this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2023
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[Outdated, please look at pinned post] Casual Conversation

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I dropped her off this morning and saw girls (and boys) wearing grass skirts, some of them with coconut bras too. I'm not sure what else is going on, but it doesn't seem very respectful of a native culture that we have seriously fucked over. Would they have a "Native American Day" and let kids come in wearing feathered headdresses?

Or am I reading too much into it?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

Or am I reading too much into it?

Yes? I'm not American, so to me it seems like you guys tend to do that a lot.

"Oh no, this word was once used in a derogatory fashion, can't use that! Better start using some new euphemistic wor- oh shit, the new word is already also being used derogatorily, better start using some new euphemis- oh crap, that was fast, better just call it - oh, gawrsh..."

I mean, I'm not claiming it's a US specific thing. But you're damn good at it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

That’s a tricky argument to make, because some people (like you) mean it sincerely, but others just use the same argument as an excuse to be an ignorant, lazy, insensitive prick.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

That's very subtle. Well done.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

It's insane watching American race politics from the outside. The fact that OP even asked the question implies a deep level of crazy I find hard to understand.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Yeah, but these are people who the U.S. committed genocide against, so there's some real cultural sensitivity here that's kind of big. Especially since we've never apologized for it. Imagine if Germans had never taken culpability for the Holocaust and then had a Jewish day at schools where kids wore yarmulkes. That would seem pretty offensive to me. And that's kind of what's happening here.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Especially since we’ve never apologized for it.

We have, though. Not that an apology makes it all better - obviously the only sincere and just thing to do would be to engage in meaningful conversations and considerable investment of resources in order to assist the position of Native Americans still suffering from sins first set in motion generations ago, rather than some nice-sounding words from the Senate - but acknowledgement of the mistreatment of Native Americans is something that has happened and knowledge of which is much more prominent in the cultural zeitgeist anymore.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Hawaiians are not really considered Native Americans. They're Polynesian. So no, their genocide has not been apologized for.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Native Hawaiians have been included, legally, in the category of Native Americans since the 70s, and the resolution the Senate passed addressed 'Native Peoples' who had been fucked over by the Federal government specifically and by Americans in general. Like I said, an apology is next to nothing - but an apology was made.