What's your spirit animal?

The Tibetan fox for me has a permanent ‘done with this shit’ look that I love.

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I have used this phrase a lot, but in the last couple of years I’ve seen usage of this phrase by folks who aren’t Native Americans start to come under fire. I think it’s because it appropriates and makes light of Native American culture.
- I think what and how it is used for or interpreted as should be a factor to determine whether it is appropriation of Native American culture.
  I’m not a native english speaker, and often times the term in my mind can mean zodiac animals. I’m not saying they are the same thing. English is a common language, and people from other cultures may interpret the word differently.
  Hence I sometimes wonder whether there are other cultures across the world that use similar terms (eg totem symbolism), or whether such term can mean different things to other cultures. A blanket ban of the specific combination of these two words in english based on ~~one~~ some cultures may seem unfair to others if this is true. If anyone knows or has issues with the logic, please correct me.
  EDIT: see the discussion in the comments https://lemm.ee/comment/1954510
  EDIT 2: per below comment, Native American shouldn’t be treated as 1 culture.
- It's definitely not used with the same level of meaning in pop culture, so maybe we need to call it something else.
  Zeitgeist Animal?
  
  I love "Zeitgeist Animal"! Using it from now on!
  
  Embrace what it really is.
  Also I've never had a more relevant use for this meme until now.
  
  Thanks, this made me laugh my ass off.
  
  Hahaha I love it.
  this made me spit a bunch of water all over my keyboard
- Which Native American tribe specifically? Native Americans aren't one single culture. Are you offended on behalf of someone you can't even name?
  
  I'm going to answer this in good faith.
  Not wanting to cause someone else discomfort or pain, is not about being "offended" on their behalf. We need to get away from this "offfence" paradigm and back to the human. We are all people. Let's treat each other with respect.
  If you genuinely want to know "which tribe specifically", start here with the big picture:
  Individual totemism is widely disseminated. It is found not only among tribes of hunters and harvesters but also among farmers and herdsmen. Individual totemism is especially emphasized among the Australian Aborigines and the American Indians.
  Group totemism was traditionally common among peoples in Africa, India, Oceania (especially in Melanesia), North America, and parts of South America. These peoples include, among others, the Australian Aborigines, the African Pygmies, and various Native American peoples—most notably the Northwest Coast Indians (predominantly fishermen), California Indians, and Northeast Indians. Moreover, group totemism is represented in a distinctive form among the Ugrians and west Siberians (hunters and fishermen who also breed reindeer) as well as among tribes of herdsmen in north and Central Asia.
- Came here to say this. We need to stop trivializing it.

59 comments