Racism in Politics

The following clip and an article on the event show some of the problems with Racism toward Native Americans in our culture. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, has claimed that she is of Cherokee and Delaware Indian descent. Many claim this is untrue because she does not have any proof of her ancestry and only has alleged stories that her grandparents have told her to back up her claim. Her opponent, Scott Brown, has tried to discredit this claim. The following video shows Brown's supporters and even members of his staff chanting "Indian war woops" and and making gestures representing a tomahawk chop, attacking Warren's character in the process. Brown released a statement saying that "this type of conduct will not be tolerated" and that "he is encouraging both sides to act with respect."

I find that the actions of the people in this video are very offensive. These people's actions are based on stereotypes that have existed for a very long time regarding Native Americans. When you hear "Native Americans" what comes to mind? The stereotypical "war woops"  heard in this video or a tomahawk probably do come to mind. We all learn in school the stereotypes about Native Americans, but what more do we really learn about them? Stereotypes are apart of our society and social life in general and these stereotypes probably influenced these people's behaviors. I do not think this makes their actions any less hurtful. I think that most of the racism toward Native Americans is due to stereotypes  and ignorance of their cultures. I think that the cultures of Native Americans should be taught more in schools. This could help people understand them so much more and help eliminate stereotypes and racism in our country.
I also find it strange when people claim thy are Native American, like Elizabeth Warren has. The article said that it is popular for people who aren't Native American to claim that they are. I might find it weird because I actually am Native American an it is just another part of who I am. I think this happens because such a small percentage of our population is Native American and much of our country does not know much of their culture so we find them intriguing, different, and almost exotic. But, like Brown said, we should treat everyone with respect and respect their culture.