All about me
Rob Schmidt’s Super MissionIt seems an unlikely path for a comic book aficionado with college degrees in math and library science. Especially a non-Native comic book aficionado with college degrees in math and library science. But Rob Schmidt isn’t like most non-Native comic book aficionados with college degrees in math and library science, and not just because he was born and raised in southern California, which we won’t hold against him.
Rob Schmidt—yep, the same Rob Schmidt whose blog, Newspaper Rock, we carry in NativeVue—he’s a missionary of sorts, or maybe in keeping with his focus, a superhero. His mission, quite simply, is to dispel stereotypes of Native Americans in mainstream society; to shine a light wherever he discovers yet another example reinforcing the image of Indians as relics, spiritual icons or hapless victims. How and why makes what he does all the more remarkable.
7 comments:
don't let it go to your head, big guy...;)
Writerfella here --
Yeah, especially the parts that say that a culture of 'inquisitiveness' somehow is bad, and that the natives in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST were "Indians". Not so by a knowledgeable and a nautical mile!
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Writerfella here --
Sorry about that last post, but it was a quick rewrite of the one writerfella lost when his cat stepped on the off switch of the surge protector under the desk. Now that he reads it again, it should have said, "Yeah, especially the parts that say a culture of 'inquisitiveness' somehow is bad, and that there still were island Natives surviving to the time of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST. Not so by a knowledgeable and a nautical mile"
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
The Indians of the Caribbean managed to survive, perhaps as slaves on Spanish estates, because their descendants are alive today. In fact, they led some of the protests against Pirates.
"Inquisitiveness" was a typo. The word should have been "acquisitiveness."
If anyone cares, I have an MBA too, and it also contributes to my work.
Writerfella here --
Which ones, then? The Caribe, the Lucayans, the Tainos, or whom? And were any of the above or others known to have been cannibals? writerfella says not, and so the movie made up its Natives that likely never existed at all. They are as much FICTION as was the movie itself...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Writerfella here --
Oops, cat again. She is in heat and stays by writerfella's side quite closely. A Master's in Business Administration is to be respected, but mostly by the Bush Administration, specifically if it is related to the oil industry or Native American Gaming. Guess which?
Thirty years ago, writerfella made up his own version of astrological signs: Tortoise, Femini, Chancre, Oleo, Vertigo, Zebra, Warpio, Skagittarius, Taciturn, Acquirius, Feces, and Rabies. The commonality for Acquirius was that, whatever new technology comes into existence, those born under that sign must have one before anyone else, even if they don't know how it works. So, a culture of 'acquisitiveness' means they must have it, even if they don't know how it works. Oddly, the parody still holds true!
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
The Taino and Carib Indians still exist. I don't know about the Lucayans.
"Cannibal" is supposedly derived from "Carib," but the Spanish exaggerated or made up their stories about the Carib being cannibals. I covered this point in Cannibals of the Caribbean, which you can read.
Anyway, the movie conflated the real and fictional Indians by not distinguishing between them. And as we've already established, the context doesn't matter when it comes to stereotyping. A fiction-based stereotype is just as harmful as a reality-based stereotype.
An MBA is also useful if you're trying to run a small business. I'm doing that by assisting with PECHANGA.net and operating my own Blue Corn Comics.
By the way, I'm an Aquarius, but I don't covet the latest gadgets and gizmos. I'm a middle-of-the pack adopter when it comes to technology.
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