Religion and Empire

Religion and Empire-
The two articles for this week explore the concept of identity and how it has been formed and manipulated within this country. The nation was built upon “white” ideals and morals, crushing and systematically eradicating any deviance from these beliefs. The native people already residing in the U.S. were forcibly moved, raped, murdered, and converted which left behind a legacy of destruction in the history of this country. Andrea Smith addresses this calamity by then looking at how this history still to this day affects Native Americans and their self-image.
At first the article did not make much sense to me as a spiritual reading. It seemed to be mostly a history lesson about genocide and cultural destruction. Upon further reflection though, I found myself wondering how this history has shaped the peoples of this country and how one would view themselves and feel about their world with this history. ‘As long as we destroy ourselves from the inside, we don’t have to worry about anyone on the outside’(54) This quote best describes how systematically the cultural and eventual self destruction took place for Native Americans. It demonstrates how other than actual warfare and physical brutality, American society has managed to create feelings of low self-esteem and self-worth for peoples outside of the dominant (white) culture.
As part of the means of colonization and integration into American society, U.S. soldiers raped and sexually assaulted women (and sexually humiliated and mutilated the men.) “Apparently, Native women can only be free while under the dominion of white men and both Native and white women have to be protected from Indian men, rather than from white men.”(57) The article explains that while some sexual assault may have existed before colonization, colonization was really the catalyst for the introduction of the concept of male domination over females. “However, this view of the Indian man as the “true” rapist serves to obscure who has the real power in this racist and patriarchal society”(57) It spread the message that women were inferior, weak, meant for sexual pleasures, and reproduction. For women in tribes the history of colonialism and incorporation of “white” ideals spread the message that somehow sexual assault was acceptable because speaking out against it would damage the tribe and community. In some ways this was then a way of saying that the individual and the body and spirit of that individual are of little concern as long as the “whole” or community are ok. This line of thinking takes away from ones self-worth and ingrains in the mind the thoughts that rape is just something that happens and should just be forgotten about. It does not provide any accountability nor does it provide any explanation for the history of why and how rape happens.
Perkinson’s article also looked at identity and how it has been created in this country. His article explored the meaning of “whiteness” and the value attributed to that label in this country. The country was built upon the “white” dream and “white identity.” Historically members of this nation have been taught to view the world through a “white” lens, which leaves those members who do not fit that mold to feel inadequate and subhuman. When I think about spirituality and try to interpret its meaning, I think about how people view themselves, find inner peace, and understand their place in the world. Perkinson’s article outlined the difficulties in being able to do this however when a person is always being told to look through a different lens, one in which a person will never be able to meet the requirements (because they cannot change who they are or the color of their skin.) This article then is really talking about the issue of internalized racism. When people in this country are told to be a certain “white” way and cannot fit this image, there then often times is a belief that those who do not belong are somehow inferior. After being sent this message for years this concept then becomes internalized. A person’s self-image is then that they will never be enough and can never be seen they want to be seen.
Perkinson talked about his own self-image and how people have called him “black,” but while he is honored he can never really claim this title. Though he saw it in a compliment, to be black is more than liking certain music, knowing various dance moves, and living in a specific neighborhood. To be called “black” is to be part of a struggle and a history that Perkinson says he can make no claim to. This issue is important because as Perkinson explains, its like making a claim to something which unless you’ve been a part of that struggle you can’t fully understand. It is like saying being “black” is a fad or something you can wear without understanding the context behind it.

Peer Response

In reading Andrew’s blog I wanted to critique once again the impact Takers have had on the planet and what can be done about it. The message that I took away most clearly from Ishmael was the impact the Takers have had on the world. In a very short matter of time (comparative to other time lines) the Takers have managed to deplete many of the Earth’s resources and cause environmental destruction. What is most sickening about this is the fact that the Takers enact this role because they believe it is the role they are meant to play out and that there is no way out of this role. Ishmael in his teachings was trying to make clear to Allen that it is ok to believe or be ignorant of enacting this role as long as the Takers then become enlightened and try and do something to change this. Where the problems begin is in believing that nothing can be done about this behavior and that even when a person becomes enlightened about this destructive behavior they do nothing to change it. Quinn’s novel begs its readers to stop taking for granted the immeasurable gifts we receive from the planet on a daily basis and understand that the rate at which we consume these is having a much greater impact on the planet than we realize.

I do agree with Quinn in that people need to take responsibility for their actions and that humanity has a huge impact (whether good or bad) on the planet. However, where I differ in opinion with Quinn (and agree with Andrew) is that this book only provides one possible explanation for why things are the way they are. My fear with this book is that it seems to make a statement that it is “the way” and the “gospel truth,” without providing other reasons why things have played out in the course of the planet’s history. A person reading this then may place all of their faith and understanding of the world in this one book (which I know has a huge cult-like following.) Also since the book Ishmael is all about questioning and the quest for knowledge, then I feel that I must agree with Andrew and not be too quick to place all of my hope, and trust in this one theory without trying to find other answers to the planet’s problems. I do believe that Quinn provides very plausible theories as to how Mother Culture influences and has allowed humans (the Takers) to cause the destruction they have, but without further investigations it seems that we would again be leaping blindly into one person’s point of view. I think the most important message that Quinn tries to send and what we as readers should take from this experience is that whether Taker or Leaver we are all part of this problem and we all share the planet (not just with human beings, but all life forms) and must recognize that humans are the only ones who act as though the planet was made for us, not us for the planet.

Ishmael

Ishmael-


The story about modern society and the impacts humankind have had on the planet, brought out in Ishmael were both completely provocative and original and a reaffirmation of things that I’ve been told since I was a child. One of the most compelling and mind opening concepts behind this novel is that fact that on a daily basis humans come into contact with problems in the environment or the world and yet take no notice. As Ishmael described it, the problems of Mother Culture are humming in the sounds of everyday life, but we have been taught to ignore or be blind to these problems. Not only that, but the magnitude in which humanity (or at least the “Takers”) take for granted the bounties of the Earth and squander it as if it were everlasting is astonishing and yet Ishmael explains that this is because we as humans (or conquerors of the planet) have been taught to see these changes as inevitable.

“Yes. I no longer think of what we’re doing as a blunder. We’re not destroying the world because we’re clumsy. We’re destroying the world because we are, in a very literal and deliberate way, at war with it.”(pg. 130) Here Quinn depicts the habit of humankind to blame the problems of the world on the fact that humans are said to be inherently flawed. Instead of taking any responsibility for our actions, we as a society (because of Mother Culture’s teachings) explain our own short-comings or failures as inevitable. Global-warming, pollution, and the extinction of various species are all simply results of humanity’s inability to not cause destruction. People are pacified by this because of phrases like “to err is to be human.” This both explains our short-comings and lets us off the hook. If we have no choice but to make mistakes, then why fix what we know we were right in doing since we are human and doomed to “mess things up.”

In his teachings Ishmael goes on to explain the break down of “civilized” society. He explains that drug addiction, suicide, crime, mental illness, and a myriad of other things are all a result of the Taker society and the story Takers have been enacting. The Leaver society on the other hand rarely has these occurrences because of the different story they enact. This leaves the reader to believe that this modern-day “paradise” we as a society have created for ourselves is really nothing more than a disaster. Paradise in this sense is a doomed creature, infected with a disease (in this case its inhabitants) that is working systematically and routinely to destroy it piece by piece. Though it can be said that those causing this “infection” were somewhat ignorant of their effects on the world, that can hardly be said today. Those who are still ignorant of the effects civilization has had on the world and the society at large, choose to be ignorant and choose to live behind the mantra “humanity is inherently flawed and there is nothing and should be nothing that can be done about it.”

The idea of the story then becomes very central to Ishmael’s teachings because it explains human behavior, or more appropriately why Takers believe they are meant to act a certain way and why any deviation from that is unacceptable. What is most interesting about the story is that it pertains to the laws of nature, the laws that universally govern all creatures, but which humans (the Takers in particular) feel they are above or do not apply to them. Ishmael explains in basic scientific terms how it is all too apparent that Takers do not believe that the laws of nature and competition. While the ways in which various societies and cultures resist this law is different it always has the same result. The planet suffers because of the selfishness and conceited nature of humankind. Though many of the acts performed by humans are for preservation or are “humanitarian” these acts are ultimately cause a cataclysmic destruction. Furthermore there are texts and teachings within these Taker societies that then not only explain, but justify and in some ways welcome this destruction as the final stage. Ishmael points out the Christian teachings which speak of the time when destruction will rain down upon the Earth, which then certain Takers within society use as an explanation for things like global warming and pollution. But whether or not one believes that, what Ishmael and Daniel Quinn are ultimately trying to say is that Mother Culture is not only allowing, but dictates that humans do is to routinely destroy the planet, tax the Earth’s resources, and feel that these things are just another part of human nature.