Reel Injuns Question 3

Western movies generally have very similar plot lines; set in the West, the main character is a white male, and a pack of savage Indians attack an "innocent" group of whites. More often than not the reasons for the Native attack are left out and therefore depicted to the audience as a ruthless unprovoked attack, when in fact, historically, this was usually caused by a white-led massacre of innocent Natives. Westerns generally seek to represent the glory of the American dream of Manifest Destiny. Due to the fact that the Natives inhabited the land that the Americans wanted, battles are frequent. In film, Indians were not selected to play the lead Native American roles, but rather were used as extras. In westerns, Native extras could be seen being picked off the cowboys or charging a white settlement. They were depicted as savages with little sensibility. I believe Westerns are considered so American because they follow the standard white supremacist beliefs. In a white supremacist society, especially when Westerns were popular, films were directed towards white audiences. The average white citizen (male) would go to the theater on the weekends and want to see reenactments of his fellow brothers righteously conquering a "lower being" for the greater good of his country.