You SHOULD use more folksy slang online…‘dern it.  It makes people seem less implacable.

Peace out to you as well.

Dammit.  I go away for one freaking day and all Hell breaks loose.  Craig, can you time your “controversial” posts to coincide with days when I’m not traveling?

@ Ron

Dude, I love you.  Seriously.  But just because certain Native Americans have chosen to exploit their (or other tribes’) traditions to make a little dough does not mean that all Native Americans are fair game for cynical appropriation and mocking.  I think it’s easy to forget that that, when we talk about Native Americans, we’re talking about dozens upon dozens of different peoples who have been lumped together because Americans were (and still are) too damn lazy to figure out the different nuances between groups they don’t fully understand but that seem similar.  My Iroquois are not your Cherokee are not Craig’s Sioux.  So just because you wandered onto a reservation and paid for a show doesn’t mean that other Native Americans’ visages and traditions are up for grabs.  The upshot is, with respect, I don’t think your point has any merit. (I should also point out that we don’t know much about the context in which these dances are performed and the dancers’ motivation.  There’s a big deal between performing for the tourists and promoting cultural exchange, though I’m not sure how one would legitimately differentiate between the two.)

My two cents on the general issue is this:  Chief Wahoo is a blatant caricature of Native American appearance.  It mocks many peoples and is not based in their own representations of themselves.  As such, it is a symbol of past racism, continues to promote a hurtful stereotype. And it should be eliminated because, dude, why would anyone want to keep doing something that makes other people to feel bad (especially when, as in this case, it doesn’t benefit them)?  A tasteful C or I or, I dunno, something that doesn’t look like the Indians in a Bugs Bunny cartoon who could only say “how” would be nice.

http://www.the-common-man.com

Chris,

Sorry, I got the wrong name. You weren’t the one I was referring to.

My apologies for the confusion.

Ron