Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/11/07/the-white-house-declared-the-f.html
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well of course they did.
why would anyone expect anything different?
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“Forget” isn’t the right word.
Quick DDG confirms that Black History Month is February: people have pointed out that it’s the shortest month of the year.
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They believe that “native americans” is an oxymoron. 'Murican history starts with white people, and they will say with no trace of irony that native americans should “go back where they came from”
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If he gets another term, get ready for the White History Month that the bigots are always demanding.
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I actually received the Presidential Proclamation at my .gov email address (“signed” by SCROTUS himself) only yesterday, a full 6 days after it should have gone out.
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White Mans month, from 1st February to 31st March.
To the me who got the PM Corbyn remains in the EU/President Sanders timeline: why can’t you share?
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Isn’t that 1st February to 31 January?
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True, but it doesn’t have the erasure that is in my nightmare suggestion.
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At first I was like, “Really? When did they move BHM out of February?” Then I checked Wikipedia. They didn’t. Unless I’m missing something.
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Yeah no I just screwed up typing quickly without my morning tea. My bad.
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His dog whistles are getting more audible.
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I think we’re past dog whistles.
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Well that stupid, as the Iroquois Confederacy was an influence on the founding of our nation’s government.
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You know, I’d never advise a North American native person to support anybody for political office; I admit I have little clue as to their pains and concerns and should totally shut up and let them decide. Most of the choices they are offered are between somebody who will screw you and somebody who will screw you worse, so telling them to take the lesser evil is still counselling the acceptance of evil.
Canada at least admits to struggling with the issue, has a cabinet-level position about indigenous affairs, has a few more indigenous politicians elected so far, but mostly, we’ve risen to the level of acknowledging problems, not solving them.
But the closest America seems to have come so far at the Federal level is Warren announcing one of those plans to address a laundry-list of indigenous concerns, at least a start. It’s the only time in my life I can recall their issues getting even a minute’s time on the news about a federal election.
Even that never would have happened without Warren’s embarrassment over her missteps there, but, hey, it did happen and is a good thing.
Mostly, indigenous issues are utterly ignored - name me an Obama, Bush, or Clinton position or even comment about such an issue, just off-the-cuff from memory; I’m certainly blanking.
But this administration has actually gone out of the way to offend, as it does with all people of colour.
So, while I can’t offer advice, I’ve got to say, if indigenous activists across America joyfully pile on when inevitably Warren is picked on again and again about her DNA story, it’ll be a very depressing, bang-head-on-desk time of frustration.
After Mr. Trudeau’s “brownface” embarrassment, CBC news asked five people of colour - some black, some from south Asia - in his district about whether it would change their vote. One said yes, four no. In short, they were able to see the difference between his personal failings and his policies.
If America’s indigenous activists can see it the same way and shut down such criticisms, I think it can be done in a way that gives no slack for the mistake, and does enhance the sense that this is their decision to make, not a bunch of white critic’s to speak for them.
Ranting, I suppose, because I enjoy the new Rolling Stone “Useful Idiots” podcast with Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper. But Halper has gone off into anti-Warren snarks, in her support of Bernie, that came awful close to “Pocahontas” territory. Irritated, it suddenly hit me that Katie couldn’t do it in Canada; we may be only a bit ahead of the US on this, but one thing that does not fly any more in Canada is white people presuming to decide what’s offensive to the First Nations. If Katie wants to have on an indigenous activist to criticize Warren, that’s fine. But I honestly doubt she’s even spoken to one about this, or could speak for a whole minute on any specific indigenous issue she’s followed. She’s simply presuming to take offense on their behalf, and use them as a club to hit Warren with.
But if indigenous people themselves decide to remain silent (and I wouldn’t blame them, they’ve never had much joy from diving into politics) then Katie - and Trump - will get to speak for them, about how awful Warren is, and nobody will debate her plan for actually making some progress on their behalf.
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I was gonna say, “oh, they didn’t forget.” 'Cause they definitely didn’t.
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I don’t know which is worse, ignoring Native Americans or exploiting them for a photo op under a portrait of genocidal “Indian Killer” Andrew Jackson.
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Clinton did a fair amount, actually. Among substantive things, early in his first term he invited the tribal leaders of all the federally recognized tribes to the White House. He also appointed a lot (relatively) of Natives.
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