Sterotypes

[Once-a-librarian]

The title of this story, "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven," was the title of another collection of short stories by Alexie. How does this story address the racist, stereotypical picture of Native Americans that some say was perpetuated by the character of "Tonto", the Lone Ranger's sidekick circa 1950s?

[Once-a-librarian]

Where I grew up in Cleveland, the "Indians" baseball team had as their their mascot, a caricature of a Native American. Now, I believe the team is known simply as "The Tribe." Anyway, the stereotype was alive and well and subconsciously implanted in all our young, impressionable minds. So the narrator walks into the 7-Eleven and immediately stereotypes the clerk and assumes the clerk is stereotyping him. Then, the police are suspicious because he's wandering around lost in a neighborhood where "he's not supposed to be." Then the girlfriend is upset with his drinking. All stereotypical images of Native Americans which may or many be true of anyone, no matter their origin.

I love the line "That's how it happened. When one person starts to look at another like a criminal, then the love is over. It's logical."

[Cady]

That's a pretty poignant comment on society today - across races, when we see people with different backgrounds as the "other" we begin interactions already a few steps down the stereotype road.

Also let's not forget how recently the Lone Ranger and Tonto movie was remade by Hollywood, starring Johnny Depp (a white man) as Tonto... We have a long way to go...