Oscar winning actress Jennifer Lawrence has recently upset several people after sharing a story about desecrating some sacred rocks in Hawaii. She narrated the incident while being interviewed on The Graham Norton Show. In the interview she described sitting on the rocks and rubbing her bottom on them on the set of Catching Fire. Despite knowing its cultural value to the natives of Hawaii, she disrespected the site and even wedged one of the rocks loose, sending it tumbling toward one of the crew members. Lawrence further went on to make light of the fact that the Hawaiians believed that the rock falling was a sign of a curse.
This incident of Lawrence’s ignorance is not an isolated one; it is yet another example of an American’s blatant disregard toward something that they don’t understand. Do I believe that Lawrence had malicious intents behind her actions? No, not at all. It’s more likely she is one individual among a score of people steeped in oblivion and unaware there is a larger world outside of what they are familiar with. Now of course ignorance about other cultures is a problem that is experienced worldwide, yet in my personal experience, we Americans do a better job of being culturally incompetent than most. To certain people, if something isn’t blazing red, white and blue, then it isn’t worth learning about.
This is the kind of attitude that irks me more than words can express. It is about time that we realize that we are one small part of a greater globe. It is not necessary to go around beating our chests about how superior our way of life is compared to the rest of the world. I’m not saying that we should stop being proud of our history and the American culture, but instead we need to appreciate the rich traditions and beliefs of the rest of the world as well. And yes, this includes respecting sacred sites like the rocks in Hawaii.
If anything, Jennifer Lawrence’s story is a lesson about perspective; as someone who did not grow up learning about the significance of the sacred rocks, she thought the entire fiasco was comedic. But to a native Hawaiian who has been raised under a different set of values and beliefs, Lawrence’s actions and nonchalance are rude and hurtful. This is why we must urge each other to think before we say or do anything that could be disrespectful to others. Lawrence’s story is a reflection on how we are perceived as Americans, and is an image which I would like to see improved upon in the future.
Asha Kodan is a freshman biology major. She can be reached at ashakodan@ymail.com.
