White People and Dreadlocks
I understand the idea of “cultural appropriation.” I really do. I understand the idea of minority versus majority, oppressed versus oppressor. Yet, I still think that it’s totally okay for white people to have dreadlocks.
First, “cultural appropriation” implies that a white person wearing dreadlocks is somehow hurting black people, and that’s simply not true.
Second, there’s a double standard. For a black person to think that a white person wearing dreadlocks is “cultural appropriation” is somehow an acceptable idea. Yet, if a white person said that black people getting their hair straightened was cultural appropriation, they’d be immediately deemed a racist.
Third, while I understand that dreadlocks have a deep, religious history, I don’t think that means that they’re reserved entirely for people who believe in that religion, or who are somehow connected to that history. Many monks shave their heads, but that doesn’t make it inappropriate for people other than monks to shave their heads. In the same way, it’s okay for people outside of the Rastafarian movement to have dreadlocks.
Fourth, cultures are shared, and they change. A black kid can study Japanese, and a white kid can wear a sari. We’re all just people, regardless of our race, nationality, or so on. The only problem comes in when this “cultural sharing” turns into “cultural mocking.” A white person with dreadlocks should only be a problem if the white person is being rude or insulting as a result of their dreadlocks, and 99% of the time, they’re not being rude about it at all.
Fifth, just so we clear this up, not all white people with dreadlocks smoke weed. So don’t assume that every white person with dreadlocks is being disrespectful to Bob Marley or something, and just jumping on the bandwagon to get drugs. Because that’s really, really not the case.
Finally, it’s a compliment. White people wear dreadlocks because they think it’s cool, not because they’re trying to invade black traditions or anything.
So, in the end, I don’t think that white people wearing dreadlocks is a bad thing, at all. Sure, sometimes they look like fools, but some people always just look like fools, regardless of their race or hairstyles.
I tend to stay away from this topic simply because I have yet to form a definitive opinion on it. But, I can say, with complete certainty, that this statement “Yet, if a white person said that black people getting their hair straightened was cultural appropriation, they’d be immediately deemed a racist”, is complete B.S. If a white person said that I would call them ignorant. A black woman straightening her hair is by no means appropriation. The reason why black people began to straighten their hair over 100 yrs ago is because they were assimilating in white culture in hopes to be a smidge more accepted. Eurocentric features, including straight hair, were deemed more beautiful, and white people had (have) all of the real power, so why the hell not? While some women straighten their hair today just because they feel like it, which is fine, that standard still holds true today.
So…NO, just no.
