Racism And Stereotypes
Stereotypes are common beliefs that are held against a certain group of people, social groups or to specific individuals. They are created by individuals against others as a result of making observations towards behaviours of a certain group of people, similarity in traits over a long period of time. It can either be good or bad positive or negative.
Racism is an affliction or an attitude whose aim is to deny a group of people the humanity that they deserve, due to the assumption of the presence of a more assumed superior group of humanity (Wolfgang, pp 138).
Thus both racism and stereotyping work as evils towards trying to deny one group of people the freedom of humanity that they should be having. Also they make a category of people believe and feel more superior as compared to the other that is made to feel less human and down being deprived the humanity that they should be enjoying. The native Americans have for a long time been stereotyped in both ways that is; the positive and the negative. They have been presented as people who are uncivilised, dangerous and primitive as they were seen as people who could attack cowboys, stagecoaches and the white settlers. They would be portrayed in the media as Indians, while in drawings they would appear coloured red. They have all along being viewed by t he whites as people who lack self control and irresponsible. Thus the stereotypes are a thing that is engraved in the minds of people and its one that cannot disappear quickly from other peoples minds, that’s why up to date the native Americans are still not recognised in the modern culture as people still hold the stereotypes that were against this group of people ( Wolfgang, pp138).
The movie, ‘thunder heart’ is a movie that represents real events that happened in the year 1970’s. These were times when there were a lot of discriminations towards the natives of Americans. The writer of this movie well shows the different aspects of discriminations that were taking place in those years. Hence the movie can be termed as having less of fiction and more of true facts on what happened .Racism is well portrayed in the movie ‘thunder heart’ as we can see the actor Ray Levoi who is a well upcoming agent who likes everything that is said of him apart from the reference of his half-Indian. The FBI wants to use it in helping to investigate a murder claim, which is very sensitive politically. Even though he is half Indian the FBI advertises him as Indian, yet he knows nothing about his culture and heritage this makes him to get into a very messy affair that leads him to regret and starts digging deep into finding out about his native spirituality and his background. Though Ray’s mother is white he is been considered as an Indian this is because the government wants to take advantage of his blood mixture to fulfil their mission in a murder investigation, hence a show of discrimination that was there in real life (Tamara, 2002)
This movie looks keenly at the murders that occurred to the native Americans bringing into focus how the government of America treated the native Americans. The movie represents real events of the happenings in South Dakota in the year 1975. the reference to wounded is a clear picture of what happened in the wounded knee battle which today is a museum too remember the lives the were lost at that time. Also the mention of murder and the battle field which in reality is there.
Racism has all along been a disease in America, it has really affected the native Americans in the areas of educational system, health care services and the job market. The native Americans were not recognised and the government of America wanted them to be assimilated into the American culture which they objected out rightly. They thus suffered from high unemployment rates, police brutality among others. That’s why in the year 1968, the Indian people had to meet to address this issues an thus came up with American Indian movement (AIM) The treatment of the native Americans from the late 19th century has been one that can be termed as ruthless to this people. The Indians who claimed America is their home land have faced great difficulties from the Americans in the effort of the Americans to eliminate them and settle in what they claimed to be their own land as they claimed it was discovered by one of their own who is a renown scientists, Columbus. The federal government had tried all possible ways to draw this native Americans into the American culture which t his native Americans refused and that was the beginning if opposition between the native Americans and the federal government (Gary, 1890).
Therefore we can say that the film has pictured the reality of the event in a more real and less fiction way. It has portrayed racism and stereotyping that was there through the character Ray Levoli, as well as Wounded Knee which shows the actual massacre that took place in what today has been preserved as a museum. Though it requires a lot of focus to the movie and much knowledge of history as only a person with the knowledge of the wounded knee massacre can understand the movie well ( Meyer, 1996).
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