NCRSM website
After viewing the NCRSM website and conducting a research of my own, I believe that an Indian image should not be used as a mascot because it has the tendency to escalate racial stereotyping and eventually demean their native rituals and traditions. Notably, using Indian as mascots result in creation of historically inaccurate images of the Indians which are stereotypical and which interfere with leaning about them by creating an oversimplified view and perception of the indigenous people cultures. In this regard, in a situation where mascot’s stereotypes are taken as factual information, they contribute to massive cultural prejudices and biases. Many people tend to confuse prejudice with inclusivity and diversity.
In regard to the “Crying Indian” commercial, the traditional images of Indians is harmful in that it presents the Indians as people who are not progressive and this by itself result in prejudice and stereotyping. The image dilutes the complexity of the Indian culture and it has the tendency to endorse stereotype of the minority group. Notably, exposure to stereotyping has been quoted by many sociologists to contribute to issues facing the Native Americans including poverty, unemployment and suicide. The traditional images presented in the commercial is a breach of civil rights and it should not be allowed.
Question 2
The Australian Prime Minister and the Parliament apologized for the indignity, degradation and discrimination extended to the indigenous people in the country. For a long time, the indigenous people have been denied their rights and impoverished. To the extreme, their children have been taken away from them, a factor that is not only unacceptable but inhumane. The Prime minister apologized for the pain and hurt of the stolen generations who were uprooted from their generation. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The apology was received positively as it was historical and it represented the turning point for the way the Austrian people were treated. Most importantly, the closing the gap strategy was upheld which was aimed at reducing the gap between the Black and the White people in the country. It was a moment of reconciliation that many people hand waited for long and the apology made many to shed tears of joy and relieve.
I think the US government should also apologize to the American Indians due to the historical injustice that many of them have since the White settler set foot in the country. They have not only been lipped of their ancestral land but there are victim of racial stereotyping, discrimination and marginalization. An apology will play a central role in healing the social injustices that the Indians have received in the course of history.
Question 3
The 1969 occupation of Alcatraz occurred because of the claim by Indians that all government retired, abandoned and out of use lands in USA should be returned to the native people. This notion was in accordance with the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868). The significance of Alcatraz to the American Indian struggle was that it marked the beginning of the journey towards the fight for equal civil rights for all Americans. It was a cue point that was aimed at illuminating the nature of discrimination that was extended to the natives. The central contribution that the occupation made is that it acted as an eye opener to most of the citizens on the direction that the country should take on the issues of racism and discrimination.
References
1969 Occupation of Alcatraz and the Alcatraz Proclamation. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.nativevillage.org/Inspiration-/Occupation%20of%20Alcatraz%20and%20the%20Alcatraz%20Proclamation%20alcatraz_proclamation.htm
Debate on the Rock: The American Indian Occupation of Alcatraz. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkRPZYV3DhU
Goverment Eugenics Program. (2008). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_uO8fW5dsQ
National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media. (2008). National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media. Retrieved from http://www.aimovement.org/ncrsm/
The Crying Indian – full commercial – Keep America Beautiful. (2007). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OHG7tHrNM