Did you copy paste this from an argument about abortion? There is a big difference between dictating what can be done to your body and dictating what can be done to the moon.
I think it's just as nonsensical that American policy is so deeply influenced by conservative Christian beliefs, yet whenever the Pope makes a call, the White House picks up the phone.
I also think it's nonsensical that whenever this story pops up on HN[0], the bulk of effort goes into ridiculing the Navajo for having the gall to expect anyone to respect their religion, rather than discussing whether or not making a business of dumping corpses (or anything) on the moon is a good idea. Because, you know, maybe the Navajo have a point.
Even if one doesn't believe using the moon as a landfill will have any long-term effects worth considering (and that's certainly debatable), the utility of the time, money, effort and pollution towards what seems like vanity should be open to criticism.
I'm reminded of a (relatively) recent story[0] posted about the politics of the original moon landings, and how many people in the black community considered it little more than a lark for white people and a waste of money that could better be spent tackling the necessary issues of poverty and systemic racism, and also of the story currently running about[0] how many Americans are currently living in their cars and I can't help but wonder whether this is a good use of resources at all, or just another chance for the rich to flex on the poors.
I think it's at least worth considering, even if the issue is only being brought up by those silly people with the feathers in their hair.
They might, if Russia were dumping bodies on the moon, and if the Russian government had set as policy their intent to take the religious practices of native Americans into consideration when forming policy. But given that neither is true regarding Russia, while both are true regarding the US, your clarification makes little sense.
Obviously no one is going to listen to the Navajo. But to consider it nonsensical that the Navajo would even expect their religion to be taken seriously seems a bit infantilizing. It's no more or less ridiculous than opposing stem-cell research or abortion out of Christian beliefs in the human soul.
This isn't about science, or lunar exploration, this is about capitalism marketing the moon as a cool place to store your uncle's ashes. The Navajo aren't standing in the way of lunar research, they're just objecting to using the moon to dump corpses on.
And the issue in Hawaii is more complicated than people "hating telescopes."
Although your consideration that indigenous peoples are categorically worth less than others, is duly noted.
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[ 0.88 ms ] story [ 163 ms ] threadI also think it's nonsensical that whenever this story pops up on HN[0], the bulk of effort goes into ridiculing the Navajo for having the gall to expect anyone to respect their religion, rather than discussing whether or not making a business of dumping corpses (or anything) on the moon is a good idea. Because, you know, maybe the Navajo have a point.
Even if one doesn't believe using the moon as a landfill will have any long-term effects worth considering (and that's certainly debatable), the utility of the time, money, effort and pollution towards what seems like vanity should be open to criticism.
I'm reminded of a (relatively) recent story[0] posted about the politics of the original moon landings, and how many people in the black community considered it little more than a lark for white people and a waste of money that could better be spent tackling the necessary issues of poverty and systemic racism, and also of the story currently running about[0] how many Americans are currently living in their cars and I can't help but wonder whether this is a good use of resources at all, or just another chance for the rich to flex on the poors.
I think it's at least worth considering, even if the issue is only being brought up by those silly people with the feathers in their hair.
[0]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38827569
[1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36804394
[3]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38900036
Obviously no one is going to listen to the Navajo. But to consider it nonsensical that the Navajo would even expect their religion to be taken seriously seems a bit infantilizing. It's no more or less ridiculous than opposing stem-cell research or abortion out of Christian beliefs in the human soul.
And the issue in Hawaii is more complicated than people "hating telescopes."
Although your consideration that indigenous peoples are categorically worth less than others, is duly noted.