what kills me about these goddamn “why can’t i let my kids do racist shit and play NDN” posts is that you ALWAYS see people arguing that it’s just kids “using their imagination”
look, your kid didn’t just dream this shit up, they picked it up from somewhere. yet that’s the big defense - it’s imaginative play! where’s the harm in a little make-believe?
but that says it all. because to racists, native people aren’t even real people, they’re just figments of their kid’s imagination.
welp.
a few years ago a girl, probably 7 or 8, came into the shop where I worked and was asking about the jewelery and who made it. It was mostly Navajo and Hopi made. She asked us (myself an my Hopi coworker) what that meant, and we explained. Her response was, “Oh, I didn’t know that Indians still existed”. My coworker, “Yeah, I am one”. To this kid American Indians actually were make believe up until that moment.
I’d like to take a moment to remind everyone of this gem from Not Always Right ( http://notalwaysright.com/not-one-of-historys-mysteries/7038 ):
(I am helping a little boy find a children’s book on Native American history for a book report.)
Me: “I think this one will come in handy. It’s all about the different Native American tribes and traditions. It even includes a large map showing where the Native American tribes lived.”
Little Boy: “Thank you!”
(He walks away with his book and an adult customer approaches me.)
Customer: “Why did you do that?”
Me: “Do what?”
Customer: “Tell him those are real.”
Me: “Native Americans?”
Customer: “Yes!”
Me: “Because they are real.”
Customer: “No! They only exist in movies with cowboys!”
Me: “I can assure you that Native Americans exist.”
Customer: *mocking* “I suppose you believe cowboys really existed, too?”
Somewhere, there’s a photo of me as a kid, aged about five, dressing up as a Native American Indian, which means I’d stuck a peacock feather in my headband and was running around with a bow and arrow, making ‘woo woo!’ sounds by clapping my palm to my mouth. As an adult, I’m horrified by this, because clearly, it’s a stereotype I’d picked up from somewhere - most likely, I suspect, the Disney version of Peter Pan, because I honestly can’t think of many other places I’d have encountered that portrayal as an Australian child. And it chills me to think how many other prejudicial assumptions I picked up as a kid which are still lurking somewhere in my subconscious, whose origins I’ve long since forgotten, but which might still be influencing my behaviour.
I seriously don’t understand how anyone can defend Cowboys and Indians as harmless fun. I mean, fucking hell: it’s literally a reenactment of genocide. By children. Would you really feel that complacent if you came across a group of kids playing Holocaust?
(via karnythia)
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What the beeeeeeeeeep.
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WaitWHAT???? Is this real life? lol
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