It's still very disturbing to me personally the more I hear about Native American tribes discriminating and stereotyping members of other indigenous tribes. Only Approved Indians by Jack D. Forbes illustrates this discrimination among fellow Native Americans. This self hate reminds me of the song "The hate that hate made", by Paris (who happens to be a UCDavis alumni). In the song Paris raps about the hate blacks have developed towards each other and says that this hate was created by centuries of hate and oppression towards blacks by the general population. Some people may not agree with this belief but the concept can teach us a powerful lesson about the damage oppression and stereotypes can have on a culture or person struggling to self identify. Self identity is important to people and it makes me sad to think that newer generations of oppressed cultures perpetuate stereotypes among fellow tribes and neighbors, all in a struggle to solidify their own identity. Stereotypes only hurt people and creates hate and self loath. This country, this world, is a mixture of many different cultures and races. I feel that self identity is very important to everyone and is important. But we need to find a way to self identify ourselves without stereotyping and oppressing others when we struggle to identify ourselves.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Fuck John Wayne
Both poems address stereotypes towards Native Americans and from reading the writings I can understand how harmful stereotypes have been towards Native Americans. I remember taking an American Film class in junior college and watching early popular westerns with high profile acting legends like John Wayne. John Wayne in particular spoke harshly on camera towards Native Americans and perpetuated the red savage stereotype. Many of the early western american films I saw in that class had a script that included actors pretending to be savage Native American bandits that raped white women and scalped americans. John Wayne isn't the sole individual responsible for current stereotypes towards Native Americans, but I feel his immortalized presence on screen during a great era for American film really was a dagger in the hearts of many Native Americans struggling to self identify in a country of many nations and cultures. After the ages of first contact, stereotypes have continued to be a barrier to Native Americans seeking to assimilate or be their own unique person who share the same interests and cultural norms as the average American.
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I am really interested by the sort of internalized racism that develops within communities. When a group of people that have been discriminated against by the "general" public take the same concepts and attitudes and turn them on each other. Why would you do that? Is it like some kind of Stockholms Syndrome where the oppressed are aligning their mentality with their oppressors? It is a way to establish power within a group that may not have much social or political power in the wider society? It is just pent up anger seeping out though whatever avenues that it can? Like I said it is a really interesting topic, thanks for bring it up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for responding Cody. I agree with you 100%, its a perplexing occurrence. Its very difficult for me to understand why a group of discriminated people would further discriminate individuals within their own group. I think the points you made about how it may be a way for individuals to re-establish power, which has been taken away from them by the oppressing majority. I also think part of it has to do with pent up anger and frustration, which is a result of being an oppressed individual in society. its a shame that this anger gets the best of individuals and that they redirect it in a negative way towards individuals dealing with the same issues as they are.
ReplyDeleteand to imagine that John Wayne is such an iconic persona to this country....
ReplyDeleteNo doubt John Wayne and the roles he played have become iconic with American culture. My thoughts and feelings towards the american cowboy have completely changed. Growing up as a kid who had family who lived on a ranch and had horses, I wanted to be a cowboy like my grandfather. I looked up to him when I was younger and spent summers at his ranch in Montana and enjoyed being outdoors and around his horses. In winter I would visit family in Arizona and see horses and open land and picture myself as a cowboy or an outlaw on the open desert. After taking an American Film class in junior college and analyzing the role of the cowboy in western films I was discomforted by how racist they were on screen and further ashamed with myself that I could have ever aspired to be a cowboy when I was younger. Cowboy actors like John Wayne romanticised the "heroic" killing of Native Americans and further reinforced stereotypes that these indigenous people were savage beasts who steal and raid towns and commit horrific acts like scalping and raping white women.
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