Multicultural Culture Essay

1108 Words3 Pages

Cultural Appropriation versus Multiculturalism In todays society there are many different cultures that individuals identify with. Culture is very important to many people and is something that helps define who we are. When different cultures are respected and appreciated it is a beautiful thing, it can bring individuals in society closer to one another. Ideally this understanding of one another’s cultures can lead to multiculturalism. If the appreciation for different cultures is not done correctly it can seem to be cultural appropriation. Any piece of a culture can be stolen, mocked, and disrespected, from music, clothing, food, etc. As a society with such a vast amount of cultures it is important to know the difference between multiculturalism
The greatest example of multiculturalism today is the world of electronic dance music festivals, and music festivals in general. These large festivals attract crowds well over 100,000 attendees, many of which are from all different types of backgrounds. For example, Electronic Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Nevada which is held annually every June, attracts hundreds of thousands of individuals all coming together to celebrate their love of dance music. At Electronic Daisy Carnival or EDC as it is known, no judgments are passed on people for any reason such as race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or age. Everyone that attends is treated with love and respect. Many people who attend these festivals have a motto that they base their actions on known as P.L.U.R. which stands for peace, love, unity, and respect. You treat others with love kindness and respect in order to have unity, not many other places or events can boast that this type of interaction amongst individuals can be achieved. At EDC everyone is treated as equals, no one group who feels that they are better than another group for any reason. Unfortunately, in other aspects of our society there is an emphasis on seeing the differences in one another, which divides people instead of bringing them closer to help achieve a multicultural world. The unfortunate
In that setting, racial difference and racial hierarchy can be made to appear with seeming spontaneity as a stabilizing force. They can supply vivid natural means to lock an increasingly inhospitable and lonely social world in place and to secure one 's own position in turbulent environments (Gilroy, 430).
If more people were able to learn from the multiculturalism in EDM festival culture and apply the same techniques to everyday life, our world would be a much better place with much more understanding and respect between individuals and cultures. The portrayal of different cultures is a vast spectrum, from cultural appropriation to multiculturalism. Using a culture for profits or misinterpreting a culture without knowing the significance of that culture is an easy way to end up culturally appropriating. This is simply distasteful and abuse of a different culture. We must check ourselves in order to not commit this act and to remain respectful of different cultures. On the other end of the spectrum, multiculturalism is the proper way of bringing cultures together and helps to unify

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