At the recent Video Music Awards, pop sensation and sometime child star Miley Cyrus scandalized audiences and alienated fans when she stripped down to her underwear, straddled an oversized foam hand, slapped the behind of one of her (all black) back-up dancers and did her utmost to induce her body to twerk. The results were questionable at best, scarring at worst.
This fantastically tasteless and insensitive performance, however, did more than offend America's aesthetic sensibilities: it also sparked a much-needed dialogue about cultural appropriation. I won't rehash the criticisms of Cyrus that have graced so many national news outlets, nor will I attempt to outline the many ways in which her routine capitalizes on racist stereotypes. These issues have been discussed by commentators more skilled than I. By now, Cyrus' ill-conceived VMAs performance is almost universally regarded as an example of how not to engage with different cultural traditions.
But Cyrus' performance comes in the midst of a broader debate about whether (and when) it is okay for artists to draw on influences to which they do not have an obvious cultural "claim." And, often, the answers to this sort of query are not clear-cut. In light of rapper Macklemore's new single, "Same Love," in which the white and cisgendered celebrity champions LGBTQ rights, advocates for social justice are confronted with the difficult question of whether white or heterosexual artists are ever justified in helping themselves to conventions deeply rooted in black or queer artistic traditions. Under what circumstances is it acceptable for us to stray beyond the bounds of own our cultural, geographic or ethnic backgrounds to engage with, or even borrow from, other cultural traditions? Is it ever acceptable?
As a white woman, I approach this question from a position of relative privilege. But I am inclined to answer yes. To categorically dismiss people who try to engage with other cultures as appropriative is to discourage intercultural exchange and reinforce the idea that cultural boundaries are absolute and inescapable. Making an effort to learn about other cultures is valuable, not least because it promotes an attitude of tolerance and compassion that might go a long way to eliminate the very prejudice that grounds appropriative behaviors.
Of course, our origins irrevocably inform who we are and who we become. But our backgrounds do not have to dictate the exact dimensions of our future identities. Today, it has become almost impossible for us to limit or otherwise retard the exchange of cultural data. The downside is widespread cultural homogenization; the upside is that it is easier than ever for us to educate ourselves about other cultures such that we treat their traditions with care and respect.
Recent discussions of this issue, many of which have written off anyone who dares to identify with any aspect of another cultural tradition, are wildly reductionist. There is a difference between ignorant cultural appropriation and informed intercultural engagement; the latter does not deserve the same treatment as Miley's (inept) twerking. It's just not the case that every time a white person ventures to experiment with hip-hop, his or her actions are culturally appropriative although it is very much the case that every time a white person experiments with hip-hop, he or she is obligated to delve into the history and social context in which the genre is rooted.
As we go about our cultural explorations, it is especially important that we remain cognizant of power differentials. Part of what it means to be informed about other cultures or at least, informed enough about them to draw on them in our own work is to theorize our individual relationships to those cultures, to understand what our engagements with those cultures signifies in a greater social context. Often, it is difficult to navigate complex cultural landscapes that operate at the intersection of multiple axes of identity.
Cyrus failed miserably. But the rest of us cannot opt out of intercultural engagement just because it is difficult to fully grasp alternative perspectives or because respectful intercultural exchange is nuanced and challenging. It is the very difficulty of abandoning our own narrow viewpoints that makes such an abandonment necessary.
Tread carefully don't not tread. And probably don't twerk.
