This touching post-used with permission by Mercedes Montgomery is of the reactions of children when they heard of what Kliph Scurlock did.
Hi Miranda,
I'm sure you are excited to be opening a business and have worked hard to achieve that. Businesses open all the time, and many fail. They fail for many reasons, and I always get sad when they close. Somehow, they didn't plug into their customer base.
The reason I am writing to you is because I feel, and many other Native Americans I know feel, by supporting Pink Pony in your Grand Opening you are sending a bad message about who should expect to be welcomed at your new establishment. In fact, one of your staff called us all liars and fabricators when your business was questioned about your decision to include Pink Pony. Including Pink Pony is supporting a group that many consider, myself included, to have engaged in blatant attacks on Native American people by mocking our culture.
Christina Fallin took a publicized photo in March of a herself wearing a Native American head dress. That is a disrespect to the Native American people that have survived genocide and cruelty to keep our cultures alive and thriving. No one should deny that Natives were thoroughly insulted and hurt by that action. What she did happened and was appalling. Wayne Coyne is a person who supported her disrespect, such as yourself, then posted pictures on social media of people and animals wearing a Native American head dress. Then Coyne fired his drummer, Kliph Scurlock, for agreeing with outraged Native Americans. Coyne in fact told him "Go stick up for your Indian friends if its so important to you".
Scurlock has been widely regarded by Native Americans and allies in our fight to end Native American discrimination and racism as a true hero. He did the right thing. He did the hard thing. He told elite people to stop hurting Native Americans. It cost him so much. I hope you can look at his excellent example and that of Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, and stand up against racism and discrimination.
Before the Norman Music Festival, Pink Pony announced they would be appearing in "full regalia". This is a very common Native term, there is no mistaking the intent of that single sentence using the term "full regalia". It was posted deliberately by Pink Pony with no context, and was directed at Native Americans. Pink Pony admitted that, after all the events that have caused controversy here in Oklahoma, this was their full response to Native American concerns about what they would do at the Norman Music Festival. It is an insult to our intellectual humanity to expect us not to find any fault with that post after such a recent history! Of course we anticipated more hateful displays against our culture and many showed up to quietly protest. That was the whole point of that post, denial of that is moronic. Furthermore, as evidenced by the actions of Pink Pony, that was what they had planned all along. Christina Fallin, by design, showed up wearing what every Native American I have spoken with there recounts as a mock American Indian shawl. I have seen it myself photographed and see the resemblance. I am not alone in feeling this way. Indeed, thousands of people agree with me. It had hand drawn cartoon animals resembling sheep, the word "sheep", and yarn fringe! I also find the accounts of Native Americans there about the fake-war dancing by Pink Pony believable and true, due to the sheer number of witnesses I have personally spoken with. Coyne, who had been engaging in the similar acts of degrading Native Americans that I recounted for you, was there cheering Pink Pony. Coyne was laughing at the obvious anger and hurt of the Native American community. He has continued to do so.
We feel this way because of the actions they have done themselves. All the "negativity" is actually coming from Fallin, Pink Pony, Flaming Lips, and Coyne. That is what your company is promoting, their negativity. By saying that "articles offended us" and not the actions of Fallin, Pink Pony, Flaming Lips, and Coyne is a nasty attempt to deny to thousands of people their anger and pain. That is apathetic and inexcusable behavior. I understand that you did not do this yourself publicly, but unless you apologize for Stefani Scott Beard's comments you are supporting them.
I hope you will reconsider your stance of supporting Fallin, Pink Pony, Flaming Lips, and Coyne. I hope you open your business with a better platform than controversy and apathy towards the Native American community. We are not "sheep" easily misled. If not, EONM (Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry) will continue to apply our voices in protest of your behavior thus far. Sadly, calling Native Americans liars, our perspectives a fabrication, and accusing NATIVES of negativity is only abusive and reinforces that engaging in racism is okay and should be acceptable. It's not okay. It is not acceptable. It is hurtful and acting spiteful about it only escalates the already tense situation created NOT by Native Americans, but by racism and racists!
No comments:
Post a Comment