Not to cause a struggle session over this or anything but I've heard that calling things "my spirit animal" is seen as an appropriation of and a trivialisation of native American spiritual beliefs because animal totems are, obviously, considered sacred so claiming something as a spirit animal is a bit coloniser-y and kinda redface.
I get that there's no malice intended behind what you're saying and that it has become an engrained, widespread cultural trope but I personally have made a habit of avoiding this phrase out of respect for native American spiritual beliefs, given the long history of the dual impacts of cultural genocide and cultural appropriation naive Americans have faced, and it might be worth reading up on why people are opposed to the use of this phrase to see what you make of their arguments.
Not to cause a struggle session over this or anything but I've heard that calling things "my spirit animal" is seen as an appropriation of and a trivialisation of native American spiritual beliefs because animal totems are, obviously, considered sacred so claiming something as a spirit animal is a bit coloniser-y and kinda redface.
I get that there's no malice intended behind what you're saying and that it has become an engrained, widespread cultural trope but I personally have made a habit of avoiding this phrase out of respect for native American spiritual beliefs, given the long history of the dual impacts of cultural genocide and cultural appropriation naive Americans have faced, and it might be worth reading up on why people are opposed to the use of this phrase to see what you make of their arguments.
hear hear, and i find that it rarely adds much to statements