This is the 21st Century and being labelled as something or someone has being the biggest trend in this generation. Cultural appropriation has carried along from fashion houses to everyday life and thus making it all the more harder for kids to turn a blind eye to this. It has been taught in households the rules and regulations for their respective cultures and it has been instilled in them that things have to be a particular way. This sort of a taught culture leads to kids becoming head strong and being box minded.
Traditions and cultures are all fun and games until one of them succeeds the other. Teaching basic values of any particular culture is a good thing for kids as they learn about various cultures and their specialties. It so happens that sometimes a few cultures could experience oppression when being talked about in an undermining way. Kids should be taught about all cultures by giving each and every culture equal respect. They should be taught about cultures in such a way that when they do meet other people from different backgrounds, they welcome them with open arms and an open mind.
One should understand that cultural appropriation is not the same as cultural exchange. When one teaches kids about this, they should keep the above mentioned things in mind. People should be more respectful of people from different cultures and those who speak different languages. This is their responsibility as the adult as kids tend to look upto them and more half of the things kids do learn is from their adult counterparts.
Having said that, understanding that, for kids, things like culture could get a little complicated and might get mixed up in their minds. It might so happen that they unknowingly disregard unfamiliar cultures and could end up hurting other peoples sentiments. This is just as true as the fact that one’s cultural identity does play a huge part in their life, but one should remember that this does not define them as people.
Kids these days have been quick at grasping and learning things that may or may not be in their best interest. There has to be a balance in everything and having said that respecting things and concepts that people do not understand just be normalized. Society these days has a way of making things invisible and underrated. Just realizing the fact that people need to grow and change with time has been the biggest hurdle, but overcoming these things has immense power in it.
