My Weekly Checkup (#32)

It is 5 pm, I am sitting in the back of my minivan, parked at my youngest daughter's dance studio. The sun has disappeared beyond a thick piney wood, leaving behind a faint glow pierced by spiky black shapes. Lampposts have buzzed with life. Sounds of far off rush hour hum constantly, interrupted by the calls of migrating geese, and an occasional door slamming. My windows are halfway down, allowing the cool night air to carry in the scent of wet fall leaves.

I should be walking that near empty parking lot, listening to a podcast, while avoiding piles of goose shit. Or sitting in my car, viewing a YouTube video, allowing its sounds to offset those of the outside world. There would even be a chance that I could be curled up on the backseat, eyes closed, daydreaming.

Instead, I am typing away at my mini laptop, which glows like a bright harvest moon. It is enough to illuminate my keyboard, and my face, providing an eerie sight, I am sure, for the lady strolling back and forth talking to her cellphone.

What you are reading tonight, is what I am currently writing. I made the decision before I left for the studio. The two hours of waiting for my daughter to finish her dance class would be spent knocking out my Weekly Checkup. The majority of it anyway. I do not have internet access on this laptop, so I will have to add the links, and blogger formatting, later. That should not be a problem. We get home around 7:45. Getting my evening chores completed should not take more than thirty minutes. And tonight, I do not have to be anywhere else. A rare thing for me. Therefore, I should have plenty of time to make changes, find an image, and publish this post long before I have to go to bed.

[EDIT: It is now 8:30 pm, and I am all done.]

(An example of Native American ledger art. I remember seeing this art in one of the countless National Geographic magazines I devoured when I was a child. )

TL;DR: Stop putting people on pedestals. Admit when you are wrong. Be careful about accepting acquired knowledge as fact, especially when it easily aligns with your beliefs. Being wrong about one thing does not necessarily make everything else wrong. 

In 1973, during that year's Academy Awards ceremony, Sacheen Littlefeather, on behalf of Marlon Brando, presented a short speech. Mr. Brando had just won for Best Actor as Vito Corleone in the Godfather. He had decided beforehand to decline the award. Instead, he asked Ms. Littlefeather to present a six-page speech about the treatment of Native Americans by Hollywood and the US government. She obliged. In the end, she was allowed the usual sixty seconds. Her historical short speech would become legendary. 

People both booed and applauded her. And, according to Ms. Littlefeather, John Wayne had to be restrained backstage by a group of security guards. Her words had enraged him.

Having read enough of John Wayne's views on race and patriotism, I wanted to believe the story. And having read enough on the mistreatment of Native Americans, I believed it to be true.

Up until this week, I saw Sacheen Littlefeather as courageous and noble (just like John Wayne felt about most of his fictitious movie characters).

Well, like all historical events, especially the legendary ones, there are myths surrounding that fateful incident. One of them is John Wayne's reaction. Besides Ms. Littlefeather's account, only Marty Pasetta, that Oscar night's director, supported her version of events. However, his story has since been questioned. Other details, including video footage, further undermine the claim. Worse, Ms. Littlefeather's very identity as a Native American may be an elaborate lie. Which means I may need to reevaluate my opinion of her.

So, I need to admit I was wrong for believing that John Wayne had to be restrained during the speech. And acknowledge that my dislike for him made me susceptible to that belief. Also, I need to question my respect and praise for Sacheen Littlefeather as an icon of Native American struggles. Putting people on pedestals, and pushing them off them, will get you in trouble. 

I was wrong.

 

However, what I do not have to do is completely change my mind about John Wayne. He held racist views. That much is clear, from his own words. In addition, he willingly participated in the propagation of a mythology of cowboys, Indians, and the West that has hindered cultural and political progress in this country. Finally, his brand of patriotism is harmful. 

(Yes, I have facts to back all that up. Just read this lengthy interview with him. Someday I will write about the rest.)

Nor do I have to revise my knowledge concerning the mistreatment of Native Americans, just because a famous supporter of their rights may turn out to be a liar. People pretending to be Native American are not new.

(The struggles of Native Americans are well documented.)

Instead, what I have to do is admit I was wrong about a specific thing, reevaluate its place in a greater context, decide if anything else has to change, change what needs to be, leave what does not, and then move on.