Humanities & Classics 1002
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Renaissance Forum
Humanities & Classics 1002 |
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In Reply to: Re: Indian Nation posted by Madena Hanson on February 10, 1999 at 19:29:16:
: I have kind of mixed feelings about how much compensation we should give Native Americans, I mean how can they be a nation within a nation when they are still subject to many of the laws that we are except for hunting and fishing rights (among others). I've got mixed feelings about the hunting and fishing rights because natives are no longer dependent upon hunting and gathering, they go to the very same supermarkets as everyone else, so why should they say that they are traditional hunters and gatherers when they no longer depend on these things. As for the other laws, they are subject to trials for murder, rape, everything, they have to do the same time for the same crimes. It's almost like reverse racism to me, you can't try to get an incredible amount of compensation for what was lost and could also possibly never be regained. To me it's like a never-ending cycle if one group tries to get a whole bunch of compensations because then in the future another group will say, "we were oppressed in these ways too, why can't we get some sort of compensations." There has to be a stop, if we're to live as one nation we can't have nations that are part american and part native when both are subject to the same laws. African Americans, I feel, are in the midst of trying to get over all of the wrongs done them, and they're succeeding, although there is still some racism evident they have basically come to appreciate their culture, but live in America, and under America's rules, I don't see why this doesn't apply to Native Americans, they should stop being so bitter about the past, practice as much of their culture as remains and live equally priveliged lives as whites and blacks. I apologize if this offends anyone, it's not meant to be condescending to anyone.