Yesterday, Robin Givhan at WaPo wrote a piece about the white House of Representatives members who took a knee while wearing Kente cloths that were gifted them by the Congressional Black Caucus.
Instead of writing something that was relevant to the fashion beat she covers, like “everybody looks good in a Kente cloth”, Givhan went on for way too many paragraphs lecturing readers about how those clueless white reps did not even consider how those scarves came from GHANA. GHANA is a country in AFRICA. The Kente cloth has a rich tradition and meaning and damn it, those reps are culturally appropriating it. Why didn’t they think before they put them on?? Who did they think they were? Omg, somebody please give Ghana a heads up. It hasn’t been this ill treated since the US sent Shirley Temple as an ambassador.
Before you start lecturing me that I’m beginning to sound like JK Rowling pointing out that there is a word for “people who menstruate”, let me just say I’m not at all saying that Givhan didn’t have a point. I just mean to say she should have stopped with saying that the cloths are from Africa and maybe offered some fashion tips on when and how to wear one. As a scarf? Definitely. They seem to enhance everyone’s complexion and show respect for black lives. As a tie? Ehhh… not so much.
{{excuse me while I yell at all of you wearing pink ribbons}}
But here’s why I think Givhan isn’t doing her f#%*ing job. Culturally appropriating cloth objects to show support for a cause has precedent. Back in the 90s, all of Manhattan it seemed was wearing Keffiyehs as scarves.
In case you didn’t know, keffiyehs are those Arab headdresses that people like Yassar Arafat used to wear. For the younguns out there, Yassar Arafat was the leader of the Palestinians who was one of the people that US presidents negotiated with to bring about Mideast peace before the big orange sent Jared to do it – or to figure out a way of squeezing the gulf states out of some much needed loan money. (Nice progressive oil state you got there with US bases on it. Be a shame if something happened to it)
Yassar Arafat died some years ago but back in the 90s, the Palestinians who were crammed into refugee camps in Gaza and elsewhere had an uprising called an Intifada. Yep, Manhattan, where you can find as many Jews as there are in Israel (may be an exaggeration but you get my point) started to feel that maybe the crackdown on Palestinians back then might be excessive and counterproductive. So a lot of New Yorkers started wearing keffiyehs to show their support for the intifada and as a way to call attention to the humanity of the Palestinians.
Here is an example of how to wear a keffiyeh as a scarf:
They come in a variety of colors, black and white or cream being the most prominent combinations. You can dress them up as you see here with oversized glasses and a statement bag. Or pair them with a black T for a comfortably chic laid back look as this dude from NJ in a band called Arizona shows us.
You know, he was probably a little kid in elementary school during the intifada. Maybe he doesn’t even know why we wear scarves like this but I know and I’m sure a lot of coastal elites remember those keffiyehs when they see them and still support an end to hostilities in the Middle East with a two state solution. Take that Jared.
All fashion is derivative. No matter what you’re wearing, you can be sure that someone three thousand years ago was wearing it first either as a part of their folk tradition or as a symbol of conquest. These days, we can track the origins and tell the story behind the keffiyeh and the kente cloth. Those are good stories, Robin. They show our humanity for other human beings and our determination to support people who fight for freedom from oppression.
What we need isn’t a lecture and tut tutting about cultural appropriation. What we need are suggestions for how we can show them off to their best advantage so that they become the colors of our landscape in this election year.
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And now, more of that hottie in his keffiyeh. Betcha can’t watch this video now without thinking of Palestine. That’s how effective a piece of clothing can be. (you can buy them on amazon):
Filed under: General |
The Confluence 
They were gifted by the Congressional Black Caucus. End of story.
You would think but there’s allllways one. 🙄
Rowlings had a point. Women are being disappeared, especially lesbians. I’m told -rightly so-I must not label others with a name they don’t like. I agree. In the next breath, I’m told I must identify myself as a cis/het woman. What a cumbersome and ridiculous phrase, and when said aggressively, sure sounds like good, old fasioned mansplaining.
Yeah, I’m going to respect anyone’s choice for pronouns based on how they identify in their heads but I’m not going out of my way to lay out a protocol for everyone to follow for myself.
Plus, Rowling might have some valid points. Do I have objections to trans using whatever bathroom they want to use? No, it’s none of my business.
Do I have a problem with a trans woman participating in female designated sports? Um, yeah, probably. There are muscle mass differences whether we like it or not. I don’t think it’s fair for a trans woman to jump the queue for a gold medal when “people who menstruate” have been training most of their lives. On the other hand, if you are a woman with a naturally higher than normal testosterone count, that’s an advantage that shouldn’t penalize you. It doesn’t automatically guarantee success.
Anyway, you get my point.
I do.
What we have, is all sorts of people feeling that they should tell everybody else what to do or say. One of the most depressing aspects of people is that they hate for anyone else to tell them how to act or what to say, but they cannot stop criticizing or censoring others. The “Right” did it in for many years, still do; and the “Left” now does it all the time. It is what people in the ’60’s used to call a ” getting off on a power trip.”
HBO Max announced that they were removing “Gone With the Wind,” from their video library, “in the interests of racial equality.” Then they said that the movie would return at some point, but with included remarks about how the movie is racially demeaning, or words to that effect. In the ’40’s, the Right tried to ban all sorts of books: “Lady Chatterly’s Lover,” “Forever Amber,” “Catcher in the Rye.” Now it is the Left which feels the joyful power of trying to get movies purged and sanitized. And they all think that they are doing great work. We will see more of this, more people telling us that you can’ wear this, or you can’t say that; Boards established to approve of or reject artistic works, people starting campaigns against someone who said this or that in a way that they did not deem culturally appropriate. We have regressed. I was never a great fan of “GWTW,” but it is a film beloved by millions, it won eight Academy Awards; and it portrays the novel’s author’s idealized view of the antebellum South. If someone does not like the movie, do not watch it, don’t try to keep other people from doing so. Do you know what? “GWTW” is now the current top seller among Amazon movies, likely because people are afraid that they will not be able to buy it in the brave new world. Check your outfit with the doorman before being allowed to enter.