Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 4: Take responsibility for the face of the world
From what I see, the signs of hate are much more subtle, more hidden than swastikas. As others have written, I find it useful to consider these questions in the context of my community.
NM is, on balance, a pretty open-minded, tolerant and diverse community. We Anglos are a minority. The city of ABQ is surrounded by Pueblo sovereign land and reminders of their stewardship of the natural and cultural landscape.
But, two years ago, the City proposed amendments to the zoning code that would require notification and comment from Tribal Nations when development was planned in the area of the Petroglyph National Monument, an area specifically designated by the U.S. Congress to protect the heritage its landscape and images represents. There were people who stated in public meetings that Native Americans were privileged by the U.S. government, received government payouts (not true) and that consideration of their views of sacred land was an infringement on the rights of individual property owners.
Thankfully, those views did not prevail. Nonetheless, I think they represent the effort to establish a group as the undeserving and entitled other and to use that to objectify people. That is where it is necessary to refuse to “play the game.”
