tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post3378034788166875225..comments2024-03-22T20:34:13.792-05:00Comments on Indomitable | The online home of Chauncey DeVega: Racism Chasing? Native American Group Wants Apology for U.S. Military's Use of "Geronimo" as a Code Name for Bin LadenLady Zora, Chauncey DeVega, and Gordon Gartrellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138154899923808806noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-4618746058445369952011-05-09T02:07:31.558-05:002011-05-09T02:07:31.558-05:00I have to weigh in with Daniel here. As someone wi...I have to weigh in with Daniel here. As someone with that legendary 1/5+ "Native American" DNA, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean, I certainly see where people are offended by the use of Geronimo the historical figure and pop culture/celebrity figure, by the Obama administration.<br /><br />Now, with MY luck, that 1/5+ is probably 7/8 Klamath and 1/8 Menominee, both terminated tribes. Or, it's all Cherokee Nation, one of the most reactionary tribes, politically, in the country. <br /><br />Indians do not always see us Blacks as automatic allies in struggle, as we often view them. Anyone with Cherokee Nation, Creek or Black Seminole heritage and dealing with those tribe's current policies of kicking out the Blacks and everyone else without a certain real or perceived blood quantum, can attest to this. And hey, the hardliners are right; as far as some are concerned, we're part of the oppresor's scheme, and some people will drop the words "Buffalo soldiers" just as quick as some of us will cry "Cherokee slaveholders". <br /><br />One would think with similar issues as us re: education, health/access to healthcare, jobs, and conditions on the rez, ndens have a lot more to worry about than code words used by the admin to mark their targets. But who among us is anyone to tell them what they should and should not be the most concerned about.Oh Craphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08569760594341619659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-26228272955290545442011-05-05T19:20:07.944-05:002011-05-05T19:20:07.944-05:00Thanks, Thrasher.
And agreed, CDV. But as you ob...Thanks, Thrasher.<br /><br />And agreed, CDV. But as you obviously document on this blog, terminology matters. Naming is powerful, so I always try to be extra conscious/careful, perhaps too much so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-32914538670874021052011-05-05T18:01:35.224-05:002011-05-05T18:01:35.224-05:00Just a phrase brother. We don't play the p.c. ...Just a phrase brother. We don't play the p.c. silliness game here as the diminishes us all for when real talk is necessary we can't engage in it, moreover, racism chasing over silliness is a chicken little game--and there are real wolves out there.chaunceydevegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09652406326490873337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-54900905264634886742011-05-05T08:59:44.896-05:002011-05-05T08:59:44.896-05:00Forgive my stupidity of referring to someone as a&...Forgive my stupidity of referring to someone as a"black villain" on this blog of all places.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-14633366251426784442011-05-05T08:41:53.847-05:002011-05-05T08:41:53.847-05:00Daniel,
Good InsightDaniel, <br /><br />Good InsightPlane Ideas https://www.blogger.com/profile/13838821721942426785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-72087321255187991962011-05-05T06:59:26.422-05:002011-05-05T06:59:26.422-05:00I do some work on Native American health inequitie...I do some work on Native American health inequities, so you can probably guess where I am going to come down on this. Of course it is insulting and derogatory, but really, one has to recall that Andrew Jackson is on the $20 bill. Sometimes when I teach on this subject, we talk about Jackson's history with First Peoples in the U.S.<br /><br />Though he's a complex figure, and it's not a good idea to paint him merely as a black villain, we work on understanding how, given this history, Native Americans are likely to perceive him. And then I quietly ask them to consider what it might feel like to exchange currency every single day that honors the man with a portrait.<br /><br />The point is there is really nothing surprising about the insult here. Every time I engage in some kind of public policy endeavor with NA/AI communities, I walk out in tears, just because of the enormity of what we, of what White America, not just HAS done, but is still doing.<br /><br />We could of course start by trying to tone down the insults and structural stigma, but given that the latter flows from deeply rooted histories of oppression and prejudice, it's not surprising that we often fail even that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-38212291214044198982011-05-04T19:25:07.750-05:002011-05-04T19:25:07.750-05:00I was actually trying to figure out whether "...I was actually trying to figure out whether "Geronimo" was used for "mission accomplished" or as a code name for Bin Laden. From some angles, it doesn't matter, but if it was referring to the commandos rather than the target, it does have a different feel. <br /><br />But I still don't think Geronimo should be thrown around. When I was a child (in the 1950s and 1960s) we would yell "Geronimo" when jumping in the pool. It meant sort of "here I go." I consider that use to have been ignorant -- we literally did not understand what we were saying, although I'm sure I knew that it was the name of an "Indian." Ignorance excuses children and even possibly ignorant adults, but not a society which fosters the ignorance.olderwomanhttp://sociologicalconfessions.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-69032256168622776612011-05-04T18:35:53.192-05:002011-05-04T18:35:53.192-05:00Aside from everyone in America feeling entitled to...Aside from everyone in America feeling entitled to a personal soapbox, perhaps they will reclaim the use of Geronimo. I am part Native American (like all Hot Chocolate from the Midewest ; ) and find it charming. Geronimo was a great leader and well-respected by his people. Naming the mission Geronimo means that someone felt a very specific focus and strong warrior spirit was needed. To me, it looks as an honor, but I'm strangely healthy and well-adjusted.Vesuvian Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062107777688049616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-12475258856812926382011-05-04T18:16:09.738-05:002011-05-04T18:16:09.738-05:00I don't like when a nonblack person tells me w...I don't like when a nonblack person tells me what I should and should not be offended by. I think it is up to that group to decide what's offensive to them. America has a history of treating their leaders like mascots.Henri B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00892218291117471971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-91537206784043317102011-05-04T17:08:45.392-05:002011-05-04T17:08:45.392-05:00I vote with the Apaches. This bothered me when I h...I vote with the Apaches. This bothered me when I heard it the first time. There are three possibilities, all bad. The least bad is sheer ignorance: the use of Geronimo as a rallying cry in an attack is so common that people don't even know where it comes from. This seems to be what people are implying with the "random" argument. But that just begs the question of why Geronimo's name was even in a pool of "random" names? <br />Another possibility is that you know Geronimo was the last Native American to hold out in violent resistance to the invading Euro-Americans who forcibly conquered and subjected them, and you mean to equate Bin Laden with him and the US with the conquerors -- not exactly what the US is trying to convey in this action, I don't think. <br />The third possibility is such extreme Euro-American-centrism that the only view you have of Geronimo is from the point of view of the invaders, for whom he was a frightening symbol of Native resistance.olderwomanhttp://sociologicalconfessions.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-60984792356234672422011-05-04T17:00:26.231-05:002011-05-04T17:00:26.231-05:00I affirm and support Native Americans in this prot...I affirm and support Native Americans in this protest and any other activities they seek to purse regarding thier heritage and cultural dna..<br /><br />There is nothing trival about a people seeking to thier humanity especially here in America given they suffered one of the two domestic holocausts on thier soil we now know as America..<br /><br />Of course they don't need my permission nor consent for anything ..As a Black man in America I would never get in their way as they pursue whatever/whenever/however/whereverPlane Ideas https://www.blogger.com/profile/13838821721942426785noreply@blogger.com