Land O Lakes removes "Racist" native girl from packaging

It's probably one of those things Natives don't actually care about but a white person took it upon themselves to do better in the world.

Kinda like when they tried to force out the Chiefs that would ride into the college football games on horses and in dress. Some white stooge says oh that's no appropriate, but the Indians themselves enjoyed doing it and took no offense, in fact in an interview they stated that it's one of the last traditions that they have to showcase. Riding in like warriors, which is a cultural value white people wouldn't get, so they see it and think well that can't be appropriate.

Not that I know anything about the subject or reasoning and not that I give a shit anyway, either but it has white stooges written all over it.

 

Take the Frito Bandito. Everyone says the Frito Bandito is racist, and that's just because he has a mustache and a sombrero. It's high time Mexicans accepted their history and heritage and Sombreros and whatnot. I mean, take Pancho Villa. Pancho Villa was a huge murderer and drug lord and owned a hundred prostitutes. Only 1% of Mexicans were like that in 1900, sure, but Villa was able to exploit his image and sell it to Hollywood and as a result we got the image of a Mexican outlaw guy. Since Villa was a real guy and his grave is a national heritage site, he's become a part of Mexican culture. And there's nothing wrong with that, and furthermore, Pancho Villa is a lot more offensive than the Frito Bandito, since the Frito Bandito just steals corn chips and Pancho Villa stole opium and cocaine. He does the same thing the Trix rabbit does, except he steals corn chips instead of cereal. And personally, I think mascots these days or boring. Maybe we shouldn't go back to the Gold Dust Twins, but how about some accurate representation on our brands? Everyone talks about how TV and movies need to be diversified. How about food? Personally, I can't take a salsa seriously if it has a white guy on it, or even worse no guy at all. For once, I'd like to see a jar of salsa with a Mexican guy on it, and maybe he has a mustache, and he's wearing a sombrero, but so what? That means the brand is authentic! And he could have a little speech bubble coming from his mouth that could say, "Es Muy Bien!" And I'd buy that, and I'd respect that brand and I'd assume it was more authentic than a salsa without a Mexican guy on it. That's my angle. And maybe they should revive the Frito Bandito and have him voiced by a Hispanic guy instead of Mel Blanc, since Mel Blanc is dead anyway. And I'd also respect that.

 

Jesus... my mother was right

 

Did she notice the resemblance, too?

 

She knows how to quote people

 

Oh. Huh. Anyway, back to the Land O' Lakes girl, I agree with Irmunsul, there's nothing wrong with an Indian lady enjoying a stick of butter

 

I guess at the end of the day, the key point is this: If you take away beads or feathers or headdresses or tricksters or mesas or clay jars or horses or leather or bow and arrows or any of the other stuff that defines Native American culture as Native American, Native Americans are left without an identity and marginalized, and if you're offended by a person of a certain ethnicity enjoying a certain food, say a perfectly accurate Indian lady holding a stick of butter, and if people campaign for such images to be removed, then Native American culture will fade away ever further into obscurity until Native Americans have nothing bonding them together.

 

Again, I know

 

Ok, so what's so bad with it? I've said my part, you say yours.

 

using a native American "mascot" to sell a white product to a white market and reducing said native American "mascot" to a submissive characiture really needs to be explained?

Jesus fucking H Christ

 

She's submissive? How is she submissive? She's just relaxing on her knees. And how is butter an inherently "white" product? Going down that line of reasoning, do you consider rice an inherently "Chinese" product or bananas an inherently "Caribbean" product? With cultural exchange, foods are traded and accepted. We used to think tomatoes were poisonous, because we were afraid of American food. Then we tried them, and they were delicious. I bet Native Americans were even more tolerant of our food. With plow animals they could grow bigger fields, and butter and ketchup and salt added flavor. I bet a Native American going to the grocery store in 1950 who saw the Land O Lakes carton wasn't offended. I bet he thought, "How nice for a Native American lady to be on a food". and he left it at that. She's not a caricature. I've already been over this. Chief Wahoo is a caricature. He's red and has a stupid face. Even the Frito Bandito, I'll concede, is a caricature. The Land O Lakes lady is an anatomically correct Indian squaw dressed in traditional Native American garb in front of a Native American landscape, and it's not your place or anyone's place to deny Native Americans the right to endorse butter. Unless Native Americans care, which they don't. The Land O Lakes lady is a Native American icon. I know this because I was at the Taos Pueblo last year and during a fire circle I asked some Native American guys about her, and they said she was "Hella Rad".

Doesn't that count for something?

 

As much as it pains me to admit this, I think you're right.

Apprentely we can't have Native American Women on butter packages but we can tomahawk til our hearts content for the Washington Redskins or Atlanta Braves in sports.

 

Only racists need racism explained to them

 

I agree. The Land O Lakes lady is a cool chick, and she deserves respect. She sells butter, she likes eating butter. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Butter is yummy. I intend to boycott Land O Lakes butter until she returns, and I urge fellow Native Americans to follow suit.

 

Neither is a point of concern on this particular matter.

 

It should be, Native Americans can endorse butter all they want. I don't blame them. Butter is good. Native Americans can eat anything they want. It's been over 500 years since Columbus sailed the ocean blue, so there's nothing wrong with Native Americans eating butter. Did you know that Native Americans these days eat Locos Tacos at Taco Bell? Crazy right? Brave new world we live in!

 

Was someone arguing otherwise?

Yes. Seems not the issue.

Who's arguing native Americans can't eat anything they want or butter in particular?

 

I am

Apparently

 

At A Time When The World Is In The Grip Of A "Toilet Paper Crises".... ....I Would Describe Their

Behaviour As Way Beyond Crazy.........Bordering On "Reckless"......



Cheers Glen.

 

You are. So long as the depiction of Native Americans is accurate, it's fine. I know you have this crazy image of Native Americans as the "noble savage," but THEY EAT BUTTER! And that girl is anatomically correct, and her clothes are accurate, and the landscape is accurate. Believe it or not, Native Americans eating what you call "white products" isn't an anachronism, since we live on the same continent and we exchange food. She doesn't have to eat teosinte. She can eat whatever she wants, she can hold that butter up. I was at a pueblo in Taos as part of my comic research. I met a Native American guy, he showed me his room, he had a poster of the Land O Lakes lady. He liked it. He and his friend called her "Hella rad". I don't think any Indians give a shit. I think many Indians like her. I think only white people interested in losing money and afraid of taking even the slightest risks care. Only racists consider butter a "white product," as if Indians can't enjoy butter. Indians can enjoy butter, and Indians can buy butter with an Indian squaw on it. It doesn't matter if white people created the box, what matters is that it's a respectful and decent portrayal of a Native American, which is very admirable for white people to do. Pretty soon all our products will just have words and no pictures. That'll suck...