Cultural Appropriation in the Social Imagination!

Cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of the elements of one culture by members of another culture. Now, in sociological terms, this has been happening for thousands of years. In fact, even encouraged as it can even be argued that its all part of social evolution. Ironically, this is an aspect of the globalist agenda... after all, you did not make it (create a business/product) alone. We all affect each other, we all participate in the exchange of culture/ideas and or social thought.

Today, there is the argument or discussion that it is wrong to use especially to capitalize on cultural aspects that don't belong to you. They belong to someone else. So, is it wrong to use another group's  cultural traits/traditions/symbols in order to gain social status advantage and or economic advantage?

It maybe wrong only in that it may not be considered a 'fair' exchange of culture. But, since when is anything in this world truly fair for everyone everywhere at the same time and for all the right reasons? Is it wrong for people to paint pictures or take photographs of places or people that they have no shared cultural data with? Doesn't National Geographic do that and for money?

Is it wrong to use other societies/people's cultural data as a means to advance those people in the sense of bringing awareness to their location or situation and or to enlighten people outside of that group with extraordinary beauty and insight that they may never experience first hand.  Isn't that the intention of and doesn't National Geographic do that?

In Sociology, there are many words already in place that describe cultural exchanges, fair or not. Cultural capital is such a word which means that within our 'group' we have specific data that has worth and value for our group as it was acquired in a place over time (traditions/customs i.e).

This is opposite to social capital in which we can acquire worth/value through social networking which means acquisition of social data that has no specific boundaries or is promoted as universally good - democracy i.e. Cultural deprivation is recognized as being without cultural capital or not being able to access it.

Cultural lag is when within a group there are those that just don't jump on the band wagon of changing cultural capital and they lag behind. This is also applied to wider situations as in global. One group lags behind in terms of technology that their group cannot afford or resists as the rest of the world passes by making leaps and bounds.  Lastly, is cultural relativism which the United States is quite guilty of... we think that our country is the greatest country on the face of the earth.

So... cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of the elements of one culture by members of another culture. Take information whether it is food, music, dance, insight... and make it your own! Is that good or bad, right or wrong? Certainly, it could be argued that its natural in the scope of social evolution. And, certainly it can be argued that many cultures 'people' have benefited from it.

Now, is it really wrong to make money off of other people's culture and to gain social status from doing so? Well, someone should get paid for bringing awareness to others outside of a particular group/culture, right? And, certainly someone should be the voice for them while at the same time appreciating what others have to offer and selling/passing it along, right?

We may want to consider that it may be more right than wrong in the wider social imagination... especially if we are imagining a one world order that certainly requires it.