I grew up in Southern California thinking of myself as Chicano-American. What is happening is peoples histories, stories, pain, and pride is being stripped away and reduced to the easiest object or image to be consumed by those who already have too much privilege and power. The argument that this White person (or straight person or male) is giving voice ignores the fact that people could learn about a culture by listening to the actual people of that culture.īut that isn’t what is happening. They don’t need to be discovered because they are not lost, nor unknown. ” But, and this is important, for the people who’s lives and histories have been taken and used for consumption, their culture is not exotic. These privileged individuals get credit for “discovering” and “giving us a look at a new culture. The problem with cultural appropriation is that privileged individuals (usually White, sometimes straight, and often male) get rewarded for being edgy, cute, or exotic. Decoded True Tea Huffpost’s Black Voices.

I define cultural appropriation as Privileged individuals using something from another culture without showing understanding of the culture or giving credit to that culture. Here are a few very good pieces on the subject …. I can’t because, like many authors before her and, unfortunately, many authors to come, Telgemeier is dealing in cultural appropriation. I was excited to read it, bring it to my children’s lit courses, talk it up on my blog and basically have a welcome party for another great Telgemeier graphic novel for young readers.īut I can’t. Today I am writing about Raina Telgemeier’s Ghosts.

Ghost the book by raina telgemeier