Who's Really a Native American
“This whole anti-immigrant sentiment that’s out there in our politics right now is contrary to who we are. “Because unless you’re Native American, your family came from someplace else.” President Obama
This iconic Native American "Iron Eyes Cody" was really an Italian named Espera Oscar de Corti. On camera he wept a single tear because the environment was so polluted back in the seventies. Little did we know (or care) that he wasn't a "real" Native American. If only we'd known, we could've had a good laugh. I guess we've all been hoodwinked and bamboozled. Or, maybe not.
Not so long ago scientists believed that Native Americans were genetically related to Asians. But, now, based on more comprehensive DNA testing, it appears that they are more closely related to a mixture of European and Asian or Eurasians. That would mean that Europeans were just coming home when they migrated from Europe about 600 years ago to the New World, which was really the Old World, if you get my drift. Apparently, many made the trip much earlier, about 10,000 years ago when they crossed a 600 mile wide land-bridge that connected the continents back in the day. This would also mean that president Obama and his fellow travelers should just shut their pie holes about who belongs where. I'm pretty sure that using an overworked meme as a basis for immigration policy isn't such a good idea.
Having said that, this whole indigenous vs. non indigenous business that people feverishly use to parse racial distinctions is tiring, to say the least. The simple truth is, that humans have been migrating around the world, across every barrier, both man-made and natural, for as long as there have been humans. Animals, not surprisingly, do the same thing. And, cultures have protected their borders against mass colonization, just as long. This colonialism business works both ways. It need not be a great army invading some indigenous culture. It can just as easily be a great migration of individuals driven by a desire to find a better life, as they leave their less-than-wonderful countries behind, which brings me to my brilliant conclusion.
“It's culture that really matters, not race.”
What people believe about themselves, how they view issues like morality, whether they are willing to set aside who they were and become of a like-mind with the rest of us culturally, those are the things that matter most. No, I'm not suggesting that we should all do the same dances or eat pizza instead of Chinese, since both are devilishly tasty. Yes, there is room for diversity, but, diversity can very quickly become an ever-widening division if integration does not occur. Race, that great and timely American and European obsession is, by comparison, a very recent way of viewing people, maybe three hundred years old, give or take.
So, the next time some smart-ass says "Well, you know, if you don't let in everybody who wants to come in, you're a racist!" You can tell them the truth. After that, you can punch them in the face for no greater reason than you're tired of hearing their tired tirades of misinformed, politically correct cliches. And then you can kick the dust off your heels and walk away. I'm just saying.
Mark Magula
Not so long ago scientists believed that Native Americans were genetically related to Asians. But, now, based on more comprehensive DNA testing, it appears that they are more closely related to a mixture of European and Asian or Eurasians. That would mean that Europeans were just coming home when they migrated from Europe about 600 years ago to the New World, which was really the Old World, if you get my drift. Apparently, many made the trip much earlier, about 10,000 years ago when they crossed a 600 mile wide land-bridge that connected the continents back in the day. This would also mean that president Obama and his fellow travelers should just shut their pie holes about who belongs where. I'm pretty sure that using an overworked meme as a basis for immigration policy isn't such a good idea.
Having said that, this whole indigenous vs. non indigenous business that people feverishly use to parse racial distinctions is tiring, to say the least. The simple truth is, that humans have been migrating around the world, across every barrier, both man-made and natural, for as long as there have been humans. Animals, not surprisingly, do the same thing. And, cultures have protected their borders against mass colonization, just as long. This colonialism business works both ways. It need not be a great army invading some indigenous culture. It can just as easily be a great migration of individuals driven by a desire to find a better life, as they leave their less-than-wonderful countries behind, which brings me to my brilliant conclusion.
“It's culture that really matters, not race.”
What people believe about themselves, how they view issues like morality, whether they are willing to set aside who they were and become of a like-mind with the rest of us culturally, those are the things that matter most. No, I'm not suggesting that we should all do the same dances or eat pizza instead of Chinese, since both are devilishly tasty. Yes, there is room for diversity, but, diversity can very quickly become an ever-widening division if integration does not occur. Race, that great and timely American and European obsession is, by comparison, a very recent way of viewing people, maybe three hundred years old, give or take.
So, the next time some smart-ass says "Well, you know, if you don't let in everybody who wants to come in, you're a racist!" You can tell them the truth. After that, you can punch them in the face for no greater reason than you're tired of hearing their tired tirades of misinformed, politically correct cliches. And then you can kick the dust off your heels and walk away. I'm just saying.
Mark Magula