essential" to this or that culture...