Ein guter Essay zum Thema, der Beispiele aus der Musik heranzieht, ist der hier: The Question of Cultural Appropriation von Briahna Joy Gray. Die Autorin schlägt darin vor, zwischen zwei Aspekten des Themas zu unterscheiden, um strittige Fragen zu klären: einerseits Ausbeutung, andererseits Missachtung / Verunglimpfung / Beleidigung (disrespect).
Once we clearly understand what the actual problems are, it’s easy to see how free cultural exchange can occur without creating injustice. The problems are largely those of economics and respect, and if we evaluate cultural borrowing by these measures, we can get rid of the racism without getting rid of the borrowing itself. A few simple questions can help us think about specific cases: (1) Is there a historic record of exploitation between the appropriator and the originating group? (2) Is the originating group and its culture being celebrated, appreciated, and respected, or are they being degraded, mocked and accessorized? (There’s a difference between Eminem’s genuine relationship to the environment of 8 Mile Road and his immersion in Detroit hip hop and, say, a person wearing a tacky, cruelly stereotypical, and cartoonish Mexican Halloween costume.) (3) Is the appropriator actually claiming to be the owner or innovator, or allowing the media to create a false origin narrative? (E.g. Elvis as the “King” or Miley Cyrus’s “invention” of twerking.) (4) Is differential economic enrichment occurring? Is the cultural product more valuable in the hands of the appropriator, and does that have wider financial or political consequences for certain groups?
Both the concept of cultural appropriation and the backlash to it are, to use a popular term, “problematic.” Rigid ideas of cultural ownership would lead us to absurdity, but profiteering and cultural disrespect are important to recognize.
Ein Fall, bei dem hier jeder mitreden kann, ist die Geschichte, wie sich weiße Jungs aus England den Blues angeeignet haben: Die Stones haben sich dabei korrekt verhalten (ihre Vorbilder gewürdigt und sich darum bemüht, dass die auch finanziell was davon hatten); Led Zeppelin dagegen haben manchmal schlicht geklaut (Willie Dixon musste klagen, um die Credits zu erhalten, die ihm zustanden).
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To Hell with Poverty