March 07, 2011

Taboo in Saturday Night Live

Last week's Saturday Night Live (airdate: 3/5/11) had a skit about two background members of the band Black Eyed Peas. Titled Our Time with Taboo and apl.de ap., it gave us a TV show supposedly highlighting their special qualities.



As you may recall from Black Eyed Pea is Shoshone, Taboo identifies himself thus:I'm a Mexican-American from east LA, and I'm Shoshone Native American, and I represent my Latino culture to the fullest. Everybody always mistakes me for Filipino or Japanese.The skit made fun of his uncertain ethnicity twice. When asked where he was from, Taboo (Andy Samberg) said he was from the Matrix. Later it showed him on the cover of Vaguely Asian magazine.

Alas, it didn't say anything about his being an Indian. I didn't expect it to, but it would've been nice. Instead, it was another case of omitting Indians from their place on the American scene.

For more on the subject, see Ute Drummer on Saturday Night Live and "Chippewa Word" in Saturday Night Live.

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