I saw the movie
Dear White People recently-as should you-and let me tell you, it brought up SOOOOO many emotions for me. When the movie finished, I was stuck. I couldn't get out of my seat for trying to process what the hell just happened. This movie spoke thoughts and feelings that I had never voiced in a public space. It was a mirror that made me really question why I do a lot of the things I do, why I date the men I date, and why I hold the attitudes/beliefs that I hold. It's a powerful film. I appreciate the dialogue that it will spark. I appreciate that it made me feel uncomfortable and a bit exposed.
Along the lines of the film
Dear White People, a while back I hosted an episode for my podcast about cultural appropriation vs. cultural appreciation. The topic was sparked by an article written by Sierra Mannie "Dear White Gays Stop Stealing Black Female Culture." Mannie took to the internet to express her frustration at being minimized to a caricature by many gay white men on her campus. The article caught on like a wildfire causing many of us readers to think deeply about what the differences are between appropriation and appreciation. In a culture where everyone is borrowing from everyone, how can we distinguish who the culture "belongs to?" How can we potentially be making our loved ones feel by perpetuating insensitive cultural stereotypes? There are no easy answers. These are not easy conversations to have. That being said, these conversations
do need to be had. Listen below as my panel and I begin to unpack this topic.
A few things to note here:
- The audio is unmastered so not the greatest quality.
- I said the woman's name wrong, Jesus! Her name is Sierra Mannie. I called her Sierra Massey several times. Sorry girl.
