Students expressed their thoughts Wednesday on the media attention surrounding artists like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry in a Brown Bag Diversity Discussion, covering the artists’ “offensive” cultural portrayals in recent music videos.

The discussions are hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion once a month to allow students to engage in open dialogue about diversity issues. This month’s topic: “my culture is not a trend or cultural appropriation.”

Cultural appropriation refers to the adoption of certain cultural traits from one culture by someone outside of that culture.

Danielle Johnson and Natalie Toney, program coordinators for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, led the discussion with the question: “Where do we draw the line between appreciating a culture and appropriating?”

Students expressed their concern about the thin line that exists between appreciating a culture and being outright offensive during the discussion. Anjana Raj is a Wichita State graduate and has been actively involved in campus diversity initiatives.

“It becomes offensive when the person is not a part of the culture or demographic they are borrowing from,” Raj said. “They pick and choose what part of the culture to adopt, and it basically dehumanizes the cultures and reduces them to something ornamental.”

Clinton Liddell, a senior at WSU and president of the Black Student Union, said he emphasized the issue as being more about ignorance rather than cruelty.

“Unfortunately, with the interconnected(ness) of the world today, we see things and try to emulate them,” Liddell said. “I think it’s more just ignorance, rather than cruel intentions.”

Brown Bag discussions are a safe place, Johnson said, in which students can feel free to express their thoughts about diversity issues and engage in conversation with students who may or may not share the same opinions.

“Brown Bag discussions are a great way to freely talk about the different topics that affect students on a daily basis,” Johnson said. “Being able to provide a safe space where students, faculty and staff voices are heard and valued about topics that at times can be hard to navigate and controversial.

“I believe it is the responsibility of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to help facilitate those tough and very frank conversations.”

For more information about Brown Bag discussions, contact Danielle Johnson at (316) 978-3034.