So…
I’m outside my office hanging out, talking about my recent trip Germany. I mention to my friends (who for comedic future reference, are composed of an Indian, and a Native American) that I find it weird that everywhere in Europe, they refer to Native Americans as “Red Indians.”
Cam: “…And they say this in all seriousness, without a hint of irony.”
Shawn: “Yeah.”
At this moment, a woman walking her stroller by me, turns and begins to yell. I miss the first few words, because, people generally don’t yell at me, and it’s kind of disjointed.”
Lady: “Red Indians? What do you mean Red Indians? What about Brown Indians? There are Blond Indians!”
I’m missing the meat of what she said, because it made no sense. It dawns on me that she walked by, heard only a white guy saying “Red Indians”.
I walk up to her, trying to talk over her shouting:
Cam: “Ma’am, please let me explain- Okay, you’re taking this out of context- That’s not what- I was talking about European Nomenclature, here!”
She turns and walks off, refusing to listen, and still yelling at me.
I walked back to my group and we all sort of stare at each other. A few moments of quiet later:
Shawn: “…I’m a Red Indian”
Gary: “… and I’m a Brown Indian”
It was bizarrely funny, because clearly, this lady just wanted to be angry, and I gave her the perfect, if completely context-less excuse.
But now I’m bummed that our lives intersected for just a few seconds, and she got the exact opposite impression of who I am and what I believe. We’ll both go to our graves with that awful little misunderstanding floating there, unresolved.
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