I am taking time to work on the monthly reports for October and November for Politics Plus. I have never done them before so this should be interesting. Fortunately, TC is around to answer questions. As a result, I have this modified Open Thread today. Depending on the news and my time, this might be the case for much of this week. It is definitely a busy week ahead.
Puzzle — Today’s took me 2:35 (average 4:26). To do it, click here. How did you do?
From the 'Give Your Head A Shake' File
The Daily Beast has an article "Should We Ban Yoga?" that clearly, in my mind at least, pushes the envelope of incredulity.
One would think such a class—a free class, administered to students with special needs—doesn’t deserve the ire of an activist movement. And yet a student—a lone “social justice warrior” with “fainting heart ideologies,” according to Scharf—complained that the class was a slight against yoga’s ancient Indian inventors.
If this is to be believed, then where are the complaints against Roman/Greco wrestling often seen at varsity sporting events? Or those against judo or other martial arts which were not developed here but are routinely taught. How about lacrosse which is a sport of First Nations people and is also Canada's national sport. Or a favourite, meditation. And then there are Tai Chi and Qi Gong (I practice Qi Gong).
The cultures from which yoga originate “have experienced oppression, cultural genocide and diasporas due to colonialism and western supremacy… we need to be mindful of this and how we express ourselves while practicing yoga.”
That statement, translated into English, reads thus: Doing yoga is racist because, uh, colonialism.
In my examples, substitute Roman/Greco wrestling, or martial arts, or lacrosse, or meditation, or Tai Chi and Qi Gong for yoga, and what do you have? Well according to the complaint, a whole lot of cultural appropriation. But isn't that flattery to a society when some of its ways are imitated with all respect?
In their zeal to prohibit all potential offense, yoga’s campus naysayers are aligning themselves with totalitarians who imposed cultural isolation on their people in order to keep them enslaved. If they want to encourage respect for other cultures, fine—but imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery.
Besides, yoga has many physical and mental health benefits for all ages. What do you think?
My Universe —
12 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 30/11/2015”
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DB: I'm with you on this one, I used to do yoga, run 3-5 miles a day, played softball, and lacrosse, and ice skated (back in the day). I walk around in the neighborhood and pick up trash now. Hope no one complains. lol.
Before someone complains about something, or an activity, they should get involved to see what it's all about. The naysayers have way too much time on their hands to be complaining about this. imho. Who knows, they may like it! I also believe that it compliments or flatters, and ecourages cultural awareness.
"People are just looking for a reason to be offended by anything they can find," said Scharf.
Took the Poll: (so far) 1175 YES * – 23291 NO *
Good Luck doing the monthly reports, hope it goes good for you.
Thanks, Lynn for this.
On thinking about this later, I thought about Christmas. From Wikipedia:
I wonder how amenable this protester would be to ditching Christmas because the time of Christmas was appropriated by the early Christian church to help convert pagans to Christianity? Society also appropriated gift giving from the Roman Saturnalia.
Further, culture is for sharing, to create understanding and should not, in my opinion, be buried.
3:47
Yoga protest: horse feathers!!
Hugs!!
2:52 OK, now I see the problem. It is not that I am too slow. It is that Lynn is too fast specially when she is rushed. It is the pressure of doing the Open Thread. First TomCat was too fast, now Lynn is too fast.
Jerry, you might have a point! I've noticed that my times have been better since starting the OT. On the other hand, maybe your times have suffered a bit because you're not here as often so you're out of practice.
4:15 (4:26) Poor bird looks like she's thinking about Republicans. Or possibly her decapitated kin in Australia.
http://animalpetitions.org/125307/find-and-punish-criminals-who-decapitated-familys-pets/
Daily Beast – I might be able to see the point if this class were not specifically for the disabled. As a person with limited mobility, I know that if I am going to attempt yoga or any other practice that involves bodily movement, there is going to have to be some accomodation. No disrespect intended! Even for the abled, though, somewhere in my head there is a voice, the voice of one or more of yoga's ancient Indian inventors, saying with evident frustration, "Oh, for Shiva's sake!"
Universe – I worry about any dog that lives with that kitten in the first one.
There was that nut-job in Montana (Rep. David Moore – R … like there was any doubt to his party) who introduced a bill to ban yoga pants. [NOTE: At the link I learned that under current laws in Montana, a person convicted of indecent exposure three times could get a life sentence!]
And several high schools have also banned yoga pants.
Truth-be-told, I’ve driven by several runners a couple of times where I thought it may not be such a bad law!
😉
Thanks for all your hard work, Lynn.
Daily Beast: This is yet another example of how ridiculously easy it is for some to take offence.
YVW Edie!
AMEN!!!
Good luck with the reports, Lynn and thank you for this post.
The Daily Beast: Whether it's on the right or on the left, extremism is wrong and this article talks about the effects of left extremism. We shouldn't kid ourselves, the far left can be equally extreme and deluded in its views and we shouldn't and won't excuse it because it comes from the side we have greater affinity to. And that may be one of the differences with the extreme right or left: the ability to admit to mistakes.
There's no reason to think this weird sequence of events has not taken place, unless Jennifer Scharf had to close her yoga classes for different reasons which she wanted to conceal. It's a rather tragic story for those 60 odd disabled student who are now forced to find other free classes to remain healthy and nimble. Apparently the so called cultural appropriation of yoga by non-Indians takes precedence over discrimination of the disabled. What also is apparent that the students who demanded the class to be banned and those who complied with it, have absolutely no idea what Indian Culture is, or the fact that there isn't one; In India about 370 language are spoken, connected to about as many cultures. I haven't got the time to look it all up, but I wouldn't be surprised if Yoga in its long history has been culturally appropriated many times by the different cultures (geographical, historical and caste-wise) in what we now call India.
Coming back to extremism once more: the student who has instigated the ban is described as a a lone “social justice warrior” with “fainting heart ideologies,” by Scharf. She may be going a bit over the top there, but the student has managed to close an innocent class for disabled fellow students, so it certainly is a person with substantial blinkers on. Next time this person will not be able to persuade "authorities" to see things his or her way and may resort to more drastic measures to obtain his or her goal. Again, it doesn't really matter if extremism comes from the right or from the left, it is misguided in every form.
My Universe: so much fun.
See my reply to Pat above about another cultural appropriation.
I like all three pictures, but that cheeky donkey really pulled at my heart strings!
Thanks all!