Opinion

How to handle criticisms of cultural appropriation

Cultural appropriation is de ned as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.” Speci c instances of cultural appropriation remain up to interpretation of the individual. However, regardless of the number of people bothered by a potential act of cultural appropriation, it should be seen as an opportunity for education instead of the initial blind frustration that comes with such an o ense.

According to GreenHeart, an activism organization focused on the promotion of cross-cultural education, “Appreciation is when someone seeks to understand and learn about another culture in an e ort to broaden their perspective and connect with others cross-culturally. Appropriation on the other hand, is simply taking one aspect of a culture that is not your own and using it for your own personal interest.” Understanding this distinction allows for the respectful expansion and possible restoration of a culture that promotes collaboration instead of perpetuating harmful stereotypes out of ignorance.

The token 280-character Twitter apology has become too common in the cases of celebrities committing culturallyinsensitive acts succeeding in salvaging their careers instead of genuinely apologizing. This lack of true education belittles minorities continuously hurt by the fetishization of their culture. However, the role of educators can overcome damage done by the normalization of cultural appropriation on social media. “Part of the issue with cultural appropriation is the lack of understanding around the importance that an image or concept can carry within a speci c culture,” wrote the The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in an article on cultural appropriation in the classroom. “While educators can impart knowledge in many areas, there is no replacement for someone’s lived experience. Having those voices be an integral part of the conversation provides valuable learning opportunities for students.”

Forgiveness should not be expected and cannot be forced a er an instance of cultural appropriation, but the most sincere apology lies in education and clear growth from past mistakes.

Cultural Appropriation

noun

The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.

CULTURE, NOT A COSTUME: Initiated by Students Teaching About Racism in Society (STARS), an organization of Ohio University students, in 2011, the posters above contributed to an educational campaign centered on condemning culturally-insensitive Halloween costumes a er several incidents of such on campus. The Ohio University students used media to promote more thoughtfulness about the connections between stereotypes and identity when confronting acts of cultural appropriation. (Photo/Ohio University)

A rmative Action is necessary

A rmative action equalizes POC and white people in college admissions

Nithisha Makesh | Sta Writer pl246981@ahschool.com

Armative action (AA) refers to groups to gain an advantage over white the policy that takes into account Americans. However, there remains a factors such as an individual’s certain amount of white privilege that race and religion when determining admission to colleges. This policy gives an extra push to previously discriminated or disadvantaged students. Speci cally to college admissions, this means that minorities or students from underrepresented groups might possibly be admitted into colleges whether they have strong grades and test scores or not. “The admissions process isn’t just an academic meritocracy, and having perfect grades isn’t going to guarantee acceptance. White-Americans are guaranteed an advantage based on the color of their skin,” sophomore Noelle Crichton said. It’s possible that the AA policy reverses impacts admissions into college as well, according to blogs.brown.edu. “Diversity is a choice we make as a society and the reason AA exists is because of deep rooted systemic problems. -Noelle Crichton, 10 the e orts to make all races equal, as it Besides the fact that AA assists allows individuals from underrepresented people of color, AA also promotes diversity and allows students to learn in a diverse environment.

Schools and students can bene t from having more people of color admitted. This allows for students to interact more with other races and schools to take steps towards equality by admitting diverse students (Center for American Progress).

“Black people have had literal laws (Jim Crow) to put them and every minority that has had their community oppressed at an educational disadvantage. AA is important since it [gives] these people who have had educational disadvantages a better chance at being at least close to the level that white people are and have always been in terms of education,” sophomore Amari Porter said.

Affirmative Action in the United States in 1999

AFFIRMED: Florida, along with eight other states, banned AA in admissions at public universities and state positions in 1999.

Bringing life skills into the classroom

Emma Remudo| Sta Writer pl209912@ahschool.com

When you think of a typical high school schedule, a few classes may come to mind: math, science, English, history. Although not a part of these traditional courses, life skill classes play a vital role in preparing students for life beyond high school. Life skills classes are designed to prepare students for everyday life and provide them with skills like problem solving, cooking, ling taxes and other adult duties.

A high school senior may enter the world believing he or she has a love of numbers, but may not have a solid foundation for nance or investment. While the core principles in math are vital for ful lling a career in these areas, these skill sets are useless if students are unaware of how to properly apply them. A=ccording to a study conducted by the Fiji National University, “life skills training enhances critical thinking abilities, which further impacts living life actively, being responsible in the job and in future planning.”

Beyond a career in nance, everyone will be forced to le taxes, read bank statements or create a savings plan at one point in their life. If a student comes from a family where savings weren’t well-managed or where bad credit accumulated, the students might adopt these practices, unable to eventually create their own stable nances.

Particularly in these cases, it should be up to the school to create a curriculum where all students have equal education to money management classes. A 2012 study reported that only 17% of teenagers felt con dent in their ability to manage his or her money, yet 80% of high school teenagers reported an interest in learning more on nancial matters. The mismatch in supply and demand of these classes keeps students from learning life skills that help “21st- century youngsters to achieve their goals, by strengthening their abilities to meet the needs and demands of the present society,” according to the same Fiji National University study.

Whether joining the school newspaper or the robotics team, as students progress in their high school education, many of them begin to focus on areas they may want to pursue as a career. While it’s important to encourage these long term goals, the necessary life skills needed in order to be successful in them should not be ignored.

LEARNING LIFE SKILLS: This shows one of the life skills classes currently o erered at school through the pre-law track. Other skills taught in these classes could include communication skills, cooking, cleaning and time management.

(Photo submitted/Serena Saul)

Growing from criticism isn’t unpatriotic

Kayla Rubenstein | Online Editor-In-Chief pl226461@ahschool.com

Historically, America was built upon dissent. When colonists lost their voice, they revolted to make change. The patriots fought for their country, and through criticizing the system in place, the colonists were able to create the United States we know today.

In modern times, however, a survey conducted by The Hill shows that 47% of Americans believe that criticizing America is unpatriotic. Yet, from a scienti c standpoint, growth comes from addressing weaknesses.

Charles Darwin introduced the concept of survival of the ttest. Under this theory, those with the strongest genes are the most apt not just to survive, but thrive. In the plant and animal kingdoms, the organisms that don’t adapt, die o ; for countries, a similar process occurs. 6 Opinion

“Patriotism” loosely refers to devotion and support for one’s country. As such, a patriot would want what’s best for his country. What’s best for a country entails development. For example, America grew from a nation of farmers to a manufacturing leader, and subsequently experienced an economic boom, by adapting alongside technology during the Industrial Revolution.

The most e ective way to facilitate growth lies with addressing the faults within a country. There’s a di erence between bashing a nation and looking for places to improve. Imagine you’re writing a major paper, and your teacher o ers the chance for peer review. To notice any aws, you ask your friend to look it over. If this friend agrees with everything you wrote, you’re either the next Virginia Woolf or, more likely, being done a disservice that will re ect in your grade. Had your friend mentioned the grammar mistake, you could have xed it, and your grade would have been higher. Conversely, if the friend completely railed against your paper and made all negative comments, you likely would have tuned them out.

The same goes with criticizing a country. If one is simply wailing about the issues with the country, or being completely blind to the errors evident in the country (and no country is perfect), nothing will be achieved.

Without criticism, and therefore growth, America will remain stagnant. As former president Theodore Roosevelt said, “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

The American dream, not the American reality

Why the American Dream is unattainable

Ellaheh Gohari | Feature Editor pl236951@ahschool.com

The American Dream is an idea loan debt, it is nearly impossible to work that has followed Americans a full-time minimum wage job and still since the country’s inception. live comfortably. Following Thomas Je erson’s Declaration If one is unable to spare any money to put of Independence stating that “all men into savings, the American Dream becomes are created equal, that they are endowed less of a goal and more of a fantasy. More by their creator with certain unalienable than half of minimum wage workers have rights, that among these are life, liberty and two or more jobs, showing that they put in the pursuit of happiness,” the American the work, yet they are not accomplishing Dream has been cemented in our culture the American Dream because they simply ,according to journalist and author David don’t have enough money le to “better Kamp. A er all, if everyone is equal, and their lives” a er paying for all their other we all have the right to happiness, can’t expenses. Roughly 10% of workers making everyone, no matter their background, more than $100,000 a year live paycheck achieve greatness if only they put in to paycheck, suggesting that what was the e ort? once considered a moderate or even large

The quintessential American amount of money per year is no longer Dream states that hard work, not luck enough in a 21st century economy. or opportunity, is the key to success. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of the American Dream, one might discover that, in actuality, it is all a lie. In the past 25 years, inequality between rich and poor has grown. The middle class is shrinking at an alarming rate, meaning that the rich get richer, while the poor get poorer. According to Forbes, nearly 78% of American workers are “Approximately 38.1 million Americans lived below the poverty line, less than $22,000 annually per family. According to the Census Bureau of 2018. living paycheck to paycheck. With rising At the same time, families in the top 1% housing prices, medical bills and student are making an average of more than $1.3 million annually, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute. With such a large divide, one that is only getting bigger with every passing year, the poor are practically trapped in the same economic class they were born into, no matter what they do. A study by the Harvard Business School found that the inequality between rich and poor in the U.S. is not sustainable for the economy, and the pandemic has only served to make the divide even worse. Even as debt continues to pile up for the lower and middle classes, the top 1% continue to make more money and leave the rest of the country behind.

The American Dream is dead, with the majority of Americans more worried about paying their bills on time or supporting their families rather than striving for economic upward mobility that statistically will not be achieved. It’s time to stop putting our heads in the sand and believing in something that does not exist. Instead, the American economy must start becoming more accommodating of the growing lower class with nancial support and increased minimum wage. Only then will the new American Dream be achieved.

(Graph/Wiki Commons )