A few more details on Trump’s disgusting derailment yesterday.
Native American groups have long objected to President Trump’s use of the nickname “Pocahontas” to deride one of his political foes, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Well of course they have. A lot of goons are pretending to be unable to see anything racist about it, but that’s just the usual fraud. It’s racist first of all to use any name like that as a generic for All People In This Group I’m Insulting. People used to do that casually without giving it any thought, but those days are over.
It’s racist in that it reveals that Trump thinks one Native American can stand for all of them.
It’s racist in that it reveals that Trump doesn’t know of any other Native Americans.
It’s exponentially more racist now because Trump has been using it as a calculated racist insult for two years.
It’s racist the same way it’s racist to call Native American women “squaws” – which is another thing non-Native people used to do casually without thinking.
It’s racist in that Trump would never think a single name could stand for all Americans or all white Americans.
“I just want to thank you because you’re very, very special people,” Trump said Monday afternoon, speaking to a small group of code talkers. “You were here long before any of us were here. Although we have a representative in Congress who, they say, was here a long time ago. They call her ‘Pocahontas.’ ”
Another thing about that – notice the opposition of “you” and “any of us.” He framed the Navajo vets as the others and “us” as “us” – not you, not the others, not the weird little minority we can’t even be polite to for ten seconds.
Trump’s reference — unrelated to the ceremony and widely considered an offensive racial slur — seemed to catch the code talkers off-guard, prompting polite smiles and silence. The scene played out in front of a portrait of President Andrew Jackson, who signed into law the Indian Removal Act.
In front of it and very close to it. Do Oval Office ceremonies normally play out there? Are they normally shoved up against a bit of wall rather than in front of the desk? I don’t think so. I’m not certain, but I don’t think so. If that’s not normal…did they really do that on purpose? If they did…that’s not just Trump and his out of control monsterness, it’s calculated sadism.
Mihio Manus, a spokesman for the president and vice president of the Navajo Nation, said that while “we’re very appreciative of President Trump honoring the code talkers first and foremost,” he thought Trump’s comments about Warren were inappropriate.
“It’s unfortunate that President Trump would refer to Sen. Elizabeth Warren as Pocahontas in a joking way,” Manus said. “Pocahontas, although she wasn’t Navajo, definitely was a historical figure in the foundation of this nation who is misrepresented in history. And so we as the Navajo Nation don’t feel any member of any tribal nation should be used as the punchline of a joke.”
And all the less so when the ceremony taking place is nothing to do with Pocahontas or Elizabeth Warren, and Trump brought them up only because he can’t see a Native American now without instantly being reminded of his long-running racist campaign. “Oh, look, Injuns, here to pick up a medal…I get to give it to them…nice Injuns…POCAHONTAS.”
And at the end of his eruption, after “They call her ‘Pocahontas,’ ” he dropped his paw heavily on the shoulder of the guy nearest him and said, “But I like you.”
When asked about the Jackson portrait, Manus said, “It’s unfortunate.”
On Tuesday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a Vietnam War veteran and frequent critic of the president, similarly expressed dismay at Trump’s comments.
“Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to the Navajo Code Talkers, whose bravery, skill & tenacity helped secure our decisive victory over tyranny & oppression during WWII,” he wrote on Twitter. “Politicizing these genuine American heroes is an insult to their sacrifice.”
Especially coming from lazy greedy selfish President Bone Spurs.
Laura Tohe, the daughter of a Navajo code talker and a professor at Arizona State University who has written a book about the heroes, said it is “huge” that the code talkers were honored at the White House. But, she said she was dismayed by Trump’s remarks during the ceremony.
“The whole idea of using this platform to make a disparaging remark about Senator Warren was inappropriate and disrespectful,” Tohe said.
It’s that one job thing. He had one job to do, and he refused to do it. His job was to make those three men feel respected, and he totally blew that one simple job.
Tohe’s father, who died in 1985, and other young Navajo men were recruited by the Marine Corps to send messages in the Pacific. Japanese cryptographers were unable to decipher the code, which helped the United States.
Stephanie Fryberg, a professor of psychology and American Indian studies at the University of Washington, said she was aghast to see the ceremony in front of a portrait of Jackson and to hear Trump say “Pocahontas” again.
“Rather than really honoring those veterans he took advantage of their presence to make yet another demeaning remark about Senator Warren,” she said. “Why invite those honorable men to the White House if you can’t treat them with respect?”
Jacqueline Pata, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, said only three of the 13 surviving code talkers could make it to the White House. They are in their 90s and “were so excited about being able to participate in this event and to be there,” she said.
And that hateful bone spur of a man ruined it for them.
Pata said her organization has “tried to educate those within the White House” about using the name “Pocahontas” in a derogatory way. The event, she said, was held to honor both Native American History Month and Veterans Day.
Pata said she is concerned that the president’s remarks will overshadow the enormous contribution the code talkers made to American history.
“They turned the tide in the war,” she said. “It’s well-documented that they made the difference, and I don’t want us to forget that.”
Yes yes yes but POCAHONTAS
