Discuss the perceptions of Amerindians in popular culture (literature, Essay

Discuss the perceptions of Amerindians in popular culture (literature, theater, TV, film,etc). with particular attention as to how this perception has changed over time - Essay Example The misconceptions and beliefs that people tend to carry as an integral part of their value system tend to influence a lot as to how the two races and cultures view and interact with eachother. The views and decisions arrived at on the basis of the stereotypical ethnographic perceptions of other cultures and races do give way to, too many misunderstandings and misconceptions. It goes without saying that the Amerindians have been the victims of such trends. To begin with the European-Americans heaped a generalized and collective identity on the Amerindians under the guise of a monolithic term ‘Indian’.2 Realistically speaking, the Amerindians never preferred themselves to be identified under a single umbrella identity. They rather preferred to be known more in terms of their tribes and ethnic beliefs. It was under the influence of such a generalized approach towards the Amerindians that they were more or less portrayed in a negative way by the European-Americans. The remnants of this belief system had a marked influence on the projection of the Amerindians in the future popular culture, be it the literature, cinema, or TV. Almost all the earlier Western Films portrayed the Amerindians as hopeless and stupid savages, who were unhygienic, immoral and illiterate and people who simply cannot be trusted by the Whites.3 Some of the recent films like Dances with Wolves did project the Amerindians as wise and humane. Yet, the iron y is that the perception of the Amerindians in such films is more or less patronizing, inaccurate and to a great extent superficial. However, in recent times, with the augmenting of interest in the Amerindian diversity and way of life, the popular culture perceptions pertaining to the Amerindians have started to get more realistic. The popular interest has started to grow around the Amerindians’ way of life and the beliefs and values of the varied Amerindian tribes. A great deal of this change could be attributed to the educated and

Substainable Tourism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Substainable Tourism - Research Paper Example For instance, the program to construct various facilities including malls, cinema halls, hotels and casinos on the Sentosa Island was initiated in 2005 by the government of Singapore (Quah, 2010). The primary objective of this project was to create new jobs besides increasing foreign investments and tourism. According to Chen (2009), the focus of the SDC in developing locations along the coastline is generating new avenues for leisure such as yachting and wind-surfing which eventually is contributing to the generation of more jobs for the local population. The government has also liberalized many leisure activities including gambling along the southern part of Singapore. Besides attracting talent and investment, this move is improving Singapore’s reputation as a liberal city. SDC has taken advantage of these recent changes by establishing several casinos at many of its locations. Bunnell (2010) says that SDC employs over 1000 workers at each of its casinos and provides indirec t employment to another 5000 through nearby bars, restaurants, suppliers and hotels.