Social Sense
so well done. so moving. so accurate. thank you.
Thank you for this...
C-CS
Beautifully done.
Mustang and Leslie,
This was beyond excellent, if there is such a thing. Mrs. Sunsett says it was beautiful and what people need to hear.
Good job, I will be linking to you both.
WOW!!!! This is the heart and soul of what our country is and always has been about. You and Leslie have done a great piece of work here and I salute and thank you both!
And of course I will incorporate it into my tea partying scheme... I am sending the link to serveral tea'd off friends! 
Thanks Mustang and Leslie, you are wonderful Americans! Happy Independence Day to you both!
FYI,
I don't know if it will get looked at or not, but for what it's worth, I sent this to Glenn Beck.
Absolutely fantastic!!!!
I am delighted to be among the few, the proud, THE ARROGANT AMERICAN'S.
God Bless and be safe this holiday.
Incredible video with a message that clearly describes what America has been and what is clearing being stolen from us today.
Wishes for a safe and dynamic TEA party and Independence Day.
Outstanding my friend. May I steal it and repost it with attribution?
Quite simply THE BEST video I've seen in ages. Thanks for letting me use....
I think we ALL should send it to every non blogging friend we know, too. THANK YOU, Mustang. This is an important piece and it should get a lot of viewing..I hope so.
Have a great day....
Happy Independence Day to you.
Thanks Mustang. This is wonderful. So well done.
A proud, arrogant American,
Pris
Happy Independence Day to arrogant Americans wherever they may be!
From a fellow arrogant American.
Proud to be an arrogant American.
Thanks!
Well, I'm an Arrogant American, as well. I'm also what Ms. Napolitano calls, a Right Wing Extremist, because I believe in a FREE AMERICA.
We are blessed, as a nation, and need to remind everyone how blessed we truly are.
Mustang and Leslie, incredible.
Leslie, yet again a great job of narrating.
You guys nailed it. America has nothing to apologize for. We have sacrificed the most important thing we have, our sons and daughters, for the rest of the world.
Great job on the video, guys! z and Chuck tipped me off to it.
Happy Independence Day!
Outstanding!
T.E.A
PJ
Thank You So Much !
Absolutely FANTASTIC!! I will be e-mailing it to everyone in the address book.
Mustang, Leslie, great job. Youtube is showing 207 views already. It's only a day and their count doesn't include the people that watched it here or at any of the other blogs that copied it. BRAVO!!
Comments of mine from Smart Girl Politics:
An OK video except for a serious problem. There are two instances of portraying American Indians as enemies of America. I am offended.
I will check around to find this "Mustang" and "Leslie" then request they alter or remove those disparging portrayals of American Indians.
We American Indians are the original Americans and are more American than all Americans. We are the true blood of America.
Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
Follow up comments of mine from Smart Girl Politics:
Done. I have contacted both "Mustang" and "Leslie" on this issue. I will periodically check to discover if they alter or remove this subtle racism from their video.
I hope they will consider my request lest I have no choice but to brand them racists. I am sure racism was not their intent, I am very sure of this. However, refusal to make some changes in their video will signal a different intent.
Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
Follow up comments of mine from Smart Girl Politics:
Judy comments, "...did not notice the enemies reference."
This is highly typical. I am not demeaning you rather am noting almost all are completely unaware of subtle racism. In many ways, Judy, we are taught to be racists, and none of us, regardless of skin color, are free from this. I will quickly concede to both racism amongst my own peoples and within my own mind. Difference is I make a point to be aware of my bigotry and to be careful to not allow this bigotry to taint my thinking.
I catch these types of "things" because my eyes are trained by both cultural perspective and by a lifetime of being subjected to racism. A vast majority of people would never catch these instances of subtle racism; they are simply blind to this.
First instance in this video is a quick graphic of Indians slaughtering early white settlers. This is at time mark 2:30 - 2:34 on my player. Second instance is an audio reference by Leslie to "hostile natives" at time mark 3:07 - 3:08 on my player.
All of us know my ancestors suffered 400 years of horrific genocide at the hands of "Americans" which led to 15 million to 20 million of my ancestors being slaughtered. American Indian blood covers all of America, most literally.
This "Mustang" and "Leslie" using sarcastic irony about American arrogance while portraying American Indians as enemies of America, completely defeats their point. I know this is an act of innocence on their part, I know this. If anything, my critique should lead them to producing even better quality videos through learning to carefully critique themselves for unnoticed wrongful inclusions of this sort. Typically, we call this "stereotyping" which must be avoided if their point is to be valid.
I appreciate your patience with me, Judy. I intent no offense to you nor others, but on matters like this I must speak out in a firm but fair way to better our lot.
Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
"All of us know my ancestors suffered 400 years of horrific genocide at the hands of "Americans"
Really?
Seems like a "racist" statement to me!
I mean, everyone knows there were no hostile Indians ... right? And, isn't scare marked "Americans" just a code word for "whites"
One thing I'm sure of, if you look for "subtle racism" you can find it anywhere. Okpulot Taha, needs to either grow up or seek help for their paranoia.
Oh...
"400 years of horrific genocide", seems particularly ineffective, to me. Especially as Okpulot Taha seems alive and well enough to use a computer.
The Cherokee, today, number far more that they did at the time of "The Trail of Tears". I would expect the same thing in the Choctaw Nation.
As the author of the essay entitled, “Arrogant Americans,” I am completely responsibility for its content. That said, out of a word-length of 1,025 words, there are but two that make any reference to the hostility that existed between white settlers and native people. I used this term in context from voices of the past; it is a statement of fact in the early days of westward expansion from what was then the colonial seacoast in what is now the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.
The commenter may of course glean from the essay whatever she chooses, but I would caution anyone that a statement of fact does not a racist make. Contrary to the views of Ms. Okpulot Taha, I did not portray native people as ‘enemies’ of America, nor was any such idea implied other than in the mind of the complainant. Accordingly, I will not apologize for the content of this essay, retract any of its content, nor withdraw it from its present platform.
A million and a half of "my people" died at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. Am I happy about it? Hell,no. Have I let it go? Yes; I've succeeded, I love this country more than my 'roots' and choose to be an upstanding member of this country, never relying on any kind of help.
Looking for 'seconds' of racism when none is intended seems so sad to me.
I have never considered a native American any more or less than I am. Perhaps that makes me a racist. WHO knew?
Okpulot Taha
Regarding your comments:
//I have contacted both "Mustang" and "Leslie" on this issue. I will periodically check to discover if they alter or remove this subtle racism from their video.
I hope they will consider my request lest I have no choice but to brand them racists. I am sure racism was not their intent, I am very sure of this. However, refusal to make some changes in their video will signal a different intent.//
and
//This "Mustang" and "Leslie" using sarcastic irony about American arrogance while portraying American Indians as enemies of America,//
They did no such thing and you know it. If there ever was a frivolous accusation, this would be it.
As Warren says, you seem no worse for wear. You seem to have access to a computer with the freedom of speech to make ludicrous claims, based on two words. How you could derive racism (covert or overt) from what was said in this video is beyond any intelligent person's comprehension.
You are entitled to your opinion and are free to say anything you wish, to argue your case. But it always helps to have a a credible claim and some sound evidence to back it up, before you go around trying to intimidate people you know nothing about.
//All of us know my ancestors suffered 400 years of horrific genocide at the hands of "Americans" which led to 15 million to 20 million of my ancestors being slaughtered. American Indian blood covers all of America, most literally.//
How many of our ancestors were slaughtered, before the Europeans first appeared on this continent through tribal wars? How long do you suppose that went on?
You really need to get a grip on history young lady.
LASunsett
Proud Ancestor of The Cherokee Nation
One thing I found striking on Okpulot's comments.
"We American Indians are the original Americans and are more American than all Americans. We are the true blood of America."
No one was an American prior to the birth of this nation. Having native blood myself, both Choctaw and Cherokee, I find that statement to be extremely arrogant and racist. Implying that a race of people are "more American than other people" is not something that I agree with at all.
American's of every type shed one another's blood in the Civil War, not something to feel good about, but part of our history. The fact is, we are all American's and we all have much to be proud of. We should not waste time and energy clinging to the past and our victimhood. I prefer to look to the future we leave for our heirs. Implying people are racist for depicting history accurately does not honor your heritage or ancestors, it just makes you a person with unresolved issues, in my opinion.
//We should not waste time and energy clinging to the past and our victimhood. //
There are some people in certain demographic groups who were treated badly, once upon a time. But they would be hard pressed to demonstrate that they personally have been treated anywhere near, the way their ancestors were. They like the role of victim because liberal apologists have created it for people like her (and others), for the specific purpose of getting votes. How utterly demeaning is THAT?
Okpulot appears to be such a person, one that has fallen prey to that kind of oppression and has allowed herself to become stagnant, as a result of such thinking. She will wear her heart on her sleeve, her skin will be thin, and she will bleed anytime a spitball makes contact with her. People like me will have no pity on her or anyone else who have consented to this kind of racism.
"I catch these types of "things" because my eyes are trained by both cultural perspective and by a lifetime of being subjected to racism."
It would seem that the lady has been well educated in the "school of victimization". Only those who have been "schooled" in such would fall victim to the constant seeking of finite points of racism where none exist, except in their own mind.
A proud NON-victim of Cherokee heritage.
americans may be arrogant here at home, but when some go abroad they cower and are meek like little children, scared etc. i know i have seen first hand. i have seen americans arrested overseas, and cry like babies. its kind of funny to watch. i myself am a american, and cannot understand why would so many americans want to be arrogant. its does not make sense. the world is different now, and getting smaller by the day. much of america is owned by foreignors, passive and direct overseas investment here in the states. only a fool who is ignorant would be arrogant and for all the wrong reasons.
Commenting by HaloScan
