Collective Guilt

There are numerous extremely difficult issues which arise from operating a business in this isolated region of Utah.  Many of those issues relate to finding the things required to maintain a viable operation.  There are never enough people to do what needs to be done, and never enough resources to fairly compensate the people you do find.

Aside from the economic difficulties, at the trading post there are some really tricky cultural sensativities that must be addressed.  The cultural landscape is a difficult region to navigate, and Barry and I are forever getting lost in that maze.  One issue that has bedeviled me from the beginning is the collective guilt over  treatment of Native Americans during the colonization of this country.

Although I am sure I encountered it during my youth, the first time anyone mentioned collective guilt to me after I had acquired the skills necessary to form a real opinion on the subject was shortly after the trading post opened.  As we were having a genial conversation about Southwestern art, one of my customers said, "Well, isn't it a shame what we did to them?"  Since I did not remember ever meeting the woman before that day, I was confused by the question and began to sweat profusely, worrying what she might know.

Maybe she read the look of panic and confusion on my face, or maybe she simply felt I needed supplemental education.  In any case, she described countless tragedies that included torture, relocation of entire tribes and genocide.  Then she once again said,  "Isn't it a shame what we did to them?"  As I listened, the panic subsided, the sweat receeded and I began contemplating an appropriate response.  My mind traveled back through 30 years of existence, and I could not remember being involved in a single act of torture, mass relocation or genocide.

There was the time I had asked a young Navajo man to relocate himself from the trading post property because he was preparing to urinate on the water well located just south of the store.  After threatening to accessorize me with a few bullet holes, he apparently decided a quieter location was necessary to take care of his business, and I was spared the inconvenience of a visit to the doctor.  As I considered that situation in light of the woman's question, I concluded it was not what she had in mind.

Racism has never been a characteristic I care to cultivate.  To me, character, not color, is the important factor.  So, I responded, "You know, I don't remember ever intentionally harming a Native American, and I don't think anyone in my immediate family has either.  I don't feel comfortable taking responsibility for something I didn't control and was not directly involved in."  As you might guess, that answer did not set well with the woman.  In fact, it has not set well with any of the individuals who have asked the question of me over the years, but it is how I feel.

I have read enough history to know there were atrocities committed by all sides after Colombus arrived on this continent.  That does not, however, mean we are all personally implicated.  During my trading post career, I have had many occasions to consider whether I should apologize for things that happened long before I arrived on this earth, and have conclude I do not wish to do so; primarily because it does not seem to make any real difference.    Instead, if I can learn from the past and use that knowledge to improve the future, I may effect real change.

Sincerely,
Steve