If you aren’t Native, you never will be. No matter how much you try to wrap yourself up in some Native warrior identity online or in person or how much good you think you are doing. None of that will make you one of us. If you lie or exaggerate how connected you are to the tribe you claim, at the end of the day you are still lying and still not one of us.
I think a lot of people fool even themselves. At least that’s what I see it as. They claim this identity because it looks cool to be able to call someone out and get to take part in this culture that evolved online. I think of it kind of like that video Yellow Apparel. There’s this line that this guy says - they’re racking up experiences by taking items (in this case an actual identity) and thinking it makes them something because they’re trying to break free from this suburban white culture. I think that same kind of idea applies to a lot of internet warriors I see. They’re lashing out, maybe not on a white, or a suburban, or a middle-class culture necessarily. But they want the kind of experiences that they think Natives have after observing some of us online. I have real fucking examples of this that I don’t want to share. If you know, you know. But some people take things that have become Native “memes” on here and repeat them like they’re in the know and have to search for clarification later. Or they pick up on it and turn it into some part of them. It’s disgusting.
It also makes me think of that whole, the best native (lowercase n) is not a native at all. Like some Avatar or Ferngully shit. Where they think that their internet activism (I’m picking on internet activism because no matter what anyone says, there’s always room for that disconnect between people. They only know what you want them to know kind of thing.) is so noble and that they can do a better job than we can do for ourselves.
My point in all of this is that I’m fucking sick of it. I’m sick of playing nice with these people because they don’t pick up on my fucking disgust. I hate you. You are in digital redface. (Call me out if that’s inappropriate. I’ve seen digital blackface but don’t know if I shouldn’t use the digital part.) You are putting on this persona, whether there’s a kernel of truth in it or not. You are pretending to be my family. I don’t want liars in my Native family. I don’t want white people who think they can learn from me. I don’t want white people who think they can help me better than my real Native family can. I am sick of you. You are the shit that brings real progress and real positive development down. You are killing our community by pretending to be one of us. You are wiping out our faces and replacing them with yours. You want to be the face of Natives. Well, great job, because that’s what is happening. When there’s an opportunity for a Native to get out there, you are in the way and stealing from us.
YOU PRETENDING TO BE NATIVE OR EXAGGERATING HOW NATIVE YOU ARE IS ANOTHER FUCKING FORM OF COLONIALISM BECAUSE YOU ARE PUSHING US ASIDE AGAIN.
So fuck you fakers. I hate you. You are more dangerous than a lot of people are willing to admit. Your progress in making a video or calling out someone is no progress at all.
(Another note: none of this is about blood quantum. I don’t care what your bq is. Don’t lie about it if it’s low. Be you. If you are connected or as genuine in wanting to be connected as you pretend, you wouldn’t lie about it.)
@3 months ago with 72 notes#native american #american indian #ndn #red indian #injun
