Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] ? Defending Lies, was Herd Instinct
Lynda
The book is a lie! Pure and simple. It does not come with a disclaimer nor
does the movie. Further, it is offensive to a large segment of the American
Indian population, particularly the Cherokee. It is no different than if it
were to be discovered that The Diary of Anne Frank were written by Hitler or
The Color Purple were written by a white supremist.
And, because it gets itself recategorized on some list does not change how
it is presented to the general public NOW, still even though it has been
recategorized as fiction. In various current reviews it is presented as:
"Themes: ethnic/racial identity, Indian history"
http://www.umcs.maine.edu/~orono/collaborative/education.html
"Historically real" Reviewer: ricks@... from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
"The super-seller memoir of a Cherokee boyhood in the 1930s. The most
sensitive and evocative *autobiography* . . . Amazon.com
It is one of the most accepted books in ps for teaching Indian culture. It
is a fraud and as such it cannot teach as it has no factual basis. It is
pure new-age bunk and garbage. If one wants to read his other books, great.
No one was saying he wasn't a good author or that one shouldn't read his
books. He created a new personna so he could "sell" Indian heritage, as
such he is a fraud!
You get a little carried away here. No one was rejecting the bulk of his
work. No one was judging his ability as an author. The judgement was on
his lies. He is NOT Cherokee, he was NOT an orphan, it is NOT an
autobiography. I don't give a rat's patooty if he hangs from a tree, quotes
Hale and spends all his time reading Hustler as long as he doesn't claim to
be Indian and try to sell his lies as being the real article.
Just curious, though, how can one be inspired or philosophical over a book
of lies. How does one find inspiration or find its "philosophy" useful if
one knows the whole book is based on a lie and that a good percentage of
what he wrote as being "the Cherokee way" or words from the Cherokee
language were things he made up?
Lynda
does the movie. Further, it is offensive to a large segment of the American
Indian population, particularly the Cherokee. It is no different than if it
were to be discovered that The Diary of Anne Frank were written by Hitler or
The Color Purple were written by a white supremist.
And, because it gets itself recategorized on some list does not change how
it is presented to the general public NOW, still even though it has been
recategorized as fiction. In various current reviews it is presented as:
"Themes: ethnic/racial identity, Indian history"
http://www.umcs.maine.edu/~orono/collaborative/education.html
"Historically real" Reviewer: ricks@... from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
"The super-seller memoir of a Cherokee boyhood in the 1930s. The most
sensitive and evocative *autobiography* . . . Amazon.com
It is one of the most accepted books in ps for teaching Indian culture. It
is a fraud and as such it cannot teach as it has no factual basis. It is
pure new-age bunk and garbage. If one wants to read his other books, great.
No one was saying he wasn't a good author or that one shouldn't read his
books. He created a new personna so he could "sell" Indian heritage, as
such he is a fraud!
You get a little carried away here. No one was rejecting the bulk of his
work. No one was judging his ability as an author. The judgement was on
his lies. He is NOT Cherokee, he was NOT an orphan, it is NOT an
autobiography. I don't give a rat's patooty if he hangs from a tree, quotes
Hale and spends all his time reading Hustler as long as he doesn't claim to
be Indian and try to sell his lies as being the real article.
Just curious, though, how can one be inspired or philosophical over a book
of lies. How does one find inspiration or find its "philosophy" useful if
one knows the whole book is based on a lie and that a good percentage of
what he wrote as being "the Cherokee way" or words from the Cherokee
language were things he made up?
Lynda
----- Original Message -----
From: <SandraDodd@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2001 10:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Herd Instinct
> Lynda, you wrote
>
> << And before anyone gets their bloomers in a bunch or knots in their
thong
> (which is probably more current <g>) >>
>
> I would like to ask as calmly and respectfully as possible that you try
not
> to be so antagonistic and insulting.
>
> The Education of Little Tree is indeed fraudulent as it was originally
> presented. It was published by the University of New Mexico Press and so
the
> unfolding of the discovery was big in local news. In the long run, the
book
> was recategorized as fiction and is still found useful by lots of people
for
> its philosophy and inspiration, I suppose, which is what lots of novels
are
> good for.
>
> I'm not defending the book. I haven't read it. I have friends who have
and
> liked it.
>
> I'm defending balance and calm. Lots of writers and artists and musicians
> were drunks or addicts or perverts or gamblers or whatever. We're not
> building religions out of them. I see no reason to reject all of an
artist's
> product because of his or her political or sexual or biochemical bent. I
> know some people will disagree with me. Photographs by a heterosexual
with
> no discovered sexual misconduct are more respected by some people (whether
> they're good or not) than photographs by someone who is gay or lesbian.
> People who believe that way would probably not say "gay or lesbian,"
though.
> Prejudices are all around us and it seems to me we might as well not make
> them worse unnecessarily.
>
> Sandra
>
>
>
>
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