The cartoon shows several common stereotypes. Indians as warlike savages who wield knives, axes, and spears. The fat Indian chief. The headbands with feathers. The red and pink colors. And the Tonto talk.
For more on the subject, see The Basic Indian Stereotypes.
Thank you for the food for thought. Though I strongly believe that we should explore and understand the origins of stereotypes to remove their power I also believe that when we perpetuate them by constantly revisiting what was without creating the evolutionary line explaining what is we miss out on the opportunity to move forward and evolve. Perhaps it's a pie in the sky view but we manifest what we learn to believe and I would rather break barriers with positive reinforcement rather than negative reflections of who we are. Your site considers many things in the round. Thank you
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts, Simone.
ReplyDeleteI try to promote a positive view of Indians whenever they appear in the popular culture. But tens of thousands of organizations have programs and services that send a positive message about Indians. Not to mention all the books, newspapers, magazines, websites, and other forms of media out there.
My website is one of the few that analyzes the negative stereotypes still prevalent in our society. Until most Americans reject and repudiate these stereotypes, I'd say we need more of these analyses, not fewer. Therefore, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing.