Analysis Of Just A Little Red Dot By Sandip Roy Chowdhury

Sandip Roy-Chowdhury, the author of “Just a Little Red Dot: Long Before Bindis Began to Dot the Faces of Hollywood, a School Teacher Used Them to Educate About Culture” like the other authors, did highlight cultural appropriation. However, she did provide a suggestion to diminish cultural appropriation; education. Maria Sen, a teacher of Indian background is the focus of the entire article. Sandip uses education to make her argument regarding cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation. The author concludes with a very positive statement: I think Indians everywhere can take great pride in knowing that it was a symbol for our culture that was used to unite and educate children around the world(Roy-Chowdhury).
Pratiksha Vekaria writes
Therefore, this lack of knowledge has led to cultural appropriation, making the traditional bindi increasingly popular at music festivals. In order for an individual to appropriate something, it would require one to take something without consent from the original owner. Some might argue that, societies around the world are past the point of appropriation due to the influence of multicultural interactions. America has been called a “Melting pot” or the “Land of Opportunity.” Therefore, individuals feel entitled to the influences they’re being exposed to because various cultures are becoming one. For example, there is no such thing as “Made in America.” For a product to be complete, there has to be exchanges with other countries. Furthermore, an individual might be wearing jeans from Los Angeles, a top from Tokyo, bracelets from Italy, and sipping on holistic healing tea from Japan. But it is more complicated than that. Minorities understand the ramifications of cultural appropriation; but does the majority of society get this? So, what basic requirements are to be expected of someone who is not of South-Asian descent, who wants to wear a bindi? The most important certainties begin with an open mindset and respect. Secondly, appreciate the culture and its entirety and not just a small portion. People who have no tie to cultural artifacts, yet they’re wanting to adopt the bindi or any other piece for a short time frame should have a decent amount of respect for the Indian culture. Far too often, minorities have felt as if their customs have been amusing to others or for a better lack of words a costume. These cultural artifacts that many Indians hold near and dear to their heart, bring an enormous amount of pride to