Quote:
Originally Posted by longsuffering
Oh yeah. When I think living the good life with al the material things our society has to offer, I always think of life on the reserve.  |
You are absolutely right. They are, for the most part, wretched places. However, the social structures of reserves is very much kinship-based, and while this is what results in the vast, unequal, shifting fortunes, even the lowest person on the ladder gets housing, utilities, food, and some work. Not to mention the tight social structures that act as petri dishes for widespread substance abuse.
Like all poor people of the growing Western underclass, reserve aboriginals are beguiled, and thus seek, the latest in consumer gadgets. I cannot tell you of the countless times I have met people who barely have enough to feed their family the standard diet of white bread and bologna, but still have the latest iPhone.