Thinking more about American Indians in the Media

I'm currently watching "Roberta" with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The opening scene includes a joke about American Indians. Fred Astaire plays a member of the "Indianians" of Wabash, a traveling music troupe. The troupe's name causes confusion for a Parisian man who is looking for a group of American Indian performers he has booked for a show. The man asks Fred Astaire's character if he is one of the Indians. Mr. Astaire's character jokes that his is but that he only wears his "feathers in warm weather."

This comment about feathers is, of course, a stereotype of American Indian culture. Anthropologists who study tribes have proven that feathered garb depends on status and occasion in order to be worn. Granted, I should consider the time in which this movie was made, the 1930s, in order to excuse the stereotype. However, living in the 21st century, I have a hard time hearing such ignorant statements. It disappoints me, especially since I enjoy Fred Astaire movies!

Full Circle

In my Media Ethics class last Tuesday, a student made an interesting point about the Native American presence in the United States today. She said that many Americans abide by the ethic that handouts are unacceptable and indicate laziness and lack of integrity. A lot of Americans subscribe to this mentality because of the history of the nation itself. Colonial Americans worked tirelessly, in terms of both manual labor and politics, to establish their identity as revolutionaries, settlers, and Americans.

The question remains, Where do Native Americans belong in this capacity? Hundreds of tribes flourished for centuries before the colonists arrived. We do not need to be reminded of the atrocities suffered as white colonists pillaged the land of the established tribes. After being forced to live on reservations, tribal members struggled to reorient themselves in society. This included taking work in urban, industrial settings which were virtually unknown to them.

The work ethic of many Native Americans differs from that of white Americans. Historical evidence of tribal structure shows different emphases on time and cooperative work effort from the emphases white workers exemplify in industrial settings. Stereotypes abound of Native Americans being lazy and tardy in the workplace. These stereotypes emerged simply from ignorant interpretation of tribal culture. Moreover, being thrust into the white design of the workplace proved problematic not only for cultural reasons but also for personal issues of pride. Why should Native Americans be forced into jobs just to alleviate the guilt of whites who disrupted the tribal work ethic? This urban job landscape provided financial gain for tribal members, but at what cost? The Native workers took jobs to support themselves but may not have liked the type of work they did. They are accepting handouts, in a sense, from whites who intruded upon their culture centuries before.

Are the handouts justified, or are they just another oversimplification of penance for the mistreatment of America's first people?

Stereotypes

A few weeks ago, I discovered a blog called stuffwhitepeoplelike.com. I found it quite funny because I didn't get offended by the contents of the list. However, when I showed it the guy I'm dating, he laughed because he says the portrayal is true and that I fit many of the categories. He is Mexican-American. I don't look at him that way, though. He is just Armando to me.

What gave me pause is the fact that I tease Armano constantly about "being white." I call him "white" because he is a graduate of Texas A&M University, drives an SUV, shops at Hollister, and watches "The Office." Of course, I'm being ridiculous in my stereotypes. People of any race or ethnic background can do any of these things. I realized that I buy into stereotypes of "whiteness" by labeling the above behaviors as those demonstrated by whites. I tease Armando about being "whiter" than I am because, despite our appearances, he exemplifies the traits of white people more than I do. Of course, I'm only joking in this assessment. People should be able to act as they please and not be labeled accordingly.

What is it to "act black" or "act white"? Why do we need to stereotype behavior? I suppose that in certain instances, it saves time, but it often incorrectly characterizes people.