General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Advice to white people during this momentous time in our history [View all]Ms. Toad
(35,173 posts)There is a difference between individual musicians being flattered when people play their stuff and appropriating a genre from a culture. It's not a perfect comparison, but there are some whites who are embedded enough in the black community for them to be entitled to use the N-word (in the same way some members of the black community use it). But - as a whole - whites using the N-word is absolutely not appropriate (and many blacks are offended by the N-word regardless of who uses it). As I have said, I take my cues as to what is appropriate for others to use/join from members of the culture. As to jazz, as I said, I haven't had those conversations or made any effort to educate myself on where jazz falls.
As for your analogies - the fundamental question for me is whether it is a minority/disadvantaged group whose popular stuff is being used by the dominant culture (while that dominant culture otherwise disdains them) - and how they feel about it.
As to the examples you used, there are significant differences. Rock-n-roll has predominantly dominant culture origins, and Africa borrowing hip hop - which originated in the black community - wouldn't be a dominant culture borrowing certain aspects of a minority culture.