I’m no psychologist, but having known people like that and arguing exhaustively with them online and offline for years I think it’s a sort of ongoing conscience burial. They want so badly to not feel bad about bad things happening that they make it cool/smart to be status quo warriors. The alternative, that maybe bad things are happening and they don’t have to be and that injustice isn’t necessary and could be overcome, is too difficult for them to fathom because they got theirs and don’t want to feel uncomfortable about it.
Agreed with the broad strokes of what you’re saying, but some thoughts.
Pretending that Native Americans were assimilated instead of genocided makes everyone a little more comfortable with the status quo.
Even if someone is 1/whatever [insert indigenous tribe of choice] it doesn’t mean they weren’t genocided, it means that there was also likely a lot of
CW:SA
sexual assault happening by Europeans as they carried out said genocide. Forced assimilation is a form of genocide anyway.
The rise of DNA testing seems like it’s starting to dispel that myth at least.
Indigenous identity isn’t based on blood quantum anyway. The idea that having “blood” makes you essentially a member of a culture is a racist conception. It’s just the one drop rule but instead of “oh no! I’m not pure white! I’ve been tainted!” like the reaction used to be 100 years ago, it’s now used as a shield to defend against accusations of racism. Right alongside “some of my best friends are X” etc.
It is pretty depressing and existentially terrifying to really try to unpack how much of whatever you are privileged to have was stolen and pillaged and still is. NGL…as I’ve gotten older and more and more depressed about it I’ve started taking more and more comfort in the fact that the case for free will being an illusion keeps getting stronger every day.
I’m no psychologist, but having known people like that and arguing exhaustively with them online and offline for years I think it’s a sort of ongoing conscience burial. They want so badly to not feel bad about bad things happening that they make it cool/smart to be status quo warriors. The alternative, that maybe bad things are happening and they don’t have to be and that injustice isn’t necessary and could be overcome, is too difficult for them to fathom because they got theirs and don’t want to feel uncomfortable about it.
The same reason every white American is “1/16th Cherokee!”
Pretending that Native Americans were assimilated instead of genocided makes everyone a little more comfortable with the status quo.
The rise of DNA testing seems like it’s starting to dispel that myth at least.
Agreed with the broad strokes of what you’re saying, but some thoughts.
Even if someone is 1/whatever [insert indigenous tribe of choice] it doesn’t mean they weren’t genocided, it means that there was also likely a lot of
CW:SA
sexual assault happening by Europeans as they carried out said genocide. Forced assimilation is a form of genocide anyway.
Indigenous identity isn’t based on blood quantum anyway. The idea that having “blood” makes you essentially a member of a culture is a racist conception. It’s just the one drop rule but instead of “oh no! I’m not pure white! I’ve been tainted!” like the reaction used to be 100 years ago, it’s now used as a shield to defend against accusations of racism. Right alongside “some of my best friends are X” etc.
It is pretty depressing and existentially terrifying to really try to unpack how much of whatever you are privileged to have was stolen and pillaged and still is. NGL…as I’ve gotten older and more and more depressed about it I’ve started taking more and more comfort in the fact that the case for free will being an illusion keeps getting stronger every day.