Wednesday, March 27, 2024


Cultural Appropriation or Not?

May 7, 2018 by  
Filed under News, Politics, Weekly Columns

(Akiit.com) The politically correct cuckoos have flown the coup once again.

This week, it was throngs of left-wing American social justice activists who got “triggered” over a Utah teen who dared to do the unthinkable – use her own free will to choose a dress for her high school prom. Keziah Daum, 18, chose to wear a traditional Chinese cheongsam because she thought the embroidered red and gold dress was modest and beautiful. But instead of accepting that innocent reality, thousands in the PC mob who viewed the photos the teen posted on Twitter on April 22 viciously attacked her online.

Many accused the young woman of cultural appropriation, racism and other far-out misdeeds, causing the situation to go viral.

Daum responded by tweeting: “To everyone causing so much negativity: I mean no disrespect to the Chinese culture. I’m simply showing my appreciation to their culture. I’m not deleting my post because I’ve done nothing but show my love for the culture. It’s a f—ing dress. And it’s beautiful.”

She then added: “To everyone who says I’m ignorant, I fully understand everyone’s concerns and views on my dress. I mean no harm. I am in no way being discriminative or racist. I’m tired of all the backlash and hate when my only intent was to show my love.”

Bravo to the young teen for standing her ground, as opposed to many spineless Americans these days, including adults, who, when subjected to backlash over a controversial tweet or sound bite, quickly cower when the social justice mob strikes. Interestingly, in China, where the viral photos reached, people weren’t offended by Daum’s dress choice.

To the contrary, many users of China’s social network Weibo came to Daum’s defense, calling her dress choice cultural appreciation, not appropriation.

“Culture has no borders,” one wrote. “There is no problem, as long as there is no malice or deliberate maligning. Chinese cultural treasures are worth spreading all over the world.”

Another posted: “The girl in a cheongsam looks beautiful. Isn’t it a good thing that our culture is appreciated by people from other countries?”

Indeed. Perhaps the PC police here in the U.S. can learn a thing or two from the Chinese – or from 19th-century English cleric and writer Charles Caleb Colton, who famously said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

But easily offended liberals in America who feigned outrage over the Utah teen’s prom dress are the same folks who turn a blind eye when high-ranking members of their political party engage in real cultural appropriation.

Take progressive darling Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Back when she was working in the private sector and trying to advance her career in academia, Warren claimed to be Native American on official documents, despite no verifiable evidence. To date, the de facto leader of the Democratic Party and progressive movement refuses to take a DNA test to back up her unbelievable claim.

Clearly, when it comes to what’s offensive these days, there are different rules for different people.

Written by Adriana Cohen

Official website; http://twitter.com/AdrianaCohen16


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