Blatant Racism


Dear John Ford,

While I am sure your movie The Searchers can possibly communicate ideas around the Western experience, your portrayal of Native Americans was utterly brutal and inaccurate- exploiting an already misrepresented culture. Your movie shows Native Americans as ruthless savages who seek out white women to "ruin" and rape shown through the made-up dialect as well as the costumes and headresses of the actors. This may have been a common outlook on Native Americans during the 1950's but it does not excuse these racist depictions so obviously criminalizing a whole group of people. Movies have immense power. Especially the idea that Native Americans kidnap white women and make them savage-like could instill a deep fear in the audience which furthers the cycle of prejudice. It is baffling to see such a discriminatory movie- the racism overtakes any positive theme this movie may have and I hope it can serve as a lesson for what not to do.

-Kaela

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