Dr. Mykee Fowlin opened his presentation on Wednesday with a light joke involving Superman killing a man, and remarked about his daughter's instance of childhood genius. Dr. Fowlin's daughter replied to the punchline, "Superman's not supposed to kill you." A simple response, but a response that triggers a lot of thought. Dr. Fowlin went on to discuss how differently his daughter and other children view the world. These young human beings have not yet been disrupted by the thousands of social influences in our lives today, and see people without the effect of stereotypes. The stereotypes that affect our judgement are instilled at some point in our lives. When does this transformation, from naivete to unjust hate, occur? What exactly causes a child to call another classmate the "N" word? Fowlin provided the parents as the primary reason for a child's actions, but also included other children, teachers, and social norms established by earlier generations. Troy High's student body, labeled as a compassionate school, is heavily affected by these examples.
The examples of influence stated by Fowlin were similar to the examples stated in out class discussion. The Native American stereotypes forever tarnished the image of a race of people. An established stereotype in turn tarnishes the perception of that particular race of people. In our class discussion, it was difficult to produce an example of a Native American that was not heavily altered by media. Any instance of truth was overshadowed by the stoic stare of a chief or the savage scream of a warrior. We can always see how Native Americans truly are, but we will never see how our early minds would see true Native Americans.
Fowlin wanted us to be able to open our eyes for the first time in many years. He wanted us to see the world through our own, genuine interpretation, which is very difficult today. It is important to take a step back from the situation and reflect in this way.
The Cyclical Destruction of Alcohol and Native Americans
In Sherman Alexie's piece, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Alexie made it clear that alcoholism is a major problem among many Native Americans. Native Americans have a history of adversity, and the common "treatment" for these problems is to turn to alcohol. As displayed in the short stories, alcohol, like any other drug, causes a physical and/or emotional addiction. By trying to cope with their already depressing lives, the consumption of alcohol causes more damage than was intended to heal.
Calling the assumption, that native americans start drinking at a young age, a stereotype is in fact a misconception. The harsh reality is that most Native Americans do start drinking at a young age. When Alexie writes about his high school graduation, he remarks that “a few can’t read, one or two are just given attendance diplomas, most look forward to the parties,” this points out that their main focus is not to graduate, but to drink (Alexie 179). This is life on the reservation. The cause of alcoholism among Native Americans can be debated, but the main factor is depression. They drink to escape their problems, but the drunken high can only last for so long. Addiction starts here. Many young Native Americans grew up with alcoholic parents. Impressionable children saw drinking as a way out of their hardships. Each generation is affected and alcoholism becomes a part of life on the reservation. Alexie stays away from the addiction that destroys the life of his father, but only because he is determined to be the “fucking eagle,” for his reservation (Alexie 188).
Although not all Native Americans become alcoholics, a majority see alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with life. Alexie evokes the most emotion by describing the painful effects alcohol has on an individual, a family, a community, and a race of people.
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