Monday, January 11, 2016

Indian Moral Superiority on Indians

The Moral Superior attitude Bill Cosby had on the Black community helped in bringing his true being into the spotlight. Cosby said some things that most would consider racist against Black people; if Cosby was not Black.  Thing is Cosby and other people have been playing the tune of  "they are the no good, doing bad all by themselves".  There are quite a few "pulled myself up from the bootstraps" Indians as well. Clarence Louis is one of them who is  loved by the main stream crowd and media. Like Bill Cosby, Clarence Louis has done some great things, great things. He has brought his community into being a prosperous business zone and success story. There is no doubt he has been very good at developing his community into a powerful voice in the Osoyoos area of British Columbia. Chief Clarence Louis is the leader of Osoyoos Band. He has been strong in the vision of self-sufficiency for the Band. He has delivered and no one can begrudge his actions and achievements.  Like Bill Cosby, Chief Clarence Louis is proud of his heritage. Like Bill Cosby, Clarence Louis has no sympathy for losers, in other words, Indians who fit into the stereotype.  Like Bill Cosby, Clarence Louis is quick to cut down the people, his people.

Because you can’t hate the roots of a tree, and not hate the tree. You can’t hate your origin and not end up hating yourself.
Malcolm X, 1965


Being morally superior to others is not limited to and not just a phenomenon of the famous, the rich, the powerful or the religiously pious. Nope, it is your everyday Indian who can be far more morally superior to the rest of you (I don't include myself with you as part of the inferior mortal but include myself with morally superior, just for clarification).

There are the Activist Indians who are far more morally superior to you "sitting on the couch watching Dancing with Wolves" Indians. There are the Harry Rosen, Le Chateau and Moores suit and tie Indians who morally superior to you, "never heard of a Windsor knot" Indians. There are the Hard Hat Steel Toe Leather Glove Indians who are superior to you "Only Work Band Jobs"Indians. There are the Le Chateau, Laura, Pennington's, Naturalizer, Canada Goose high stepping Indians who are superior to you "buy my flannel grey sweat-pants at Walmart"Indians. There are "I got my BA" educated Indian who are morally superior to you "never leave the Rez"Indians. There are the "Moved out of the Rez and Pay My Own Way"Indians who are morally superior to you "Quit School to Join Street Gang and Sell Drugs, Stay Up all Night"Indians.  There are so many categories and I leave it to you to fill in the gaps of the morally superior and the morally inferior.

Why do we do it? Why do we point out our flaws, our ills, our weaknesses, our sorrows - publicly, harshly, exaggerated, skewed, corrupted and true?

Some of us call out the men, Where are the men? Men that are not looking after children; Men who are beating the Women ( I almost typed "their Women", but is wrong), live off the backs of the Women and Children.  Where are the Women? Women who have their Children taken by the system, the courts, the Grandparents, the Aunties and Uncles, the siblings.

We judge and we judge. We do it because we are morally superior. We take no look further then what we see. We don't see the past horror they lived through. We don't look at how the constant message, the constant pressure of society telling them, they are no fucking good, rotten, savage, lazy, drunken children.  We don't see the influence of a deity Who had no use for their evil spiritual heathen ways of worship. We don't see how they don't fit in the round peg of the material accumulation and acquisition. We don't see the hurt, the defeat, the defiance, the re-emergence of pride.

Nope, we don't see those things, because our eyes only see what is on television. The TV has John Wayne riding his horse shooting his rifle as ten Indians fall from one shot.

We are morally superior.




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