Black Man's Response to 'Cultural Appropriation' at Halloween Is Absolutely Perfect
It’s almost time for Halloween this year, which means it is also time for us to hear mostly white, elitist progressives sanctimoniously rail against the “cultural appropriation” inherent in some Halloween costumes, in between sips of their pumpkin spice lattes.
“Cultural appropriation” is a derogatory term used by the left to refer to instances where individuals of one race “appropriate” the culture, dress, food or lifestyles of another, though typically the left only applies this particular critique to white people who enjoy the mood of dress, food and lifestyles of other cultures.
But the liberal admonitions against white people appropriating other cultures doesn’t sit well with those who aren’t beholden to progressive ideologies, nor apparently does it sit well with some minorities who understand all cultures borrow or “appropriate” various aspects of other cultures for their own, often as a sign of admiration, appreciation and respect.
Indeed, a Twitter user named Dennis Williams — a black man who identifies himself on the social media network as a “right-leaning independent” — indicated as much in a tweet that addressed the lunacy and hypocrisy of the whole “cultural appropriation” push from the left.
Dear Parents of Non-Black Children,
If your kid thinks Black Panther is awesome and wants to dress up like him for Halloween – go for it.
Culturally appropriate me.
Because I’m pretty sure every single race has been dressing up as Superman, Spiderman, and Batman for years. 👍
— Dennis Williams (@RealDennisWill) October 26, 2018
Williams tweeted, “Dear Parents of Non-Black Children, If your kid thinks Black Panther is awesome and wants to dress up like him for Halloween – go for it. Culturally appropriate me.”
“Because I’m pretty sure every single race has been dressing up as Superman, Spiderman, and Batman for years,” he added.
And therein lies the utter hypocrisy of the whole thing, as children of every race — Asian, black, Hispanic and white — have been dressing up as white superheroes for decades with no problem.
Yet, now we are told by self-righteous liberals that children can only dress in costumes reflective of their own race and culture, meaning white children can’t dress as the Black Panther — even if that is their favorite superhero — and Asian, black or Hispanic kids can’t dress as Batman, Spiderman or Superman, even though that may be their favorite superhero and others have done so for years.
Of course, anybody with a bit of common sense knows that such a prohibition against certain costumes — and really, the entire premise of cultural appropriation itself — is not only idiotic but incredibly unproductive and damaging toward cultural and race relations in the long run.
It could be argued that the term “cultural appropriation” should be flipped to “cultural appreciation” instead, as more often than not, the borrowing or adaptation of various styles of dress, types of cuisine, genres of music and other lifestyles from one culture to another is a sign of admiration and respect, and yes, appreciation.
Indeed, a study of history shows that societies often advance when they engage in the exchange of various customs and ideas that hold merit and worth with other societies, taking the best of what one offers to adapt as their own while offering up the best of their own to the other for that society’s overall improvement as well.
It is the societies that are isolated from others — either through political decisions or simple geography, like China and North Korea or sub-Saharan Africa — that can become culturally stagnant to an extent and fall behind the rest of the world because they remain locked in their own cultural norms.
The exchange between societies of the best their culture has to offer should be promoted and celebrated, not denigrated and dismissed, as it is an enhancement that broadens one’s views and draws differing peoples together through the things they can agree on, whether that be clothing, food, hairstyles, music and even political and religious beliefs.
To be sure, there is something to be said against the truly mocking form of cultural appropriation that focuses in on wrong and hurtful stereotypes that truly can be seen as offensive to some. More often than not, that which is typically criticized as cultural appropriation is not of that sort.
That said, if one wants to display their admiration and appreciation of a heroic figure who happens to be of a different race or culture, and it is done so in a lighthearted and respectful manner, go for it, as doing so actually showcases how closely our various cultures are actually aligned as opposed to how segregated some on the left would apparently prefer us all to be.
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