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Student Dresses as Thief For Culture Day Since ‘White People Steal Everyone’s Culture’

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
Josh Welch (Twitter)

Josh Welch (Twitter)

A white high school student decided to dress as a thief for Culture Day as a nod to cultural appropriation.

Josh Welch, a senior at Springbrook High School, shared an image of his costume on Twitter Oct. 4.

“Dressed like a thief for culture day because white people steal everyone else’s culture,” he wrote in the caption.

Since Welch posted the image, users have liked it nearly 70,000 times and it’s garnered close to 39,000 retweets.

https://twitter.com/jotswa_welch/status/783480890768908288

The 17-year-old from Silver Spring, Maryland told BuzzFeed News he came up with the idea after perusing the internet “trying to find an aspect of white culture to poke fun at for culture day.”

Describing himself as a “huge advocate for social justice,” the teen told The Huffington Post he wanted to make a “bold statement.”

“So I decided to use humor to get my point across, but I never imagined it could be this ubiquitous.”

Many people found the take hilarious.

Brooke said called Welch “one of a kind.”

Avacado also gave him praise.

https://twitter.com/avastrotherxx/status/783632081536421888

And @tee_aww_knee used a DJ Khaled GIF in her response.


But others thought Welch’s costume was offensive.

Ty Snowdon took the time to educate the student on white contributions.

@MAugust25delte called Welch’s tweet “ignorant af” after explaining Italians have “beautiful culture.”

https://twitter.com/MAugust25delete/status/783798318333734912

Meanwhile, Princess attempted to show Rihanna stealing white culture.

Regarding the unfavorable reactions, the teen admitted to BuzzFeed some called him racist but mostly earned positive feedback.

“Being at a predominantly liberal school, everyone thought it was hilarious,” Welch told HuffPo.

However, he did fight back against criticism on Twitter.

Welch said the people calling him racist are “ignorant.”

https://twitter.com/jotswa_welch/status/784004608284889088

Then, he attempted to quiet the storm of controversy.

https://twitter.com/jotswa_welch/status/784147634189664256

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