Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
What do you care about more Jiri? Honestly I bet most Americans and Canadians would want the name of a football team changed before providing better conditions for natives to live because we don't really have a vested interest in their day to day living conditions. We want to stick it to the man (Snider and the NFL). We want to show the NFL that we are evolved and cognitive of minorities because that makes us feel good about ourselves. It makes us feel evolved. Not a single native will benefit from it but lots of North Americans will feel good about it and really that's all that counts now is the majority feeling like they are do-gooders even when they aren't doing anything. At the end of the day having the Redskins name changed would be a giant headline, politicians would pat themselves on the back and the regular majority would feel good about this big positive they influenced but for the native Americans continuing their day to day lives in lousy conditions it would be a very, very small victory. But really it's not even about them anymore as it's about us as always.
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You sound like a racist white. Who are you to say that no First Nation would benefit?
The issues facing First Nations is this paternalization, acceptance of racism, and general inequality. Let me paint you a picture of a former workplace of mine a few years ago. We were desperate for laborers and would hire anyone in a heart beat. A native guy walks in and applies off the street. HR didn't look him in the eye, immediately asked if he would pass a A+D test, interrupted his responses, and then told him that they weren't hiring. This guy was young, in physical shape and clean cut but has seen a days work. 2 hours later a 40 year old white dude (going on 60) who looked like a career doper got a hand shake and promise of a call back.
I've worked in industry long enough to know how people feel about First Nations around the job site. But I've been on a reserve site and see people chatting with each other like any other tailgate. They don't feel comfortable in their own country.
The best thing for First Nations, IMO, is not land treaties and INAC benefits, but things like the Red Skins changing their name.