December 22, 2006

Apocalypto actors had no choice?

Give Actors a Break. It’s Not Selling Out, it’s a JobApocalypto star Rudy Youngblood, the young Comanche-Yaqui from Texas, went from being an unknown grass-dancer before his first real acting job catapulted him to the red carpets. I don’t know about you, but I’m happy for Rudy and I certainly don’t expect him to lecture Mel Gibson or Touchstone Pictures about their lack of cultural sensitivity.

What I’m getting to, in a rather roundabout way, is that it comes down to power. Actors, most actors, especially NATIVE actors, well, they don’t have much. Power, that is. The studios, the moguls, the big boys—they have lots and lots of power. This is what you call a disconnect.

This disconnect makes it virtually impossible for someone like Rudy Youngblood to fall on his sword for the cause and have it matter much at all, except to Rudy, who’d be committing career suicide. Explain to me—what good would come of that other than to quell the opportunities of a promising young talent?

7 comments:

Rob said...

Be sure to see the comments at the end of the posting on NativeVue.org. And join in the debate.

Anonymous said...

I double-checked, Russ, and Rudy is indeed Yaqui-Comanche. He has been "adopted" into the Cree culture, but wasn't born into it. Check out his website for more info:www.rudyyoungblood.com

Merry Christmas!

Rob said...

Sure there's a debate. Go back and watch Antigone if you think a person without power has to obey others. In case you haven't heard, the Nuremberg excuse--"I was just following orders"--is no longer acceptable, if it ever was. There's always an alternative to doing the wrong thing.

I'm not sure what "topics are made to lose the number of comments each one produced, if any" means. Every comment that isn't a duplicate or a mistake is still online. Click on the link for an archive, find an item with comments, and click on the word "Comments." The comments will appear.

If you have any actual knowledge of the Maya, you're keeping it to yourself. For the most part, you've been parroting Mel Gibson's version of the Maya, which--as I've shown--is false. If you have any evidence from years or minutes ago, please provide it. Your opinion that you know more than such experts as Julia Guernsey, Zachary X. Hruby, and Marcello A. Canuto isn't worth the screen it's written on.

The NY Times and other sources recently reported on a 3,000-year-old slab of unknown Olmec writing. Is that what you're referring to? Since I had read the NYT article, I was able to look it up in 15 seconds--no sweat.

Since this is a new find, it's not something you or anyone has known since Mel Gibson was in junior high. Here's a link so people can read about it for themselves:

http://anthropology.net/tags/writing

You see, I provide sources for my claims. You might want to try it sometime. It's one way to look as if you know what you're talking about.

I'd say the last refuge of a coward is to claim something without justifying it. I've quoted several experts on the Maya to support my arguments--which is several more than you've quoted, since you've quoted zero. That's why I'm winning the debates while you're pontificating about my debating style. Your postings are beginning to look like a case of "Those who can't so something, teach."

Anonymous said...

Boys, boys! It's CHRISTMAS. Good cheer. Peace on earth...

Okay. Enough. Back to my cookies:)

Rob said...

So to summarize, we have no evidence that Apocalypto is anything but a complete fabrication and no evidence that my citation on the oldest Mesoamerican writing was wrong. So noted.

As for "Thus, no one gets any of that for free and they'll have to pay to read the stories to learn such for themselves," I wonder what you call that debate technique. Does "running away" or "giving up" sound about right?

I'd say you're already writing great fiction in this blog, Russ. That the Maya were bloodthirsty killers and the "Anasazi" weren't the Ancestral Puebloans are excellent fantasies.

almataina117 said...

Actors risk their live making movies for all of us and if somebody take the time to realise that making a movie is not that easy than seat in front of a coputer and make comments about the movie or the actors that make the movie is easy for those who does't have nothing better to do than say bad thing about somebody that is trying to do something better for his future. Rudy Youngblood I think make a wonderfull job in this movie, he was making a job Mel Gibson find him he wasn't looking to harm any body.This gentleman call red eagle or whatever his name,he is trying to get something out of this. He is the only person who have said things about this actor (Rudy Youngblood)I don't know why but maybe beacuse he dont have nothing to give in his name. He said that he is so proclaimed to be a Comanche I dont know why because when you look at him the only thing that you see is a white dude with a couple of feathers. He said that his ancestor is a Comanche that in the History of the United States saids that this person was responsable for betrayed his own people and because of that a lot of Indian Americans died that days because a bad decision that he make.If I am wrong saying this I am going to stop reading books and I am sorry if this information is not truth but everything that I read said that what im saying is truth but if this man want to said something and explain something my web site is www.alma534@yahoo.com you can write me what ever you want. Buy the way this person have to stop looking at the tv and then seating in a chair in front of a computer and start to write thing about the miss world event saying that the participants are not good enought for the contest, yesterday I was trying to get more information about Rudy Youngblood and I went to this web site of this guy that I was writing about before and he was saying this stuped things about the Miss World I have no idea why he take time to talk about this things because this is not a mayor problem that right know is affecting us, but he find the time to write something bad about this, he needs to spend more time out of the computer and trying to do something better for him and his family. He got some issues that he have to deal with if somebody knows him this is the white dude that said he is Comanche please let him know that I write this for him please. I think that Rudy Youngblood looks more indian than he does. The Native Americans are people that are so powerful,they are like gods in earth thats what I think about them.Life it so short and people waist their time saying bad things about others that is crazy please if you have the tool for other to see be constructive be carefull of what you said because in one way or another it come back right at you. And the last thing,anybody who born in the Americas are Indians decendents in one way or another. Who knows for sure theres a long way since this happend maybe theres more Indian Americans that we think....

Rob said...

You're referring to David Yeagley, aka "Bad Eagle." You can read all about him at Yeagley the Indian Apple.