http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE2I3iSanBY&sns=em
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Ungh. I can't watch. The only thing Brown University is good for is hosting the inter-tribal powwow every spring, (a time to give thanks and let us know it is planting season), organized by the NDN students who go there. Seeing the monk teach the high social types tai chi is like learning about when Chief Waukon Decorah (or any similar delegation) visited Washington on the east coast in the 1800's. Sorry.
:eek:
Whoop- I just re-read my post. While it makes sense to my perspective let me clarify because I'm sure my post won't make sense to many.Quote:
Originally Posted by MarathonTmatt
1) First of all, why is there even a lecture about internal martial arts at Brown University? (a prestigious school.) In my opinion, the time would have better been spent talking about Traditional Chinese Medicine, how it fits into the framework of the traditional Chinese culture and maybe having Tai Chi/ Internal Arts as a side-note/ topic of this subject. The audience is sure to get a mixed message about the "internal arts", and this lecture may just help to "mystify" it, or at least IMO put it on a pseudo-intellectual pedestal it may not need. If the lecturer wanted to educate, he did a poor job given the fact who he was addressing (a waste of time).
2) The Wudang monk teaching the attendees: It would be one thing if he was teaching a seminar to a group of martial artists, like at a YMAA school- but here he isn't. The attendees are from the intellectual higher classes of white privelaged society. I am not trying to be racist or biased here and I am not saying they don't deserve to train. But it just seems like its a "la-dee-da", "oh, such splendor, what a charming cultural experience!" kind of training and its something they'll be talking about in their social circles for months to come.
3)Now, observe how the opening speaker talks. All just self-righteous intellectual BS coming out of her mouth. There are a lot of educated westerners just like this and this is one of my criticisms I have w/ westerners in general. They are thinking way too much with their mind and with their mind alone. Not from the heart. Their hearts are empty. They do not co-ordinate their actions with their body and mind, in fact they generally lack in action, in the "doing".
4) A lot of my worldview has been shaped through my mixed indigenous American Indian heritage, which is a different cultural experience, a different way of approaching and looking at life. I guess you could say I am bi-cultural. Now, I do not currently live in an area (the New England area) where there is a strong NDN community day- to -day, and I grew up in the same situation. Frankly my NDN heritage makes some people nervous, many people have these wild ideas of what an NDN is, some people still ask me if we live in the woods (the truth is we never did but that's another can of worms), they have no idea about germ warfare, war, slavery, boarding schools, relocation acts, allotment acts, and on-going genocidal policies/ procedures (sterilization w/o knowledge or consent for instance) against the NDN people. So I have learned to downplay (and I know I'm not alone in this) my heritage at times while trying to get by in just every day living, at work, etc. But- the way I think always comes back to my heritage- this I can't help and will not apologize for.
So yes it's true in the 1800's a lot of the Native leaders west of the Mississippi were taken to eastern cities (esp. if there was tension w/ their people & the U.S. govt.)- they would get their portraits drawn, and be exposed to high class socialites- and they would see how "grand" and populous the white man's cities were to make them think twice about those tensions.
Anywhooz, my rant is over. Hope that explains my point of view a bit better.
Hope my 2 cents can be considered by some on this board.
well, I guess it was nice watching the monk's form as he was teaching. And maybe some of the people attending are nice enough people. I have found some people's attitudes in the past to be revolting and nonsense. maybe I shouldn't be bitter all the time I can't help it.