Last month I went to Wilbur to deer hunt.  I wrote about this, but what I left out was a shock I received while there.

The two little girls and I were watching TV while the men worked on a deer a buddy had got.  I wasn’t paying much attention to the show; I was busy playing Zuma on my cell phone.  The only things I really noticed about it were that it was a black and white Shirley Temple movie and that her little voice was irritating to me.

After awhile I started hearing some of the things being said.  Particularly what caught my attention was the slow, stupid, caveman-like drawling that Hollywood has portrayed American Indians of having.  There, on the screen, was an “Indian” boy talking with Shirley Temple’s character. 

I’m not one of those minorities that uses my heritage as a crutch, nor do I use it as a propeller.  I’m just me.  I get what I want by working hard and setting goals.  If I fail I have no one but myself to blame and will try harder.  It’s never even been an issue.  This was the first time I ever felt anger as a minority.

So I’m watching this “classic” movie with my jaw on the ground and my eyes were unblinking.  I broke into laughter when the Indian boy said to Shirley “Squaw walk behind.”  Meaning, she had to walk behind him.  I found this hilarious because it was so inappropriate; she was maybe nine and he maybe 13.  A squaw is an American Indian woman or wife, neither of which Shirley was.

My instincts told me to turn the channel, but I was shocked into immobility by the amount of racism and ignorant assumptions being made towards American Indians.  I literally sat there glued to the couch in utter shock and disbelief.  And this is a classic, people.  The girls were barely paying attention to it anymore as they were busy coloring by now.

Rick came into the room and asked what I was watching.  I told him it was the most offensive movie I have ever seen.  While he passed through he said “Must be pretty bad then.”  It was.

Later there was a part where a man was soothing Shirley by telling her that Indians don’t know any better, that’s just the way they are and not to be mad at them.  How can they expect to be civil unless they are taught properly?  My mouth drops again.

Now I’m disgusted and just angry.  I’m sorry, but that was enough for me.  I don’t even know what the movie was called.  It was something to do with Canadian Mounties also.  In any event, it was the worst

What happened a long time ago was terrible.  As a society we have educated ourselves and though it still exists, racism is not as tolerated as it used to be.  People are not persecuting others because of gender, sexual preference, race or religious preference in the manner they did in the past.

We’ve got a long way to go still.  Hate crimes and narrow-mindedness are still out there.  At least the Catholics and the Protestants are not having at each other anymore.  At least cowboys aren’t out shooting Indians.  That could potentially be bad for me.