HERINK ORBE AND HOPSON RESPONSE

The explosion of reality television in the earlier and mid-1990s provided a never before experienced opportunity for americans to view the system of intercultural communication. MTV’s The Real World provided an early example of reality television as a cultural soup.

The text by Orbe and Hopson demonstrated how as these different cultural identities were added to the cast, tensions were created between members of the dominant groups and members of the minority groups. Orbe and Hopson focused namely on the portrayal of the black male on the reality television show. Orbe and Hopson established that the black male is often storied as 1) A violent threat, 2) sexually aggressive, 3) inherently angry, 4) emotionally unpredictable. Orbe and Hopson assert that these character accusations were normally made by the white members of the household, citing an example where David recognized the power of the white majority stating, “In the old days... I would have been hung”

This ability for the white majority to depict minority members a certain way reminded me of an episode of the Chapelle Show. In spoofing The Real World they put a white housemate in an exclusively black household, tensions ensue and the white housemate is eventually asked to leave with a black housemate citing that she, “didn’t feel safe.” This rhetoric was the very same that Orbe and Hopson used when illustrating how words used by members of the majority can accuse members of the minority.

In conclusion I feel as though something must be done to curb the racism seen on reality television. What should be done is a different story.

1. Are the portrayals of black individuals on reality television accurate or skewed?
2. Are the MTV producers to blame for perpetuating stereotypes?

Looking at the Front Door - Blog 3 - Greg Albin

I have only seen snippets and a select few episodes of The Real World, but enough to understand what the show is and how it works. Just like every “reality show” after it (e.g. The Bachelor, Jersey Shore, and everything on VH1), there is little to no realism portrayed. The stories and characters are exaggerated, with the editing process creating most of the “reality”. Hopefully, people know how little reality there is in shows like The Real World, and the characters in the show by no means represent the larger percentage of the group(s) they represent.

The show’s producers, I believe, know exactly what they are doing with creating these aggressive, unstable black male characters. Good casting, even better editing, and a little underlying fear or aggression from other housemates lead to a television show watched regularly by millions. I do not watch regularly (or at all) to know how these seven guys in the early seasons were exactly portrayed. The essay explained how most of the guys, although having diverse occupations, came from tough inner city childhood, which I’m sure was a very deliberate choice by the show’s producers.

The sexually abusive, violent, emotionally volatile, and inherently angry nature of the show’s black male “characters” was done very much on purpose. Obviously, this is an incredibly wrong and quite racist thing to do by the producers and editors. But, it has clearly worked in gaining popularity for the show. Most of the incidents talked about in the essay from the early seasons are 15-19 year old stories, and we are still talking about the episodes and the characters today.

I absolutely do not agree with The Real World’s practice of exploiting stereotypes of black males for the purpose of entertainment. Hopefully, in the more recent or future seasons of the show (I’m not sure if it is still on) they have or will try to be a little more creative in finding a more diverse group of young people, especially less offensive portrayals of young black males. This pseudo-reality is the reason I don’t watch it or shows like it.

1. Why do you think the producers of the show create these black male “characters” the way they do?

2. Do you think that viewers believe the stereotypes, portrayed in the show, of black males are indicative of most black males?

Looking at the Front Door - Katrina

Orbe and Hopson’s review of MTV’s The Real World exposes a repeated portrayal of the African American male. Season after season, the show fosters the notions that black males as inherently angry, emotionally unpredictable/unstable, a violent threat, and sexually aggressive. This is achieved through clips that highlight African American casts members in suggestive situations and comments (fears) expressed by their fellow housemates.

Having read the article I now wish I had a little more personal experience with the show; I’ve never seen an episode of the Real World. I find it shocking and disturbing that MTV would purposely perpetuate such negative stereotypes. Why has MTV chosen to do this? What do they stand to gain from doing so? Clearly not all (or even many) African American men fit the mold that MTV is creating for black males. By consciously reiterating stereotypes of the black male such the ones displayed on The Real World, MTV is only hinder society. How can we ever hope to overcome (move past) stereotypes, if prominent entities such as MTV are actively working against us.

Whether MTV is purposely casting African Americans who will uphold aspects of these negative stereotypes or creatively editing the footage (or a combination), their actions are appalling and inappropriate. In the future I’ll be sure to pay more attention to the images that MTV is creating in their shows.

1. 1. Are there any other stereotypes that are continually portrayed on The Real World? Or on other MTV series?

2. 2. What has lead to such stereotypes of the African American male?

Matt German: Looking at the Front Door

Before I read this essay I have never seen an episode of the real world. And after reading this I just see MTV showing us what they want us to see and perceive. This is a TV show that needs viewers so MTV has to get viewers some how. There always has to be a villain and MTV is using those stereotypes of black men to their advantage. These people may be ordinary people but on TV they are actors and could be told what to do by the director and thus show us what they wants us to see. I have black friends and have worked with black people for many years and I do not agree with what is being portrayed. Don't forget that a white person can act just the same as described.

1. What ways are there to end the stereotypes?
2. Why do TV shows portray our fears even though they are wrong?

Looking at the Front Door - Tom Cameron

The essay for today was about the MTV show "The Real World" and how it unfairly portrays the black male. The authors point out that, through use of selective editing, MTV shows each black male as emotionally unstable and unpredictable, sexually aggressive, inherently angry, and generally just scary people to be around.
Now, I'm the type of person who takes everything in with a grain of salt, so as I was reading through this, I laughed at the idea that someone would take a show on MTV so seriously. So seriously in fact, that they would be motivated enough to write an essay expressing the misdeeds of the show. I mean, it's MTV for crying out loud! Like any TV station, it's geared to make money, and the easiest way to do this is show something funny, violent, provocative, or generally entertaining.
I would like to think that the 99% of footage that doesn't make television is calm, boring, or dull. People are more likely to watch if you just show the "good stuff" (I use this term loosely). To prove this point, I will cite the episode from LA where the girls accuse David of sexual harassment (p. 224). The author mentions that this is the most replayed (and popular) episode from that season. (what does that say about the viewer population?) I speculate that this is not because of its ability to stereotype, but because of its entertainment value.
I suppose my main point is that we as a society should not take these types of reality shows too seriously. I look at a show like this and view its primary purpose as one of profit, and not so much for its cultural impact.

Questions:
1. Why are reality TV shows so popular?

2. Do the actors on reality shows portray themselves as in everyday life, or does being in front of a camera alter their behavior?

3. Would you want to be on a reality show?

Renzo Callirgos, 2/23/2011

I don't watch "reality" shows or MTV, so I have never seen The Real World. One of the main reasons that I don't watch these things is a topic of the essay. The concept itself is a good one, however the execution of it lost me. I just can't stand that the"reality" that is shown is just whatever the producers want it to be. I like how the creator/producer describes it as "undirected." I don't care about other people's lives, much less their fake ones. I guess no one would want watch a bunch of people sitting around watching TV.

Reading this essay strengthens my resistance towards this genre by giving specific examples of how people are portrayed however the producers want. People are inherently complicated people that have same characteristics that were described in the essay but at different degrees of severity. Everyone has moments when they are unreasonable or maybe take something a little too far. What happens on The Real World is that those moments are captured, no matter how rare they are, and that is all we see. In this manner, any random person could probably be made to fit into any role needed for the show.

Questions:

Have you ever watched The Real World, if so, how did the show make you feel towards the African American characters?

How much do you think people will endure for the possibility of being on TV?

Looking at the Front Door - Dylan Goodell

    After reading this article I realize, even more than before, that MTV puts the image of whatever they choose of the cast members in the viewers heads.  When they cast the show they try to find the most diverse group of people to live in the same house with each other to see how everyone will respond to each other.  And by diverse, they don't just mean different races or ethnicity's, they mean attitudes, personalities and backgrounds.  MTV is able to portray anybody they way they want and they are able to do this with the start of picking the cast.  In the article it says that they have 3 to 5 months of footage and they cut it down to an 11 hour series.  With that much time and cutting it down to that little, they can take one little outburst from anyone that happens in those 3 to 5 months and put it in their 11 hour series to make it look like this one person is a violent person.
    MTV portrays their black cast members on the real world as having random outbursts of anger and being unpredictable.  In the show the other cast members might blow up about something just as much as the black members but it most viewers don't see it like that because most viewers are 'white folk' and and built angry black man might be a bit scary to those viewers.  I the article it says that the cast members that are most afraid of the black males in the house when they get angry are the European American women.  I think that this might have something to do with the fact that they are not around many black men often so in their minds they have the stereotype about the black men that most 'white folk' sadly have. 
    I'm not saying that all of these black cast members don't have anger problems or are unpredictable, sure a few of them probably do and that is why MTV cast them into the real world.  But even if one of the black cast members is really not like that, I fell like MTV tries to portray it that way because that's how most viewers see them in the head before they start watching the show.  I think it is wrong that MTV portrays every black male on the real world like this, but they are smart for doing so because it does get them the ratings they want and makes them more money just like the foxwoods casino.  It may be wrong but it's good for business.

1. Do you think that if MTV portrayed a black cast member as sweet and innocent without any outbursts, there would be less viewers?

2. Do you think that after they cast the people for the real world they know how they are going to portray them even before they start filming?

Sarah Milem - Looking at the Front Door

I have never really watched The Real World and the parts that I have seen did not really invite me to see more and after reading this essay it seems as though I did not miss much.  I think America and our society has previous ideas and stereotypes about African American males and from what I have read it seems as though this show played right into the hands of those stereotypes.  For eleven episodes the producers had three months of taping to choose from and this is what the producers decided (when boiled and edited down) what was “real” telling of how the cast member (and in particular male African American cast members) acted like. Does it seem strange to anyone else that somehow each African American male had the same persona as the last?  But yet I find it somehow hard to believe that each European American woman or male had the same persona as their previous cast mates.  The reason I think this is, is because American viewers did not have a stereotype of how those people were going to act. 

I think it is also telling how the female woman responded to the African American cast members.  They did not want to be alone with them in a room by themselves and one went as far to cry rape when no sexual misconducted even happen.  Did the female cast mates respond like this to every cast mate member?  Did they feel uncomfortable to be alone in room full of white males?  The article does not say but I betting the answer to that question would be no.  And I’m betting the reason for that was simply because other cast mates where white.     

But I think the part of this show that makes me the most angry and sad is that the producers and the creators played their show and edited their show right into those stereotypes.  My guess is if they hadn’t their ratings and the money that they made would not have been as great.

Discussion Questions:

1)      Do you think female cast member would have responded in such fear to their white male cast mates?

2)      Do you think producers played into the stereotypes of African American males to draw in more rating and to make more money?

Jordan Berg: Looking at the Front Door

While reading the article I think that the book overplays the whole black stereotype thing that everyone thinks that about black guys. Some of the cases are girls just overreacting to a little messing around or taking joking too seriously. I have black friends and I have no problems with them at all and don't feel these stereotypes toward them what so ever. MTV might have tried to play it up a little more just because it would up the T.V. ratings if everyone was talking about it and think well what is he going to do next week and obviously it worked if it is written in a book. They don't just show unstable black men they have shown plenty of other unstable white people too like Joey from the Hollywood season he was addicted to drugs and alcohol and people didn't know what he was going to do next. They have shown people blowing up all the time like Johanna she's on the top freak outs of reality TV on VH1. So I think while they might try to play it up a little I think it's just to get more viewers to tune in so they get better ratings and more money and exposure. Also I know one of the negative portrayals by a black man from Omaha was provoked by one of the white males in the house and he kept saying "I want you to hit me" so it's not like the black man was just doing it for fun or just messing around he was being provoked and pushed into it although he ended up not hitting him. And some of the of the characters they talked about were 4.0 students and good kids so not everyone had a bad background and was portrayed bad and all had the same background.

Discussion Questions:

1) Why do you think they choose to talk about the image of Black Males instead of any other group of people?

2) Why is it that some people have all these negative stereotypes about black men?

3) What is it going to take to stop these stereotypes and generalizations?

Looking at the Front Door. Chris Espinoza 2-23-11

I am going to approach this essay from an objective point of view. The fact of the matter is, and the basis of this essay, there are perpetuating stereotypes of black men. It is not something that I support or have any sort of investment in. That being said, I have to recognize MTV’s profitability of such an incorporation into their show.

This stereotype is base wholly in controversy and emotion. One way or another, the viewers have a considerable response to what is being edited into each episode. Whatever your stance on the situation, you will react. Whether it be in disgust by the completely racist allusions, or a reaction of complete agreement. It is sad that some Black males will be misjudged and mistreated based on these notions that MTV is cementing into our minds.

A few of the traits stereotyped by MTV are the tendencies to violence and sexual aggression. There were multiple examples when the black male, Syrus or either of the Davids, would participate in one night stands or make lewd gestures. Syrus was evening quoted saying, “women are like potato chips… can’t just have one” (pg 223). There were many instances when the “European white female” cast members felt threatened, physically, by the irate black male. As if they expected to be abused because he was a black male against a white female. This wasn’t just in the event of a heat confrontation either. The women felt that the black male character could, and would, at any time explode.

It is a travesty, the injustice that MTV has committed toward the black male population. However, there won’t likely be anything to change it short of cancelling the show. It is up to the viewers to remain open minded and remain aware of the fact that it IS just television.

discussion questions

Are black males the only stereotyped race in television?

Are there equally strong stereotypes about the white male, mid 20's, that can be derived from this show?

Jessica Periago Blog #3

Since the article only covers African Americans, I am not convinced of the validity of the author’s argument. It upsets me that the stereotype of African Americans is being inherently angry, emotionally unpredictable or unstable, violent, threatening and sexually aggressive. People are afraid of African Americans because of their dominant genetics. This is something that you cannot control. I feel ABC and other popular media sources find money to outweigh a story’s factual precedence.

First, it seems that today’s modern society has learned from the past. What happened before is called history for a reason, because it does not exist anymore. For every person, no matter what ethnicity, we must forget and live in “the now”. Kids grow up learning about our nation and the world to relive the past, when we should be learning about what is happening at the present moment.

Stereotypes account for all races and not just African Americans. Learning from Society in the United States, it seems like the white majority do not have as much negative attention, but that is not true either. Why else would they have the Blue Collar Comedy Tour where a bunch of “rednecks” are making jokes about themselves? Is it because they are comedians that it is appropriate? Either way it is not just the minorities, everyone is in on the jokes. Much of the lines drawn between cultures have to do more with the association of having money. So if the majority of the United States is white, there might be a possibility that there is a wider spectrum of those who have money and those who don’t.

My goal is to stay away from one accusation of certain majority or minority groups. Media tends to play a role of pointing fingers. While they are snickering behind the scenes, millions of people who watch what goes on is verbatim. Ultimately, stereotypes and other issues apply to any social, cultural, religious groups and are not just restricted to African American. People need to open their eyes and reach to people of different ethnic and culture background and truly try to understand them before to judge them. I think the quote “Never judge a book by its cover” fits well with this chapter.

Questions:

1. Would you want to be part of a reality show? Why/Why not?

2. How do African Americans see themselves?

3. Why are people so addicted to reality shows?

Looking at the Front Door

I have never seen The Real World before. So reading this essay is all I know about the show. The shows overall feel though seems very much like that of Big Brother especially since the show says that it is about "real people, undirected, sharing their lives". As far as the show goes, I feel that it is very stereotypical of the black man. I find it hard to believe that the black man is the only one in a 3-5 month period that would exhibit some sort of anger, emotional instability, or violence. If any one were to live with the same 7 people for that long, you are most likely going to get into some sort of argument. I feel that the show misrepresents the black man, by not sharing their real life, but just the parts of their lives where they make bad decisions. Only once in the essay does it say that the black man was caring and sensitive. But they then follow that by saying that he chased down a woman and slapped here because she called him gay. For some reason I find it hard to believe that he is the only person that would do that. Most people probably wouldn't go as far as striking a woman, but I sure wouldn't let her get by calling me gay.

In high school, I had a teacher whose roommate in college was black. He said that one day there was a story on the news about a black man being arrested for killing someone. He said that now all black men will be blamed, and looked upon as murders. But if it were a white man being arrested, he would just be considered a failure and no other white man would be blamed. I think that this stereotype is showing throughout this t.v. show and black men are all being thrown into the same bag.

Questions:

1) Why are the black men in the show the only ones being stereotyped?

2) Does the show specifically look for black males that exhibit these poor characteristic to be cast in the show?

Looking at the front door

To me the purpose of the Real World is to show how different people interact in a setting they are not normally use to. I know that is the main purpose of the show but as Orbe and Hopson discussed in the reading the viewers outlook on the show has became very stereotypical. I have never really been someone to watch the whole season in its entirely, but I do tend to watch parts of it from time to time. I have never really thought to myself that MTV is picking out African American in particular just to show how they interact and get along with other people. In my opinion, all the cast members of the show are "different" and in some ways weird. They all come from different backgrounds and all have different life stories. They all argue, fight, and get pissed off at each other. Like the reading pointed out, every season you will find a black male on the show, but there are also 5 or 6 other cast members. It might seem like the black males are always the ones getting in fights or arguing with other cast members, that is not always the case. I know there has been gay and lesbian cast members, black females, and all sorts of other diverse people on the show. The black men portrayed on the show probably do show sexual aggression, anger, and are violent. But all the other cast members can act in the same ways.

I have also noticed over the years watching this show, it involves a great deal of alcohol. Usually when the fighting and anger occurs is when the members of the show come back from a night at the bars and they are all trashed. Alcohol seems to play a large role on every MTV reality show, especially in the likes of The Real World and Jersey Shore. Aside from the alcohol, MTV seems to not just make a different view of African American males, but males in general. In every reality show the males are placed in a setting surrounded by good looking women and they are always tempted to try and "make a move" on the girls in the house. Until recently on Jersey Shore the men were the ones portrayed as getting drunk and doing stupid things. On Jersey Shore MTV has shown many episodes of Snookie and Jwow getting trashed and making themselves look like complete fools.

Questions:
1. Will MTV ever portray white males like this?
2. If African American males know they are being stereotyped like this, why do they continue to put themselves in these situations? Is the fame of reality TV really worth it?

Sarah Harvey ch 24 Looking At The Front Door 02/23/11

It is extremely disturbing to realize and face the haunting truths about the stereotypes that are cyclical in mass media that is targeted to the youth of America. While I would love to say that viewers are not prone to believe this stereotype of the male African American housemates on The Real World, I don’t necessarily think that this is a truth for the masses of viewers that engage in the show. These depictions of African American men are surely taken out of the context of a reality show, and placed on an overall view or opinion of what all African American males are explosively aggressive and oppressed by their pasts. By playing into these stereotypes it just facilitates these perceptions into the current society, it is a vicious cycle. It is clear in the reading that even later cast members have been influenced by previous seasons of the show, and continue to pick up on these perceptions of the African American males that they themselves room with unfairly.

Not only do cast members deal with these stereotypes, but also the viewers and mass popular culture in general. The Real World is unfortunately not the only reality show that plays into stereotypes, which creates a very negative stigma on many different cultures, and proves the ignorance of society in general. While we play into these illustrations of society, it is clear that the shows utilize the national stereotypes for a straight shot at ratings. Production teams aren’t stupid, they know what will bring in viewers, and it is clear that they aren’t going to change their tactics anytime soon. The cycle just continues as The Real World seasons grow. It isn’t hard to predict what the new casts will look like before they are even introduced. Each cast member fits a cookie cutter shape, size, and back-story. Whether it is okay or not to stereotype, it is clearly effective for television popularity, and it is really up to the viewers to understand, and try to prevent their projections from pop culture on the individuals we interact with day to day. Lastly, if I can figure out the pattern of casting on the show, I'm sure many others can as well, so is it safe to question whether the show is even legitimately "real" anymore, or are people acting the stereotypical roles in order to be on the show?

Ch. 24 Looking at the Front Door

The Real World is meant to show how a diverse group of young Americans react and respond to living together with no history between any of them. However, it is very skewed and hardly gives us the whole story. MTV is all about having the most viewers to boost ratings and that is exactly what they are trying to do with the Real World. They select the cast based on the diversity as well as the personalities and then edit the footage to create the image they believe will be responded to the most by the audience they are targeting. With this they have assumed the stereotypes created in the past and try to use these to create a certain image and the most talked about is that portrayed of the black man in this popular show.
I believe the three main stereotypes MTV tries to portray of African Americans on the show starts at the casting not just the editing. They see thousands of tapes in the beginning when they select the group and first try to fill positions of certain diversity. If the want the black man that follows under these certain stereotypes they will choose him and make the editing much easier. I do not put all the blame on MTV. They do try to portray them in certain ways to try to create drama and boost ratings but the people they choose ultimately are the ones responsible for their actions. MTV chose these African Americans to create drama and fill these specific stereotypes. To MTV its all about the ratings and viewers. They choose a certain cast and edit them to ensure they are playing what they had intended to get the best ratings. They try to portray the black man as angry, unstable, violent, and sexually aggressive. The cast is ultimately responsible for their actions. They do fill these stereotypes at certain times as the examples show but also go against these stereotypes as well. MTV is only worried about ratings not stereotypes. If certain stereotypes boost ratings that’s what MTV will portray. MTV’s diverse groups has many different types of cultures mixed together. They are also judged under the certain stereotype they fall under. They also go against these stereotypes as well but can at times back them up.
I believe this situation is blown out of proportion. The Real World is just like every other reality tv show. They edit clips to portray people with certain personalities to create the most drama, which creates excitement. Everybody follows stereotypes whether they are portrayed or not. MTV does what every tv channel does. They do whatever they can to boost ratings. Stereotypes are apart of our society and will always be used for entertainment in our pop culture.

Discussion Questions:
1. Will MTV ever use these same personality traits used as black stereotypes for white cast members?
2. Why is so much attention attracted to stereotypes of blacks portrayed on the Real World when they have clearly used negative stereotypes on other cultures in the diverse cast?

HERINK - FOXWOOD CASINO RESPONSE

Cooks discusses the Foxwood Casinos as a cultural space of the Pequot tribe. A
space that acted as a pseudo-museum of outsourced and hodgepodged Native American culture. The Foxwood Casions, currently the largest casino/resort in the world, is located on reservation land with only one road leading into it or out of it. This allows for the space to behave as an isolated microcosm, where the tribe allows white gamblers to come in, spend money and leave without witnessing any evidence of the atrocities committed toward the Native Americans.
Cook explains that the cultural space is an space which has been exoticized in order to create an ambiance without creating a cultural baggage for the casino goers. Cook explains that the stereotypical representation of the American Indian has been engrained in people’s memories, so in order to create a cultural space that can be appreciated by people not of the native culture, they needed to “play the game” and demonstrate their Indianness as loudly as possible.
One question I had regarding the text was the passage which read, “the history of Native peoples has been characterized by space, not time.” Cooke then goes on to explain that in order for the anglo observer to appreciate something as Native American, we must see the feathers, the head dresses, the chokers, the wampums, the teepees, the regalia and other artifacts associated with what we believe is that cultural identity. However, I believe that we have delegated the Native people to time instead of space. I believe that when we see Native American’s dressed in their regalia for example, we are able to handle the guilt we should feel because we place them in the past and view this as the equivalent to someone dressing up like a cowboy from the Old West. We do not see the artifacts, like those that exist at the Foxwood Casino as something excavated and ancient, removed from us. This compartmentalization of the tribes like the Pequot to a place like time allows the majority to avoid the confrontation, they are able to story the Native Americans alive today as ghosts, a bad memory, and in doing so can compartmentalize their guilt with it.

Does does the cultural space of the Foxwood Casinos sacrifice the cultural identity of the Pequot Indians? Or, are they actually taking advantage of the white man by “playing Indian”?
Is the Native American cultural identity compartmentalized into time or space?

Tom Cameron: Foxwoods Casino

When you study American history, there is a very important term which gave whites justification when it came to conquering the lands of the natives: manifest destiny. Basically it meant that the land between the Atlantic and the Pacific was a God-given right to take and own. However, during this unprecedented period of expansion and exploration, not everyone benefitted. In fact, the history of the Native Americans during this time period is one of tragedy.

This essay focuses on one particular tribe, the modern day Pequots, owners of Foxwoods Casino. It's rather odd reading about a tribe in Connecticut, because when I think about the various tribes that lived in America, I tend to focus on the Great Plains. But the truth is that all parts of the continent were inhabited, where a vast array of different languages, cultures, and ways of life were present.

As expected, the Pequots of today are totally different than those of 300 years ago. And like any cultural group, they are attempting to remember where they came from. Some people question the morality of using a casino as both a means to make money and attempt to teach culture. But what other choice do they have? It attracts a lot of money and attention. I hesitate to say this, but a lot fewer people would even know about them if they didn't have a casino. It's just sad that there aren't any better options.

Questions:

1. What are our stereotypes of modern Native Americans? What about Native Americans of the past?
2. Is a casino the best way to both survive and spread your culture? What are some other options?
3. Connecticut has another large casino, the Mohegan Sun, located less than 15 miles from Foxwoods. It is owned by the Mohegans, another tribe. Is this a coincidence, or is there something about Connecticut that leads to this?

Katrina: Foxwood Casino 2-16-11

Having grown up in a state (South Dakota) with several Indian reservations, I have long been aware of the connection between reservations and casinos. However, I have never once thought about the symbolism and identify issues wrapping up in them.

I found the contradictions discussed in our reading particularly interesting. While there is a strong desire for the Pequots to reestablish their unique identity true to their history, they have certainly played into the mainstream (majority) generic, Hollywood view of Native Americans. I have to wonder was conforming to this stereotypical image a necessity for success or simply an easier path to pursue. In other words would the casino have done as well/been as attractive had they attempted to portray a story/image more accurate to their own history? Or is success rooted in adhering to and following an image others have partially created for them?

Another thing that jumped out at me was how yet again the issue of wording came up. The reading cites the contrasting use of “settlement” versus “grant” in relations to land negotiations. This was something also discussed in the documentary “When the Levies Broke” in reference to the media calling Katrina victims “refugees” versus a term more indicative of US citizens. In both cases, the minority group took offense (or at least disliking) to the terms selected by the majority. Having thought more about it, I’ve realized the significance of word selection. Whether we realize it or not, often times things are framed in a certain light simply by a word's associated negative and or positive connotation. We may not even mean to perpetuate these feelings/judgments; it simply the terms/phrases that have been long ago coined for various situations. It's scary to think how wording can continue to perpetuate connotations decades or even centuries down the road.

1. What first comes to mind when you think of the Native American culture? What has influenced this image?

2. Where else do you see identity contradictions simiar to the Pequots?

Jessica Periago Blog #2

This essay reveals conflicts and taboos that people have toward Native Americans and casinos. The writer gives an open view by approaching an impartial standpoint. He gives us most, if not all, the information to make our own judgments about the Foxwoods Casino in Ledyards, Connecticut.

The first thing that surprised me was the history and how much the Native American fight to keep their territory. It doesn’t surprise me when the Natives get upset when the “non-natives” talk about “land grants”. Modern people neglect the fact that Native Americans were living in America first, and then the Europeans came and conquered. Till this day, it amazes me how Native Americans persevered for so long, but it does not surprise me that they earned the status of “true warriors”. Although we are taught that the Europeans took full advantage of the situation, it is in our nature to do the same in terms of ownership. History does not teach us to learn from our mistakes, but to be aware that it had happened and that it still happens. It is unrealistic to think today we are infallible of doing the same because we carry the same burden of being human altogether.

The second thing is how people stereotype the Native American people “wearing low-cut tops and mini-loincloths and have headbands and feathers in their hair.” I am sure that some people nowadays still think the same thing. Although the tradition of the typical stereotype is more practiced through pow wows and traditional ceremonies, most Native Americans are modern as well.

The region discussed in this article has become more of a commercial attraction and it is sad that people go there for the gambling and shopping, but are naïve to the meaning behind the scene. They buy souvenirs that first are made in China, and secondly, they are used only for their decorative function, and thirdly, these “artifacts represent other Native cultures as their own [the Pequots].”

I really like the quote at the end that says: “We are what we imagine…our very existence consists in our imagination of ourselves…the greatest tragedy that can befall us is to go unimagined.”

Questions:

1. How important is the awareness of someone about the history of a region?

2. Why are the symbols/representations so important in our everyday life?

3. How far is a person willing to go in order to gain power upon others?