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The Dangers of Appropriating Culture in the Music Industry We see it everywhere nowadays, throughout music genres, but what is the real impact of cultural appropriation on the consumers and on the minority groups affected? Ryan James Keane investigates. The term “cultural appropriation” is pretty commonplace in today’s society. All anyone has to do is log onto Twitter and they’ll probably see a story trending about an artist who has allegedly committed it. To some, it is “faux-woke nonsense”; a concept so inconsequential it doesn’t even deserve consideration. To others, it is an incredibly serious issue, and reflects a society hell-bent on twisting perceptions of identity. Initially, I used to view it as the former. I thought it was just people nit-picking, being bored and finding something to get upset about. However, the more I researched it, the more my opinion on the matter changed. I realise now that cultural appropriation, especially in the music industry, is dangerous and has lasting effects on minority groups.
“Cultural appropriation, especially in the music industry, is dangerous and has lasting effects on minority groups” For those who have never heard of such a concept or aren’t sure what it means, the term refers to a situation where people of a certain culture take elements of other people’s and include them in their art, style or everyday lives. In this sense, an American of European origin having a Native American dreamcatcher in their room, or a white woman having cornrows can be considered examples of cultural appropriation. In this sense, appropriating culture can be analogous to stealing it, especially if someone (say, a musical artist) doesn’t credit the genesis of the items incorporated into their endeavours.
“In essence, society has always found ways to weaken the emotional and physical endurance of native people. If they are seen to be pre-colonial, they are seen to be devoid of value” If we consider this in the context of music videos, we may picture Katy Perry decked in Egyptian-style clothing in “Dark Horse”, or Lana Del Rey donning a Native American headdress in “Ride”. We may then say, “Well, even if it can be considered a form of theft, is it not more annoying than harmful?”. But putting stock into this line of thinking means we are symptomatic of the social system that continues to belittle and op press minority groups within society. In fact, before we examine why appropriation is more dangerous in the music industry, we need to examine why it’s dangerous in general. Many examples could be given, but for now, let’s consider the plights of indigenous peoples around the world throughout history. In Australia, the frontier wars gave host to the brutal and intentional decimation of the country’s aboriginals. In Canada, First Nations children were stripped from loving homes and placed in residential schools, forced to assimilate into Euro-centric value systems and broader ways of life. In essence, society has always found ways to weaken the emotional and physical endurance of native people. If they are seen to be pre-colonial, they are seen to be devoid of value. There has been an incessant emphasis on the “importance” of assimilation and racism has played a fundamental part in this.
