Opinion | ‘As an Asian-American I know about cultural appropriation’ – NBA star Jeremy Lin writes 1,500-word essay about his new haircut
The Brooklyn Nets player thought long and hard about whether it would be appropriate to get dreadlocks, he writes
Jeremy Lin, the Taiwanese-American basketball player, has a new haircut – and he’s written a 1,500-word essay to discuss it.
In an article on the Players’ Tribune website titled ‘So ... About My Hair’, Lin talks about how he wrestled over whether he should get dreadlocks, or if that would be “cultural appropriation” and insulting to other players in the NBA, most of whom are African-American.
Some might see the piece as an example of America’s uber-PC environment, where anything and everyone is seemingly open to attack on social media for not ‘behaving’ the ‘right’ way.
Others might see it as simple narcissism – why on earth would we care so much about your haircut?
But the article is an interesting and insightful read, as Lin touches on issues of race and culture that are obviously to the fore in the US, and invites fans to discuss the issues with him.
“I’ll be honest: At first I didn’t see the connection between my own hair and cultural appropriation,” writes Lin.
