When you hear the word Indian or pirate, what first comes to mind? For me, when I hear Indian, I automatically think of Pocahontas, and Dances With Wolves. I think about feather headdresses and arrow-heads. I think of long black braided hair and people dancing around a fire somewhere in the Forrest. When I think of Pirate, I see Johnny Depp and Kiera Knightly and how beautiful and glamorous all pirates lives must have been, and how incredibly cool it would have been to be there and watch a real ship being attacked. Recently in class, we had a discussion about how two statues in downtown Chicago were of Sioux Indians, aiming a bow and an arrow at each other. The Indians both have feather crown headdresses on, like the ones we see in the movies and on TV. But in reality, the Sioux Indians never, ever wore headdresses like that. This really made me think about what we actually know about the past, and what we imagine about the past. I believe Hollywood has romanticized all of the things we watch and has changed perceptions on many people. In reality, Pirates were nothing more than savage killers who didn't care who they killed, as long as they got what they wanted. They raped and killed sailors and their families, yet all we think about is people walking the plank and awesome heroic sword fights. And Indians probably did not all talk to raccoons and hummingbirds. They also did not converse with talking willow trees and sing and fall in love with English settlers. They fought for their land and struggled to survive everyday by living off the land and animals. If you were to think about the Titanic right now, what would come into your mind? Let me guess, Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet? A love story that will become a classic for years to come? I'm betting that you didn't think of the 1500 people that died that night and how incredibly horrific that tragedy was for America? What do we really know about the past and historic events that hasn't been romanticised and changed to make a better story?
4 comments:
I really like this post because it gets me to think in other ways. However, it is very true that the Sioux do not wear head dresses all the time, but they do wear them for specific occasions. Still, I do agree that Hollywood has romanticized all important stories in our history to make it look like it has a more positive outcome. Whatever happened to tragedies in movies? It seems like the people movies in our day and age always end up happy. This is really not true in our history of wars and perilous times, so our hard times should be conveyed as hard times. Also, it is completely true of all people who have seen Pirates of the Carribbean to think of that movie when the word Pirate comes up. This post is very interesting.
Terrific post. This is why we need to ask those tough questions: why are there public statues of Indians? How are they depicted? What stories do they tell? What is at stake in the construction of these stories?
Keep reading imaginatively and questioning everything, Steph.
I agree with you that Hollywood has shifted many people views on different people and their cultures. Most little kids watch Disney movies when they are little, and for these movies to depict Indians for instance in a wrong way isn't right. A young child's brain is like plato as in it is easy to mold. These images shape their views on what an American Indian should look like, and it is evident in the fact that most of us think of extravagant warriors and headdresses when we think of Indians.
Steph,
I think this is a great connection to themes in our course. It also emphasizes why a constructivist approach is so empowering: you don't have to accept these commodified images of the past at face value. You can look at the primary sources yourself and make your own determination.
Certainly, Pocahontas never dated John Smith!
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