‘Could you please remove that Buddha statue out of your garden? That’s simply unacceptable in 2023. You are guilty of cultural appropriation.’ I can already hear myself saying this to my neighbor, and it’s not hard for me to imagine her response. She would probably answer: what business is it of yours? Go bother someone else with your inclusive chatter.
Brace yourself. On the tide of woke culture and inclusivity, we are increasingly encountering cultural appropriation. In other words, the adoption of elements from one culture by members of another, more dominant culture. Recently, the Dutch women’s soccer team ran into trouble. They did something resembling a Haka in Australia: the ceremonial dance of the Maori, which enraged some Maori people. They accused the football ladies of disrespecting their culture. They interpreted the act at the training camp as mocking their culture. The offending video was quickly removed from Instagram, and a spokesperson from the football association KNVB told the NOS that the intentions had never been disrespectful towards other cultures, and that the training exercise was solely based on invoking inner strength.
So, a case of cultural appropriation. Or, in other words, keep your hands off my culture. Usually, in these types of cases, the accused party humbly bows their head and apologizes. Not this time, the KNVB issued a brief statement, but no apologies, which led to a bitter and aggrieved message on Twitter from the sports journalist who had set the whole thing in motion: a certain Victor Tomás Waters. This man knows how to make news, but his indignation over the lack of an apology is unjust. Why should apologies be made for everything? Especially if the incident is interpreted differently than it was intended. Shortly afterwards, Dutch international Merel van Dongen, after all the uproar, did apologize. As did the Spanish football team that also performed such a dance. A pity, because I refuse to believe that performing the Haka, wearing a Kimono, Lederhosen, or an Afro always amounts to cultural imperialism. Sometimes the fuss is just a matter of overly sensitive reactions.
And while we’re on the subject: what about Bridgerton, that hit Netflix series in which black people, on the tide of inclusivity and wokeness, portray British nobility and rulers? Isn’t that also a form of cultural appropriation? After all, an element from a subculture (skin color) is added to the dominant white culture, without telling the real story. The story of oppression and slavery. I cannot watch it without constantly being aware of this grotesque historical falsification. And yet, I watch it because it intrigues me enormously. In fact, it took me months to realize what I was actually watching and to be honest, I still don’t know: it’s postmodernist kitsch that – unlike a series like Downton Abbey – not only mocks black history, but also parodies the history of white men and women: that’s why (the colored) Queen Charlotte wears the most grotesque wigs. That’s why everything we see is heavily ‘over the top’. Thus, Bridgerton is more than just another saccharine costume drama and demonstrates flawlessly the fluidity of a concept like cultural identity. Seen in this light, Bridgerton is not only incredibly woke and inclusive, but the exact opposite as well. It subtly shows how complex a concept like cultural identity is and challenges anyone who reduces it to simple boxes like skin color, Haka, hairstyle, or slavery. Recently, as a teaser, Netflix shared the first images of season 3. The fans are ready. I am too, by now.
This article appeared on the website www.wyniasweek.nl
