{"id":503,"date":"2017-12-14T20:30:01","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T04:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/danabjornson\/?p=503"},"modified":"2017-12-14T21:16:54","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T05:16:54","slug":"the-white-man-come-saveth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/danabjornson\/2017\/12\/14\/the-white-man-come-saveth\/","title":{"rendered":"The White Man Come Saveth!"},"content":{"rendered":"
Posted October 2, 2017 on Connect<\/h5>\n

I had two minds about watching the clip of \u201cNanook of the North\u201d.\u00a0 First of all, there was a genuine attempt to capture \u201ceveryday life\u201d or at least the bits of everyday life that was clearly made palatable for a wider audience. The portrayal of Nanook and his family was not in line with the Spaghetti Western stereotypes of dangerous and savage Indian.\u00a0 Providing the names of the family members at least attempted to personify these people. On the flip side, however, it blatantly characterizes the traders as the saviors. This is exemplified perfectly when the movie shockingly reveals that Nanook had but only a harpoon to hunt with.\u00a0 With a different spin, the producer could have featured Nanook\u2019s incredible hunting skills, in that he ONLY needed a harpoon.\u00a0 But alas, no. Amen, for the white man who could trade him skins for more advanced hunting tools. Colonizers are \u201cthe good guys\u201d right?<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=m4kOIzMqso0<\/a><\/p>\n

For students to engage in media products more critically, I think we need to replicate what was done for us on this week\u2019s Discussion. Michael teed us up with questions to think about as we watched the clip.\u00a0 For myself, this forced me to think about the key issue as I was watching, as opposed to passively watching.\u00a0 It is incredibly easy to be thinking about something irrelevant while watching media.\u00a0 Heck, I even do this when I read sometimes.\u00a0 I have had to read text three times, if I am truly mentally distracted! Another tip could be to have the media available outside of class time, so that students can watch, pause and \u201crewind\u201d, thus allowing students to regulate their own learning, and hopefully engage in critical thought, at their own pace.<\/p>\n

Inuit cultural advocate, Mary Simon\u2019s interview with George Strombolopoulous was too short; I really could have listened to this conversation for a lot longer! She spoke so well and her approach was very personable. She did not hesitate to point out similarities between Inuit and other cultures, and she made sure to highlight the differences. Not in an adversarial way, but in a way, that did not imply one culture being better or correct\u2026 just different. I can easily see why she is in the position that she is in. She is incredibly relatable, yet simultaneously no push over. I don’t watch this show, but the interview really seemed too rushed.\u00a0 Is it normally like this? Or this another case of inequity in main stream media?<\/p>\n