By An Old Friend
Mon, Nov 29, 2021 3:52 p.m.
"Land Acknowledgments" are Just Moral Exhibitionism
AOF: I don't think I have a "responsibility to think about indigenous peoples."
And I'm willing to acknowledge that nobody else does, either.
"'Land Acknowledgments' are Just Moral Exhibitionism"
These statements relieve the speaker and the audience of the responsibility to think about indigenous peoples, at least until the next public event.
By Graeme Wood, November 28, 2021
jerry pdx
ReplyDeleteI have Native American ancestry (really), my father and grandfather (when still alive) are registered members of the Turtle Mt. Reservation in N. Dakota and my siblings and cousins are considered descendants (but not members) of the tribe. We have way more European ancestry than actual Native ancestry though, which is what happens in this "diversutopia" we live in. However, I don't walk around pretending to be "Indian" as Fauxohantis does and many who have no actual native ancestry do, and I don't take an inordinate amount of pride in something that happened by chance. Since we still have tribal land in the family, I do take an interest in issues about Native American land ownership but this kind of nonsense make me nauseous. "Land acknowledgement" is just another way for guilty White liberals, or black racists, to deflect from their own contradictions around Native American issues. Whether or not you agree with their rights to defend their land and way of life, they, unlike other "minority groups" were here first and at least have some documented deals with the government dealing with land issues and tribal rights. With the exception of the 600,000 blacks that came during the slavery era, immigrants who came later have no business demanding to be taken care of, or get special deals, they made a choice to come, it's their responsibility to take care of themselves.
White leftists, blacks activists etc... love lip service about Native issues, but have a niggling feeling in the back of their heads about issues like immigration (bringing more people into land that isn't theirs?) and the fact they live here also and aren't moving back to Africa or whatever European country they came from. So instead of directly facing the fact they they are hypocrites when it comes to Native American issues they construct fake symbolic nonsense like "Land Acknowledgement" to assuage their guilt.
Tell you what Mr. or Ms. guilty White liberal, find a Native American and sign the deed to your house and property over to them, then you won't feel guilty anymore. I think my one drop qualifies me, just send the paperwork via NSU and I'll gladly accept. Thanks for any and all help Nicholas.
I think about the indigenous all the time. My people have been in North America for a long time now. It is like what Chief Crazy Horse said: "my land is where my ancestors are buried." My white ancestors are buried USA. Indigenous? Sure are.
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