This ridiculous woman is clearly in the wrong here, and the man showed a lot of restraint by not filing assault charges.

Physically harming her.

If somebody did that to me, they would be on the ground. Likely by a very strong push.

You can't hold and grab people...that woman is insane.

Think about it.

You can't really control your skin color, you can change your hairstyle quite easily.

Dreadlocks, as a formalized hairstyle, originated in India with Shiva sadhus: the earliest mention of the style is the Vedas (source: http://get-knotted.weebly.com/vedichindusadhusasian-dreads.html) and they have been worn by that group for literally thousands of years.

Dreads were "appropriated" by Africans who had been brought as slaves to Jamaica by the British; they met Indians who had also been imported by the Brits. This is also why Rastas use a Vedic term ("ganja&quot for cannabis instead of the African term, "dagga", by the way. Rasta is a syncretic combination of African paganism, Christianity and Vedanta.

It's kinda difficult to "think" about things if you do not understand history and oversimplify the very important historical process of cultural interaction and exchange. But, you know....blackface. Whatever.

and you have no idea if I know the history or not.

My post was about whether whites wearing dreadlocks is in a way, somehow similar to whites wearing blackface.

Pls discuss that instead of giving us your history lesson.

You can't claim appropriation (or "blackface&quot when your culture didn't create the hairstyle in question. Your choice to remain ignorant of the role of history and cultural exchange does not serve you well. Good luck.

If you can't respond without insults, pls don't.

is the foundation of the answer you're seeking, which is "no."

Check some of the more reasoned responses. It wasn't about hairstyle history.

I apologize, I don't understand. In any event, I meant no offense, just trying to draw a connecting line between your question and his/her answer.

In Ancient Greece, kouros sculptures from the Archaic period depict men wearing dreadlocks,[2] while Spartan hoplites (generally described as fair-haired)[3] wore formal locks as part of their battle dress.[4] Spartan magistrates known as Ephors also wore their hair braided in long locks, an Archaic Greek tradition that was steadily abandoned in other Greek kingdoms.[5] The style was worn by Ancient Christian Ascetics, and the Dervishes of Islam, among others.[6] Some of the very earliest Christians also may have worn this hairstyle; there are descriptions of James the Just, first Bishop of Jerusalem, who is said to have worn them to his ankles.[7]

Pre-Columbian Aztec priests were described in Aztec codices (including the Durán Codex, the Codex Tudela and the Codex Mendoza) as wearing their hair untouched, allowing it to grow long and matted.[8]

In Senegal, the Baye Fall, followers of the Mouride movement, a Sufi movement of Islam founded in 1887 by Shaykh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke, are famous for growing locks and wearing multi-colored gowns.[9] Cheikh Ibra Fall, founder of the Baye Fall school of the Mouride Brotherhood, popularized the style by adding a mystic touch to it. Warriors among the Fulani, Wolof and Serer in Mauritania, and Mandinka in Mali and Niger were known for centuries to have worn cornrows when young and dreadlocks when old.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadlocks

and cultural appropriation, and whether whites wearing dreads is in a way, similar to whites donning blackface?

You are simply repeating a mantra of historical ignorance.

The other is simply adopting a particular trend, one that has trickled down through time, through many cultures used by different subcultures for various reasons.

I think the disturbing thing here is that this women somehow feels entitled to the rights to something she neither had any hand in inventing or massively propagating. She feels this to such a degree that she is willing to get into a physical confrontation with a student who is just trying to get to classe.

Can you imagine if she would have been surrounded by a group of people who shared her opinion? Things could have easily escalated, dangerously for the guy.

I'm really surprised the "approbation meme has caught on, its really absurd. In America, culturally speaking on a massive level, we are all what we have been sold. The specifics really don't differ much. We like what we can buy, what looks pretty, sounds nice, or makes us look good or life easier to live. Convenience and entertainment are so filtered by now there isn't really very much that a 4th gen Irish immigrant, or an African American from the bronx can claim as authentically their own.

resorting to insults.

This place actually used to be a place where civil discussions could be had.

Think about it.

And offer no evidence whatsoever. The shallowness of your discussion starter does not warrant deeper replies.

If you can't do that without insults please don't bother responding.

You asked about a historic example of demeaning cultural appropriation. the historical record indicates the style has nothing to do with African Americans. Therefore, it is not the equivalent of blackface minstrel shows. The closest contemporary connection I see is to African Jamaicans. Probably most Americans, white or black, associate the style with reggae music.

I have been trying to engage you in a discussion. You, on the other hand, were pretty hard on the fellow who gave us a historical perspective on the use of dreadlocks. I found it both relevant and interesting. Your response seemed a bit unkind.

And his response to my response was even more insulting.

I'm just trying to get input on what others thought of the mindset of young lady in the video — why she objected to the guy's dreadlocks.

Even if we ignore the history of dreadlocks, and the many many many cultures that wore them throughout history, it's still nothing like blackface.

Blackface was worn to insult and belittle black people. That's why wearing it now, even if your intent isn't to belittle or insult black people, is still offensive: Because it was traditionally used for that purpose. It's the same reason racial slurs are offensive. It's not because when you combine certain syllables it somehow becomes offensive. It's because there's a history of racism and hate behind the words. Dreadlocks carry no such history.

The woman's objection to dreadlocks was cultural appropriation, not racism, which is why people keep going into history lessons.

Edit: The reason the history is important is because it's not really cultural appropriation when that many cultures have done it in the past. The Celts were described as "Having hair like snakes". Ancient Greeks, Vikings, and Native Americans were apparently fans of them too.

Don't get why many resort to insults instead of discussion.

People tend to get a bit defensive over it. I personally don't care who appropriates my culture, as long as they do it at least semi-respectfully. For me the real problems start when people use a ceremonial or sacred practice, object, or ritual in a manner mocking or insulting the culture or race.

I think the woman's heart was in the right place, she just went overboard. God knows I've gotten worked up and overreacted to enough stuff that I can't really hate on her too much.

When whites (in Vaudeville or whatever) were in blackface, they were deliberately mimicking a stereotype of African American culture. They were literally pretending to be black (or a demeaning caricature of it). It was an act and not a fashion statement.

When whites wear dreadlocks, it's because they think dreadlocks look cool. It's not an effort to poke fun of African Americans.

Make your case...

Why would you even suggest that comparison?

Of course she shouldn't have grabbed him, but at the same time she never seemed like a threat to him.
More like a college student clamoring for a debate or attention than anything else.

The whole cultural appropriation argument is not going to play very well with a melting pot society, especially when racially mixed kids can have light skin tone, freckles and red hair and where our own cultural aesthetic is influenced by black culture .. Hopefully she finds other ways to exercise her intellect.

and watching this college exchange I was reminded of this (see 4:10 to 5:40 to see what the "awkward" moment is about)...

Thanks GreatGazoo..

The young man reports that she started by asking a friend for a pair of scissors. That sounds like a clear threat to me.

I was just commenting on what I saw... I just didn't see her as intimidating or threatening. But in the end it's about how he felt, even though he decided against pressing charges.

Yes there is a young woman who in her enthusiasm has chosen to champion a point of view that maybe she hasn't thought through completely.

Whether or not the young man is appropriating or paying homage or simply sporting a hairstyle, the direct attack on him is really making a mountain out of a molehill.

However, these things get passed around to allegedly illustrate a problem with crazy lefties and their political correctness. I think that too is being exaggerated.

I too was probably guilty back in the 80s of being an overly earnest lefty know-it-all on occasion. It's all really a matter of perspective and I for one am not willing to take this as an illustration of how out of hand "kids these days" are.

Shoes and pants are European. Isn't she appropriating another culture.

Thank goodness this insanity hasn't been blown out of proportion and no one has chastised Beyonce for her beautiful long golden hair. It would be about as silly as this exchange over a simple hair style.

As opposed to those in the majority/dominant culture adapting others.

They come and go. How does it hurt anyone?

because it deprives minorities of self-determination for their cultures because of some goddamn hipsters who steal cultural elements and "look cooler".

Nothing gained or lost in my view. If cultures didn't "steal", as you put it, we'd have no blues, no jazz, no Congolese Rhumba, no Afro-Latin music, no banjo, etc. etc. Cross-fertilization of styles, techniques and ideas is what makes the world go 'round. We don't need no style police putting an end to the mix and match beauty of this world.

This is bullying.