Why people don't care about Indians

A column on Mayor Bloomberg's recent anti-Indian remarks:

Apathy in Indian Country Cuts Both Ways

By Harold A. MonteauThe apathy about which Nation Representative Halbritter wrote is not just about the lack of tribal response to a public official who uses his bully pulpit to invoke racist Indian stereotypes to “dehumanize” a minority population so that “victimization” of the minority is acceptable. The underlying goal of “restricting commerce rights of tribes” is rendered acceptable to the public by a campaign to portray Indians as savages that need to come to heel or be annihilated. Members of Congress and the Administration depend on our apathy when they pass into law measures that restrict our sovereign rights. The “dehumanization” tactic is something that has been practiced from time immemorial and was inflicted upon the Jews during WWII and continued currently by the leadership of Radical Islam. It is meant to create apathy so that when the person(s) seeking to victimize the minority takes action, usually under color of law, there is no outcry, especially if the action only effects a mundane subject, like taxation. However, the action regarding the mundane subject is usually part of a series of incremental activities that cumulate in a larger wide-spread victimization of the minority target. Eventually, more and more harmful actions can be taken against the “de-humanized” minority. This is especially true if the aforementioned campaign succeeds in painting the minority as evil, greedy, dirty, sub-human and so unworthy of any consideration that society would be better if they cease to exist. This should all sound very familiar to any Jewish person, including Mayor Bloomberg.Comment:  This passage is a bit hard to follow, but the basic point is one I've made many times. Namely, that negative stereotyping leads to real-world consequences. By treating Indians and other minorities as less than full-fledged Americans, people can ignore them and their problems. When politicians do this with budgets, laws, and court rulings, the harm is palpable.

There's no demand for justice because we've painted minorities as greedy, evil savages who don't deserve human consideration. "They" want our money, jobs, even our very freedom, we tell each other. Healthcare reform, illegal immigration, and mosque building are all part of "their" insidious plans to turn the US into a Mexican/Kenyan/Muslim/socialist/communist state.

This is the message people are sending every time they cheer an Indian mascot or wear a hipster headdress. "Indians are people of the past! We conquered them! We're part of the white power structure and you're not! We 'honor' you by publicly showcasing our superiority!"

For more on the subject, see Obama Fights Negative Stereotypes and Bigots Protest Brown-Skins on 9/11.

Below:  "We can pretend to be savage Indians because we're civilized white people!"