Tag colonization

Shared from redhaircrow.com: “The Love of #Stereotypes: It Starts Early In Germany, too” – #WesternSociety

Red Haircrow

This is a post from 2017 or so from redhaircrow.com, but is more relevant than ever before (unfortunately). Despite all educational efforts by their more enlightened peers and us, Germans willfully persistent in fetishization, erasure/replacement and stereotyping behaviors. There’s a willful insistence in ignoring this is a component of racism, related to colonialism and Eurocentrism AND/OR also accompanied by refusal to acknowledge the connection of accepted Native American stereotypes and misuse of Native cultures and peoples to the hatred, intolerance, conflicts and wars escalating or being fomented around the world.

From childhood, this creates and nurtures the mindset and practice that certain peoples, groups or individuals rights to life, safety and self-representation can be ignored, dismissed or even mocked if they object. Adherence to white supremacy ideology and structural racism is what allows this demographic to widely continue, and even defend, such practices. Good to know, we and others of their peers will continue to promote respect for all peoples, whatever their ethnicity, sexuality, gender, etc. and not their “rape culture”. That is: ignoring when someone says, “No, don’t do this to me/us”, and they say, “Yes, we will because we want to. We don’t care if it harms you or We don’t believe it hurts you.” What a terrible thing to teach a child.

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Shared: Because many “others” “foreigners” specific ethnicities, and in this case “Indianer” or Native American Indians are only presented in shows, as entertainment, as costumed figures who are there to entertain Germans in some way…stereotypes abound here, and are expected and even demanded. Often you see the same rapt look and desire: “Teach us! Show us! Make us laugh with wonder! Cry with excitement, shudder with amazement, dread, outrage (as to native treatment of the past)” but whatever it is, they want what they want.

For Native Americans they expect, with very clear stereotype guidelines, how you should look, speak, engage, too. If you don’t look, act or perform as they expect, they are disappointed, dejected and dissatisfied. You must meet their expectations or you are not “real”, you are not “authentic.” The children cry and wail while parents comfort or ignore them, but seldom is there any factual, contexual (age appropriate, of course) information provided. Even in textbooks or other educational materials, having learn this propensity from the US and Canada, most “information” is stereotypical in nature and content, and from non-native sources or Europeanized (a.k.a. colonized) mindsets tailored to keep non-natives comfortably within established, if fabricated, parameters.

And they are actively, dismissively resistant to calls for historical accuracy, cause and effect, contemporary realities or even simple truths, especially if conflicting with German or Euro-American perspective. I designate “Euro-American” primarily because just American suggests white American, whether its white Americans or Germans saying it. Here, if they know you are from America and you’re black, you’re just black, but they’ll also say black German, black American, and so on, but whites from the USA are just American. That should tell you something…if you’re honest.

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In the intro image, a week long children’s workshop about Brazil is taking place in Berlin, which doubtless (unlike smaller towns) will have actual Brazilian people involved to “demonstrate” Brazilian “rituals”. The programme was created and written by the well meaning but Euro-heavy Labyrinth team, to provide free entertainment for children, particularly refugees. If they are so open-minded why are not minority educators on the team, as there are many well educated ethnic professionals across Berlin. Wouldn’t fit the paradigm?

There’s a strong component of “silencing” or speaking for POC, when white people take it upon themselves to speak and decide for others, in particular minorities, with little or no input from those minorities. It’s a form of patting themselves on the backs and receiving praise from European peers on how good and progressive they are, being the saviors for poor (predominantly POC), without understanding why this model is deeply problematic and smacks of what called “The White Savior” syndrome. Historical context, power dynamics, objectification and racist structures.

Mexican restaurants are supposed to have Mexican music playing, immediately recognizable “Mexican” music, and stereotypical Mexican persons speaking Spanish (a European language, while the country itself has over 60 indigenous languages being spoken, more than all of Europe!). Black Americans should be called “Bro!”, know hip-hop and rap music references and offered “fist bumps” so they can feel cool and hip when they are returned. Eastern Asians, be they Korean, Japanese or Chinese, should be agreeable at all times, rather shy and apologetic, naivé but intelligent. That’s allowed, it’s non-threatening.

Asians might be mentally allowed to be engineers, even doctors, while Mexicans should likely be working at restaurants, central or South Americans must always funny and cheerful, and Native Americans are dancers in western theme parks or visiting for a show. Even if you wear a business suit, if you’re African, you may be a drug dealer. Higher education? Why would minorities do that? It’s not like you’ll get anywhere in German society besides working strictly in a capacity where your ethnicity is why you are there in the first place.

Managers, police officers, working in social services or on company boards or even playing them on TV or in film? Highly unlikely. Comments like “but you’re (supply ethnicity)” abound, which is the incredulous sometimes confused equivalent of “No”, when they don’t want to actually say “no” because of what that would strongly indicate about their self, their company or society. If you give any criticism they will blow a “How dare you?!” gasket.

Above all, whatever you are as non-Germans, you should be ready and willing to supply whatever emotional boost they need, satisfy and answer their every query, while being careful to self-deprecatingly keep them in their comfort zone (no challenges or return questions!) while they lay layer after layer of stereotypes on you. Or alternatively (or strategically interspersed) they know all about you because they read it in a book or so-and-so has a ______friend, and they will argue until doomsday they are right because_________.

So their children learn objectification, stereotypes, and attitudes and behaviors that can lead to cultural appropriation and dehumanization, and which continue the cycle of imbalance of racism, power and perception. It all starts in childhood.

So why do minorities stay in Germany, with the widespread “them vs. others, normal vs. others” mentality? What is the appeal, the attraction, the thrill? For those I talked to, it isn’t because Europe or Europeans are so great. It is often more attributable to the communities of color that form in support and protection of each other, a response to being stereotyped, misrepresented and discriminated against so widely in society. In the case of Natives or other POC, you receive it in your “home” country, too, because white people there are immigrant/invaders living on stolen ground. Where can you ever be treated equally, respectfully, humanly?

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The Romanticization of #Indigenous Death, #Eurocentrism & The Wrong Kind of Circle at #ForgetWinnetou

Red Haircrow

Shared from original post at redhaircrow.com, yet another reason why Indigenous Knowledge and History is World History. It’s all the things that have been deliberately omitted or heavily loaded with Eurocentrism, strategically written with heroize acts of aggression, invasion and colonization.

“Throughout history, a country’s economic and military strength has influenced its times of cultural splendor and the rise of famous intellectuals and artists. Spain has been an exception to this. At the turn of the 20th century, a surprising series of events that no one could have predicted occurred. At the time, Spain had recently lost the last of its overseas colonies.”

From (link) “On The Modern School of Francisco Ferrer i Guàrdia (1859–1909), an International and Current Figure” by Carme Garcia-Yeste, Gisela Redondo-Sama, Maria Padrós & Patricia Melgar (2016). The careful wording on the topic immediately caught my eye, because it was the usual Eurocentric erasure of genocide of indigenous peoples.

“The loss of the last of its overseas colonies”…. crooned the text, but the Spanish invaded, raped, pillaged, murdered then occupied areas around the world. Many were pedophiles and torturers who committed unbelievably horrific acts of brutality to subdue and control the enslaved and exploited peoples, and yet like Christopher Columbus, were whitewashed and hailed as brave explorers and intrepid travelers.

After enormous loss, the Indigenous peoples such as in the Philippines, finally overthrew the Spanish invaders with the help of the USA, who immediately betrayed them. They are still, over a hundred years later, working to decolonize their minds, bodies and lands, and regain their rightful situation of self-determination from the Euro-serving figureheads in power. They’re are still tallying the totals of what was stolen from them. It is without measure, but with the resilience that is inherent, many are in the process of resurgence and revitalization.

In the case of this research paper, this reality is glossed over to highlight the struggle of another group from within the Spanish population. While the research paper lovingly details the struggles of common Spanish citizens against the privileged class, they utterly ignored how Spain has benefited from the genocide of others, especially people of color. It is with great irony, looking around at all the rich cathedrals and bank coffers full of billions plundered from colonies, that many people of color describe Spain as the most racist European country. Except for a few white Americans, since I’ve been in Germany, I’ve actually never been openly called a racist term or slur, except by Spaniards.

Of course, a single research paper cannot encompass all materials and perspectives, but in the writing that is included, there shouldn’t be this continual erasure and minimization of European colonial brutality. It continues historical amnesia and reinforces the many fabrications, twisting of facts or hiding of truth that is taught in European schools about colonialism. Naturally, this produced generations who doubt actual truth, because they have been so thoroughly deceived by their own systems. Some wish you to educate them, although that should be their own responsibility. They need to do that work themselves first, without expectation that POC should drop info on their command or expectation.

Also, this all lends itself to pity wars, the “my struggle is harder than yours!” cries so often espoused by white European feminists, gays or a younger generation that has carefully been coddled by “PC” or politically correct labels that omitted any of the harsher, bigoted realities of the world. Realities that, past and present, People of Color, including little children, have to deal with everyday. That Indigenous peoples have to live with, the scars on their minds, bodies and lands, including those of Europe.

The sympathetic hero-izing of the European, singular or collective in literature, in film, in museums, in every facet of western society, and the total omission of the brutality, the enslavement or even obliteration of the Indigenous, the “Other”.

That these primarily white Europeans perpetuate the created patriarchal, ableist model in their appropriation, minimization and/or passive/aggressive resentment of people of color and their cultures, sometimes accompanied by antagonism and derision? It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. It’s maddening to deal with, especially when they’re still trying to achieve a pinnacle for acceptance, validation, and yes, vindictive vindication over all others, using methods they claim to be rejecting. Or when they want you to support/join/help them when they don’t respect/understand/care about you, and may actually minimize the struggles of POC who share their same issues. Whether it is women’s issues, a disability or whatever, POC deal with those IN ADDITION to discrimination simply on the color of their skin. Western society’s perpetual centering of self is very different from the encompassing circle so often seen in Indigenous cultures anywhere in the world, including those in Europe.

Although I mention appropriation, it is no surprise that some Europeans wish to escape from the families, peer groups, societies and pseudo-cultures where self-gratification and -centeredness is the norm. They seek to find belonging in the beliefs, ceremonies and traditions of other cultures, but too often because of learning colonial behaviors and practices, (link) they “love” in a wrong way.  They did not learn empathy. They were not taught. Being empathetic does not serve them in western society, their societies. They were unfortunately imbued with privilege and entitlement to take and use whatever and whomever they want. They didn’t learn that such practices and mindsets also harm them and the environment.

It’s no wonder so many are prone to self-medication and vice, simply because they are hungry and thirsty for true connection and acceptance from others. They are searching for meaning, and want to be believe in something, yet learning to and experiencing trust is all too often non-existent as well. And then on top of it all, to be told, “That’s just the way the world is! Some will always be rich, and others will be poor. Some will always get hurt, be upset, or deprived by your doing whatever is necessary to succeed…but you deserve it!”  How cruel and unnatural. This is trauma informed, fear based paranoia. The rationalization of unhealed, untreated pain.

This kind of attitude and teaching makes people cruel to others. We see this casual cruelty daily, everywhere you look, but some of us also see the empty eyes and spirits. I see this very much in Germany, but am also thankful to see those trying to live in a good way, to right the many historical wrongs, and who do so with all their hearts. This is also another example how only using European and Eurocentric material continues to spread the centering of any European knowledge and history above all others, creating and reinforcing layer upon layer of resentment, delusion and un/imbalance in the world. It makes cultural appropriation, exploitation and capitalistic endeavors the “lesser” of evils, when they are all part of the cycle of genocide.

Not sure of the others, but the “Cycle of Genocide” image was created by Ižaŋžaŋwiŋ. Learn more by purchasing your copy of “Forget Winnetou! Loving in the Wrong Way.”