Why is toxic waste dumping, gambling, and animal abuse allowed on Indian Reservations... but prostitution & marijuana are not?
Asked by
Kraigmo (
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November 15th, 2009
We all know Indian tribes sometimes allow gambling in order to either get rich… or just to simply survive. For similar reasons, other Indian tribes allow toxic waste dumping. And a Cherokee tribe in North Carolina encloses bears in concrete pits (literal pits… all concrete… nothing else but food and water). They then charge visitors 5 dollars a person to view or feed the bears from above.
Here’s a pic: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3393836536_537e19e967.jpg
As you would imagine, animal rights groups are starting to protest this. And as you would also imagine… the Indian tribe is defending its economic choices as a sovereign nation.
Although gambling is arguably harmless for most…. certainly animal abuse is something for all citizens to be concerned about, Indian or not.
But what is it with these tribes that are so desperate to prove their sovereignty that they’d allow horrible things to happen on their reservations…. but they still won’t allow prostitution? Why is that? It’s as if the Tribes and the Feds have agreed to do what the Feds want: no bordellos. So why are these particular tribes willing to sell their souls on the prostitution issue, but they’re suddenly sovereign and independent on the animal welfare issues? They’d harm a lot less and earn a lot more if they stop the waste dumps and animal shows and resorted to some Nevada-style houses of ill repute
And for the same reasons, why are no Indian tribes willing to open up Dutch style marijuana coffeehouses? Animal abuse is okay, but pot smoking is so bad they’re willing to accede to the feds? What gives?
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11 Answers
Excellent question. Are they completely sovereign or under Fed jurisdiction? Marijuana is still a Federal offense. See ya….Gary/wtf
I don’t know about the prostitution and drugs but the bear pit business is sad. I never thought I would be on the same side as PETA but in this case I am. It is astounding that they are allowed to cage the bears like that. I guess though technically the bears are not being abused, just horribly denigrated and disrespected by people who claim to have spiritual ties to so many animals. Here are a couple of links regarding it.
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1st you have to take gambling out of that mix. Gambling is legal elsewhere like Nevada, Atlantic City, California card rooms among others. I don’t believe the other things are “allowed” even though they occur. And I am sure drugs and prostitution occur on reservations even though they are not allowed.
I know all those things occur in my city even though they are not allowed. I daresay the same is true in your city too. If you are complaining that prostitution and dope are not available, turn off the computer and get in your car. Itshouldn’t take you long to find them.
Animal abuse is bad; and if they’re taking money from visitors, they should spend it for welfare of animals, and not into their pockets.
Perhaps as the availability of casinos spreads, they will turn to prostitution and pot in order to make money. I think they believe that they can take advantage of the weaknesses of white man (or non-native Americans), to make back some of what was stolen from them hundreds of years ago. They believe they can do this without any of their own people being harmed.
It’s all about making a living. Since they have certain advantages because their property is considered a reservation, they make money as easily as they can. They use sin. It’s a fairly cynical way of earning a living, I think.
Native Americans have been the icon of eco-friendliness. People have admired them and sought to emulate them. While this image may be true of some Indian tribes, it seems that it is far from universal. Native-Americans really don’t have any moral mountaintop to look down at us any more.
@galileogirl I hate it when people pull implications out of me that aren’t there at all. I speak literally. If I raise an issue about gay rights, does it mean I’m gay? If I raise an issue about gun rights, does it mean i’m pro- or anti- gun? Hell no. Only the Stupid bring up issues that are masks for egocentric agenda-making. When I complain about injustice or illogic, it has nothing to do with me needing something personally.
@Kraigmo And you think I care what you hate because…
The entire question was specious and weak. Check yourself, if you think are either literal or logical-you are neither.
@Kraigmo Are you equating prostitution with feeding bears?
I didn’t quite get the connection either, but the bear business is appalling!
@filmfann & @rooeytoo , The connection is the fact Indian tribes need to earn money with some sort of enterprise, but some of them, particularly this one, have illogical ethics. This particular one has decided throw bears into a concrete pit, and charge visitors $5.00 to see and feed them.
If you asked this tribe to open a bordello, or hash parlour, or other type of similar vice… (where they’d make even more money, and no one would suffer) they’d suddenly become High & Holy and proudly say they don’t engage in that kind of business, that they’re a “family operation”.
But in the same breath, they’ll defend their “right” to have this bear zoo, and they’ll keep right on causing these bears to suffer.
My questions points to a disconnect in the ethics of this particular tribe. And it’s an epitome of a similar disconnect that a lot of people have, when forming their ethics. People seem to have random or traditional values, rather than values based on Least Suffering and Harm Reduction.
The next question to be asked is what sort of person pays their 5 bucks to looks at these
bears in a cement block cage. I find both sides despicable.
I don’t think that replacing the bear business with prostitution is a good idea, to me that is replacing captive bears with captive women.
Why don’t they just enter into a legitimate business or get a real job instead of enslaving animals or women? That would be my question.
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