Right after viewing It's A Good Day To Die and also the scene of occupying Wounded Knee I immediately related the actions that took place of the AIM to The Black Panthers although there was definitely a slight contrast in both movements. Each wanted to occupy a space that was in their own right to occupy. Each wanted to remain non-violent, but each had to resort to violence in order to protect themselves from authority possibly taking violent actions against them which created a tornado and resulted in negative coverage by mass-and mainstream media.
This negative media coverage resulted in adding a weight to the already heavy negative and false depictions of each movement and people of the movement...but, if there had been no violence, would there have been any media coverage at all? Would the citizens of the United States care about what American Indians were fighting for?
I'm sure there would have been limited interest in white Americans lives as to what these American Indians were fighting for or exactly what they were trying to achieve. It's the fact that white Americans were not sitting in the same spot as these American Indians were/are- the privileges shining out of their (white) assholes maybe was all they needed to remain naive and prideful rejecting the fact that there were people who had lived here on this land before them fighting for their basic human rights again, much like they once had before when the country was first colonized. I mean really, how much bullshit can a single human *category* take living in an institutionalized and definitely cruel world?
I said category because I am not going to pretend that American Indian is a race, or Black is a race, or Mexican is a race for every person with tanned skin and dark hair- there are different tribes, countries, roots, things that come from different cultures, people should not be trajectory to one, stupid, thing- defined by/ called by THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.
The Black Panthers- similar to AIM- fighting for respect, for human rights, violent, but what other road were they meant to take? Somebody had to pull the trigger and yeah they added + MLK JR. added to the hope stirred rise of Black Power and equality (in some cases...) but, unfortunately, we talk about these movements today and not a single damned thing has changed in human consciousness. Sure, maybe blacks can walk the streets and eat where whites eat, and go to the bathroom and drink wherever, BUT there is still social stigma- a depleted-ness of loving one another - blacks to white, white to black - because there is insecurity within both from each other, there is no trust.
All in all, similar movements, similar tactics, similar outcomes.
WHITE POWER
(Kidding. Totally kidding)
I am not proud of what people of my heritage have created and done other than the fact that I get to exist and experience my life. That's all.
At least, many are becoming aware in my generation. Awareness is key.
