The Lady and Tiger of Cultural Appropriation

Cultural appropriation can be loosely defined as “the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group.” Both the depth of the adoption and the affect on the originating cultural group can vary widely. Some appropriation has deep roots in time. Other appropriation is recent, almost faddish. Though there a divergence of experience, the use of the word “cultural appropriation” carries with it an almost immediate negative context. While there are grounds for this interpretation, I believe the scope of the issue is much larger and more challenging than this simpler vision.

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