Chet Hanks on Cultural Appropriation: 'Why Are We So Caught Up on This Idea of Theft and Stealing?'

In a clip shared late Tuesday titled "Chet Chat Vol. VI (Part 2): Cultural Appropriation," Chet touched on a variety of arguments related to the larger issue of appropriation, including one that he says is "confusing" to him: the assertion that white people have no culture to call their own.

"That to me is confusing because just look at all the different varieties of European cultures . . . Second of all, let's assume that's true, let's assume white people have no culture, but if they did have a culture, what would that be like?" he asked.

Chet then put forth a couple of examples of what he argues is an example of "white culture" before moving on to a different angle of the same argument.

"I imagine it to be something like, one example, snowboarding—like the culture surrounding snowboarding—or motocross where it’s just, like, mostly white people," he said. "Not saying that it has to be that way or it should be that way, but that's just, for the most part, what it is."

Backing off the sports-related examples, Chet decided to broach what he characterized as the "hip-hop vs. country" issue.

"If you don't have a problem with a black person wearing cowboy hats and cowboys boots and loving country music, then why do you have a problem with white people wearing braids and gold teeth and getting into hip-hop music?" he said. "It's this whole idea of theft." Chet then wondered why such "theft" is discussed at all.

"Why are we so caught up on this idea of theft and stealing?" he said.