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The progressive concept of cultural appropriation has become an increasingly mainstream idea. Do a Google search on, say, yoga is cultural appropriation, and youll see for yourself. What does cultural appropriation mean, though? According to law professor Susan Scafidi, author of Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law, cultural appropriation consists of taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone elses culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another cultures dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. Its most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways.

Even if one takes this dubious definition seriously, thoughwhat would constitute unauthorized use?policing cultural appropriation quickly falls apart when applied to actual human behavior. A group of students at Pitzer College, for example, declared that hoop earrings should be off-limits to white women. But how can any culture lay claim to determining the size and shape of acceptable jewelry for individuals to wear?

Critics should never assume, though, that bad ideas will die a natural death. In 1991, Antioch College gained national fameand ridiculeby mandating that each step of a sexual encounter receive express permission from the participants. Lawyerly protocol replaced spontaneity, and process replaced passion. Saturday Night Live mocked the school, showing hormonal undergraduates uttering stilted authorizations. But what was once fodder for comedy is now law, at least in California and New York. Progressive goals have a way of becoming mainstream edicts.

In Salem, Massachusetts, the Peabody Essex Museum offers a case study in the mainstreaming of cultural appropriation. Cross-cultural appreciation has sustained the museum for centuries. Americas oldest continuously operating museum, PEM has long displayed exotic artifacts associated with the maritime tradebut patrons must now read a guilt-ridden disclaimer when visiting the museums exhibits. Cultural appreciation and exchange are vital parts of any society, but appropriation is complicated and tied up with complex power dynamics and histories of oppression, the message reads. Cultural appropriation occurs when appreciation becomes theft, when exchange is one-sided, or when marginalized cultures are reduced to stereotypes.

As with other definitions of cultural appropriation, the PEM statement does not offer any guidelines on how to know when appreciation becomes theft or when exchange is one-sided. The best it can offer is a statement from Jezebel founder Anna Holmes: You cant always prove appropriation. But you usually know it when you see it.

No well-intentioned person favors marginalized cultures being reduced to stereotypes, but cultural-appropriation watchdogs see these offenses everywhere, even in instances where harm was clearly not intended. Consider the case of high school senior Keziah Daum, who wore a cheongsam to her prom, setting off a Twitterstorm of condemnation. Daum chose the dress because she thought that it was beautiful and would set her apart on a special night. But activists admonished Daum, who is white, for wearing a traditional Chinese garment. Her defenders, including some Chinese-Americans and native Chinese, argued that her selection complimented Chinese culture. Critics attacked them in turn as inauthentic, orin the case of Chinese nationalslacking the social authority to speak about American minorities. To Daums woke critics, every ethnic group must stay in its own lane.

Another puzzling aspect of the cultural-appropriation focus is that it seems clearly to clash with another progressive imperative: the need to nurture multicultural appreciation. Multiculturalism has been a prominent cause among progressives for more than a generation, but today, admiration for other cultures apparently comes with a warning sign: look, but dont adopt, lest you face accusations of theft or insensitivity.

Most reasonable people have no trouble understanding that to adopt an artifact or practice doesnt diminish the culture from which it originates. You cant steal a culture, as Columbia University linguist John McWhorter has observed. Cultural exchange is enriching, not impoverishing, and imitation remains, as in the old formulation, the sincerest form of flattery. Its time for progressives to decide between embracing multiculturalism or policing cultural appropriation. They cant have it both ways.

Matthew Stewart is associate professor of humanities and rhetoric at Boston University and the author of Modernism and Tradition in Ernest Hemingways In Our Time.

Photo: monkeybusinessimages/iStock

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Multiculturalism, or Cultural Appropriation? Progressives Can't Have It Both Ways. - City Journal

House progressives on Tuesday called for votes both on legislation to block funding for military action against Iran and on repealing the 2002 authorization of military force that would go beyond an expected vote this week to limit President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump offers Australian PM assistance in fighting widespread fires Trump administration officials begin drafting potential Iraq sanctions after Trump threat: report Pence to focus on US Iran policy in speech MORE's actions in the country.

Freshman Rep.Elissa SlotkinElissa SlotkinTrump and Pelosi clash over Iran, impeachment Schiff calls for open hearings on Trump's Iran actions Pelosi: House to vote on resolution limiting Trump's actions against Iran MORE(D-Mich.), a former CIA and Pentagon analyst who served multiple tours in Iraq and represents a competitive district, is expected to lead a still-unreleased resolution stating that the Trump administration's military hostilities with Iran must cease within 30 days if no further congressional action is taken.

Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are expected to back that resolution, but are also pushing for votes on additional bills to restrict the Trump administration's actions against Iran following an air strike last week that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

Leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus called for "immediate floor action" on two other measures.

One from Rep. Ro KhannaRohit (Ro) KhannaTrump and Pelosi clash over Iran, impeachment Schumer: Senate must vote on resolution limiting Trump on Iran Sanders, Khanna introduce legislation to block funding for a war with Iran MORE (D-Calif.) would prohibit funds for offensive military force in or against Iran without prior authorization from Congress.

The other bill, previously introduced by Rep. Barbara LeeBarbara Jean LeeBorder Patrol denies claims of order to detain Iranian Americans Omar, Lee introduce House resolution preventing US military action against Iran not authorized by Congress Rep. Barbara Lee married in New Year's Eve ceremony MORE (D-Calif.) last year, would repeal the 2002 authorization of military force against Iraq, which the administration used as legal justification for the Soleimani strike.

In addition to the War Powers Resolution, we believe it is imperative to simultaneously pursue all avenues to prevent a disastrous war with Iran," Lee and the Progressive Caucus co-chairs, Reps. Mark PocanMark William PocanHouse votes to temporarily repeal Trump SALT deduction cap Overnight Defense: Senate sends 8B defense bill to Trump | Bill establishes Space Force, federal paid parental leave | House approves .4T spending package Majority of Hispanic Caucus votes against spending bill with wall funds MORE (D-Wis.) and Pramila JayapalPramila JayapalBorder Patrol denies claims of order to detain Iranian Americans Democrats worry impeachment acquittal will embolden Trump Jayapal criticizes Indian official for refusing to meet her: It's 'a sign of weakness' MORE (D-Wash.), said in a joint statement.

"Given the lack of any coherent strategy by the White House to de-escalate tensions and protect U.S. troops, regional partners, and innocent civilians, Congress must act swiftly to prevent another endless war," they added.

The House passed an annual defense authorization bill last summer that included the proposals from Khanna and Lee. But both of their measures were ultimately left out of the final version that Trump signed into law last month.

The War Powers resolution to be unveiled by Slotkin and Democratic leaders this week to limit the Trump administration's actions against Iran is expected to pass easily with widespread support from Democrats.

"As Members of Congress, our first responsibility is to keep the American people safe. For this reason, we are concerned that the Administration took this action without the consultation of Congress and without respect for Congresss war powers granted to it by the Constitution," Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiFacebook to issue rules banning deepfakes: report Rand Paul: Trump 'got bad advice' on killing of Soleimani Bolton shakes up impeachment debate MORE (D-Calif.) wrote in a letter to colleagues on Sunday.

A House vote on the resolution has not yet been scheduled but is expected later in the week.

Yet it's unlikely that Senate Republicans, who have largely backed Trump for ordering the strike that killed Soleimani, will support the measure to restrict his powers.

Congress did pass a resolution last year to force the Trump administration to end U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, but Trump vetoed it. An attempt to override Trump's veto in the Senate fell short of the necessary two-thirds majority.

Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoPence to focus on US Iran policy in speech Rand Paul: Trump 'got bad advice' on killing of Soleimani Trump strike torpedoes US-Iraq relationship MORE and Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperTrump administration officials begin drafting potential Iraq sanctions after Trump threat: report Pence to focus on US Iran policy in speech Pentagon chief says US will 'follow the laws of armed conflict' after Trump's Iran threats MORE, are slated to brief members of the House and Senate about Iran on Wednesday.

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Progressives push for votes to block funding for war against Iran | TheHill - The Hill

Hope your holidays were all that you and yours wished them to be and that 2020 will be equally satisfying. Despite the drag by the corrupt dark side of the force in our nations capital, 2019 was a productive year for the forces of good, progressive politics. Impeachment was a fitting final note, although we know there are grounds for at least ten articles of impeachment, rather than the charitable two finally agreed upon by the House of Representatives.

In early 2019 Virginia Dems outlook for General Assembly elections was bleak. Governor Northam was dogged by an old medical school yearbook picture which had Democratic pols wetting their britches and calling for him to step down, and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax was plagued by sexual assault accusations, leading to demands that he quit. Both proclaimed innocence, stood their ground. Northam proved he could govern and moved Virginia forward. Fairfax kept a low profile and the storm seemed to pass, playing little role in pivotal state elections. In fact, the Democrats not only kept huge 2017 House of Delegates gains, but took four more seats and control of the House. They also won control of the Senate! Now, what will the Democrats do with their newly consolidated power? Progressives want to attack issues most vital to the people of Virginia, such as economic equityspecifically increasing Virginias pathetic minimum wage and ending the union-killing Right to Work law. Not far behind for me are strengthening underpinnings of our deteriorating democracy, i.e., redistricting reform to end gerrymandering and doing real campaign finance reform. Other priorities would include approving the ERA, sensible gun safety laws including universal background checks and banning assault weapons, climate action such as carbon pricing, and expanding protection for womens right to choose.

Reston Del. Ken Plum and Senator Janet Howell, with a total of nearly 70 years seniority, should be able to help guide efforts to get it done.

Del. Plum is offering a major bill to raise the minimum wage (from $7.25/hour immediately to $11, rising to $15 over a couple of years). He also supports doing away with Right to Work, approving the redistricting reform constitutional amendment that has already passed the General Assembly once and will take effect if passed again this year, genuine gun control, and carbon pricing to address greenhouse gasses. No word on campaign finance reform.

Unfortunately, the Democratic leadership is more timid, favoring less heavy lifting that might face corporate and special interest opposition. They are OK with ERA passage (more symbolic than effective), very modest gun reform, some easing of abortion restrictions and increased education funding. However, the crucial constitutional amendment for redistricting reform, regarded as a slam dunk before Dems took control of the Senate, is in jeopardy of being killed despite being rated one of the top such reforms in the country and having already passed last year. Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw and others seem more interested in exercising their new power to draw the lines than in reform. They are according no priority to increasing the scandalous minimum wage. Furthermore, the Democrats, including our own Senator Howell, do not plan to address the union-killing Right to Work law or to take on climate change by using the most effective tool available, carbon pricing. It will be interesting to see if they can muster the courage to support even Gov. Northams proposed modest, long overdue, increase in the gasoline tax just 4 cents/gallon. We will soon know. Closer to home, 2019 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors elections saw the Democrats add two more seats. They now hold all but one of 9 Board slots. Lots of new blood four new Supervisors may bode well for a board which could stand reinvigoration, fewer lowest common denominator decisions. New Chairman Jeff McKay trounced his opposition. Along the way, McKay took some body blows for his cozy relations with developers (e.g, taking $50,000 from one developer cash cow). It will be interesting to see how he handles those relationships now that he is the Chairman.

Well look at our own promising new Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn and shenanigans inside Reston Association in a future column. Happy New Year!

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Opinion: Independent Progressive: What is Coming Down the Tracks in 2020? - Virginia Connection Newspapers

One in a series of campaign trail dispatches about the major contenders for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Cristina Tzintzn Ramirez says theres power in her name.

Tzintzn is more Mexican than any Garcia or Lopez, the activist told a gathering of Democratic women in Plano. We were the only indigenous group in Mexico that were not defeated by the Aztecs. So you know I come from good lineage and Im ready to defeat John Cornyn.

Tzintzn Ramirez wants to revolutionize campaigning for her Senate race against incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn.

The veteran Latina activist is mobilizing the young and Hispanic voters whom Democrats need to transform Texas from red to blue. Shes confident her liberal proposals will also appeal to black and white Democrats and make her the partys nominee.

The Senate primary will test whether a Green New Deal progressive like Tzintzn Ramirez can win in a state dominated by conservative voters.

The only way were going to win is by the progressive muscle that we know is going to get behind this campaign to turn out voters, especially brown and black voters, she told The Dallas Morning News. Now we need them to win and no candidate wins without them, but I want to be the candidate for everyone in Texas that truly represents our diversity and common interests.

In December, Tzintzn Ramirez was back home. She spoke to a group of North Oak Cliff Democrats at Normas Cafe, a short drive from where she once lived.

We lived in south Oak Cliff until I was 5, she said. It was south Oak Cliff, not the part thats been gentrified. They still dont want to gentrify where I lived.

Tzintzn Ramirez was born in Moxahala, Ohio, to Ana Tzintzn, an immigrant from Mexico, and Tom Costello, an Irish-American businessman. Her parents ran a jewelry business and their family spent time in Mexico, Ohio and Oak Cliff.

From Dallas, Tzintzn Ramirez moved with her family to a white, middle class area in Columbus, Ohio.

Young Cristina had a clear view of discrimination. When she was with her mother, a dark-skinned woman who spoke English with an accent, she saw a prejudice that didnt exist in the company of her white father, whom she describes on the campaign trail as an Irish-American hippie.

From a very young age I discovered there was a different set of rules and different set of opportunities for people and it was based on race and national origin, not on merit, she said.

But she did find common ground in her diverse families.

My Mexican and Anglo families have a lot more in common than we do not, she said. I dont care where you come from, the color of your skin, who you love or who you pray to, we just want all our children to be safe, to be healthy, to go to great schools and get everything they dream of.

Tzintzn Ramirez attended Austin Community College and the University of Texas.

At 24, she co-founded the Workers Defense Project, a pro-labor group that protects the rights of the mostly Hispanic workers who often get injured on the job.

While John Cornyn was accepting millions of dollars from the construction industry, which here in Texas in the largest employer of undocumented labor, I was making $43,000 a year representing tens of thousands of workers who built our states economy and lost their fingers, limbs and lives in the process, she said at a Plano event.

Tzintzn Ramirezs talent for organizing impressed many who worked with her.

She was one of the most effective advocates on worker safety that we dealt with, said Debbie Berkowitz, who was chief of staff at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration when she met Tzintzn Ramirez.

Berkowitz said Tzintzn Ramirezs group produced a report that outlined how workers were dying on the job, leading to improved standards that saved lives.

Tzintzn Ramirez left the Workers Defense Project in 2015 and later formed a group called Jolt, with the goal of mobilizing immigrants and Latino voters.

Brigid Hall is the chief operations officer at Jolt and was Tzintzn Ramirezs deputy at the Workers Defense Project.

She has really ambitious goals and a big vision. She moves quickly and is always one step ahead, Hall said. She has high expectations and makes them known for the people around her. Sometimes its very hard to meet those expectations.

Aside from work, Tzintzn Ramirez, 37, describes herself as having the heart of a 60-year-old woman. She likes to watch movies, work in her garden and cook. She has a 2-year-old son, Santiago, who she says will travel with her on the trail. Because shes raising her son alone, Tzintzn Ramirez said she paused before making a final decision on running for Senate.

I have to stand up and do my part in a state where hes going to be a young Latino man, she said.

Tzintzn Ramirezs surname has evolved over the years. It started out as Costello. She said as a young adult she changed it after her parents divorced to the more interesting Tzintzn before recently taking her ex-husbands name, Ramirez.

Tzintzn Ramirez separated from her husband in March after about four years of marriage, she said. Her divorce was finalized in December, just before Christmas.

Im a person that has gone through divorce, like many families, she said.

Tzintzn Ramirez was recruited to challenge Cornyn by operatives from former Rep. Beto ORourkes unsuccessful 2018 Senate campaign. She hopes to have $1 million for the stretch run.

The former labor advocate amended an early pledge to reject money from political action committees, lobbyists and special interest groups. She now says she wont take money from corporate PACs. The former ORourke consultants who helped recruit her are part of the progressive Action PAC backing her Senate run.

Tzintzn Ramirez told The News that she changed the guideline so she could accept money from union members.

Whatever the reason, shell need resources to execute her campaign strategy, which she says involves winning half of the young vote and at least 60% of the Latino vote.

Tzintzn Ramirez insists her progressive stand on issues will appeal to voters.

Shes backed by the Working Families Party, a pro-labor group. And Tzintzn Ramirez supports the Green New Deal, a mandatory buyback program for assault weapons and Medicare for All, while abolishing private insurance.

I know the things that I stand for are not actual radical ideas, that its not too much to ask that we judge our economy by not only how well big corporations are doing, but by how well ordinary people are doing, she said. Texans, even if they dont call themselves progressives, believe that too.

In recent weeks Tzintzn Ramirez has criticized rival MJ Hegar, who is backed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Tzintzn Ramirez and other Democratic Senate candidates have criticized Hegar for voting in the 2016 GOP primary. Hegar said she participated in that contest because she wanted to vote against Donald Trump.

Im the most progressive candidate in this field, which matters in the primary," she said. "And Ive never been a Republican.

What I take issue with is the assumption by MJ that I find troubling for democracy, Tzintzn Ramirez said. She has assumed that shes the frontrunner, even though her poll numbers dont show it.

Most polls show the candidates bunched together, with most voters undecided. Tzintzn Ramirez led in a November poll by the University of Texas-Tyler.

Though its an uphill fight, Tzintzn Ramirez said her campaign would help transform Texas politics.

Im going to work to win the primary outright, but in a runoff, game on, she said. I enjoy proving people wrong. Through this campaign we will teach them not to take young people and people of color for granted.

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Cristina Tzintzn Ramirez says progressive movement will propel her to Senate - The Dallas Morning News

Four freshman representatives who made headlines during their first year in Congress are touting their vision of turning the Congressional Progressive Caucus into a "new kind of centrism."

Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York have promoted "Medicare for all," a federal $15 minimum wage, and social justice issues as cornerstones of a policy platform that helped elect both House Democrats in 2018.

We have the support of the majority of the public for the policies that we advocate for. And so we have to speak from a place of authority and power, Omar told BuzzFeed.

Omar and Ocasio-Cortez make up half of "the squad," a group of four young female Democrats who have attacked President Trump while pushing the Democratic Party further left on several policy issues.

The group also includes Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who was dragged out of a 2016 Trump rally, promised to "impeach the motherf---er," and posted an Instagram video cheering the impeachment of Trump.

The group has challenged the moderate core of the Democratic Party and endorsed liberal candidates running against Democratic-held seats in Congress.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairwoman, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, who referred to Trump as a "combative racist" in 2019, said, "progressives are just the first to the best ideas."

Their growing stature comes, in part, due to their solidarity. The thing that gives the caucus power is that you can operate as a bloc vote in order to get things done, Ocasio-Cortez told podcast The Dig.

[It is] the nature of being a progressive caucus member you're maybe out there on issues first before it's hit the mainstream, added caucus co-chairman Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin.

House Democrats slammed Pocan in early 2019 after he posted a now-deleted tweet that accused the moderate Problem Solvers Caucus of being the "Child Abuse Caucus.

Young Democrats, however, support the combative shift in tone and are eager to see more liberal policy ideas adopted by the Democratic Party. After a recent tour in support of presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, supporters labeled Ocasio-Cortez a "national voice" and suggested she run for president in the future.

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Ilhan Omar and AOC plan to make Progressive Caucus a 'new kind of centrism' - Washington Examiner