Well Sh*t. It really is that simple - Episode 97 - Culture is Not a Costume… is now LIVE!
Full Show notes: https://bit.ly/WellShitEpisodeGuide
With the Halloween season coming up in a few weeks, we would like
How we need to be mindful of cultural appropriation when planning costumes
Whilst keeping in mind that we are not experts in this field, we would like to discuss this topic through the Needs Lens
We encourage you to find experts and educators on BBIMP (black, brown, indigenous and myelinated people coined by @AccordingToWeeze), specifically women and people from any culture that we want to be “inspired” by (which often actually equates to culturally appropriating). It is also important to pay these educators for their time and expertise
How it is important to take proactive initiative and educate ourselves because otherwise we may do something that negatively impacts people from different cultural backgrounds unknowingly (which compromises both their and our own needs)
How through the interconnectedness of humans, impacting someone else’s needs means that we are impacting our own
How just because we may know someone that says they are ok with something (comment/behavior), it does not negate where other people are sharing that it is harmful. They also might be minimizing the impact the comment or behavior has on them or not communicating the impact to protect their other needs (such as physical or emotional safety)
How if there is any doubt, it is better from a Needs point of view to find an alternative
How when we use another culture as a tool for meeting our own needs, it will negatively impact the needs of the people from that culture (and in turn our own due to the interconnectedness)
How by using a costume we are sending the message that we have a right to use that culture for our benefit, thus devaluing that culture and impacting the Value Need of people from that culture
How people from that culture are frequently be discriminated against for the things that white people use for their benefit
How if costuming from a different culture is meeting our needs in some way, as it negatively impacts other people, it is not a Selfirst way of meeting our needs and we need to find something else. There are a lot of neutral options for costumes that do not impact anyone negatively
How our interconnectedness is our humanity and when we devalue someone else, we are disconnecting from their humanity, and in doing so we are also disconnecting from our own humanity which has ramifications that are often beyond our awareness and understanding
How impact is caused no matter the intention
How characters of different cultures are important due to the representation and inclusivity for those cultures
How you can provide other options for children and let them come up with their own options as long as they don’t negatively impact anyone else
How not harming someone else through a costume is just basic human decency
How it’s important to think about the history of the costume
How we need to work to unlearn and dismantle systems of privilege, discrimination and oppression that have been ingrained in us from a young age
How these situations can be a good gateway for non melanated people to research, discover and learn about their own cultural heritage
How adornments and other aspects of other people’s culture are never appropriate if you are not from that culture. This not only holds for Halloween, but in our daily lives
The importance of processing such a heavy topic whilst being mindful to process away from people of different cultures so as not to negatively impact them or place further burden on them through having to deal with us as we are processing our emotions on this piece
How we need to approach these situations in a way that focuses on and centers the people who are harmed by these situations
