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when a Native person tells you something is offensive to Natives, your only acceptable response is “okay, I will stop doing it.” you do not get to explain how it’s “actually honoring Natives” and it does not matter if you consciously intended it to be offensive or not.
we don’t need to hear your explanations of how you “didn’t mean it like that” because trust me we’ve already heard it all before. we’re telling you because we care and believe if you’re educated you will try to do better. you say thank you and apologize and do better. that’s it.
when you insist that you did nothing wrong because you “didn’t mean it that way” you are centering your own hurt ego from being called out for doing something wrong. this isn’t about you. if someone tells you you’ve hurt them, you don’t get to deny their feelings.
we all need to stop getting so defensive when we’re corrected. if someone takes the time to explain to you how your behavior can be harmful it is because they care enough that they want and believe you can be better. it is not an insult to you. accept the guidance with grace.
I am not the first person to explain this either. But I still see this behavior pretty much every single day and it needs to end
this same concept applies to all other marginalized communities as well.
