“In an interesting example of cultural borrowing/appropriation sent in by Catherine H., the Korean all-girl pop band T-ara imitates stereotypes of American Indians in their music video for their (strangely catchy) song, YaYaYa.”
It’s difficult (for me) to know how these stereotypes of native North Americans “work” in Korea. It appears to mean something to Koreans, otherwise why use the imagery and narratives, but what? And how should Americans who oppose the stereotyping (and erasing of modern) Native Americans talk about this “borrowing.”
this video to me is a perfect example of why cultural appropriation and stereotyping are so dangerous. A band from the other side of the world is going off of the racist and inaccurate portrayals of natives that white america puts out there for everyone, and this is their interpretation of us and our culture because this is what they see coming from america about natives.
This.
Plastic shamans in Europe offering pay-pray sweatlodge services.
Those goofy ‘pow-wows’ in Russia.
This is how we’re seen all over the world. In South Africa, I had to explain who I was by using Dances With fucking Wolves as an example because there are literally no portrayals of us abroad that aren’t been packaged and sold by white capitalist consumer culture.
Germans still think of us in terms of Karl May and his stupid Shatterhand stories. I used to work on a guest ranch in Southern Alberta that catered to German tourists and I remember one of them loudly complaining about the distinct lack of ‘authentic Red Indians’ when plenty of the dudes working there were Indians.
I guess I should have been wearing feathers instead of a John Deere baseball hat.
ffs.
It’s not like Korea doesn’t have access to the internet and books and the ability to research this as a whole. Have you considered maybe it’s not the “white man’s” fault and the people who are actually being racist in the video to blame.
O wait, this is tumblr. White people need to check their privilege and hate everyone.
….sit the fuck down.
White privilege denying people fucking hate people calling out whiteness.
Also, yes. Despite the fact that not everybody speaks English those Koreans should just ignore the language barrier and understand what people publish about critical race theory because it’s in English, a REAL language.
I’m not making excuses T-ara’s.music video is fucking racist. That being said where do you think they learned that shit? Western media enforcing whiteness.
not.
fucking.
cool.
