“Woke has died out by itself, it has lost its appeal”

By Joseba Elola (El Pais)

As a kid, Jens Balzer loved dressing up as an Indian and reenacting Wild West movies. Growing up in rural Germany in the 1970s, it was the perfect opportunity for him to put on makeup and a wig. If he did it today, he could be accused of cultural appropriation, denigrating a vulnerable and marginalized minority. The essayist born in 1969, who studied philosophy and worships the French intellectual Gilles Deleuzealso has another side, that of music journalist and cultural historian. In this context, he began a trilogy a few years ago on music in Germany in the 70s, 80s and 90s. And this is how this chronicler of The Time realized that the issue of cultural appropriation was a key debate of our time.

At the time of his studies, cultural appropriation was the very foundation of culture, with hip-hop…