Claiming Cultural Appropriation Is Dreadfully Inappropriate

A couple of months ago, my granddaughter mentioned to her friends that she was thinking about getting dreadlocks. Some of them vilified her for it.  They said she was appropriating a culture that was not her own. Apparently that's racist. But it's always been my understanding that people should be free to express themselves any way they choose. 

I didn't realize how much of a thing cultural appropriation was until a few days ago. I was listening to public radio and they were interviewing an authority on the subject. This person raved on and on about the white power base and how cultural appropriation was just another method they use to keep minorities from being able to control their own destinies. She went on to say that white people who borrow from the cultures of others are racist. 

Then yesterday on the news, they were talking about the organizers of the Meow Wolf festival in Taos, New Mexico. The Meow Wolf organizers announced on social media that you can "Dance and be VIP in our teepees!" Protectors of the unrepresented minority base came out to complain about the insensitivity of Meow Wolf. How dare they! Didn't they know that teepees are a holy part of the Native American race? They should. Rock graffiti, peyote, mountains, eagles, headdresses, teepees, corn, beans and squash are all holy sacraments of the Native American religion. A religion that claims everything is sacred and doesn't allow other races to join. 

I always try to keep an open mind. So I went to Wikipedia to see what they have to say about cultural appropriation. They do have a lot to say, and are relatively balanced. I kept an open mind and read the whole article.

According to what I read on Wikipedia, even wanting to join Native American religions is taboo and racist if your skin color is white. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that concept. It seem to me like whites are being excluded. Sounds racist, doesn't it? 

Before I continue, I want to see how the term is defined. The best way to do that is to look up both words and try to merge the two definitions. Here's what I came up with: Cultural appropriation would be taking the ideas, customs, behaviors and intellectual achievements and art, without permission, from the owner of those intangibles and devoting them to a special purpose. Is that what's happening here? 

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. My question is, is that wrong? More importantly, if one does that, is that person racist?  Sorry, but you're going to have to make a case for that.

Here's my case against it: Jazz and blues came from some really talented negro artists who took the music of their parents and made it their own. It didn't take long before white people (and other blacks) heard that great music and created rock and roll. And made country music better. Other people, some white and some not, created other styles like disco, freely borrowing from Spanish and Mexican styles. In the '80s, Cuban-Americans added their own culture to the white disco culture and made new, exciting musical styles. I came up in the 80s and can remember dancing in nightclubs to this music. To me, it was just American music. Music has continued to evolve. Today, I listen to all kinds of music. Blues, several flavors of rock from classic to angry metal, bluegrass, hip-hop.  I have favorites in all these genres and more. Isn't it a shame that this appreciation makes me a racist?  

Let's go back to the teepee at Meow Wolf. Native American reservations are all over New Mexico. Yet the only teepees I've seen in New Mexico are large concrete structures designed around gas stations and casinos owned by Native Americans. Because most Native Americans don't even live in teepees anymore. They live in houses of European architecture.  That's right -- architecture appropriated from the white European culture.

I'm saying that there's no such thing as cultural appropriation. It's just a label. Like "breeder," "fag," "LGBT," "racist" and "niggardly." When someone compliments another culture by borrowing from their dress, their religion, their cuisine, their architectural styles, it's because they like those things. If they were racist, they would hate those things. So I will never miss an opportunity to educate people who complain about cultural appropriation. And this is the last time I will ever use the phrase. 

So, back to my granddaughter making fashion decisions....

My daughter sent her DNA to 23andMe, and you'll never guess what happened.  That's right! She has, and passed on to both of my granddaughters, African DNA. So I guess my granddaughter has a right to express herself now? 

Just a thought.  

Is Kaepernick right, or wrong?

Although Kaepernick as an American citizen has a right not to salute the flag, his choice sets a bad example and is inappropriate. I agree that violence and other forms of bullying by police against civilians is a huge issue that those in power don't care about. I also agree that it disproportionately affects blacks. But it's a problem for all of us. Just because it disproportionately affects blacks does not make it a racial issue, or make the USA pro-white.

Kaepernick may not be a bad American. But by his actions he looks like one now. If he wants to play pro ball, he should apologize publicly for his actions and change how he chooses to represent himself and his team.

It's nice to see the coal miners are OK...

Here, it says that Congress has decided that all retired coal miners' Healthcare needs will forever be met. And that's great. I really mean that. But was it the Feds who these people worked for? Why am I, as a taxpayer, responsible?

They should pass a law that everyone's healthcare needs will forever be met. Not just the poor, the coal miners and other special interests. Everyone.

Mariah the Fraud

Nobody else will say it, so I will. Mariah Carey is a fraud. New Year's Eve, 2016. She put on a show and there were technical difficulties showing that, once again, it was nothing more than a lip-syncing exhibition.

Why does this bother me? Well, it's not like her fans wouldn't appreciate an actual live performance. Does she suck so bad that everything has to be preprocessed in a studio? Does she actually put on live performances ever?

A true artist doesn't do lip-syncing. True fans don't show up because they like karaoke. Mariah Carey has just shown her fans that she is no artist.

Obama's Response to Cyber Attack is Reckless and Stupid

Expelling Russia from the U.S. is irresponsible and excessive. It's interesting to me that no serious efforts have ever been made to prevent and punish those who have been committing online fraud and identity theft from places like Russia, China and the Middle East, daily and consistently, for the past decade. Yet when someone in Russia hacks the offices of the DNC and publically releases emails that should never have been sent in the first place, we respond childishly and without foresight by throwing their diplomats out of the country.

This is not a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Contrary to what one might learn from TV shows and the mainstream media, computer hacking isn't magic. Russian High Priestess Katerina didn't cast a magical spell giving Warmage Putin access to the DNC servers.

These cyber attacks were completely preventable. The DNC was notified repeatedly by the FBI that they had been attacked and who the perpetrators were.

Wouldn't it would be more appropriate to harden our systems than to expect other countries not to try to hack us? Can we prevent EVERYONE who wants to hack us from trying? Wouldn't it be more effective to shrug our shoulders, harden our systems, and tell the world that the only systems the Russians can hack are the poorly-maintained systems at the DNC?

Deer Dealt With Dreadfully

June 4th, 2016

Thursday was the 30th wedding anniversary for my loving, caring and faithful wife Gina and I. We went on vacation last week in Durango and I was going to write about that vacation.  And I will. But it's what happened this morning on the way home that's been really bothering me.

We were about 10 miles outside of Pagosa Springs when I saw a buck mule deer trying to cross the highway. He was very agitated, trying to get between cars and failing each time because each car in a train of cars was closely following the car in front of it. I was trying to maintain a safe distance, so he thought he could make it and ran out in front of us. I slowed down enough to miss him and he leaped over a barbed wire fence on the opposite side of the highway. Almost. As I passed, I could see his hind legs were tangled up in the fence.

I turned the Jeep around and went back to see if I would be able to disentangle him. But by the time I arrived, he was free from the fence, was able to stand on his forelegs only and had no apparent control of his hindquarters. He had multiple cuts on his forelegs, head and neck from the barbed wire. He was panicked and tried to get away but was unable to drag his large body more than a few feet at a time.

As I approached him, he panicked and tried to get away. So I tried to assure him I meant no harm by telling him in a low voice that he was going to be ok, although I knew that he wouldn't. As he calmed down a bit, I remembered a motorcycle accident I had been in and knew he would be thirsty. So I asked my wife to bring me a bottle of water. The deer was terrified as I approached him with the water so I poured some on his muzzle. He licked it off, and calmed down noticeably. That's when I think he realized that I wanted to help him.

I wish I had brought one of my guns, because this deer needed to be put down. The only thing I had that would do the job was a tomahawk I have stashed under the seat. So I asked Gina to bring it. The deer allowed me to touch his antler, but the tomahawk isn't really a precision instrument. And swinging it would have evoked a reaction from the deer, and I would have to keep hacking away until I hit a vital spot. Messy. I couldn't do it. I decided to call 911 instead, expecting that the local sheriff would be experienced in matters like this.

I couldn't get 911 or the local Ranger on my cell phone though I had internet access (isn't that strange?) but soon a couple of good old boys arrived. I asked one of them for a gun. He said he had one, but had already talked to the sheriff who was on the way. He said the sheriff had told him not to put the deer down, but that he'd be there in 10 minutes and would take care of it.

Each time someone would get close to the deer, it would panic and I would try to calm it down. I had some success. As odd as it may seem, I had established a connection with it. It knew it was in a very bad situation and had no choice but to trust me. I was the only lifeline it had. At one point, the property owner showed up and started walking down a hill towards us. The deer pulled himself up on his front legs and dragged himself towards me as if for protection.

I told him that someone was coming who would fix his pain.

After 30 minutes or so, a sheriff's SUV pulled up and a female deputy got out. She immediately took control of the situation, telling us to step away from the deer. We did so with relief, knowing that she would soon put the poor beast out of its misery.

But she seemed hesitant. She finally stopped waiting for cars to pass, and took careful aim with her .40 handgun.

"Head shot," said the good old boy, who was hoping to take the carcass home to butcher. She nodded, took careful aim and squeezed the trigger. The gun barked. The deer jumped back in confusion and terror. She had missed. The next shot connected, but I couldn't tell where. Blood started coming out of the deer's mouth but it was obviously still conscious and in terrible fear and pain. The gun barked again, a likely miss.

"Unbelievable! Incompetent... ! " I scowled as I walked towards the jeep. I couldn't watch anymore. I had betrayed this creature by bringing an untrained buffoon to do something I should have done myself. I was first on the scene and it was my responsibility.

I waited for Gina to get in the jeep, and roared down the highway until I found a safe place to make a U-turn. As I passed the deer a couple of minutes later, I could see it was still clinging to life, bleeding from its mouth and nose, standing up as best it could on its forelegs in an attempt to escape the unimaginably horrific things that were happening to it. The good old boys and incompetent deputy looked on dispassionately, like a pack of jackals waiting for their prey to expire.

I am going to buy a buck knife. I'm going to keep it razor sharp, and it will always be in the vehicle I'm driving. If this ever happens again, I will do the job myself. No animal should suffer the horrific torture this deer was subjected to. And for what? Because a deputy didn't want to do it? She couldn't properly prepare her mind for a needed task? Or was this just a stupid animal that didn't deserve the mercy of a quick death? There's karmic justice to be had here. Part of the debt is mine, but part of it belongs to a very incompetent deputy sheriff.

If These are Public Servants, Who Is The Public?

Kenneth Lucas was pulled over by a Sandoval County Sheriff's Deputy. He wasn't doing anything wrong, so he called 911, scared that it wasn't an actual cop that pulled him over.

As you can see in this video, he was on the phone with the 911 operator. His phone was clearly visible, and he didn't even point this lethal weapon at the officer! But this angry, out-of-control cop tased him anyway. His crime? In my opinion, it was "disrespecting a cop." But charges were filed -- disobeying an officer and reckless driving.

This is why I am opposed to "non-lethal" weapons for Law Enforcement. They know they won't get in trouble for using them to apply non-judicial punishment on unconvicted American civilians.

Here are some other links, all involving angry police, tasers and injury or death.

http://truthnottasers.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-mexico-man-dies-after-being-stunned.html
http://trib.com/homepage_lead/article_aa1dc338-8511-5995-9534-ce9499bbdf7a.html

Here's my favorite, a teenaged girl who was tased while running across the street.


Why do these officers behave this way? It's easy for me to understand.  I received a statement like this from the Bernalillo County Sheriff Department when I complained about one of their deputies:

Your report of alleged misconduct, by Deputies of this Department, prompted a thorough investigation of the incident. Careful examination and evaluation of the evidence did not establish that the concerned Deputy's actions were contrary to our Department's Standard Operating Procedures.

Read my complaint below. I believe that not requiring law enforcement to restrain their bullying behavior leads to more bullying behavior.  Do you think their department should change their Standard Operating procedures? I do.
 

August XX, 2010

To Whom It May Concern,

At approximately XXX, on this Monday, August XX, 2010, my wife, XXXXX was in a single-car accident on NM Highway 217. She called me, and I came out to pick her up. Because it was not an emergency, we did not call 911. Cell phone reception was very spotty, and my wife wanted to make her phone calls from home. So I brought her home.

A few minutes later, my wife remembered that she had left XXXXXXXXXXX [behind] and wanted to go back to where the car was. I told her to stay home, finish her phone calls, and I would pick up the XXXXXXXXXXXXX.

While I was trying to get into the car, several emergency vehicles showed up. The first people to approach the car were paramedics, who asked me not to disturb anything until law enforcement officials had the opportunity to examine the scene.

So I waited a few minutes, and was approached by Sheriff's Deputy XXXXXXXX, who asked me what happened. I told her that my wife had had an accident, and that she was home making phone calls. I said I had returned to pick up important XXXXXXXX. I mentioned also that the DirectTV man was at my house. Before I could finish my explanation, she started abusing me verbally. Yelling at me about how I cared more about the DirectTV man than my wife. About how my wife could be making her phone calls here. About how I should have called 911.

Shortly, I will explain why I was offended. But right now, I want to make you aware of some facts that reflect unfavorably, at least in my personal opinion, on XXXXXXXXX's suitability as a Deputy Sheriff:

1. Deputy XXXXXXX never actually examined the scene. The car took down two trees. The trees completely obscured the inside of the car. Yet Deputy XXXXXXX didn't even look in the car. She was too busy berating me. The driver could have been dead. There could have been dead children inside. If there had been, she would never have known. Knowing would have required working your way through the branches and putting your head inside the open driver-side window. That's something Deputy XXXXXX did not do.
2. Deputy XXXXXXXX put other drivers at risk. All of the emergency vehicles, except for two Deputy Sheriff cruisers, had left the scene. I was still waiting for Deputy XXXXXX to examine the car so that I could pick up the XXXXXXXXXX my wife had sent me for. Both cruisers parked pointed north, in the northbound lane. Two cars approached from the north, and two more approached from the south. Without even looking north to see the approaching cars, Deputy XXXXX nonchalantly waved the two northbound cars onto the southbound lane. It was only then that she noticed her mistake, and stopped the southbound cars. Her careless actions almost caused a real emergency. One that definitely would have warranted calling 911. If this wasn't an isolated incident (and good habits are the only things that can prevent this type of incident), you probably should expect people to get hurt in the future while she's on duty.
3. Deputy XXXXXXX put her feelings before her duty. I later remembered that a man had been trying to loot the car. When I told Deputy XXXXXXX, she said, “Maybe if you had called 911 earlier, I would listen to you now!”

Why am I offended?

• I am offended because Deputy XXXXXXX was so intent on validating her existence as a big, powerful law enforcement officer, that she ignored the playbook. She ignored the twin tenets of her profession, Protect and Serve. She forgot that it's the court's job to berate, and instead decided that it's her job. And in doing so, she put the safety of the very public she was supposed to protect, at risk.
• I am offended because Deputy XXXXXXXXXXX, once she was done with whatever she was doing at the scene, left without telling me I could return to my wife's car. I'm offended because I spent a significant amount of time (an hour?) in the hot sun, respectfully waiting for the paramedics to return to the scene with my wife, and wasn't told that there had been a change in plans.
• I am offended because Deputy XXXXXXXX was so intent on berating me, that she didn't ask if I needed help. If she had actually examined the scene, she might have realized that I could use some help getting the car door open. For example, the offer of a saw, to cut away branches, would have been very useful and would have gone a long way towards casting the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department in the role of an organization that actually helps in time of need. Instead, Deputy XXXXXXXX cast it in the role of an organization filled with bullies that just want to push their overgrown egos into citizens' faces.

I'm sure you've heard this many times. But I'm going to say it anyway, because I personally haven't said it to you: I am a law-abiding citizen. Unless and until I have been proven guilty, I'm innocent. So I expect to be treated civilly by civil servants. They don't have to treat me like I'm the boss. But they do have to treat me with respect. Not because they owe me respect, but because I am a citizen and respect is part of their job description.

An attitude like that displayed by Deputy XXXX can cause peaceful situations to escalate, or cause people to not trust “cops.” It's that exact same attitude that causes a member of law enforcement to kill a civilian when he/she could have been arrested peaceably. It makes people not want to call the cops when they truly are needed.

I am angered by the way I was treated by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department. This department's representative, Deputy XXXXXXX, was the agent of my mistreatment. But her actions do reflect on the entire Department, and can put a cloud on the reputations of even the Department's best deputies. She speaks for the entire department. All deputies do.

I know that a letter like this can't get a deputy fired. That's not even what I want. What I want is for public servants like Deputy XXXXXX to act less like enforcers, and more like public servants. The sheriff, and his/her delegates, do not have the right to berate. It's not “Berate and Belittle.” It's “Protect and Serve.” That's her job. I'm sure if she applies herself, she can learn to perform her duties with the self-discipline and respect for others that this important and visible position demands.

Sincerely,

John Reynolds

Taxpayer and Bernalillo County Resident