November 21, 2012

Tasteless Thanksgiving party promotions

‘Drink Like an Indian’ and 28 Other Tasteless Thanksgiving Party PromotionsThis isn’t the first time a party with that slogan has caused a stir—two years ago, the St. Paul, MN, bar Station 280 canceled its promotion after the following advertisement prompted dozens of angry phone calls:

Even when they don’t invite patrons to “drink like an Indian”, many flyers, advertisements and posters use imagery and innuendo many Natives find disturbing. Thanksgiving is a controversial holiday in Indian country, yet many bars and strip clubs see it as a time for revelry in sexualized Indian-maiden (or Indian-brave, if that’s your thing) costumes. A search of Facebook and Google found the following advertisements for events happening this year.
Some examples from the long list of offensive posters:

Woonsocket, RI: Rhode Island Dolls Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Party:



New York, NY: Splash Bar “Give Thanks!”:



Wayne, NJ: Lace Wayne Annual Thanksgiving Party:



For more on the subject, see Drink's "Sexy Pilgrim & Indian Party" and McFadden's "Drink Like a Indian" Party.

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