[ExI] science skepticism

[spike at rainier66.com]

From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of William Flynn Wallace
Subject: Re: [ExI] science skepticism

 


…  These people must be the same ones who believe in cultural appropriation.  …bill w

 

 

Hi BillW,

 

I would like to understand this better, for we were introduced to it recently with respect to a traditional cub scout bridging ceremony.  At age 10, cub scouts bridge over to boy scouts in an elaborate ceremony where a literal bridge is constructed of wooden poles and rope, where the scouts cross.  It is paws on the path to feet on the trail.  If one is into that culture, it is a big big deal.  It is taken very seriously.

 

Part of that (in some cases) is to have the adult leader dress up as an Indian Chief, as he leads the young scout warrior Akela to manhood.  If you don’t know anything about that culture, do let me assure you, it is priceless.  So this leader gets up the deerskin outfit, the beads, the eagle feathered headset, the works (this costume, used once a year, costs more than a good used car.)  Hey, tradition.

 

So now we have people telling us this is cultural appropriation.  But… this is cub scout culture.  We honor the Native Americans, even if they are called by the now-out-of-fashion term Indians.  Scouting weaves Indians into the cultural fabric at every opportunity.  The reasoning behind this is that in 1910, when scouting was starting up in America, it was believed that Indians had all these outdoor skills, the survival, the this and that, and I suppose they did.  So they are written up as larger than life in scouting lore.

 

Now we see these traditional societies such as scouts drawn into modern culture wars and it isn’t at all clear how to deal with it.  So far, the scouts have been continuing with status quo.

 

spike

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