Alexie Catches Finney Off-Guard
by Alec Scott

“I don’t know if you white people know this, but we brown people profile you, too,” convocation speaker Sherman Alexie said at the beginning of a two-hour lecture/standup hybrid that asked people to question the rules society has ingrained in them. Alexie caught Finney chapel audiences off guard on Thursday with a talk entitled “Killing Indians: Myths, Lies and Exaggerations.” The talk included political commentary, eerie pauses, and a straw poll inquiring about audience members’ oral sex habits.
Alexie’s career has been prolific. He has written 13 books of poetry and fiction. His 1998 film, Smoke Signals, was the first feature film written, produced and directed by a Native American, and he has an upcoming directorial debut titled, The Business of Fancy Dancing. Both films are based on his books.
“He probably knows more than any person should know. His humor was brave and honest. I’d love to be his friend, but oh wait, I have to second guess myself – so maybe I wouldn’t after all,” senior Dan Greenbaum said.
Sept. 11 was Alexie’s first topic. Alexie, a 35-year old Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, reflected on the irony that a white driver, upon seeing Alexie cross the street, demanded that Alexie return to his native country. Alexie’s Native American heritage was an integral part of his deconstruction of the current security measures employed by airports across the country. He described belief that the empty guns carried by National Guards were simply another superficial scare tactic in a long line of government deceptions. Alexie also noted that white people were finally experiencing the same hyper-surveillance regulations to which people of color have long been accustomed.
Alexie also analyzed the consciousness of society, asking how President Bush managed to become elected without the popular vote. “We’re in this huge denial,” he said, unnerved by the fact that Bush has recently received 90 percent approval ratings after bombing Afghanistan.
“We’ve been horribly wrong in the past. Do you think there is chance we might be wrong again,” Alexie asked, pointing out the bigotry historically used by America to condone unequal voting rights, Jim Crow laws and Native American displacement during colonization.
Alexie also questioned the validity of President Clinton’s impeachment, asking those audience members who had ever given a blowjob to raise their hands. He paralleled the audience’s hesitation to raise their hands to Clinton’s reluctance to come forward about his sexual liaisons during his presidency. During the second half of his lecture, Alexie addressed American homophobia, criticizing religious leaders for misreading the Bible.
“He was right on the money about homophobia. It’s the most irrational bigotry because it comes almost completely from a religious standpoint,” Cleveland resident J. Keirn-Swanson said.
In his conclusion, the author recalled appearing on a live television program with former President Clinton. In the course of the show, Alexie joked about the tendency of white Americans to casually claim Cherokee heritage. This dig at American naivete on Native American issues came minutes after Alexie’s first encounter with Clinton, when the president announced that his grandmother was part Cherokee. For six months after the program, Alexie noted that indigenous issues seemed to slip regularly into the President’s speeches.
“ I changed history with a dumb joke. So what else can we do... I wish to be an inspiration to any individual who wishes to pursue an eccentric vision,” Alexie said.
During the question and answer portion of the talk, a student asked what the author’s reactions were to the Cleveland Indians’ controversial mascot, Chief Wahoo. “If you wanna honor us — give us a scholarship. Here’s my philosophy — write the damn check, goddamn vegetarian,” Alexie said, highlighting the alcoholism, poverty and depression that exists within the Native American community.
A subsequent questioner requested that Alexie clarify his ambivalence regarding liberalism. Alexie expressed his belief that many vegetarians are hypocritical in their use of tobacco and marijuana, or through their ignorance of the privilege they have in choosing their diet.
“I liked how confrontational he was about a lot of the liberal ideologies we take for granted,” first-year Frances Garretson said.
The responsive crowd clearly enjoyed Alexie’s lecture, cheering and laughing throughout the lively talk, though not all audience members responded the same way to Alexie’s unique style: “I didn’t think he directly addressed the topic of his discussion. I feel wary when I see people of color in front of largely white audiences using humor to convey their message. It brings up issues of minstrelsy. The audience could be laughing and not know what they’re laughing about,” first-year Ronni Armstead said.
Alexie was the third in a series of five convocations from leading intellectuals designed to address cutting-edge issues. The Hewlett Foundation and the Office of the President sponsored Alexie’s visit.