Inconspicuous Indians

Instant gratification, That is where most of our people operate from these days. Why? because they want everything right then and now or else they don't want it not all. We have lost the ability to struggle and strive for progress we deserve, we are too quick to compromise, to give up and give into simplicity or the illusion of it. We have lost sight of our radiant tradition of Resistance and traded it in for a life of assimilation, and the conditioning of ourselves into internally oppressive behaviors for the pursuit of selfish benefit of our own comfort. People rather take comfort, defend and re-enforce their flaws rather then exert energy to correct them or even prevent the passing down of these flaws to their children or grandchildren. The spurious grand tradition of self inflicted, self loathing oppression and comprise all in the name of personal achievement and self preservation. No longer a tribal mentality, but a every man for himself attitude imposing itself obnoxiously to sabotage, and damage the progress of our struggles we currently face today, at this very moment. The urgency to improve our stance to defend ourselves against these assaults more effectively has been upon us for quite some time, perhaps prior to the existence of most of us embattled in theses enduring struggles we are fighting today. We live in a society of convenience, why disrupt it right? And most take this fact for granted rather then appreciating the ability we are afforded today to confront our perpetuating problems more effectively. The older generations show more envy and resentment against us then consideration and compassion. They call us down and try to belittle us for our youth and energy because we refuse to take comfort in their backward, stubborn, ignorance of solving our problems from their now obsolete, out of touch point of views. The world has passed them up and they refuse to addapt to the requirements it is now calling upon us. Information is practically free and ready at our finger tips if we're only but to notice it. But the fact of the matter is the problems we face today as Native people are unprecedented, we were raised into a more hostile world that they have failed to prevent from desensitizing us from its brutality. This rift in the generations is a costly consequence to the problems we face today. Because from one end of the spectrum we have those of us trying to innovate the solutions our children require, and on the other we have those trying to conserve and promote the ineffective ways that have contributed to further pushing our communities to the brink. When no wisdom, but only criticism remains from these cynical individuals, I have found in my short years on this earth that it is wiser to continue forward to the next glimmer of hope rather then trying to breath life back into defeated and diminished spirits. Even if they might not be wise as of yet to realize I struggle forward for them as well, with the strength of wisdom they were able to spare us. Each day we grow stronger, more aware, more intelligent, more effective, more astute. Are these not reasons to rejoice and invest your approval of this fact of our potential? Or am I not yet wise enough to no longer believe in myself as well? Maybe I to will become an inconspicuous Indian as well one day, but not until they break my spirit as well or kill me. I prefer the latter of my options. Not for glory, but for the assurance my children might live better lives then I was afforded.

To those trying to turn our struggles into their stage.

Empowering the masses to allow them to access information they are normally excluded from will allow the oppressed to become being for themselves rather than enslaved to the dictates of others. We must all envisage a society in which people are liberated and are able to mold their world. This requires some ability to criticize and make decisions. Decision making will require access to information with the use of critical thinking. Many people make decisions without criticism. Many are trapped within the dogma which belonging to or originated from an would be elite group. These would be elitist then in turn purloin our struggles under the hypocritical false bravado of a nationalist sentiment to close ranks around their egotistical mannerism, all the while promoting a predominantly oppressive influence of the academic that tries to put a premium on intelligence to protect their own self serving interests. They do this to demoralize and stifle aspiring activists they assume are threatening their status. One who is effected daily by the rigors of racial inequality does not require a degree to understand the common knowledge of oppression we are all subjected to. That would be as if a citizen of central American pursued a degree in Spanish, we as oppressed people are all fluent in the language of discrimination no matter what problematic paradigm egotistical saboteurs try to place in front of us. These threatened egotistical hypocrites simultaneously attempt to legitimize their accomplishments in academia in order to enhance their self image as a objective inquiry of relentless criticism all the while trying to disarm or empty out the more political and worldly substance of radical critique. We should all want the oppressed to make decisions which will change the world, not just maintain the current status quo. We are all objects created by history, once we realize this, we can begin to be apart of it and change it. Also once an individual realizes that they are products of their education and society, they will be able to participate objectively and effectively within it. The process of change towards liberation is a conflict and doesn't accept any partial solutions. The media is than used as a tool of alienation utilized to divide us all. It is responsible for filling empty and receptive minds with propaganda of the dominant culture. Teachers and students will become jointly responsible for the education process in which all will grow. This process is not teacher centric with imposed knowledge used to domesticate others into the status quo. The content should originate from the learner, no participial method is the best, rather we should all be concerned with the ways in which knowledge is presented and processed, and be wary of misinformation as well. Students of liberation should be given the necessary tools to act decisively. We must educate each other through the meditation of the world. A community based interaction should produce a two way flow of education between the student and the teacher, the school and the community. to recreate/reform our society to meet our needs as oppressed people we must also realize we are in fact subjects of this process ourselves. In other words, the people involved must know about themselves and the processes that shaped them as well. Community education should provide local input to any organization created to represent the plight of the subjected populous. This will provide a knowledge based in which individuals in the organization learn about the community they are apart of, and how they are influenced by it. At the same time members of the community will learn about the impact of education on their own development. A community aspect of the institution should help unite, rather then alienate it from society. Unification is an aspect of liberation against oppressive minority rule, community focused education within a democratic society(not just government) is a more viable solution. Social engineering and the conception of human society should not be determined by a minority of educated theorists. However education is required so that every individual is equipped to make logical decisions without accepting other's dogma. We all have emotional needs: the need to love, to beloved, to be accepted, to feel a sense of accomplishment, to feel a sense of self-worth, to feel important, to feel needed, to protect ourselves, to attain status in our own eyes and in the eyes of others, to be secure. These needs in turn conceal other fragile and sensitive emotions. These emotions are easily tampered with and manipulated. One who knows how to appeal to these vulnerable emotions can deceive us, manipulate us, and get us to accept things as true that which is untrue. What is important is that you recognize that the emotional appeal may reflect some unstated feeling or belief, that there may be a bottom line that is not being articulated or a hidden agendum that is not being acknowledged. Perhaps the person is trying to cajole you into buying into their interests. So always try to find the bottom line or to ascertain that hidden agendum before your invest yourself to the audience of this pitiful person that refuses to acknowledge their humility. Feelings are important, but one should not act on feelings alone. One should have reasons for acting. It is in the obfuscation of reasons that emotion appeals are dangerous. 'Liberation leaning can not be standardized. to be dynamic it must be experimental and creative' Paulo Freire.