Thank you for your apology, Eccentric.
As nemesis said, introducing yourself with an homage to crystal skulls was sort of like showing up at a PETA meeting wearing a fur coat. It tends to set off a certain reaction
The words I posted were simply the description written by our member who made the video. She'd already said what needed to be said about it.
I think that even if one is not buying crystals now, to praise the use of crystals - especially with no commentary of how the earth is harmed to mine them - is encouraging people to go out and buy them; thereby encouraging strip mining and devastation of the land and the workers. And I don't know how much it's been discussed on here, as the details aren't necessarily for public consumption, but a lot of Indigenous people have expressed concern about the spiritual and metaphysical effects of all the newagers using crystals. Some find it very offensive for someone to use crystals in the ways they're being used by newagers, and offensive to promote those uses.
As others have said and said well, we're here to stop exploitation - of the earth, of Indigenous traditions, of people. Any suggestion that someone is engaging in the practices we're here to stop can make some of us very hesitant to welcome someone until we get to know them better. What you'll generally find here is that we get to know one another not through the sort of banter and personal details that are shared on many Internet boards, but through working together to stop the exploitation. It's not about any of us as individuals, it's about the work.
I appreciate that you've been willing to hear feedback, even when there's culture shock involved
