Laverne Cox Proves, Yet Again, Why She is a Pop Philosopher

Laverne Cox, resident queen of life and the Internet, has yet once again proven she is, indeed, worthy of the title, Pop Philosopher.

Dictionary.com defines a philosopher as "a person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other related fields."

But, don't you think the real definition should include a GIF of Laverne Cox? 

In a Tumblr post, Cox wrote about her frustration with people who attack each other online and try to 'check' individuals publicly. 

After appearing on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live she was asked "White girls and cornrows, yay or nay?" in reference to Kylie Jenner's recent photo on Instagram of her with cornrows. Jenner was accused of cultural appropriation for wearing cornrows in the photo. 

Laverne Cox, though, felt that this is a much more complex issue that we should treat with more than a joke on television. Pop culture is the way that many people learn about serious issues. Cox, through her character, Olivia, on Orange is the New Black, brought issues that affect transgender people to mainstream media. 

She explains further in the post:

I also felt that the topic of cultural appropriation needs way more than the 10 seconds or less I had to respond at the end of the show to fully unpack. I said as much to Andre Leon Tally after the cameras stopped rolling. 

Cox goes on to say that, "We live in a multi-cultural society where being influenced by cultures different from ours is inevitable. But when the traditions and practices of marginalized communities are used by those in power and the material conditions of those who are marginalized are not changed individually and systemically this is when cultural appropriation is deeply problematic and even potentially exploitative.."

She says she needed to extrapolate her thoughts because a quick television segment can do more harm than good:

"These are some of my brief thoughts on cultural appropriation, thoughts that I felt needed a context different from the 10 seconds I had on live TV on Sunday night."

"I am writing this in the hopes of continuing a dialogue about this issue in a loving, empathetic way that is not about individual attacks but about individual accountability. I always hope we can celebrate cultural differences without erasing those from whom the culture originates," she says.

Right on, Laverne! Always bringing everyone right back to the important issue at hand, instead of attacking other people online, as plenty of celebrities tend to do.

She also links to an essay by Bell Hooks, the feminist professor and author, who wrote about cultural appropriation in an essay entitled, "Eating the Other."