(Untitled)

[_askmeagain]

read it.
do it.
now.
http://www.makezine.org/mohawksdreads.htm

Comments

[jitneycosmonaut]

Here's what this argument reminds me of: arian nation folks who say that other kinds of people are allowed to have their culture and that you should be proud of your own and keep it pure. In other words, it's cultural fascism. I really see no problem with people sharing in other people's practices, beliefs or styles, since our country is a melting pot of cultures and doesn't have an independent culture of it's own. Clearly, white folks with mohawks and dreadlocks, who are typically politically active and very liberal minded, are not implying racism when that is what they are fighting against. Now, if George Bush was sporting a mohawk, I could understand the problem. What if you feel like you fit in to another culture more than your own? Who do you need to ask in order for you to not 'appropriate' a hairstyle? There are much more important things pertaining to racism than this which should be addressed instead.

[_askmeagain]

do you understand the difference between appreciating a culture and appropriating it

[jitneycosmonaut]

I guess I don't know the difference between appreciating/appropriating. What is safe to borrow from a culture that has seen lots of suffering? Dreadlocks represent a struggle against white oppression, which I think anyone can validly support despite their color. Can I not wear a Che shirt if I am a socialist and disagree with 'the white man' taking him down, or instilling capitalism on others? The people I know who have dreads certainly fight the battle it represents along with others. It's hard to say if that hair style is only a symbol of their being against oppression in that one sense or in many. I mean, not everyone who has dreads is fighting the fight of black oppression, and that sucks I guess, but a lot of people are and I feel it's not fair to generalize about it. Mohawks, well, clearly I know about the mohawk people now because of this discussion, so I don't think they've been erased, as the article says. I mean, I could see how people would be offended by people taking part in their practices without completely

[_askmeagain]

also in response to the idea of an american cultural melting pot. this is a ridiculous concept as it suggests that everyone's cultures forms the great american culture but american culture is still dominated by wasps and more specifally male wasps. think about it.