Every (global) village has its idiot

Stenberg’s slander) simply thought she looked cool with her new ’do. And, as any normal attention-seeking teen whose family’s entire claim to fame is built on the back of mindless selfies shared with the world, the youngest of the Kardashian clan proceeded to post the pic on Instagram.

Shame on you, Kylie, for simply wanting to be a typical teenybopper and not using your hairstyle to draw attention to, as your friend AS points out, issues of “police brutality or racism”. (Er, Amandla, you do realise this is a Kardashian you’re addressing right? Perhaps you should reread the paragraph above…)

But while we’re on the subject, I, too, have a question for you, Miss Stenberg:

If you really are of the view that “black culture” should be strictly the domain of black people, then surely the same applies in reverse. Why then, do you remain silent on the subject of celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Mary J Blige, Tyra Banks, Beyonce, Rita Ora, Rihanna or the likes of longstanding supermodel, Naomi Campbell, and all their hairstraightening, blonde-dyed, weavewearing glory? Styles which, for the record, are all very much of the “Eurocentric” persuasion?

And where, exactly, do you draw the line on what can be deemed “black culture” or “black features”?

If, as you suggest, plump lips and tan skin are “features naturally occurring” only in black women, what of women of Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, Greek, Latina and Middle Eastern ethnicity the world over, who also share similar physical traits? Are hundreds of thousands of years of their cultural heritage to be shunted simply because it doesn’t fit the mould of your parochial viewpoint?

Likewise, does the fact that AfricanAmericans are known to enjoy fried chicken, corn bread and other varieties of so-called soul food (stereotypes, yes, but you raised the issue) make this fare out of bounds to those who don’t share your skin colour?

Or, for that matter, does eating Chinese food or pizza and pasta (both staple cuisines of the broader American and universal diet) make people who aren’t Chinese or Italian racist? Does the fact that yoga and other Eastern philosophies are increasingly being practiced by people – of all pigmentation – across the globe, suddenly make them disrespectful of Indian culture and philosophy? Surely, the very fact that they choose to “appropriate” it into their lives shows appreciation, not disparagement?

You see, dear Amandla, your name may mean “power”, but by choosing to label an innocent – and, really, in the bigger scheme of things, inconsequential – action as racist, you have shown your weakness. For by mere virtue of your poorly thought-out accusation and subsequent rant, you have shown yourself to be the person who is prejudicial in this scenario.

So again I ask, where do you draw the line? Particularly in this ever-shrinking global village in which we find ourselves, where concepts of culture, race, ethnicity, identity and nationality are increasingly being amalgamated into a singular massive, melting pot…

And ultimately, who gets to decide?

LARA DE MATOS