America has a lot of cultures and does a good job of blending them together in new, interesting ways. But one thing that America doesn't have is history in depth, like most other countries. So each culture is treated as an identity by Americans because it's how we get our history.

A common phrase in America is "I'm part (other nationality)" and that is shorthand for "this is what traditions I am familiar with and the foods I frequently eat." Folks love their culture because it gives them their own personal history of their family running from somewhere and finding a chance here. Folks hold onto the adventures of Grandma and Pa as their own. So it makes sense that those same stories are what help inform us that taking something a culture has made and calling it your own name upsets quite a few people.

America is sensitive about cultural appropriation because few folks want to lose their own culture.