Do Americans feel any guilt for what happened to the American Indian?
Our neighbors, a very nice couple from abroad, asked this question over dinner tonight. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that November is actually American Indian Heritage Month, but everything to do with our physical location.
I’m inclined to think that most Americans don’t feel any guilt for the actions of our ancestors or feel any responsibility for the subsequent state of our nation’s indigenous people. A sense of loss perhaps, but I answered that the vast majority of Americans are probably not plagued with guilt.
Guilt is something you feel when sneaking an extra piece of Halloween candy, staying at work late at the expense of your family, not working hard enough, failing to say a proper goodbye or thank you, not phoning a friend or ditching your cat at your parent’s house for the indefinite future. Guilt is now and relates specifically to you and yours.
Would guilt change how our history books read? Would guilt influence the images of happy pilgrims and friendly natives that decorate grade school hallways this month? Would guilt force us to look beyond stereotypes? Would guilt influence the preservation of culture on a grand scale? Would guilt change how we use our resources?
Maybe it does for some, but certainly not for all.
Where do you draw the line when it comes to guilt? How do you prioritize your responses to the past injustices and historical wrongs of the world?
And, even if it can, should guilt be the motivating factor for change?
What I’m drinking: Tabor Hill’s American Gewürztraminer
What I’m listening to: Audioslave
