Aboriginals in the Media: The Noble Savage?
As I was watching television (sorry I tend to watch a lot of tv), I started noticing the relative invisibility of aboriginal peoples in the media, whether it be in fictional programs or news outlets. Whereas other minority groups are relatively well seen in these mediums (albeit stereotypically), aboriginals are not seen regularly. The only times I saw them portrayed were in old history movies with "cowboys and indians" or that "chief" from the movie, Dances with Wolves who tries to promote 'Lokota' his medicinal arthritis lotion, and actually uses his role in that movie to increase his credibility. To me it's sad that someone has to rely on a a stereotypical role in a movie released 2 decades ago in order to legitimize his "native" medicine. I don't know, maybe I watch to much tv, but it just seems that compared to the mainstream white group, and other minority groups, aboriginals have it rough.
On my observations, groups like the Asians have gone from the "Fu Manchu" stereotype to I guess a more positive one? in villains that Jack Bauer fights on 24, or those of African descent went from the plantation worker in Gone with the Wind to portrayals in the Cosby Show. The natives seem to be frozen at that "chief" stereotype. It's like if they had a commercial with a stereotypical portrayal of an Asian with a triangular hat and a bad accent trying to sell spring rolls; people would call that racist. Yet, there's the Lakota commercial? Just my thoughts, feel free to comment.
On my observations, groups like the Asians have gone from the "Fu Manchu" stereotype to I guess a more positive one? in villains that Jack Bauer fights on 24, or those of African descent went from the plantation worker in Gone with the Wind to portrayals in the Cosby Show. The natives seem to be frozen at that "chief" stereotype. It's like if they had a commercial with a stereotypical portrayal of an Asian with a triangular hat and a bad accent trying to sell spring rolls; people would call that racist. Yet, there's the Lakota commercial? Just my thoughts, feel free to comment.
posted by Anonymous at 6:38 PM
5 Comments:
I guese their interest groups are not strong enough...and other interest groups just don't care about them.
There is also a significant geopolitical and social background to
look into with regards to both your examples. For the Asians, they
control, for the most part, all of their natural resouces and
territory and have done so for most of their rich history (aside from
Hong Kong and other examples). In a world that is suffering for more
resouces daily, this is a big check to be cashed. Those who control
the resources have the power to change their world-wide image.
The Blacks in America have had a different type of struggle, but the
outcome in social status (i.e. respect from other ethnic groups in
society) has been similar. It took nation-wide Black rights
demonstrations and rallies to get the attention of those old white
guys in power. The fate of the nation, it was argued, was at stake.
Essentially, it took a slap in the face to get the state to do
something concrete and society to control their treatment of the
Black population.
Furthermore, the same can be argued in the case of the FLQ in Quebec
in the 1970s and their radical actions to get the attention of the
government to do something. In combination with the Quiet Revolution,
the result has been that every government has tried to substantially
increase the status of the people of Quebec (albeit to the detriment
of other provinces in some cases).
The aboriginals have neither control over their own natural
resources, although they are fighting hard to change this, or the
numbers that it would take to mount a national rally on the scale
that was done by the human rights movement in the 1960s in the US.
However, if organized the latter option could be viable and we may
see in the future another social revolution - although it may not be
so quiet this time around.
I think it has a lot to do with numbers, and numbers essentially equal power. The number of people in North America with black or Asian descent by far surpasses those of Aboriginal background. TV is all about consumerism, and a far larger number of viewers will statistically be from black or Asian backgrounds than will be of Aboriginal, so they are more likely to be represented.
Could it be that the world has not seen widely a view which would erase the noble savage sterytype. The Japanese "evil empire" steryotype has been replaced by the sterytype of short guys with briefcases and lots of little gadgets. You brought up a good point about the Cosby show...that was a major turning point for the portrayal of black people American television. Perhaps a greater presence on the internet will do it for the fist nations people.
I think it has to do more with the Canadian gov't's policy of out of sight out of mind. Historically any oppressed group will not have the ability to define themselves in the media. How many positive African figures were on Apartied TV in South Africa? Examples like the Lakota chief is just more proof that culture is just another commodity to be exploited by the media to sell products - like big business using hip hop to sell everything from cars to computers to deodorant.
Post a Comment
<< Home