11.19.2007

Fabricating Family Ties


Peace!

Today’s mathematics is “knowledge born”. I can’t help but think about ideas and how the are filtered into our lives. So many times do we exhibit a word or action that is a directive offspring of an idea that was planted in us mentally. Often we never know exactly when the point of contact was. It wouldn’t surprise one to learn that a lot of what and how we think is obtained through the “tell lie vision”. Now, I am a proponent for educational and enjoyable television, most of all “responsible” television. And in many ways, despite how we may think or feel about television in our society, it is truly a reflection of the mind state of the people and definitely of the U.S. government. After all, the government has used television programs and in particular, children’s programming, to orientation and indoctrinate our youth into the establishment’s “ideal” of “American values”.

Unbeknownst to many of us, this is actually the origin or our beloved comic book heroes such as Superman and Batman. They play a large role in transmitting the American worldview to masses of children during the 1930’s and 1940’s. It was very prevalent during the 1940’s with the introduction of “Captain America” who would be seen kickin’ Hitler in the crotch or battling “snarling, fanged” Japanese soldiers. It has continued straight through to my generation with cartoons like G.I. Joe and Transformers.

I have always been one to say that I thought cartoons were more for adults than children. After all, years later, I got a lot more of the jokes. As a child, I was more intrigued by the animation in and of itself. Going back and watching a lot of cartoons and television shows I knew throughout my youth revealed to me a lot more about myself and in particular where I may have adopted certain phrases, words, and mannerisms etc. I spent a lot of time watching television in my life.

They continue to teach the 85% daily…..” -13th degree, Lost Found Muslim Lesson No. 2

It was one day last week when my Queen and I sat down to enjoy an evening of the “idiot box” and one of our favorite shows, “The Simpsons”. This episode “Little Big Girl”struck a cord in me so much that I couldn’t really laugh. All I could do was to sit and do the knowledge and unravel the politics behind the animation. It seems to have been an episode most fitting for the month of November, considering Europeans and their fascination with the mythical feast of “Thanksgiving”.

However, in the episode Lisa was to do a report on her family lineage and heritage. Considering that the show “The Simpsons” is based on a “poor white trash” family, one could only expect that they hadn’t any sense of who they were. After discovering that her family had no real heritage and nothing that was admirable or respectable enough to present in her class, Lisa decided to concoct a lie about her great-great-great grandmother having been a Native American. And specifically the “Hitachi” tribe, a name she obviously pulled from her microwave. She gave a long speech of falsehoods before her school, seeking a good grade, only to be awarded by being asked to give her presentation before a larger multi-ethnic public audience. And she did, receiving accolades from those who knew nothing of the First Nations. Lisa eventually became overrun by guilt and the lies she was perpetrated only to break down before an audience of Native Americans.

What was interesting was how the ideas interwoven into the episode represented a double edged sword. On one hand, one could interpret this as non-Original peoples, that is, white peoples and the lies that have been perpetrated by those amongst them claiming to have Native ancestry into order to:

1) Receive federal monies by being on a tribal roster.
2) Claim some authority or right to be here in North America. I.E. a “real” American.

It is no secret that many whites showed up in droves claiming Native Ancestry once the U.S. government and the Bureau of Indian Affairs established the blood quantum and the policy of handing out land and money to individuals as opposed to groups. This happened in the late 1800’s. It isn’t a surprise that many tend to identify with Native peoples whenever they feel really nostalgic about American history. They justify their right to live on this land and due what they will to it and with it since they have strove to internal the “spirit” of Native Americans. Like when biker’s cruise on Harley’s with a chief or some feathers tattooed on their arms. Another sight is the really “spiritual” white people who attempt to harness the Native energy because it complements their back to nature-neo-hippie-mocha latte mantra- world view. When really, if they had the true knowledge of themselves and of the truth, they would delve deeper into studies of people such as the Druids of the Celtics in Europe and the sciences they practiced and how they were very environmentally conscious.

The other side of the sword, would be the assumption that the episode portrayed not just a confused white person, but in a way, making a mockery of anyone who attempts to reclaim their Native ancestry. And the most contemporary example would be us so-called Latin Americans. Making knowledge born or making known who we are is simply brushed off by main stream white America and viewed as a fledgling attempt at planting our own roots and staking claim to the U.S. as they once did. While this is far from the truth. And the truth being, “we are the Original people”. We are “los indios”, whether full-blood or mestizo. This, of course, they do not want to admit because it could mean the eventual displacing of European descendants from our land. All the more reason for the reclassifying job done at the Census Bureau in 2000. By placing “Latinos” in the category of white, it boosts their population numbers and is an extremely political move. One that will have cultural consequences via the constant barrage of euro-centric propaganda. It's bad enough that we've had to deal with the mind set of "the whiter the better" for 514 years throughout Latin America. People are being forced to compromise their identity to move ahead in this society.

However, we will not be disappeared or looked over. Our voices will not be silenced.


We are here to make knowledge born!


Peace!

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