'Hunger Games' star criticizes Taylor Swift, Madonna for 'rampant' appropriation of black culture

[Remus 54]

 

Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg is calling out several of today's biggest pop stars. 

The 16-year-old actress, who played Rue in the first installment of the popular film franchise, recorded a video for her high school history class in which she criticizes white celebrities and singers for borrowing from black culture to make money. The video, entitled "Don't Cash Crop My Cornrows," was posted to her Tumblr page several months ago but has recently gone viral. 

"[In the 2010s,] pop stars and icons adopted black culture as a way of being edgy and gaining attention," Stenberg says. "In 2013, Miley Cyrus twerks and uses black women as props, and then in 2014, in one of her videos called 'This Is How We Do,' Katy Perry uses Ebonics and hand gestures and eats watermelons while wearing cornrows before cutting inexplicably to a picture of Aretha Franklin. So as you can see, cultural appropriation was rampant."

The video features clips of Kesha and Kim Kardashian wearing cornrows and Madonna with a grill over her teeth. Footage from Taylor Swift's hip-hop influenced "Shake It Off" video is also shown.

Stenberg, who has also appeared in 2011's Colombiana and on the Fox drama Sleepy Hollow, addresses that Azealia Banks criticized Iggy Azalea for not speaking out after a grand jury decided not to indict the police officer who put Eric Garner in a chokehold.

"I've been seeing this question a lot on social media, and I think it's really relevant: 'What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we love black culture?' " Stenberg says at the end of the video.

The full video can be seen here. 

Source: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6538495/hunger-games-star-criticizes-taylor-swift-madonna-appropriation-black-culture

 

Your thoughts? Is she spilling the hot tea for this cultural appropriation issue? or is she riding along the social justice warrior trend? Discuss.

 

[Ray of Light 8,134]

I like her better when she dies in sad, tragic ways

 

 

 

[Phoenix 17,395]

She is saying the truth I guess but she is too young to speak about this.

[gagzus 14,235]

i personally think we should all just enjoy life instead of having to critique someone for copying u tbh

[Radio Ga Ga 5,632]

I do not see her point at all, she's so deep i couldn't even see her

[danwasd 2,444]

"[In the 2010s,] pop stars and icons adopted black culture as a way of being edgy and gaining attention," Stenberg says. "In 2013, Miley Cyrus twerks and uses black women as props, and then in 2014, in one of her videos called 'This Is How We Do,' Katy Perry uses Ebonics and hand gestures and eats watermelons while wearing cornrows before cutting inexplicably to a picture of Aretha Franklin. So as you can see, cultural appropriation was rampant."

​The TIHWD impact 

[Ladey Gagz 2,512]

The "hip-hop" part of Shake It Off is what made it popular?

She's kinda messy

[Goosey 3,017]

Everyone 'appropriates' everyone else's culture. That's kinda how this whole culture thing works. Cringeworthy.

[Pop 4,541]

Here for the Katy drag. She's such a racist. 

[nikola 4,342]

WHAT..........................WHAT...........stay silent pls

[Hewkah 48]

Everyone 'appropriates' everyone else's culture. That's kinda how this whole culture thing works. Cringeworthy.

​THIS

[SissyFromSpace 20,883]

As a black person i will say "cultrual appropriation" towards mainstream black culture is bull****. continue to twerk and wear all the gold chains you want. 

[SissyFromSpace 20,883]

There's nothing significant about wearing hoods, saggy pants, chains, saying the n word, dressing urban, etc. People act like its the equivalent to wearing traditional Asian attire. Sorry but I'm over this "cultural appropriation" trend.

[Jesse Pinkman 4,660]

I'm black and I don't find any of these things offensive, America was built on the principles of "cultural appropriation." People just like to complain.

[Azor Ahai 18,861]

She played a minor character in the first movie don't call her a star please.

And she should like Jaden Smith or something