Native Americans
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Indian Irony
Common misconceptions of Native Americans are still widely accepted today, however, if "we are to portray Indians accurately, we must reverse the inclination to romanticize and idealize Native Americans" (Layng 8). Labeling our misconceptions as politically correct only replaces bad stereotypes with good names, which on the surface disguise our ignorance and lack of understanding of the Native Americans.
Common Misconceptions of Native Americans, created by Columbus are still very popular and accepted today ranging from savage beasts to perfect citizens who are "in-tune" with Mother Nature. Columbus and his men, labeled the Indians from the land he believe to be India, as bloodthirsty savages. The belief that any man who kills another as an act of revenge is a savage, a bloodthirsty savage, killing recklessly. This belief has been enhanced and accepted by the media today. However, the truth falls in the beliefs of Native Americans that were different from the men who believed the Native Americans to be savages. Native Americans believed that if another man kills a member of their tribe, they had the right to kill a man from that tribe. Likewise, if the white man killed a member of their clan, the Native Americans had the right to kill a white man (Layng 2). Still accepting this misconception, inhibits today's society to understand the Native Americans appropriately...