Ideological and lingual assimilation
Many white Americans are ignorant to the fact that many immigrants, Indigenous and Black people have to assimilate to the culture of white Americans as an aspect of white privilege. Simple things such as a school's dress code requiring certain types of hairstyles, models in traditional wear on the runway, or frowning upon people with an accent or speaking another language are subtleties that are always glossed over. The ensuing assimilation and the simultaneous departure from aspects of ones cultural identity ironically draws cultural appropriation. The very aspects of culture that white Americans have frowned upon and have systematically tried to eradicate, have been appropriated in hairstyles, food, and costumes. Its an interesting idea in which the multiculturalism and diversity of the United States that was celebrated since Ellis Island, fails in the face of having to follow "American culture".
Immigrants and assimilation
Photo illustration by Derek Brahney. New York Times
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Like many first generation children of immigrant parents may know, teachers mispronouncing your name is commonplace. Many well meaning teachers may even ask to call you by a nickname instead of mastering every accent mark and pronouncing every syllable of a foreign name. Some of you may have even been placed in ESOL simply because you come from immigrant parents or have an "accent". Instances like these start from childhood and normalize that the very things that can bring individuality as part of someone's heritage are "incorrect" and "hinder the student". Your food may be looked at weird by other students and children start to ask their parents instead to pack chips and a regular sandwich. Yet ironically history books and simple geography is full of the stories of forming cultural enclaves in Chinatown, and the very food people may make fun of, is the Mexican food they crave on Friday nights. Instead of fully embracing what we can learn from each culture, we try to dilute it or whitewash differences and individualism from one's heritage. This NYT article ponders on this very dilemma.
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Cultural appropriation
the adoption or co-opting, usually without acknowledgment, of cultural identity markers associated with or originating in minority communities by people or communities with a relatively privileged status.
Dictionary.com
This definition marks one of the peculiar aspects of American culture. It seems to be full of misappropriated cultural traditions and coopted for capitalist gain. Hairstyles that in schools and work places is deemed as unruly, are taken up by cultural icons and celebrities for the same hairstyle for a larger price. African Americans have been forced to straighten their hair in a "white washed form" to look more "professional". People with dreadlocks that have taken years of care and maintenance to grow as part of certain religious and ideological practices are forced to cut them off, yet some white Americans still grow them or wear cornrows and deemed as "fashion forward".
Kim Kardashian on Saturday's red carpet.
Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images
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Indigenous people have faced this cultural white washing for decades and yet their indigenous practices that were always attempted to be eradicated come back as fashion statements or on "local food" trends instead. Traditional headdresses and indigenous food were wiped out with the large influx of American products, usually western blue jeans and the sorts coupled with processed foods. The result is that instead of sticking to their traditional practices already forced off their ancestral lands, Native Americans are amongst the largest sufferers from inadequate nutrition leading to diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes. While white millennials benefit from the new found "local cuisine" and flaunting indigenous dress on the runway, Native Americans continue to suffer from the effects of both white washing and assimilation coupled with cultural appropriation.
Marcus Nilsson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
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Model Karlie Kloss' Native American Headdress at fashion show.
Credit: Amanda Schwab/AP
This article is interesting in that not only does it highlight different recipes from indigenous traditions in various US states, but also highlights the detriments that the near eradication of indigenous cuisine has caused. Now in a time of coronavirus we are seeing these adverse health effects from years of nutritional harm affect the indigenous population disproportionately higher than other minorities and white people.
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