Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation?: Where is the Line? | 26FA Class #14 Full Lecture

So yesterday was the three year anniversary of the attacks, Hamas attacks inside of Israel that really killed about 1200 people.

Not all Jewish, not all Israelis.

And led to a subsequent response by Israel against Hamas in Gaza and also in Southern Lebanon and places in the West Bank that has taken the lives of about 70,000 people and created an immense amount of just pain and sadness and grief and homelessness and destruction.

So what I want to say is that for many years I worked both in Israel and also in Gaza and in the West Bank, in Palestine.

So one of not many people who...

I worked really for about six years with colleagues in Gaza and not a lot of folks can say that, but I can say that with our team at World in Conversation and in particular, my wife and I, and also in Israel.

So I know that this is just such a hot button issue.

It's such a deeply, just a sad, But we're going to talk about it in here.

And I think I just wanted to say something to let you know, hey, we're going to talk about it.

And also, just to be aware of right now, just the three-year anniversary of just so much grief and so much sadness.

Just in that one area of the world.

So just to acknowledge that.

Anyway, just want to put that out there, okay? Today's class is inspired by...

Go ahead, you can go to the photo, by the way.

By this woman who...

I was listening to the news a couple days ago, and she was relieved of a job that she was supposed to start.

She's white.

And she was relieved of the job.

I guess they fired her, technically, because they hired her.

And then before she even started, I think, she got fired.

Because...

There were pictures posted and a video posted of her as a white woman wearing her hair in braids or cornrows.

And the organization where she was going to work, some people complained and said it was insensitive and the organization was led to fire her.

Okay, saying that, yep, that was, it's offensive.

She shouldn't have done that.

So yesterday was the three year anniversary of the attacks, Hamas attacks inside of Israel that really killed about 1200 people.

Not all Jewish, not all Israelis.

And led to a subsequent response by Israel against Hamas in Gaza and also in Southern Lebanon and places in the West Bank that has taken the lives of about 70,000 people and created an immense amount of just pain and sadness and grief and homelessness and destruction.

So what I want to say is that for many years I worked both in Israel and also in Gaza and in the West Bank, in Palestine.

So one of not many people who...

I worked really for about six years with colleagues in Gaza and not a lot of folks can say that, but I can say that with our team at World in Conversation and in particular, my wife and I, and also in Israel.

So I know that this is just such a hot button issue.

It's such a deeply, just a sad, But we're going to talk about it in here.

And I think I just wanted to say something to let you know, hey, we're going to talk about it.

And also, just to be aware of right now, just the three-year anniversary of just so much grief and so much sadness.

Just in that one area of the world.

So just to acknowledge that.

Anyway, just want to put that out there, okay? Today's class is inspired by...

Go ahead, you can go to the photo, by the way.

By this woman who...

I was listening to the news a couple days ago, and she was relieved of a job that she was supposed to start.

She's white.

And she was relieved of the job.

I guess they fired her, technically, because they hired her.

And then before she even started, I think, she got fired.

Because...

There were pictures posted and a video posted of her as a white woman wearing her hair in braids or cornrows.

And the organization where she was going to work, some people complained and said it was insensitive and the organization was led to fire her.

Okay, saying that, yep, that was, it's offensive.

She shouldn't have done that.