This Day in History

Hernan de Soto dies in an Indian village on the Mississippi.

PZ Myers is still a douchebag.

Validate me, white man!

Click on the link, I totally dare you. Seriously.

I hope you noted the subtitle, "where Native America meets pop culture." Apparently where Native America meets pop culture is smack in the middle of a white guy.

It's hilarious on so many levels. The archive links are broken, but what got me going on this tool was a post about how he is the most qualified person in North America to speak on behalf of natives--a post in which he railed against natives who have a problem with some of what he says. The basis for his superiority on All Things Native is apparently the fact that he knows lots of natives, talks to lots of natives, reads lots of things written by natives, and distills all of this down to sorts of normative native opinions which form the basis for his viewpoints.

In other words, he's created bitchin' stereotypes. And his stereotypes are somehow more valid than the personal experiences and resulting views of actual native people.

Where it gets falling-down-on-the-floor-laughing funny is where the guy has a section of his site titled "Stereotype of the Month." I am completely not making this up.

Rob Schmidt, in your honor I am creating the Tool of the Month, and name you first recipient. Congratulations!

Tool.