Is the Lone Ranger the great white American hope? Sure he
is, but to put him in the same context as God or depictions from the bible is absolutely
insane. Admittedly, the creators of the action hero did their research when creating the Long Ranger and
Tonto. At the time of the duos creation, America wasn't too far removed from taking this country from
the Indians by force. How better to personify white power than to have a white hero run around
with an Indian telling him what to do? How racist can one show be?
What the show makers did was capitalize on white empowerment. This
country killed so many Indians that they should be on the endangered
species list. The breakdown of why certain scenes were shot in a particular manor sound like
something straight out of a psychology book. Lone Ranger was never dirty, he never needed to shave,
his horse silver was always clean and virtually every scene took place in the gravel and dirt of
the west. How amazing is it that the
Long Ranger never got dirty? “Hello, people of the world; if you
are not white then you are dirty.” Where is hate mail when you need it?
With
all of the problems that we are having with guns and gun laws; it is amazing to
know that a show like the Lone Ranger has lasted as long as it has. The
show reminds us of where we come from and where we are going. The gun wielding, gun toting, media
described “Jesus on a horse “is nothing of the sort. He is a figment of our imagination, an
aberration in the dessert, second cousin to the devil himself at best. What
makes white so right? What if he were an African American with a black horse? What if Tonto was a white man? Would the duo be as
successful as they have been in the past? Surely they would not be as
successful if these characters were of a different ethnic background. White America would have denounced the film and more than likely
the show would have never made it out of the pilot stage as far as television is concerned. Do we not
live in America; A country of diversity? Where are our heroes?
The
Lone Ranger portrays false images of God and how the west was really won sends
false images of how the west was really won. In Fact, cowboys of that time period did not
chase bad guys in the pursuit of justice; their primary job was to tend to the
farm and animals. Daring bank heist and brawls with county hoodlums in the by horseback are surprisingly
uncommon. Though movies and television would like us to believe otherwise, it was very
rare when gunfights occurred with the two gunfighters squarely facing each other from a distance in a dusty
street. (OLD WEST LEGENDS)Why glamorize the war with the Indians or a war with anyone for that matter. The Lone Ranger subliminally teaches the world that white
is somehow invincible. Hollywood has A way of holding down people of color in ways that the average human being
could not fathom. Where are our roll models? Unless you grew up in the south; most
people of color do not see color. Most grow up thinking that if you are a friend then that’s what you are.
I doesn't matter what nationality that you are. As a youth my best friend's name was Joe and he
was a white guy. We both shared the love of heroes and the thought of being heroes. We never
realized that all heroes were intentionally made White; we just fell in love
with what they stood for. They
fought against the tyranny and injustices in the world. What could be better than being a hero and
fighting for justice?
Does the Lone Ranger really fight for justice or is
he an in justice? Surely Tonto is not a role model. What Tonto represents
is a man of color that is unable to stand his own two feet. He needs a white man to show him how being a hero is done.
Are we not worthy of being the lead hero? What really defines one as a hero?
Is being white a qualification that one needs to have for consideration? Why couldn't the show have
cast Tonto as the lead? Clearly he is the hero. It must take a lot of courage to help someone oppress your
people as well other people of color. Admittedly, some of the Lone ranger s foes were of white
decent but that still does not take away from the psychological effect that it had on people of color. At a
time when oppression was in full swing; the movie as well as the comic book and book gave rise to
white dominance. How much different might urban America be with heroes of the Lone Ranger’s
magnitude. We may have had a black president
50 years ago. It might be socially acceptable to have a team of
superheros that are all people of color and whites would accept them. The word ”Keemosabe” actually
means faithful friend, but the word “ Tonto “ means fool in Spanish. Sadly, the show was recently
ressurected via the big screen. The full length movie is do to be in the
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