Teehee

                The clips assigned to the class by Dr. Morris were varied and interesting, to say the least.

                The bit that caught me off guard the most was the “Dropping the Feather” piece. I was startled by the sudden noise and perplexed by what was going on. If my assumption is correct, there must be a sort of stigmatism against dropping a feather to the ground. Perhaps like letting the flag touch the ground to some Americans? But in my confusion, I found the clip very funny. Psychologically, it’s because the juxtaposition between “traditional” Native dress and beliefs and the techno beat partnered with the modern dance moves created an absurd picture…and I laughed. The point of Youtube is to share videos with people of every race, color, and creed. So my laughing at the clip was acceptable and the intended point. However, one Youtube commenter thought otherwise. He (I assume) was horribly offended by such a poke at Native tradition. Essentially, he called the 3 actors sell-outs because they were playing into some Hollywood stereotype. The tone of the comment was accusatory and mad. This once again echoes the issue Native have even amongst themselves. What do we call them? What’s funny? If it’s funny, can non-natives laugh at it? If we do find it funny, does that make us racist?

                But I digress. I appreciated the “Being Gay and Native American” clip for the reinforcement of my last blog. Natives are people just like the rest of us. And some of them are bound not to tickle my particular funny bone. Just like every other comedian out there. It’s a level playing field: regardless of gender or race, you may be the funniest guy alive or you can flop completely. The “Gay” clip, to me, wasn’t funny. The material may have been unique in that I’ve never heard another gay Native comedian before. But its delivery was off and Charlie Ballad seemed uncomfortable on the stage.

                The vlog with Jim Ruel was funny. I actually watched it with my eyes closed (headache). And had I not known, I never would have assumed him to be a Native. And his jokes were funny, regardless of his blood. Anyone saying jokes with his delivery style would have been a hoot.