In week 5 of American Indian studies, we went into a little more depth about tribal casinos. This was a very interesting topic because it was one that has been a stereotype for many years. I remember a couple of years ago, I was watching Family Guy and they ran into a casino owner who fit all of the major stereotypes, including making them go on a quest into the forest to do some soul searching.
Anyways, something I found interesting about these tribal casinos, is that they are not owned by one person but they tribal government. I always just thought in my head that they had a single owner, like in Family Guy. But it really does make more sense this way, since the tribes need a profitable source of income to help bring their reservation and culture back to life. Although, I was also sad to hear that the casinos may not be as profitable as you would think.
There has always been that stereotype that Natives get rich off of casinos and they have very loose rules, of course, this was not the case. In fact, they often have to pay tons of fees to the state that aren’t even taxes. Some fees are even up to 25% which is ridiculous. How are they supposed to make a living for their tribe when they are paying these outrageous fees? I hate how the outside world sees them as taking advantage of the system as well. Yes they may be making good money, but it is spread around the reservation. Even if they do get rich, I’d say it’s a little overdue. Although the killing of Natives no longer takes place, the US government sure doesn’t seem to keen on keeping them alive.
Jake July 13, 2018
I thought what we learned about tribal casinos were very interesting and I agree with a lot of the points you bring up. I do think some TV shows do need to rethink how they portray Native Americans. With these negative stereotypes it hurts their business and their reputation. The US Government doesn’t help much either, like you said. When Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for office he defiantly pushed backwards ideas towards Native Americans. I wish that we could help redo all of this.
We gotta keep educating others about what is going on so that way we can help stop negative feedback towards Native Americans. I feel like the Casino stereotypes will be easy to break as long as we work towards it. One voice at a time can make a difference.
mkthomps July 13, 2018
I had change most of my ideas about about Indian casinos because of this class. The ideas and misconceptions changed when I learned more about the realities of the situation. Just like most things, the more I learn, the more I grow to understand.