November 03, 2014

Native history museum in The Simpsons

Sunday's episode of The Simpsons had the following plot:An Assemblywoman brought in by Lisa to stop Mr. Burns' fracking operation ends up falling for him as much as he does for her.Some detailed plot reviews:

Worldly Distractions: The Simpsons 26.5–Opposites A-Frack

The Simpsons: Opposites A-Frack Review

When Burns spurns his paramour to prevent heartache, he finds his mansion under attack:BURNS: Killdozers.

BURNS: Whatever are you doing, man?!

WORKER: We're tearing down this place and putting up a recycling center/Native American history museum/condor sanctuary. (screeching)

BURNS: Hmm. A project this bloated and ill-thought out could only be the work of an angry liberal.

BURNS: (gasps) Maxine!
Unfortunately, the museum line was accompanied by a shot of half a dozen Indians: a half-naked Plains chief and his warriors. Needless to say, Indians don't look like that these days. Even at the opening of a Native history museum, they'd be dressed in suits and ties.

You might see these outdated outfits at a German "hobbyist" gathering, where they love stereotypical traditional Indians. But in the US, about the only place you'd see a group like that is in a Western movie production. Indians simply don't dress like that anymore.

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