The Right To Be Ignorant

Whenever I hear complaints about different minority groups being too "sensitive" about issues concerning them, as well as, for example, wanting to wear a religious or culturally significant attire for fashion without any knowledge about what it is and represents, I feel as though white privilege is really the right to be ignorant. There is almost as if the idea that being more inclusive towards other ethnicities and cultures will endanger white peoples rights to live their lives as they please. For example complaints that racists jokes such as blackface are just jokes and criticising them for making those "jokes" are just political correctness. But the rights they really want to defend is the right to be ignorant, to not have to think about or acknowledge how their actions affect other people and cultures. Nobody is taking anyones right to free speech away by vocally criticising racists jokes. It is simply a refusal to accept ignorance as the answer to "it was just a joke- whats the big deal". When groups give backlash to things such as cultural appropriation they are not taking away the right appropriate. You may still wear a hijab as a Halloween costume, nobody will arrest you for it, but you may have to face criticism for it and a push from people who won't take ignorance as an answer.

It wasn't that long ago Mickey Rooney donned a stereotypical yellow face type costume in Breakfast at Tiffanies and children's cartoons from Disneys Songs of The South featured very racist stereotypes of african americans. We have moved on from this kind of overt racism, but society still has a long way to go in terms of acknowledging different cultures, and moving away from eurocentrism and appropriation. Addressing ignorant attitudes is not oppression, it´s the way forward.