Viewers Respond to Dr. Phil Episode About Baby Veronica Custody Battle: Boycott the Anti-Native American Dr. Phil Show

Found at ADailyRiot on Tumblr

"A handful of comments posted to the “Boycott the Anti-Native AmericanDr. Phil Show” Facebook page follow:

“I thought he was suppose to help matters? , this ONE hour show didnt help or change anything., all that went on was judging and arguing over the color of the baby, we are not the bad people. We never were, that child was not stolen, they stole our children along time ago, from every tribe and we still get the horrible side of everything.”

“I though that thete no racist view on your show, Dr.Phil?.really? How dare all of you to use the race card! Is that your sense of entitlement; to take what you want without asking? Even when you are being asking to give it back? Shame on All of you n the the audience for shameing those 2 lil boys of who they are. Mr. locator, do you think running n hiding with a child is scarey. Well maybe those alarms of your wrongful action. do you think these children will come to you with broken hearts in their hands, wanting you to find their real families, in 20 years. Pure selfishness, webs of lies and deceipt. SO This how you want to raise their in your so called -”loving families”?”

“At a minimum, Dr Phil should have read the 30+ page South Carolina Supreme Court’s opinion UPHOLDING the lower courts decision to return the child and the 30+ page dissent. Dr Phil showed a complete disrespect for Indian tribes. The only ignorant racists I watched were Dr Phil and his guests attacking Nimmo and Marsten. And where was the mother who placed the child for adoption?!”

“Please share this page in every group that you can, especially non-Native ones. We need mothers, fathers, bowlers, basketball players, etc. Your right to your child is a natural inalienable right. This Dad was not an unfit parent. He never got a chance. TELL EVERYONE YOU WENT TO SCHOOL WITH, WORK WITH, ETC”

“I am white and married to a Native. We have a daughter, I am trying hard to teach her as much as I can about her Native culture. Native children, whether full or half, need to know their culture!!”

“I think this is just a shame. This reminds me how Non-tribal people tried to make the State of Maine think we wanted to uproot them (when they realized the State was mostly ours) and said our trauma has NOTHING to do with today’s reality. ICWA was enacted to hep protect First Nations SOVERIGN tribes from further genocide. We DECIDE! This is ignorant interference in an ILLEGAL adoption.”

To view more comments, visit the “Boycott the Anti-Native American Dr. Phil Show” Facebook page and the Dr. Phil Message Board."

UK: Nick Griffin Encourages Vigilante Action against Gay Couple

Story From "Gay Christian" at Tumblr.com

The leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, has posted the address of a gay couple on his Twitter account with a warning that a “British justice team” would turn up to give them “a bit of drama.” 

The couple were brought to the attention of the political leader when they won damages against a hotel owner after she refused to give them a room with a double bed because it conflicted with her religious beliefs. They were awarded £3,600 in compensation after their claim of unlawful discrimination.

Mr Griffin responded to claims that his Tweets were “disgusting and he should hang his head in shame” (Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron) and that he is “an odious hypocrite” (Labour MP Chris Bryant) by Tweeting “Why don’t left & gay activists confront Muslims instead of picking on meek & forgiving Christians? Bullies are always cowards!”

Map of Nations with their Native Names

Their names are romanized however...

Here is a picture:

and the link to the page HERE.

Women's Rights Essential to Democracy

Why is it that people are more than willing to have the government out of people's lives, but insist upon having the ability to dictate, through the government, what is acceptable as life choices. Women are no longer property guys, and while I know most people get that there still seems to be strong sentiment otherwise thinking that women should have no power over their body and its functions. That they should be in a sense simply domesticated humans. That there is an idea that is atrocious and ought to send shivers down the spines of any citizen of a democracy!

An Open Letter to Non-Natives in Headdresses

Credit to âpihtawikosisân

tânisi!

I see you are confused about what constitutes cultural appropriation.  I would like to provide you with resources and information on the subject so that you can better understand what our concerns are. 

However, I also want you to have a brief summary of some of the more salient points so that you do not assume you are merely being called a racist, and so that I do not become frustrated with your defensive refusal to discuss the topic on those grounds.

If at all possible, I’d like you to read the statements on this BINGO card.  If any of those have started whirling through your head, please lock them in a box while you read this article.  They tend to interfere with the ability to have a respectful conversation.

RESTRICTED SYMBOLS

• Some items are restricted items in specific cultures.  Examples from Canada and the United States would be: military medals, Bachelor degrees (the actual parchment), and certain awards representing achievement in literary, musical or other fields.

• These items cannot be legitimately possessed or imitated by just anyone, as they represent achievements earned according to a specific criteria.

• Yes, some people will mock these symbols.  However in order to do this, they have to understand what the symbols represent, and then purposefully desecrate or alter them in order to make a statement. They cannot then claim to be honouring the symbol.

• Some people will pretend to have earned these symbols, but there can be serious sanctions within a culture for doing this. For example, someone claiming to have earned a medical degree (using a fake parchment) can face criminal charges, because that ‘symbol’ gives them access to a specialised and restricted profession.

UNRESTRICTED SYMBOLS/ITEMS

• Other items are non-restricted.  Flags, most clothing, food etc.  Accessing these things does not signal that you have reached some special achievement, and you are generally free to use these.  

• If you do not use these items to mock, denigrate or perpetuate stereotypes about other people, then you can legitimately claim to be honouring those items.

 HEADDRESSES IN NATIVE CULTURES

For the most part, headdresses are restricted items.  In particular, the headdress worn by most non-natives imitate those worn by various Plains nations.  These headdresses are further restricted within the cultures to men who have done certain things to earn them.  It is very rare for women in Plains cultures to wear these headdresses, and their ability to do so is again quite restricted.

So unless you are a native male from a Plains nation who has earned a headdress, or you have been given permission to wear one (sort of like being presented with an honorary degree), then you will have a very difficult time making a case for how wearing one is anything other than disrespectful, now that you know these things. If you choose to be disrespectful, please do not be surprised when people are offended… regardless of why you think you are entitled to do this.

Even if you have ‘native friends’ or are part native yourself, individual choices to “not be offended” do not trump our collective rights as peoples to define our symbols.

TRY REAL CELEBRATION INSTEAD OF APPROPRIATION

It is okay to find our stuff beautiful, because it is.  It is okay to admire our cultures.  However I think it is reasonable to ask that if you admire a culture, you learn more about it.  Particularly when the details are so much more fascinating than say, out-dated stereotypes of Pan-Indian culture. 

You do not have to be an expert on our cultures to access aspects of them.  If you aren’t sure about whether something is restricted or not, please ask someone who is from that culture. If people from within that culture tell you that what you are doing is disrespectful, dismissing their concerns because you just don’t agree, is not indicative of admiration. 

If you really, really want to wear beaded moccasins or mukluks or buy beautiful native art, then please do! There are legitimate and unrestricted items crafted and sold by aboriginal peoples that we would be more than happy to see you with. Then all the nasty disrespectful stereotyping and denigration of restricted symbols can be avoided, while still allowing you to be decked out in beautiful native-created fashion.

If you are an artist who just loves working with aboriginal images, then please try to ensure your work is authentic and does not incorporate restricted symbols (or perpetuate stereotypes).  For example, painting a non-native woman in a Plains culture warbonnet is just as disrespectful as wearing one of these headdresses in real life.  Painting a picture from an archival or modern photo of a real native person in a warbonnet, or in regalia, or in ‘street’ clothes is pretty much fine. Acknowledging from which specific nation the images you are using come from is even better.  “Native American” or “Indian” is such a vague label.

MIYO-WÎCÊHTOWIN, LIVING TOGETHER IN HARMONY

It’s okay to make mistakes.  Maybe you had no idea about any of this stuff.  The classiest thing you can do is admit you didn’t know, and maybe even apologise if you find you were doing something disrespectful. A simple acknowledgement of the situation is pure gold, in my opinion. It diffuses tension and makes people feel that they have been heard, respected, and understood.

If you make this kind of acknowledgement conditional on people informing you of these things ‘nicely’ however, that is problematic.  The fact is, this issue does get people very upset.  It’s okay to get heated about it too on your end and maybe bad words fly back and forth.  My hope is that once you cool down, you will accept that you are not being asked to do something unreasonable.

Remember that BINGO card above?  It demonstrates how not to go about the issue.  You and I both know this issue is not the end of the world.  But it is an obstacle on the path to mutual respect and understanding.

Thanks for listening.

êkosi

The Importance of Strong Families

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community that exists within the intersections of multiple identities I am often taken aback by inherent discrimination within the LGBTQ+ community against many of the identities I prescribe to. One is latino/hispanic which describes mostly the culture and home life I grew up in. The same home life (and community) that is currently fostering and supporting me as an out Queer Cis-male. I am saddened by seeing Gay and Lesbians discriminate and attack people of Latina descent or people who speak spanish - telling them to get out of "'Mericah"! Well I'm happy to inform you that you weren't here first. In fact the spanish had colonized much of the new world before you british bums got across the waters. But that is also no reason for conflict because neither belongs here because the first human inhabitants were the first nation people whose culture is not a fashion trend to make Gays and Lesbians "hip" or "cool".

Stop discriminating and start learning and supporting other marginalized groups. The more allies we create; the stronger we stand together the more change we can enact.

It's so easy being a Latino.

Because there is no such thing as a structure of power and privilege, and Rosie Pérez is here to enlighten us.