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Well, it looks like I owe Dusk a public apology. He was right about the Olympic opening ceremony. There was a lot that I didn't know about, going on behind the scenes, that I missed by just turning on the television and seeing the event. For instance, that the native american nations have made this an investment into returning control of native tourism and culture to their own hands. http://www.tampatrib.com/Features/MGAF9FY31VC.html
Culture theft is a danger, but this has taught me that jumping to conclusions about it is just as much of a danger. Without even realizing it, I stereotyped the people running the olympics and the meaning of this event in a social and cultural context just as much as the people engaging in culture theft stereotype native cultures.
It really is a fine line, trying to balance between learning from and sharing with other cultures and stealing from or stereotyping them. I think I still have a lot to learn, and I'm going to keep reading about these issues and trying to keep a more open mind.
Culture theft is a danger, but this has taught me that jumping to conclusions about it is just as much of a danger. Without even realizing it, I stereotyped the people running the olympics and the meaning of this event in a social and cultural context just as much as the people engaging in culture theft stereotype native cultures.
It really is a fine line, trying to balance between learning from and sharing with other cultures and stealing from or stereotyping them. I think I still have a lot to learn, and I'm going to keep reading about these issues and trying to keep a more open mind.