Comments on: THOUGHTS: Is Imitation Truly the Best Form of Flattery?

By: Joan Gosier

Joan Gosier — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:26:13 +0000

QUOTE:”What does get her upset is when we don’t take an active interest in our own culture and when who we are becomes trendy and other people take credit for it.”

That statement pretty much sums up my feelings with a dash of Paul Mooney sentiment mixed right in! LOL

GREAT ARTICLE AND DISCUSSION!

By: Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 03:29:53 +0000

Oh! And growing up in the hood does not make you Black or give you a pass to call folks N****A.
That’s all.

By: Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 03:28:16 +0000

I agree with everyone. Too many people are trying to make trends out of different aspects of Black culture and it’s offensive. (Check it: American Apparel is now selling African print dresses: http://clutchmagonline.com/newsgossipinfo/american-apparel-turns-afrikan/). It’s the same with non-Black folks using the N-word (for the record, I don’t even like it when I hear Black people saying it). People have no history of what the word means yet nowadays it’s more popular than the word homie. Drives me crazy!

By: mk

mk — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:41:46 +0000

i feel like its more than just a hairstyle
its….being at peace with yourself.
embracing your blackness in every possible way & not being apologetic for it.
i’m not feelin that
sure its great that people are more open but… certain things are sacred to different cultures.
like you said, it goes beyond just the hairstyle…it speaks to our history.

By: ashleyjoy

ashleyjoy — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:32:34 +0000

Amen Marly. I completely agree; however, I don’t blame us for the appropriation of our culture. If we had more power, and a stronger position, and if we weren’t the victims of so many horrifying events, I might be able to. But in a space where our men (just a quick example) are bred to be fighters, controlled by a “commissioner” and watched by millions of people who “hate us” in arenas and on Sunday afternoons, all while wearing a uniform, and making a living that is, for many, the only hope of getting out of the situation that we were thrown into in the first place, it is hard for me to blame anyone. Frustration, hell yes…but blame, no.

I do blame these culture vultures for making a quick buck out of my people, but I’m not surprised. To add insult to injury is to wear my culture on your head, your chest, in your ipod, and think that now you are “socially just” and “down.” And that since you are now multi-cultural and you have a black bf/gf it somehow means that WE as a society are “moving forward.”

I too feel like my naps ARE sacred, and beautiful, and it makes me sick to see people who don’t understand that beauty to the level I do, wear it and think we share a common bond.

By: Marly Pierre-Louis

Marly Pierre-Louis — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:53:50 +0000

AMAZING PIECE KAT!!!! I love, love, LOVE it!

Here’s my take: The bottom line is everything people of color do becomes trendy the next second. We are the trend setters and “taste makers” of this society. I hate the fact that non-black folks think it’s okay for them to take all the glory and leave all the pain. I hate the fact that they even have that luxury. But to some extent, I blame us. We continue to allow big corporations (record labels, fashion designers, Burger King) to export images of us and our culture and we sell that image to the highest bidder, instead of keeping it in the family.

For me, it’s far from flattery. More and more, I feel like, nothings sacred. .. not even my nappy hair.