astronomy has a colonialism problem

"yo, why do you bring up imperialism with every issue?" "I dont. Imperialists did, and here we are."

"Bigotries have functions" is a new phrase to me, and it's perfect. I'll be using this phrase to discuss how oppression maintains power

At timestamp 2:26:15 It’s a poem in Arabic called “Fakkir bi Ghayrak” “Think of other people besides yourself” Dr Fatima’s Arabic word translation on screen: "As you prepare breakfast, Think of others... Don't forget the pigeon’s food As you wage your wars, Think of others... Do not forget those who demand peace. As you pay the water bill, Think of others... … those who are sustained by the clouds. As you return home — to your home — think of others... … do not forget those who live in tents. As you sleep and count the planets, Think of others... … those who cannot find a place to sleep. As you express yourself in metaphores, Think of others... …those who have lost their right to speak. And as you think of others in far off places, think of YOURSELF... …say: "may I be a candle in the darkness." AN ALTERATIVE TRANSLATION Poetry by Mahmoud Darwich "Fakir bi rayrik" "Think of others" "While preparing your lunch, Think of other people... Don't forget the crumbs of dove As you fight, Think of other people... Don't forget those who call for peace Paying your water bill, Think of other people... Those who hold the clouds On my way home sweet home, Think of other people... Remember the refugees As I sleep counting stars, Think of other people... To those whose dreams are suffocated Writing to you using metaphores, Think of other people... Those whose words are suppressed Thinking of others who have moved away from you Think about you... Say, "provided I'm a glow in their darkness" From Poésie de Mahmoud Darwich... - Apprentissage de l'Arabe littéraire | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/100064626044220/posts/275704372555092/ Another singing the poetry https://youtu.be/HAxg0HCuUj8?si=BORZw7jjHBzn2X2U

Thank you so much for the subtitles! It is very rare that video documentaries like this have them, and as a Deaf leftist I appreciate it.

As a kanaka 'ōiwi (Native Hawaiian), thank you for presenting this information. So many mainlanders have no idea that Hawai'i was even colonized. My grandfather was born in the territory of Hawai'i. I'm a just handful of generations away from the initial colonization of our people. We're still here.

As someone who’s family live in Hawai’i and has some kanaka relatives, taking the time to talk about Hawai’i colonial history is something I can’t thank you enough. On top of the telescopes in Mauna Kea, the H-3 highway that runs through Oahu has also been constructed on sacred land.

Im an indigenous woman in physics, my family is from the Andes. That also reminded me a lot of Los Alamos and how Oppenheimer and the US Military displaces natives and poisoned their land and many still suffered radiation effects to this day. I love physics, but it directly impacts our communities esp when the people in charge don’t listen to us!

I despise thoroughly people who insinuate that protesters and activists should be considered violent. A bunch of Hawaiians yelling about a telescope is NOT violence. Protesting in front of the Israeli embassy does NOT make you a terror suspect. But some people can't see the humanity in those they oppress, so it doesn't occur to them that their victims don't mean to oppress them back.

Be annoying in solidarity is the best kind of praxis

Grief is what happens when your love has nowhere to go. That hit hard. Thank you, Dr.

Does Congress realize that passing a bill saying "literally everyone is anti-Semitic" only results in the word losing even more meaning than before?

As a burgeoning amateur astronomer with a love for celestial observation, I too have been struck by the community’s apathy regarding the topic. Thank you for casting your own wide lens on the cause with such heartfelt and soulful connection to it. Your words and your deliberations are poignant.

Im an indian imigrant woman studying astrophysics. This video didnt make me sad, it gave me hope. I know that i am not alone in everything that i feel about this field and what i am doing. Thank you for your work. I am not alone and that means everything to me. Thank you.

I like science, and astronomy in particular, but I do not want it at the cost of human exploitation and suffering, or the erosion of cultural heritage. It's unnecessary and people clearly don't want this.

One irony you didn't mention here (since it wasn't related to the anti-colonial context) is that part of the reason we're building these super telescopes is to try to sniff out the atmospheres of terrestrial exoplanets to see if they might have the chemical markers of organic life. We're pouring billions of dollars to try to find what we hope to be another Earth, lightyears away. I definitely agree that answering the question of whether life exists elsewhere is important, but I'm not sure we'd be spending so much to do it if it wasn't about more - we want to know that life exists elsewhere because a) it means humans may not be alone in the universe, and we might be able to commune with others like us rather than be "stuck" by ourselves on this planet, and b) we have a planet B to escape to if planet A should fail. Option b is a non-starter solely from the likelihood of alien biochemistry being toxic or incompatible with our own (not to mention the obscene distances involved), but option a? Westerners and colonizers, in choosing to see the universe as a machine to better understand and control it, have likewise chosen to forget that we are surrounded by non-human intelligences, whom we could commune with only if we had the heart to respect them. When we colonizers chose to stop seeing all life (and matter) as permeated with spirit, we made ourselves alone, and miserable, and in our confusion we began to destroy those relatives we once loved. I highly recommend Ted Chiang's "The Great Silence" for a heart-wrenching short story about this idea.

Truly one of the best videos I've ever watched. You showing your real emotions was very touching. Might have got me back intro activism.

2:44:40 'in that moment you understand why people believe this mountain is sacred' ties it all together so perfectly i started crying

Historically New Zealand colonization directly followed astronomy. James Cook was sent out to observe the transit of Venus from Tahiti. He then had his other sealed orders to look for Terra Australis for Britain and stop in on New Zealand. In New Zealand, after mapping out the coast, he landed at Mercury Bay to observe the transit of Mercury...and claim the area for Britain.

this video is SO F*CKING GOOD! As someone with a Master's in reproductive health I have DEFINITELY been told to compartmentalize my emotions and have seen some atrocious points of views. Even now working in a fertility clinic I see these colonial mindsets in all my coworkers and in the clinical procedures and I hate it. It is SO pervasive and once you know how to look for it you see it everywhere. Free Palestine man.

This is the best video essay that I've ever seen about colonialism, specifically how the essay highlights that colonialism's foremost strength in the imperial core lies in the implicit support of the uncommitted majority. The whole presentation is incredibly moving. This is important work.