RFB News/Real/News: NYM Against the 2010 Olympics

[ASKIAOTA]

I need tribal help the cops beat me up in philly for nothing type( police in philly )

[Red1676]

its agreed... the Olympics bring out alot of the wack jobs. if we did give back the land that Olympics used you guys would praise us with lakota then build casinos on your lands...

[TheRFB]

Well racism has always proved a great way to deal with things you don't understand.

But what I don't understand is how someone who makes Halo videos feels qualified to dismiss anyone else as a "wack job". I refer you to my comments below, specifically the part about "immature" and "irrational".

[Red1676]

@TheRFB considering i didnt make the halo video, meaning i pirated off a torrent thinking it was what you call machinima which i watched when i was 12 and still do. but to complain about to racist... its funny because i see alot of natives say to me kill the white man and all that stuff and i say yes you have a freedom of speech but when i say some thing like ow a joke or i say something to prove a point like im doing right now. trust me i dont like the government but i believe in who i am.

[Red1676]

@Red1676 lastly hate the white man in government not the average person living out his life, because i get treated like shit every day if its by the black man, the natives, or a crippled person. i do nothing to to be told i did something wrong. also to be put out there, i know you guys have been treated like shit but the media will always find a way to keep you out or label you as ones doing wrong. trust me if you know what straight edge is. i belong to the movement and put on gang file, for it

[TheRFB]

@Red1676 Solid points. I agree that some of the views in this video are expressed in ways that contribute to racism rather than fighting it. You're exactly right that we should be challenging the system of government and the media companies, not each other. The biggest challenge is to find how our struggles are part of a larger whole.

The only problem is that race still exists as long as there's racism. In our attitudes, we each have to take that first step of breaking down prejudice.

[lozairakija]

stfu we give u free school plus more and u guys still bitch we stole the land fair and square so deal with it

[TheRFB]

They are dealing with it. The objective of demonstrations such as the ones surrounding the Olympics is not simply to bitch. It's also about developing solidarity between groups with similar political interests. Part of the aim is to develop alternative institutions that can serve people's needs were broken systems of government at the band council and federal levels have failed.

As to free schools, consider the case of Tyendinaga in Ontario, where the school has no running water.

[lozairakija]

ohhh and i'm sure u won't cheer the natives competing in the games bunch of assholes go fuck yourselves you should be ashamed of this protest crap u should cheer on your fellow natives and canadians

[TheRFB]

A little belated as a reply, but here goes: the movement against the Olympics has attracted a variety of political interests. The interests expressed in this video-- those of indigenous sovereignty as expressed by members of the Native Youth Movement-- are related to many of others, such as anti-poverty and environmental activism.

[TheRFB]

Above all, we opposed (and will continue to oppose) the Olympics because they are nationalistic. Nationalism as an ideology is inherently contrary to equality because a nation can only be defined on the basis of its supposed difference from "other" nations. Although the Olympics are ostensibly about people coming together in "peace and friendship", their very structure reinforces a nationalist worldview that necessarily divides people from one another.

[TheRFB]

It is interesting you encourage us to "cheer on [our] fellow natives and Canadians" (after telling us to fuck ourselves). This (the first part) suggests you care about solidarity between people. The question therefore remains how supporters of the Olympics are able to decide where solidarity is okay, and where it goes too far. You encourage cheering on natives and Canadians, but this form of solidarity seemingly ends at the nation's borders.

[TheRFB]

There is clearly no consideration in your comments for the fact that the companies that support the Olympics are engaged in a mass campaign of rape and pillage around the world, nor that the ideological underpinnings of the Games in fact negate true social solidarity (that is, social solidarity between humans, not "natives" or "Canadians"). They instead glorify unbridled individualism. Is that really the world we want?

[TheRFB]

It's easy to cheer on individuals. It's much harder to cut through the spectacle and recognize that the Olympics operate within a social and political context, and that thinking about them in individual terms is an immature, irrational approach.

[45FLWS]

Dont forget about Las Vegas, most of the power that Vegas uses comes from a slurry line that is killing the Dineh people, just outside of the Navajo rez is the site of the largest nuclear spill in US history, a year later they relocated our people on that land, today the cancer rate is 50% higher than the rest of the USA, all those who are responsible for aboriginal suffering in the world will rot in hell,

[EmporerReagan]

BOYCOTT MCDONALDS, COCA-COLA, and all other olympic sponsors. fuck 2010, no games on stolen land

[ChrstofryZe]

ive been following this for awhile, what the kids are doing in canada is what needs to occur in the usa, WAKE UP AMERICA!!!

[Uriohau]

Much respect and support for your struggles from the Pacific. In the spirit of Indigenous Struggle & Unity

[JaredCS]

Well it is true there is something very wrong with this country as well with many others. Oil, fast food, soft drinks, cars, it is ironic that none

[JaredCS]

of these company's products` benefit athletes. Athlete benefit occurs in business at the expense of the inactive, obese and desperate. With this I agree. At the expense of aboriginal rights, I would disagree, I think this is about all people. I guess it's sad that the Olympics don't represent their sponsors, but the fundamental ideology of the Olympics is so important. The question is who is at the bottom of it at this point and time. Do the Olympics sit on top of their sponsors, or do

[JaredCS]

the sponsors bow to the Olympics, do we know for sure? How this ties to aboriginal rights? I'm still thinking on it but I'm sure in this day and age land claims are futile. There are bigger things going on here than who owns what where, especially if race is an issue for there is no doubt it will cause more problems. I'm not sure of what the exact demands are from aboriginal activists because I've heard so many different things. New laws? More money? Destroy cities? Kick everyone out of

[JaredCS]

Canada who isn't aboriginal? Aboriginal political rule? It seems all in up the air. At any rate we should above all be working towards a peaceful, green, diverse, equal rights society. In doing anything it takes to get there, I wonder what aboriginal people (I hate saying that, I mean people with the said alternative values, and beliefs) have contribute to the solution? What is this oppressed voice saying that with help not just a race, but humanity in general? Obviously there is something.

[TheRFB]

Thanks for your thoughtful observations, I think you have raised a few important points. First and foremost is the fact that the indigenous community in Canada is not a unified group; like any arbitrary collection of people, it has diverse political perspectives. The women in the video, and NYM, are clearly toward one extreme (although they don't advocate kicking non-aboriginals out of the country, they do predict the ultimate downfall of urban centres).

[TheRFB]

One thing to consider is that it is easy to say "indigenous Canadians" without realising that "Canada" itself is not an institution that always bonded indigenous people in North America together. This is something I learned from attending the meeting in the video: saying "indigenous Canadians" or even "indigenous people in Canada" is sort of like saying "Europeans"; there are some similarities between a Czech and a Briton, but there are plenty of cultural, political, and historical differences.

[TheRFB]

Likewise, there are big differences between Haudenosaunee people in Ontario and Coast Salish people in British Columbia. And even within groups there are differences of opinion, just as in any community. As Kanahus pointed out in a part of the video I edited out, West Coast people have experienced colonisation in completely different ways from East Coast people. With different experiences come different approaches to overcoming social challenges.

[TheRFB]

In my opinion, indigenous people have a lot to contribute to bringing about the green and peaceful world just about every reasonable person wants. But to bring about that world, we as a humanity need to pursue not just one approach, but many. This means listening to and considering extreme positions, even if ultimately we disagree. The value of the Internet is that it gets opinions that would never be heard in the mainstream media out for public discussion (like the one we've been having).

[TheRFB]

Anyhow, again, thanks for taking the time to consider the video, and for doing so on the basis of the issues behind it. That's democracy in action.

[JaredCS]

Well first I would like to talk about the whole money scam issue. The Olympics are firstly

[JaredCS]

held for people who devote their lives to be the best at a sport and represent the country that helped them achieve that dream. For those who have attempted it, like myself, would know the Olympics are next to impossible to get to. The world stops for two weeks to watch and celebrate people who represent the beauty, wonder, and the ability of the human body in its optimal physical state. This is a wonderful thing. The Olympics obviously draw a lot of attention for these reasons.

[JaredCS]

It does give an opportunity for companies to advertise, because of the attention the deserving athletes draw, and yes they are deserving. Aren't these companies doing the same thing as this group... using the Olympics to advertise something...? Above all this group of indigenous people are infiltrating the dreams of hard working people from all around the world. What ever their issues are they need to be dealt with else where for this IS a place of peace.

[TheRFB]

I certainly agree that the Olympics SHOULD BE a forum for people coming together in peace. The Olympics are of particular value insofar as they bring young people from around the world together. Unfortunately, that is not all they do. How can we consider the Olympics a "place of peace" when they are being held on land stolen from indigenous people? How can they represent nations coming together when they recognise only certain kinds of nations (i.e., nation-states)?

[TheRFB]

Naturally, oppressed people will take the opportunity of international attention to raise their voices. This is a weapon of the weak, and one of the few that indigenous people in Canada have at their disposal (depending on their political stripes- there is no point denying that NYM has a particular ideology, nor that Canada's indigenous community has a spectrum of political beliefs, just as does the non-indigenous population).

[TheRFB]

Regarding advertising, it is possible to reverse your argument as well: if major corporations can advertise at the Olympics, why not human beings too? Although I respect the efforts of athletes to realise their maximum potential, it is important to understand that this is what all people strive for, none moreso than those who struggle to get out from under generations of colonialism and racism. They know best what they need to do this, and the Olympics are a valid platform for their demands.

[TheRFB]

Finally, I recommend you take a look at what companies are sponsoring the Olympics, this year and in 2010. General Electric, arms manufacturer. GM, arms manufacturer. Petro-Canada, Alberta tar sands developer. Adidas, sweatshop labour. Coca-Cola and McDonalds (as an athlete you should know why they are not knights in shining armour). Does this really sound like the recipe for a "place of peace"? Arms manufacturers, oil companies, and rampant corporatism? It sounds more like Iraq to me...

[JaredCS]

"The olympics represents a white power ceremony" This is not true for obvious reasons. Aboriginal people put themselves out there for discrimination, because they continue to refer to themselves as a separate group of people who deserve certain things because of their race. This, is racist in itself for we are all individuals responsible for our selves. I am forced to refer to this group of people by their race because thats exactly what they do, as opposed to refering to success and failure.

[TheRFB]

You are right that the speakers in the video use language rooted in race, not ethnicity, which I think is a mistake. However, I believe that "race" exists only insofar as there is racism, such as that shown to indigenous people by the Canadian state. After generations of genuine racism, isn't it natural for aboriginals to adopt the language of race? Your comment suggests that indigenous people are at fault because they won't sit down and shut up.

[TheRFB]

As to the question of "success" and "failure", these depend on how you qualify them. Two points: 1) "success" and "failure" are culturally determined; what non-indigenous people in Canada consider "success" is not necessarily what indigenous people consider the "success" (witness Kanahus' point about the nature of "freedom"); 2) how can you expect indigenous people to "succeed" at "our" game after so many generations of repression, even if they all wanted to in the first place?

[TheRFB]

Yes, having their land and culture systematically destroyed is no doubt exactly what the fucking natives have always wanted. Rather than resorting to emotional arguments and stories about your school mascot, why don't you try addressing some of the concrete issues raised in the video? Real people, native and otherwise, are being affected by these issues. They require consideration.

[tengiscool]

Too bad all the venues are finished. The fucking natives can stop complaining--you always get what you want. Especially when you came to my school and demanded that we change our mascot Indian Head! And if Canada's not the best place to live, you should try living in America. Muchhh worse lady, much worse...