Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSquealer
Who the fuck is talking about survivalists? You are so anxious to take any counterpoint and defend the losing side, that you don't even know what you're saying 1/2 the time.
I was talking about those indians/natives who talk endlessly about heritage, culture and tradition as a means to either rationalize and explain failure or to make a grab for more concessions. Those same people are not living as they were, yet that doesn't stop them from making the arguments.
For the record, if some North American Indian wants to wander off in the forest with his family and a knife to "live traditionally" and celebrate his culture/heritage, I am 100% for it and really, there is nothing stopping them.
All the people talking about heritage, culture and tradition as a basis for and argument for more rights, are not living in accordance to those same principles. They are driving Nissan Altima's, getting free medical care, getting education paid for, getting endless business grants, getting paychecks for doing absolutely nothing (Alaska Natives), working normal jobs (i.e. blackjack dealers at local casinos) and living in normal houses, file taxes etc etc etc. But when it suits their purpose, they want to argue about the need to hunt humpback and gray whales (as in Washington State) as being part of their "tradition" and all the fucking idiots gather in their "traditional" motorboats, armed with "traditional" high power rifles to take out a whale and then try to force nasty fucking whale meat on a bunch of thoroughly disgusted local teens that only eat Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
If you are Native American and want to live "traditionally" because your heritage, culture and "tradition" is so important to you... go to the kitchen, grab a knife, walk out the front door and keep walking until you can't see civilization anymore and build a shelter and start trying to figure out how you're going to take down an animal to eat while fighting off wolves and bears's. No white man is stopping you from doing that.
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I think the native response to that argument would be:
There are no more migrating herds over the plains to follow and eat. There are no available fertile river deltas and valleys in which to operate traditional farms and fisheries. The only land left is marginal at best and can only support very small, remote populations. The original compromise of allowing Canada to put them in self-governed communities has been reneged on due to Canada's inability to provide the basics such as clean water and health services.
There is no possible way for them, other than the far northern communities maybe, to maintain a traditional lifestyle. They can't live in isolation and yet next door to large cities. What the best answer is remains to be seen.