Re: Amerind an offensive term (was: Early Amerind assimilation
Matt Silberstein (matts2@ix.netcom.com)
Fri, 02 Aug 1996 18:38:56 GMT
brunner@mandrake.think.com (Eric Brunner) wrote:
[snip]
>Many of the rest of the posters who've joined in this latest "race to the
>bottom" (puns intended) thread have been Indian-bashing on population and
>material culture and ethical relativism grounds for at least one year, in
>both groups. I do wish they'd come up with more interesting reasoning to
>support their squatters' rights posture, or show the glimmer of dull
>awareness that most of them live in Colonial conditions as well, bunting
>not withstanding.
I have posted some material on this thread and I wish to clarify some of
my statements. I do not have much history in either of these groups and
so miss many subtleties. If anything I have said has implied
Indian-bashing I apologize. I do not propose anything like "squatter's
rights" and if it looks like I have I am sorry.
I came into this thread when there was a question, I thought, regarding
cultural diffusion to outliver "White" 18th century groups. Since I have
an amateurs interest in some groups it seemed like a good idea. I did
not see the land mines in the question. If an expert in the field, Mary
Beth for instance, says we can't get that information I am inclined to
believe it. But an interest in the question does not automatically mean
I think that the Native Americans liked what they got. Accepting the
best of a bad lot is still a bad lot.
The general problem of native vs. immigrant is thorny. Weighting the
various rights and "blame" is very difficult. Does it matter which side
has the most people? Does time since "invasion" count? If so, who gets
to start the clock in places like the Balkans and the Middle East?
Unfortunately for humanity the seem to be only two "stable" solution.
The first is total extermination. If you don't leave survivors you don't
have anyone to complain. The other option is assimilation, which is just
a slower version of the first option. I hope we can find better ways to
solve these issues.
---------------------------------------------------------
What is the scariest line you know? Mine is:
"Hi, my name is Number 6, what's yours?"
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