Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

News

Racism 101 Asked And Answered: Celebrating Multiculturalism Vs. Being A 'Culture Vulture'

Singer Gwen Stefani attends a party to introduce her Harajuku Lovers children's collection at Duff's Cakemix in 2015 in West Hollywood. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

WHAT IS RACISM 101?
  • We created Racism 101 to help our audience facilitate their own thought-provoking talks around race, with a conversation "starter kit," and extensive anti-racism resource guides to inform and educate. To field these questions, we assembled a panel of Angelenos willing to answer so folks didn't have to ask their friends, or even strangers.

UPDATE: This post was updated to include Mike Roe's response.

We've solicited questions from our audience — awkward, tough-to-ask, even silly questions — that they've perhaps wanted to ask people unlike themselves but have been too shy, embarrassed or afraid to ask.

WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

Support for LAist comes from

Q: "At what point does appreciation for another culture cross over into appropriation?"

Singer Eliza Doolittle performs during Day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2011 held at the Empire Polo Club. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images)
()

Q: "How do you feel about dressing up for Halloween as a character that is a different ethnicity from yours, if you don't change your skin color or hair?"

Is it OK for me to collect crafts from another culture? Is my Halloween costume offensive? There's a gulf of difference between a white woman collecting Mexican pottery out of admiration for the artistry and a group of sorority girls dressing up as "Mexicans" in ponchos and sombreros for a party.

The distinction isn't always so obvious in popular culture. Sometimes cultural appropriation feels like one of those, "I'll know it when I see you know it kind of things:" The feather headdresses crowds at Coachella, Katy Perry dressed as a geisha, Gwen Stefani with her Harajuku crew and who could forget Angelina Jolie's faux locks in the early aughts' "Gone in 60 Seconds?" Our panelists really dug in and brought their experiences and perspectives to the table to give you a few takes on this hot button issue.

HOW OUR RACISM 101 PANELISTS RESPONDED

Donna, a local artist who proudly identifies as Black and queer, was passionate when she told us how she distinguished appreciation from appropriation:

Support for LAist comes from

Roseanne, a descendent of several tribes originating from New Mexico, had this to say about cultural appropriation:

"This is a challenging question. Admiration for another culture is flattering when it is done with respect. Asking for permission from the people in that culture to photograph and allowing the people to invite you to participate is the appropriate way to ensure that you are not appropriating. Avoid imitating the people of the other culture or replicating their crafts/goods is my best advice."

...and had this advice about being respectful around Halloween:

"This is a great question. I feel that it is better not to portray someone from another ethnic group. There are many issues with dressing up as another ethnicity. For example without complete knowledge of the ethnic group one can not fully understand the culture. Therefore although innocently, one may not understand the sacred, spiritual, or general importance of regalia or clothing specific to another culture. Wearing a costume portraying another culture even if you don't change your hair or skin can be hurtful and may be interpreted as a mockery to those from the culture. So, refraining from this practice would be my advice."

Mike, from our LAist newsroom, describes himself as mixed race. He had a thoughtful response to culturally insensitive Halloween costumes:

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist