Thursday, June 21, 2007
No Mirrors, Please, I Know I'm Already Beautiful
I talked with a friend recently whose dad is a Vietnam Vet. She told me that she believes the end of the war was the worst because military folks were given free reign to behave however they wanted. Many body parts were taken as war trophies off of our troops victims.
The term Redskins, as many of you know, was coined during the 1600's when bounty was collected from killing Indians and skin was peeled from their backs and tanned. It had a red tint to it, thus the name Redskins. During these good old days, Indian scrotums were used for tobacco pouches, scalps for bounties and decorations, labia for saddle horn and had decorations, skin for reins and razor straps, etc.
The more I think of Sherman Alexie's new book, "Flight," the less I like it. In it, he describes how, at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, the Indians were mutilating the soldiers after the battle. His character was disgusted by it, but Sherman gave absolutely no context. He made no mention of how the wonderful white folks treated Indians. How Indians knew their survival as a distinct group was on the line because the white folks wanted to slaughter every last one of us. How the white folks wanted to slaughter every last Indian so wealthy white folks could make more money.
My whole life, I have faced racism. Some overt, but mostly institutional. I, as an Indian, am supposed to fit in a certain type of box which is usually one of two major categories: an alcoholic, or entertainment for white folks. Since I am neither of these things, and since I stand up to the white society that tries to narrowly define my humanity through my race, and since I call folks on this style of racism, I make a lot of people, "uncomfortable." I beat on whitey with my words because what they do to me and so many others, not just Indians, is wrong.
However, since I call whitey: whitey, cracker, and peckerwood, whitey starts calling Me or whatever person of color calls them out, the racists. Since we've become the racists, they consider themsleves to no longer be the racists and no longer have to examine their ideals of race, supremacy, privilege, etc. They use this (and many other things) to justify their behavior without examination.
Like with the horrific mutilations, racism doesn't stop. Bounties take different form in the wars currently going on. People on the defense, desiring survival in any form are instantly demonized for whatever they do, and white folks no longer have to examine their own behavior because since their victims are doing it for survival's sake, in their minds, it justifies their behavior. No examination is necessary.
This nation has a horrific history. Genocide of Indians. Subjegation of the poor. Systematic abuse and oppression of women. Child labor practices. Poor health care. Brutal apartheid of blacks. Wage slave labor of Chinese and Irish. Colonization. Occupation. Racism. Sexism. The list goes on and on, and oddly, all of this horrific SHIT has a name...Freedom!
The term Redskins, as many of you know, was coined during the 1600's when bounty was collected from killing Indians and skin was peeled from their backs and tanned. It had a red tint to it, thus the name Redskins. During these good old days, Indian scrotums were used for tobacco pouches, scalps for bounties and decorations, labia for saddle horn and had decorations, skin for reins and razor straps, etc.
The more I think of Sherman Alexie's new book, "Flight," the less I like it. In it, he describes how, at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, the Indians were mutilating the soldiers after the battle. His character was disgusted by it, but Sherman gave absolutely no context. He made no mention of how the wonderful white folks treated Indians. How Indians knew their survival as a distinct group was on the line because the white folks wanted to slaughter every last one of us. How the white folks wanted to slaughter every last Indian so wealthy white folks could make more money.
My whole life, I have faced racism. Some overt, but mostly institutional. I, as an Indian, am supposed to fit in a certain type of box which is usually one of two major categories: an alcoholic, or entertainment for white folks. Since I am neither of these things, and since I stand up to the white society that tries to narrowly define my humanity through my race, and since I call folks on this style of racism, I make a lot of people, "uncomfortable." I beat on whitey with my words because what they do to me and so many others, not just Indians, is wrong.
However, since I call whitey: whitey, cracker, and peckerwood, whitey starts calling Me or whatever person of color calls them out, the racists. Since we've become the racists, they consider themsleves to no longer be the racists and no longer have to examine their ideals of race, supremacy, privilege, etc. They use this (and many other things) to justify their behavior without examination.
Like with the horrific mutilations, racism doesn't stop. Bounties take different form in the wars currently going on. People on the defense, desiring survival in any form are instantly demonized for whatever they do, and white folks no longer have to examine their own behavior because since their victims are doing it for survival's sake, in their minds, it justifies their behavior. No examination is necessary.
This nation has a horrific history. Genocide of Indians. Subjegation of the poor. Systematic abuse and oppression of women. Child labor practices. Poor health care. Brutal apartheid of blacks. Wage slave labor of Chinese and Irish. Colonization. Occupation. Racism. Sexism. The list goes on and on, and oddly, all of this horrific SHIT has a name...Freedom!
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