Native Film Talk podcast Ep. 40: Reservation Dogs Episode 3 Review + Discussion

Reservation Dogs is by far my favourite new show, and it's been since The Orville and that show was a while ago. So on the show we are both giant fans!

I would love to have a conversation with you. If I did, it would go something like this:

Some of the stuff you say is ignorant – by your own definition, and same as you, I mean no disrespect. You speak of "Native" as if all the tribes do and believe the same thing, including using the same language. Now that's whopping damage right there for "outsiders" to hear. Since when did Lakota and Kwakiutl speak the same language, follow the same gods or ways, along with the other 500 plus nations? If they were as unified as you imply, Tecumseh would have never had to meet with all the tribal leaders and keep failing at bringing them together to fight for their lands, but of course that is what he did and he never succeeded for the old rule, "we would love to unite, but who is going to rule?" Crushes unity near every time it's tried.

You say you are Navajo, do your Hopi neighbours now believe all that you do? What about the Apaches in the White Mountains? Last time I checked there was none of that going on. If it's changed, glad to hear it.

I appreciate you trying to get outsider people up to speed, but you are not just slamming the brakes along the route, you are hitting reverse big time on so much of what you say you find "ignorant".

You also seem to be under an impression that other cultures don't have uncles who do the same thing with their young uns., That's either ignorant or glossing over. Either way, it is in contrast to your stated goals. So too the idea of cousins and family. That's a class thing. Rich people have inheritances and thus bloodline is very important to cashing in, but the further you go down the totem pole of money the far more casual people get in naming who they are "related" too. Best friends you have known your whole life and parents who grew up together become cousins and aunts and uncles. You don't know the difference because no one acts different. That's not "native," that's cash flow. Check with the elders in the tribes with big money, it's there too. If you are not on the tribal list you ain't getting jack.

Your car example is also not exclusive to the "rez". It's the same as above, class and money. Crappy cars in bad shape is not exclusive at all to any people, other than poor people.

The movies on VHS are 80s greatest hits. I was able to pause, and LOL, I did!

FYI – Farah Fawcett poster is 1976, and Lynda Carter is 1975-1977. 80s models were Bo Derek, Pia Zadora and Christie Brinkley at the top of the decade. Samantha Fox later on. That's what I saw in the dorms anyway.

Your magic statements about using bad magic is also across the board for all who mess with it. Look up black and white magic and you will see, there is no such thing as black and white magic, only motive, and one person's white is black to someone else along with lots of warnings.

I appreciate what you are trying to do but you are at a very beginning stage. As life opens up to you it will be impossible to not see common traits amongst humanity, but blurring differences like languages and religions is equally an oversight of youth and experience. It's not wrong or bad, it's just youth and inexperience.

As you meet more people from different status and cultures you will see money is the greatest determiner of everything, followed by religion – but always preceded by money and that's true for the whole world! So much of what you say here, that you think is exclusive, is spread almost everywhere and experience will show you peoples have a lot more in common than you are giving credit. So too are the distinctions in religion and language.

I hope you see, none of this is out of spite, or "trolling", attacking, or anything of the sort. Just chatting, in a long way for a long show.

Your channel is getting a lot of attention now and I hope it grows for you as you grow with it.

Ok, end of old person sharing their thoughts with a young person.