Creeman – post #82 – Quoting ‘temperance’
You're absolutelt right. I can see what you're saying. victimization has been a stage that many of our people are going through. I think that it is healthy. it's just giving people that time to mourn those loses and to move on, but getting stuck in victim mode will do nothing but cuase problems. i am only starting to understand that concept, just as i am starting to understand colonization and its effects.
we will overcome our problems; we are a resielent people.
There is absolutely nothing healthy about victimization, Creeman. Closure might be a better choice of words, don’t you think. Yes, people can chose to be seen as victims, definitely it is their right. Why one would chose to do so is another question. And, from what I have learned over the years, victimization is not a part of the grieving process, nor has it ever been.
Answers.com: Victimization
Thesaurus: victimization
noun
An act of cheating: cheat, fraud, swindle. Informal flimflam. Slang gyp. See honest/dishonest.
In sociology, the institutionalized pressure to participate in a form of violent behavior that can be dangerous to health and safety. In some contact sports this is regarded as largely normative by those involved, and injuries are regarded as a natural consequence of participation.
WordNet: victimization
The noun has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1: adversity resulting from being made a victim
Meaning #2: an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
Synonyms: exploitation, victimisation, using
Understanding Victimization
Victim Crisis Assistance & Referral Service (VCARS) :: Victim Information :: Understanding Victimization
Victimization is the event or incident leading to a victim state.
Victimizing events tend to be of high intensity and short duration (e.g. robbery, assault, serious accident, sudden death). Essentially, there are three stages of victimization:
1. Impact - Initial Reaction
• Signs and symptoms of stress to traumatic events such as shock, numbness, helplessness, vulnerability, disorientation, perspiration, physical agitation, disbelief, anger, fear, frustration, confusion, guilt, grief, etc.
2. Recoil
• Cognitive attempts to deal with the event
• Denial - trying to go on as though nothing has happened
• Blaming others
• Self blame - “I must have deserved this”
• Obsessive - repeated return to the event and its ramifications
• Compensatory fantasies and planning - phobic reactions
3. Reorganization
• Return to a state of equilibrium
• Victim calls upon supports for help
• Focus on life-enhancing rather than simply existing
• Obsessive fears and reactions are modulated
• Victim is better able to cope with occasional flashbacks
• Victim moves toward making life better rather than simply living day-to-day
Secondary victimization may occur because the victim is subjected to someone who:
• Cannot comprehend what the victim is struggling with
• Minimizes or disparages the experience and feelings of the victim
• Is in denial of their own losses and therefore it is difficult to recognize someone else’s suffering
• Lacks relevant information about post traumatic stress disorder
• Believes in the “Just World Theory” that says the world is rational and the consequences are in accordance with justice (people get what they deserve)
Creeman - Post # 121 – Quoting/Replying to Winnipegger
It is not a weak argument if you consider all the genocide and the millions of indians that died at the hands of white people. not only here in north america, but all of the american continents.
Genocide: the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group.
Our forefathers may have been in error in the manner they chose to implement Indian policies, however many of them did so with decent intentions in mind. The fact that history judges Canada to be a much more benign government when it comes to the treatment of Aboriginals, compared to several other countries, is a testament to their endevors. Just ask some of your Cherokee brothers about their thoughts on Indian policy in the States.
also, consider what happened with european colonization for the rest of the world.
“white people are no where near innocent.”
Neither are native peoples themselves, Creeman. History also records the numerous slaughters perpetrated by one segment of a native community upon another. Further, history tells us of the many native people who kept slaves and from what I remember, not all of those slaves were treated kindly.
Generalizations do not advance the discourse, Creeman. Be more specific in your claims, please.
Creeman - Post # 107 – Quoting/Replying to Winnipegger
“Do I look like a christian to you?”
And why ever not??? I know many Aboriginal Christian people.
My guess is that you think crown land and the Canadian government think they're god right?
They laid claims to it when we told em it wasn't ours to sell, they still proceeded with colonization anyway. It is our land; it is ours to take care of it. it's not in the same way that you think though. it is meant for all of our people to share and ensure that it is still here for our future generations. that's the difference.
If I am following this correctly, you are saying that the land doesn’t belong to anyone. However, it is the duty of all Earth’s people to take care of it. I agree heartily, and try my best to do just that. I have no idea what you mean by ‘that’s the difference.’
Creeman - Post # 166
“yes, that is true. from my understanding, the majority of non native people seem to think our oppression ended hundreds of years ago; it is ridiculous.”
More generalizations. I belong to the majority of Canadians who take Aboriginal rights and claims very seriously. I come from a ‘race’ of people who know only too well the meaning of oppression, enforced assimilation, and the loss of our ancestral lands. I am of Celtic heritage. Hundreds of years were small slices of time in the history of our oppression by various countries. "Your" oppression did not start "hundreds of years ago", Canada simply hasn't been around that long. If you want to go back that far, you best discuss the very beneficial relationship some native tribes had as fur traders with early Canadians.
Nothing is either black or white, there are always shades of grey to any argument.
You have made my decent and important points in this topic. You will enhance your opinions by being more specific in your posts.
i mean, think about it in contemporary context and we still see the same treatment. for instance, the canadian army being deployed in the village of oka in 1990 against the mohawks, the burnt church incident in 2000-2002, gustafsen lake 1995, ipperwash 1995 and the list goes on and on. if this isn't oppression, i don't know what is?
Ah, ‘gustafsen lake 1995’, I remember that well. That particular fiasco took place not more than a two hour drive from where I live. Tourism operators, helicopter companies, news media, gas stations, grocery stores, hardwares stores and restaurants all increased their bottom line quite handsomely during it. Everyone had an opinion on the stand-off, including many of the residents of the Canim Lake Reserve. There were more than a few people I talked to from the Band who were none too pleased that some Eastern dolt decided to stick their nose in where it did not belong. And that was putting some of the actual language, very politely.
Some of us ‘palefaces’ felt that the government and police response was way over the top. Some thought it was not enough. Others had their own creative ideas for taking care of the entire mess – water bomb the bunch of them, but use fire retardant so they could be identified. Gustafson Lake should never have happened and wouldn’t have but for the intervention of the more militant members of Aboriginal society. I do not believe in citizen militancy unless under government mandate, such as the Canadian Rangers. I do wholly in believe in citizen protest which, IMHO, is world’s apart from militancy.
of course, then we get to the major root of it: residential school. 50,000 children gone missing. this is not something that a person can just "get over". these were actual children, not animals. they were our brothers, sisters, and cousins; they were our family. they had families and people who loved them. some people have no idea the kinda pain i feel. i mourned for a long time when i found it out what had happened in these schools. i mean it's not easy when you see your elders break down and cry because of what happened to them. they were abused severely. and were lucky to make it out alive. hence the term "residential school survivors".
“50,000 children gone missing” ??????????? What in heaven’s name are you talking about? This is the first time I ever heard this stated. Where did they go missing from? When did they go missing? Why isn’t this general knowledge? What happened to them??? Were their bodies ever found????
anyway, the bottom line is that our oppression has not ended.
WordNet: Oppression
• the act of subjugating by cruelty; "the tyrant's oppression of the people"
• the state of being kept down by unjust use of force or authority: "after years of oppression they finally revolted"
• a feeling of being oppressed
en.wiktionary.org
oppressive:
• subject to oppression
• weighing heavily on the senses or sprit
• laden: burdened psychologically or mentally; “laden with grief”, “oppressed by a sense of failure”
• burdensome, or difficult to bear.
Oppression can be either subjective or objective it seems.