Idle no more

While riding my bike along Kirkwood two weekends ago, I noticed a group of people chanting and holding signs (“Idle No More”), many of them wearing traditional clothes indicating that they were Native Americans.

They were protesters, running a rally against a recently proposed law in Canada which will restrict rights for Native Americans in that region.

You might think: finally a movement for and by Native Americans, uniting them to speak up for their needs.

Not everyone agreed on this, however: At least one male white student (in company of two other male students), joined the chant by mocking them, dancing and making sounds only seen in Western movies of many years ago.

A few members of the rally tried to talk to him, but since he did not respond well to that, told him that he is “ignorant.”

“No,” he responded, “I am educated.” After checking on the rally’s cause (to make sure I don’t misinterpret this interaction wrongly), the student was long gone, but his voice is still in my head: no, I am educated.

Is he? Is this education we want?

Maybe he is trained to get a job, but he is clearly not yet ready for a full life.

We can only hope no more people act like this, but will embrace broad education and common sense to support Native Americans in all their needs as much as possible.

If there is an unheard voice in this country, it is them.

­— Harald Parzer