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American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

nytimes.com

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Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#121

Post by crooked-v »

nprz wrote: post #99
crooked-v wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and what kind of society creates what seems to be extreme and violent xenophobia to us Their first major contact with the outside world was in 1880, when a British colonial administrator kidnapped six of the Sentinelese, two of whom died from disease before they could be returned - and who knows what diseases the other four brought back with them when the British dumped them back on the island.

Sad and interesting how that single event from 140 years ago still shapes the tribes beliefs.

A single event that affects 3% or more of the entire population is pretty memorable.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#122

Post by Jtsummers »

qiqing wrote: post #111
Jtsummers wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By "modern" I'll interpret that to mean "a nation generally participating in the global community": I'd say, they have every right to defend their borders from invaders. But they also have knowledge that these islanders don't have. They have an understanding that outsiders are not all belligerent and to be feared or non-entities to be killed (though some will act counter to that knowledge, see the stoked fear in the…

On whether they "know" better -- the first time someone who looked like that intruder showed up, it was a British guy in 1880 who kidnapped 6 people, only 4 of whom came back alive. Not exactly a great first impression of the outside world.

Yes, I didn't feel the need to bring this up in my comment as I'd seen it elsewhere in the thread.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#123

Post by JPKab »

monocasa wrote: post #78
JPKab wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please explain to me how the fact that he happens to be American is proven to be causal here? I guess you make a good point. After all, the missionaries who converted indigenous populations all over the world were all from the USA. Oh wait, no. The vast majority of the Christian missions were founded by Europeans. Arabs converted millions to Islam hundreds of years ago. But yeah, they were all infected with American…

As someone from the deep south (the largest baptist church in America was walking distance from my house as a kid) there's a huge push for third world mission work among evangelicals. The only reason why you don't see the focus on explicit conversion is that they don't feel like there's many pagans left to convert. For an example of the US evangelical effect on the third world: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl…

I'm fully aware of the push for missionary work by US evangelical churches.

Is it arrogance? Is it American arrogance more specifically?

As someone who is borderline atheist, but grew up in a religious household, I don't think it's arrogance of any form. I think that these people truly believe that they are saving people from a bad afterlife. You can certainly call that delusional. Just not sure it's arrogance.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#124

Post by [deleted] »

rustcharm wrote: post #61
projectramo wrote: post #38

The comments here are horrific. Yes, I don't think we should invade the lives of indigenous people any more than you do. And yes, I think this young man was mistaken and misguided. But, he went in with the best of intentions, and he died. You just don't believe what he did. Imagine a techie died while trying to teach rails to the homeless (which, I can only assume, some of you might be more sympathetic towards), woul…

The best of intentions? To erase their culture and replace it with Chr-stianity? I don't see that as well intentioned.

[deleted]

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#125

Post by dragonwriter »

whatshisface wrote: post #88
oh_sigh wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe if they killed a person they invited onto their island would it be just for the killer to be punished. But he wasn't invited onto the island, he thought he could just waltz in with a soccer ball and some fishing gear. This is essentially just castle doctrine. He apparently also swam back to the fishermans boat with arrow wounds , but went back to the island anyway.

If any country on Earth killed a citizen of another country at the border there would be a gigantic outrage.

> If any country on Earth killed a citizen of another country at the border there would be a gigantic outrage.

The US kills people at the Mexican border periodically; there is rarely gigantic outrage.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#128

Post by WkndTriathlete »

wpietri wrote: post #119
JPKab wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please explain to me how the fact that he happens to be American is proven to be causal here? I guess you make a good point. After all, the missionaries who converted indigenous populations all over the world were all from the USA. Oh wait, no. The vast majority of the Christian missions were founded by Europeans. Arabs converted millions to Islam hundreds of years ago. But yeah, they were all infected with American…

Proven to be causal? Like we'd clone 1000 John Allen Chaus, raise them around the globe, and see how many of them do something fatally arrogant relating to overseas travel? As an American who has lived on 4 continents, I can confirm that American tourists quite often live up to the stereotype. I have a variety of painful memories of times I've had to intervene and explain things and/or translate for aggressively clue…

> But I still think the stereotype is justified.

It is, but in my experience (cruise from Venice -> Greece and back last summer) that stereotype applies to every culture. Americans just happen to be louder at it.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#129

Post by LyndsySimon »

nprz wrote: post #99
crooked-v wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and what kind of society creates what seems to be extreme and violent xenophobia to us Their first major contact with the outside world was in 1880, when a British colonial administrator kidnapped six of the Sentinelese, two of whom died from disease before they could be returned - and who knows what diseases the other four brought back with them when the British dumped them back on the island.

Sad and interesting how that single event from 140 years ago still shapes the tribes beliefs.

The US Civil War still has a very large impact on the culture of the South.

Re: American Is Killed by Bow and Arrow on Remote Indian Island

#130

Post by LyndsySimon »

WhompingWindows wrote: post #57
xutopia wrote: post #23

I'm fascinated by these people. They must have one heck of a culture to immediately resort to killing any stranger that lands on their shore. I wonder what religious beliefs they have and what kind of society creates what seems to be extreme and violent xenophobia to us. As fascinated as I am I would double check that I have something to row with if I take a motorboat out to see the island from afar. No way in hell I…

I think you're over estimating how friendly other cultures are to outsiders. There are numerous, numerous cases of greed and ambition leading to the slaughter and enslavement of native peoples by invaders/conquerors. There are also multiple states in the USA where you'd be within your rights to shoot anyone on your property.

> There are also multiple states in the USA where you'd be within your rights to shoot anyone on your property.

Can you prove that?

The closest I can think of is Texas, but even there you'd have to meet the definition of "criminal mischief at night".

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