Student at center of controversy
JULY 24, 2000
Do Indians really exist any more? And if they do,
are they really Indians? Didn't we kill
them all off, anyway?
These are questions facing many throughout the country
today. Tonight, real life becomes as strange as
fiction as the television show Strangers
with Candy tackles tough question of
Indian identity.
|
Who is Jerri Blank?
If you aren't familiar with the Comedy Central program
Strangers with Candy, Jerri Blank
is the oldest living high school freshman in the country. After
spending years in the gutter, she's returned to
Flatpoint High School in an attempt to get an education.
Naturally, Jerri is an outsider. Shunned by her
fellow students for being too old, too ugly, and just
not hip, Jerri tries to gain the acceptance of her
peers by holding drug parties, joining the debate
team, and joining a cult.
But home is where most of her troubles lie. Her step-mother
despises her and her younger brother hates sharing
a home with his creepy older sister.
Is Jerri Indian?
Jerri's mother breaks the news to her. She's full-blooded
Native American. No wonder she's an outcast!
Not only does Jerri reject her Indian heritage, the town
rejects it as well. The idea of even one Indian existing
in Flatpoint today tears them apart.
"I’ve always thought they were kinda just somethin’
writers made up to be villains in cool cowboy movies
or for mascots of major league baseball teams," says
one student. "Seein’
a real one is kind of a trip though, but it’s also
a little scary. I mean, they were pretty nasty customers
in a few movies I saw, but Chief Wahoo on the baseball
caps seems pretty cool, so I don’t know."
The town has been led to believe the tribe fell into
oblivion after being massacred during a seven-day war.
They signed The Treaty of Swiss at gunpoint, giving up all
of their land.
But is Jerri really Indian?
With none of her people around her, how can Jerri know
what being Native American is all about? How can she
get in touch with her heritage?
Will she try to find
her people and seek federal recognition? Will they
stake a land claim on Flatpoint? More importantly,
will they open a casino?
We asked Jerri these tough questions. Unfortunately,
her short attention span caused her to forget what
we asked her in the first place.
"Thank you for sending me your e-mail. I started to
read it, but then quickly started thinking of my
own problems half way through the first sentence,"
responded Jerri.
So if you want to find out if Jerri Blank is really
Indian, you have to tune in tonight and find out because
we don't know the answer to any of these questions any
more than you do!
To tune into the real-life saga of townsfolk and other
individuals who don't think Indians exist in particular
portions of the country, tune into Indianz.Com every day.
Strangers with Candy airs every Monday night on the
Comedy Central cable network at 10PM EST.
"Trail of Tears" (Episode #0205) airs tonight. Check
NativeTV for updates on future
showings.
The Official Comedy Central Site:
www.comedycentral.com/swc/
|
|
|
Printer friendly version