Is It Disrespectful for a White Person to Adopt Black Culture?

Andre and Todd discuss the all-black majorette dance team started at USC that received criticism from people who think that majorette dancing, which has its roots and plays an important role at historically black colleges and universities, shouldn’t be represented at a predominantly white college. They talk about the tension that can exist between cultural sharing and cultural appropriation - where people from one culture inappropriately, or in an unacknowledged way, adopt parts of another culture.

On one hand, there is a natural tendency for culture to spread, which is important because it can bring people together across cultural divides and it shares the inspiring diversity of human cultures. On the other hand, when a part of a group’s culture is strongly tied to their identity, to their historical traditions, or perhaps to some painful parts of their history, others adopting it can feel disrespectful or even exploitative, particularly for groups who have historically been exploited. How do we navigate that tension? Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

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