Culture Appropriation

These days, everyone seems to be offended quite easily, and one of the easiest ways to offend is to eat, drink, cook, wear, buy, read ... basically enjoy ... anything from another culture.

Hairstyles, jewelry, type of clothing or the pattern of the fabric, theme parties, and even the use of certain emoji's can spell trouble, especially for celebrities who live in the spotlight.

The offensive Paella

The most recent outrageous accusation of cultural appropriation I can think of is a white, male celebrity who made Paella and posted a photo of it on social media. The problem? He used a square pan rather than a round one.

I know, right?! O.M.G.!!!

The social media firestorm unleashed against that poor man (who was just trying to make a tasty dinner!!) was relentless ... and ridiculous ... and from where I'm sitting ... comical.

I really don't get it. When I was growing up, we lived by the phrase "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery", which ... by the way ... is precisely why things go in and out of style. After something has been around a while, its appeal grows stale, and another style emerges ... until it goes stale, and so on and so forth.

Personally, I'm more concerned with the raunchy selfies and risky life choices of some of the celebrities young people idolize. There are numerous serious issues to tackle before we spend our time and energy chastising white people wearing their hair in cornrows ... or throwing a taco party on Cinco de Mayo ... or cooking Paella in a square pan.