Quote:
Originally Posted by indianprincess
I think the real issue is that Native Americans aren't really American, nor are Indian leaders a part of the country's heroic narrative. Clearly, Geronimo was an obstacle for American freedom and had to be taken down for The Good of USA. Perfectly good reason for his wretched Un-American name to bless this operation.
I'm pretty sure the codename could have been "Lincoln" or "Martin Luther". (other famous assassinations).It's just a name.
I also like the idea that there is no more Native American history, are they all dead? Is this the case in the states and they're only alive in Canada and Mexico, Central and South America? Hmmm. Jesus, who have I been talking to, just a bunch of white men in redface?
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Native Americans, like Mexicans (my people) are conquered peoples. While I agree that our heroes and our history are important, I'd also like to point out that we live in a unique time that we can even have that. In general, conquered people get shit if they even get their lives. Heroes to the people they fought for, like Geronimo, are not heroes to the people they fought against. If he had been code named Poncho Villa, I would have understood. To America, the hero that my dad told me stories about, that I believed was a champion, was a terrorist.
I agree that Native American heroes need to be more in the consciousness of our country, and that guy who complained is going to get a lot more funding to do so. I only said it was retarded because it feels like media mongering-going for the biggest score at the most opportune time.
To bring an example of something I'm more experienced with,
MECHA does the same thing. If some congressman says "beaner" to his wife and their friends in private company, they freak fucking out. But if ordinary Chicanos are experiencing direct racial profiling and police brutality, there's nothing they can do. There's no money in defending the people.
It's not like I objected to the holocaust center at my college either, in fact I'm proud to have gone to a college that hosted that kind of historical research. I'm only saying that people don't just shell out for minority research on a whim, they have to think that there's a reason, and "history should be preserved" is not a reason. "Racism in this specific instance is a direct threat to you and all you believe and hold dear" is a really good reason.