Being exposed to a constant discussion of the prejudice against American Indian culture in this country has really started to make it a more present topic of interest in my day to day life. You know those random times when someone points something out one day that you've never noticed before about your life but has always been there? It's kinda like that. I find myself noticing references to Native Americans and how they are apparently perceived in our society today. Some are offensive, some are intriguing, some are comical, and some are just confusing. They're everywhere; in contemporary literature and media representation, advertisements. For example, what do you think about this clip here. It's from the show How I Met Your Mother, and the fella Ted (the guy doing the rain dance) seeks out a former fling of his friend Barney (the guy making fun of him), who studies Native American culture at a University nearby. He hopes, that if she can teach him how to do a "real" rain dance, then he will darken the clouds stopping the love of his life from going on a camping trip with another guy and profess to her his undying love. Well, it's a sitcom, so yes he does in fact make it rain. While this could be misconstrued by the overly analytical (does posting this fall in that category?) as a misrepresentation of Native American culture, I don't believe it was. I think it's just a T.V. show. Ted, desperate with his emotions and dry of ideas, resorts to a cultural tradition outside of his own, something he's oblivious to and probably doesn't understand. However, its over simplicity may BE the cultural misrepresentation in itself. A lack of understanding only comes from the unwillingness to learn, and it's curious to think about why and more importantly how, such an exclusion of a fellow man can literally transcend time. So what do you think? Where's the line between harmless television sitcom and the discrimination of a rich indigenous heritage?
No comments:
Post a Comment