Dogged by history
Published: Tue, Nov. 28, 2006 12:00AM
Modified Tue, Nov. 28, 2006 03:11AM
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closeReading the Nov. 26 "Marmaduke" comic I was once again struck by the overwhelmingly damaging nature of the ethnocentrism and blind loyalty of us Americans. It is to the detriment of this nation and the world that we remain so.
A cursory look at historical accounts will allow any of us to deduce that the romantic account of the first Thanksgiving depicted in this "Marmaduke" is far from the truth. Recent accounts of the Trail of Tears reveal some of the real truth: state-sponsored terrorism, genocide and ethnic cleansing. Within a handful of years, these same Pilgrims were seeking to kill these same Indians to have their land. And our anti-Indian policies remain alive and in action today. We offered no Emancipation Proclamation, no willing recompense for our land-culture-child-life-grabbing past.
The second thing in the comic that struck me was the assumption that Marmaduke, a Great Dane, would have belonged to the Pilgrims if he had lived in that time. Why? I think, given his character of sensibility, intelligence and caring, he'd have been more likely to live with the Indians
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Marianne Coats
Cary
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