Asheville or Cultural Appropriationville?

Posted on by Lindsey Miguelez

I love this city; Asheville, it’s great, right? The mountains are beautiful in the background, we have lots of bars and restaurants here, good art and mostly lovely weather. But what else do we have? Hmmm, we have a vibrant and eclectic community, according to word of mouth. But, do we have people who represent all walks of life in our downtown, academic and government sectors? Where are they, in fact? Oh wait, I see them now in this intensely diverse city. They are hanging in high-dollar art shops and being sold by healers who claim indigenous knowledge. Oh OK, that’s where they are. And, that is what I see in this gorgeous little tourist town.

If Cultural Appropriation through New Age mysticism is theft, then Asheville is the biggest thief I’ve ever known. People of Asheville, heal yourselves and stop paying white people to steal from natives to make you feel better!

— Lindsey Miguelez
Asheville

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One thought on “Asheville or Cultural Appropriationville?”

  1. boatrocker

    April 2, 12:20am, 2014 AD.

    Historically, whitey robs and steals from those who know. It’s what ‘we’ do best.

    Noveau riche restaurant owner soccer moms + hot yoga + second homes + answering every sentence with “namaste”= cultural appropriation.

    Like Glen Miller to Duke Ellington, like Elvis to Chuck Berry, like Elmore James to Eric Clapton, like Kid Rock to Chuck D., etc.

    Austin Blythe, by the way, suggesting that New Age B.S. belongs to folks of colored skin? Choke on your bigoted Glen Beck’s ‘pen’. New Age B.S. is soooo white.

    It really surprises me that given all the verified stories of Mtn Xpress supressing journalism/the loss of Mtn X’s real journalist staff that you have the chutzpah to publish a letter like this.

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