Claiming that cultural appropriation does not exist is the epitome of white privilege. This privilege is the ability to ignore or minimize the historical trauma of others because a person was born as part of the “normative” group. By not recognizing this privilege, other’s claims of injury can be brushed aside as oversensitive or inflammatory. This is the case when opponents of stopping cultural appropriation label it as simply another case of the “politically correct police.”

The idea that cultural appropriation is “misleading,” or part of the “melting pot” of America, highlights an ignorance of the historical trauma faced daily by many marginalized groups. Native land, culture, and people have been stolen, denigrated, and destroyed. 

California miners hunted Native Americans and turned their scalps in for state-issued bounties, while the United States military specifically attacked villages, aware that women and children would be killed. During the twentieth century, government and religious officials embarked on a policy of cultural assimilation, whereby children as young as five years old were violently removed from their homes and their cultures and forced to adopt white “civilization” in Indian boarding schools.

The sexualization of Native women has resulted in especially heinous crimes. “PocaHotties” costumes reinforce stereotypes of Native women as sexually promiscuous objects of male desires, while their Native “otherness” allows them to be exoticized to the extent that their humanity is ignored, so much so that Native American women in the United States are 2.5 times (3.5 times in Canada) more likely to experience sexual assault and rape than all other women. The argument that no one is hurt by such costumes ignores the reality that many Native mothers, daughters, and wives experience.

By taking cultural symbols for one’s own use, instead of actively engaging with the community, the history and culture of Native peoples is ignored, rather than “honored.” The MSU community is full of curious and engaged individuals who earnestly want to learn more about the multitude of cultures around them. November is National Native American Heritage month. Instead of passively ignoring the difficult discussions of cultural appropriation, I encourage all students to take advantage of the resources on MSU’s campus by participating in the events sponsored by Indigenous Graduate Students Council and Native American Indigenous Student Organization. Consider taking a class offered by MSU about Native culture. Rather than ignoring “political correctness” educated yourself about the vibrant culture of people whose land MSU now stands.

Jacob Jurss is a graduate student studying history. He can be reached at jurssjac@msu.edu.