My daughter's public school in Indiana is having "Hawaiian Day" today. That's offensive, isn't it? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by FlyingSquid@lemmy.world to c/casualconversation@lemmy.world

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I dropped her off this morning and saw girls (and boys) wearing grass skirts, some of them with coconut bras too. I'm not sure what else is going on, but it doesn't seem very respectful of a native culture that we have seriously fucked over. Would they have a "Native American Day" and let kids come in wearing feathered headdresses?

Or am I reading too much into it?

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[-] Pohl@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Do you think it’s weird to use the word “we” in that sentence? I was not involved, you didn’t make any of those decisions. People you don’t know did horrible shit to other people you don’t know.

There is not a we, I am responsible for my own decisions and actions. I feel completely free to look at the actions of others as despicable without any ownership of their actions. Why do people just accept that they are somehow tainted by the sins of people who came before?

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

No. I don't think it's weird to accept cultural responsibility. Ask any German if they think saying "we were responsible for the Holocaust" is "weird."

[-] Pohl@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It’s an incredibly common sentiment, I am not sure it should be. It leads to more harm than good I think. You are not on a team with people who have the same skin color as you through all time. Being born in a place does not soil you with the past follies of the people that also lived there.

Should a German kid whose grandparents came to Germany from Tunisia in the 60s feel culturally responsible for the holocaust? If you say yes, you have to ask WHY. If you say no, you are probably implying a judgment about who is a REAL German and who isn’t.

The whole concept sucks.