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I want to start by saying Americans do take things from other cultures and use them in problematic/offensive ways and it is as issue that should be addressed.
I think something that confuses foreigners about Americans and cultural appropriation is that, despite how racist the US can be, the last couple generations of Americans were raised specifically to see cultural mixing as a good thing.
We do and have always had an issue with racial and cultural prejudice. Weâve been dealing with it for centuries, which is why in recent decades there has been a strong push to frame cultural diversity as a good thing.
We were told as children by our teachers that the mix of different cultures in America is one of the MOST beautiful things about our country. (Even though some of us went home and had that message contradicted).
This is why Americans can get so confused and defensive about cultural appropriation. We were raised to define our culture by its mixed qualities.
But despite our diverse range of cultural origins, American is still predominately populated by those of white European descent. Many of them donât understand what they are doing is offensive simply due to lack of exposure to actual diversity, especially in rural areas
I donât mean for this thread to be a defense, because itâs not. I just hope to provide a little understanding.
