^ They use the phrase "First Nations" in Canada, isn't that right? Perhaps we should try that in the US.
Political systems in Star Trek
- Thread starter The Overlord
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I've heard "First Nations," yeah, but I've also heard the term "Native Canadian."
I agree that biological trivia like skin colour are irrelevant but in the real world they are not irrelevant. Santa Claus is also purely imaginary but because he becomes a material force because we pretend to believe in him.
So we need words for black, white, yellow, red and brown and I argue for less sensitivity. Take e.g. WASP, anybody could easily claim that it is a racist word and should not be used. Here political correct censorship would be of benefit to the privileged.
So we need words for black, white, yellow, red and brown and I argue for less sensitivity. Take e.g. WASP, anybody could easily claim that it is a racist word and should not be used. Here political correct censorship would be of benefit to the privileged.
Well, you get my point. Nobody believes in Santa Claus, the parents merely pretend to make the children happy and the children merely pretend to get the sweets and make their parents happy. But in the end this fake believe is totally irrelevant, for the sweet-seller Santa Claus is as real as it can get.
White men? Or just one Genoese navigator?Indian is a better word than the PCish "Native American" as it is an eternal monument to white man's stupidity.
Many of the Portuguese explorers who voyaged to the Americas had already reached India by sailing around the southern tip of Africa, and upon reaching the Americas none of them were under any illusion as to where they actually were.
However, the term indian had already entered common usage to designate the indigenous peoples of the New World. Today Brazilians use índios for native Americans, and indianos for people from India.
I just say indígena, which is more popularly used.
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And I do believe in the concept of Santa Claus, if you are good, you'll be rewarded.
When I hear the term "Native American" I immediately think about some yuppie a*sholes who have no real problems and who like to think that Indians life in harmony with nature and so on. Kinda like the Europeans who invaded Tibet and then thought that these Buddhist monks are spiritually so great. You basically project your stupid dreams and fantasies on another without really caring about him. For me this is the worst type of racism. To say it with Deleuze, "if you're trapped in the dream of the other, you're fu*ked."
That's why I will always say Indian and Black.
About Santa Claus, once you approach 30 you realize that life is not fair. Or read the bible, Job didn't do anything wrong and he suffered nonetheless.
That's why I will always say Indian and Black.
About Santa Claus, once you approach 30 you realize that life is not fair. Or read the bible, Job didn't do anything wrong and he suffered nonetheless.
Well, I'm 1/8th Cherokee, and grew up in the working class. I'm under no illusions about the indigenous peoples of North America "living in harmony with nature," and I'm not sure why you would associate the term "Native American" with that concept. "Native" just means, well, native. Not "nature-harmonizing."
As I said it is just the fantasies of a certain type of left-liberal (hey, I am left-liberal myself so I can rant about them) which I have in mind. Behind a political correct word like "Native American" there can be a dream about the other being spiritually superior to you and as I tried to show via the example of Tibet, this dream can go hand in hand with horribly mistreating the folks onto whom you protect these things. The noble savage is basically the same thing.
Eternal victimization, to deny the other agency is also a nasty from of racism. You often encounter it in the public image of Africa, during the Balkan wars the Albanians have been viewed as mere victims and some lefties also treat Palestinians like this.
Or take Breivik, the Norwegian right-winger who killed some young social democrats. Clearly a political deed yet our newspapers have been full about him being a mere psychopath and sadly this very view seems to emerge in the trial. I find this denial of agency game utterly disgusting and depoliticizing.
Eternal victimization, to deny the other agency is also a nasty from of racism. You often encounter it in the public image of Africa, during the Balkan wars the Albanians have been viewed as mere victims and some lefties also treat Palestinians like this.
Or take Breivik, the Norwegian right-winger who killed some young social democrats. Clearly a political deed yet our newspapers have been full about him being a mere psychopath and sadly this very view seems to emerge in the trial. I find this denial of agency game utterly disgusting and depoliticizing.
LIke the way Americans tends to think about the Natives of the America
Excuse me?
What, exactly, do Americans tend to think about Native Americans? Do tell.
The way they are portrayed on TV and movies...like on Kevin Costner's film "Dances With Wolves". I don't think those people needed white people to teach them how to fight and how to behave. They knew perfectly well what was good for them. And the plain Indians didn't start the war with the United States government. It was the other ways around.
The way they are portrayed on TV and movies...like on Kevin Costner's film "Dances With Wolves".LIke the way Americans tends to think about the Natives of the America
Excuse me?
What, exactly, do Americans tend to think about Native Americans? Do tell.
I think it's completely fair to say that Dances With Wolves and other films that embrace the Mighty Whitey trope are (advertently or inadvertently) racist.
But I also want to assure you -- Americans' ideas about Native Americans are more diverse and complex than what you see in Hollywood.
ETA:
I think your point about how the way we contextualize "the Other" culture can deny the agency of political actors who have not actually lost their agency.
But when it comes to a particular individual, like Anders Breivik, I wouldn't care to try to determine if he's legitimately insane or not unless I were a psychologist, or a legal specialist who is intimately familiar with his case.
There are 300 million people in America. I promise you, one asshole manager does not the entire American populace define.
Precisely. They did not need the white man to tell them how to live their lives, they seemed to be doing quite well before the whities came. And if someone came to your home, barged in, and pretty much began to try to start running your life, do you let them stay? Most likely, you'd throw the person out.
Whities did not settle America, they invaded it.
There are 300 million people in America. I promise you, one asshole manager does not the entire American populace define.
Your right. But I do tend to think Americans tend to think they are better than every one else, but I'm not saying they're bad or all Americans have narrow view of the world, but let face it, it has a long record of exploiting innocent people. And Also, People in other countries are very poor and uneducated, so you can't really compare them to Americans.
The whole world has a long record of exploiting innocent people.
And everyone thinks they're better than everyone else.
And everyone thinks they're better than everyone else.
I know many, many people who will not only admit we lost the Vietnam War, but who will argue that the Vietnam War was an illegitimate war we should never have been fighting in the first place.
And if you really think that Americans can't admit that our government has done wrong things, I'd invite you to consider the hundreds of thousands of people who opposed the Iraq War and participated in numerous marches, protests, and demonstrations against it.
I really think you're stereotyping.
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