Comments on: James Arthur Ray, Redux

By: therioshamanism

therioshamanism — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:35:14 +0000

Well, there’s how it’s practiced in a physical, pragmatic manner, and then there are all the cultural trappings surrounding it. When I speak of competency, I am primarily speaking of pragmatic competency. Just about anyone can learn the actions involved in building a lodge, putting people in it, and keeping them from dying. Cultural competency is a separate thing, though IMO also important–but not having cultural competency doesn’t have nearly as much an effect on pragmatic competency as some would make out.

Yes, it says a lot that Ray wasn’t properly trained in either form of competency. However, my point still stands that it was his lack of pragmatic competency at stake here, regardless of how much or little he knew of the cultural trappings associated with it.

By: V.V.F.

V.V.F. — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 02:53:02 +0000

More to the point: how sincere can this man have been if he couldn’t even be bothered to learn how this tradition is practiced? Doesn’t that speak volumes?

By: V.V.F.

V.V.F. — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 02:46:54 +0000

I think you are overlooking the factor of willful and conscious fraud. I think it’s very naive to pretend that this doesn’t happen, and that most of it isn’t perpetrated by cultural outsiders.

By: Pallas Renatus

Pallas Renatus — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:07:53 +0000

Reading those particular posts inspired by knee-jerk reactions and misdirected anger always brought a bit of an acrid taste to my mouth, but I’d never have been able to articulate it as well as you have. Great post.

By: Meganne

Meganne — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:22:49 +0000

Thank you! You just summed up my feelings on it very well.