Keziah Daum is not apologizing for wearing what she calls a "beautiful" Chinese cheongsam dress to her high school prom, despite receiving backlash from thousands of people online, some of whom called her a "closet racist" and accused her of cultural appropriation.
Daum, 18, posted an album of four prom pictures on Twitter on April 22 with the simple caption, "PROM." One of the photos in the album includes Daum crouching down in the traditional Chinese dress, posing with a group of her friends with their hands folded together — a gesture many deemed inappropriate.
— Keziah (@daumkeziah) April 22, 2018
It didn't take long for the Internet to respond. As of Monday evening, Daum's post has been retweeted nearly 4,400 times and now she's fielding hundreds of angry comments.
Good on Ms. Daum for not apologizing. The Twitter mob can be so relentless that it forces high profile adults to cave in and issue mea culpas for expressing benign opinions or having innocuous fun. But for an 18-year old young lady to give the wave off to the online fascists deserves tremendous props.
Look, I have a hard time believing that the vast majority of critical comments Ms. Daum received came from people who are genuinely offended by her attire. In fact, I would bet most (if not all of) the invective comes courtesy of a bunch of self-righteous, virtual-signaling ninnies who believe they're the proverbial Praetorian Guard of cultures which they believe are severely oppressed in Trump's America.
If we're to consider something like "cultural appropriation" as a genuine affront, National Review's David French ponders how we're suppose to navigate everyday life.
In a multi-ethnic, multi-racial culture like America’s, the potential for offense is unlimited.
(Moreover, who, exactly, is empowered to grant “permission” to wear clothing, cook food, or use language? Is there a central registry?
“Dear Commission on Social Justice, I’m hosting a weekend party and wanted to serve Mexican food and show off the pictures from my vacation in Cancun. Can I get guidance on appropriately respectful methods of preparation and décor?”
“Dear Commission on Social Justice, to follow up on my earlier request, can you also review my clothing purchases in Cancun? I tried to strike a balance between Mexican and European influences, but given the toxic European influence on Mexico, I fear that my efforts may have been infected by my unconscious cultural imperialism. Your counsel is deeply appreciated.”)
Just so we’re clear, the radical progressive position is (1) America’s borders should be flung wide open to people from every culture in the world; (2) when American white people encounter people from those hundreds of different cultures, they need to stay in their lane; and (3) white people staying as white as possible will help our nation totally unify and diversity will be our strength.
If we've come to learn anything about the proggie worldview, it's that it is neither rational nor intellectually consistent.
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