Classic Sesame Street: Indians Don't Talk Like That!

[Radio101KUFO]

'Ohhh...'

[thawhtet8]

I wonder why Red Dead Redemption doesn't show Native Americans with bows and arrows? It's western.

[WhiteskinsOrg]

brilliant. we wonder when was the last time this was shown on an actual episode of Sesame Street.

[Pocockable]

@WhiteskinsOrg

I remember seeing this sketch on actual Sesame Street in 1998. It's one of my favourite sketches.

[Hawaiianstile]

very impressively none racist for its time. wow.

[WorldSacred]

Which part of India are you from? Mumbai? Lahore? Kolcatta?

[MsColdCanada]

Beats the heck out of the original disney Peter Pan for breaking down stereotypes.

[leoconvoy]

Schooled!!!!

[Charla1606]

I've got the 1 w/white boy nd Latino friend, but it's on VHS nd don't kno how 2 post on YouTube

[Pocockable]

I've been looking for a Sesame Street film sketch where a white boy hangs out with his African American friend Jamal; also for a cartoon sketch where a white boy hangs out with his Latino friend. Does anyone have that sketch or know where to find it?

[hoopersghost]

@Pocockable : Unfortunately I haven't seen either one; try asking some of the other long-time Sesame fans, but be careful because some don't like requests!

[AquaArrow27]

Oh...awkward.



[chiefy67]

watch the doc "The world according to Sesame Street"

[Pocockable]

This also should have been on the Old School DVD box sets.

[colleen4ever]

In a way people from New Jersey can relate to this now too, what wth those horried "Jersey themed" shows on now like 'Jersey Shore' (GAG) and 'Jerseylicious'

Me: Jersey people dont act like that!

What do yiou mean "Jersey people don't talk like that? Jersey people tak JUST like that on TV!

Me: Well no matter what you saw on TV with all those 'Guidos', fake nails, and spray tans, I'm telling you Jersey people dont ACT like that!

How do YOU know?

Me: I'm from New Jersey!

[Scabzilla49]

I love Sesame Street! =]

[scaryboi3]

NATIVE PRIDE ALL DAY EVERYDAY!!!!

[mariotttttttt]

pwned

[wolflodge]

The proper name is whatever WE choose to call ourselves, not what others decide we should be.

I am INDIAN.

[Nativedizzle]

@wolflodge Hell yeah!! I am a Indian, and if you can't except that, if it ruffles all your politically correct feathers you can call me "Pre American" or "First Nations People" or "Pre European" damn it!!

[mulaaaa007]

lol

Kids: How do you know that?

Indian kid: I'm an indian!

Kids: oh......

so simple

[ztsb45]

The name "indian" is improperly used on the native americans. When columbus reached the americas, he thought he had actually reached India (and i believe he ended up dying thinking that too.) This is why we call the Native Americans "Indians" even though it is a term meant to describe people from India. I believe that fact is what this clip refers to.

[chufuss]

I know for sure I'm more understanding of cultures and world views because of SS. Introduced a middle class White kid from the burbs to the rest of the beautiful people of this world.

[Robizdamanwitdaplan]

Um...don't they prefer to be called Native Americans and not Indian?

[wolflodge]

@Robizdamanwitdaplan

No

[hoopersghost]

@wolflodge: The "Native American" preference may be more common today, but most people in the early 70s (when this cartoon was made) still used "Indian". Even Buffy Sainte-Marie, a First Nations actress from Canada, called herself an Indian on Sesame Street several times.

[Pocockable]

This should have been on the "40 Years of Sunny Days" DVD box set.

[DELIVEREE]

I'll betcha that little sketch changed the world!

[BlooditeDrakan]

I love that "oh..." at the end! Talk about sounding humbled.

[catdoodle]

Kids do know that gay people exist...you shouldn't hide it. They have gay family, or gay friends...kids come out at 11 and 12 now. Plus they may know other students that have gay family/parents. You don't of course talk about the sex but keep it age appropriate. That being said I believe middle school kids should have some talk about same-sex relationships because like it or not there are probably gay kids in that school who are entitled to sex Ed that fits them. Gay people were never mentione

[KairuHakubi]

yeah well they're obviously doing historical recreation, based on how they're dressed, in which case it's perfectly accurate.

[MondoBeno]

Back in the 1980's, we had a Thanksgiving performance in elementary school where we'd dance around with feathers in our headbands. Today, that's unheard of.

[Pocockable]

Warmer Brothers, please release this sketch on DVD!

[MrGeek314]

So they should automatically follow his advice because he said it!

[CCthebat]

This skit has a very good message to it. :)

[Smartboy8877]

@HoustonRules

I had no idea that the "Ten Little Indians" line was taken out of the "Song of Ten" with the clumsy baker! I do know, however, the there is a version with this segment left in uploaded on "Youtube".

[hoopersghost]

@Smartboy8877: Yep; search for "Sesame Street 10 Indians" and you'll find the original version (I uploaded it).

[LiLW0LF]

Thx hooper :)

[branstan100]

It would be funny with a sterotype black guy MUHCCCHAAA

[Pocockable]

Why don't kids watch things like this today, instead of all that poppycock, like Spongebob?

[redrobbietv]

That is so cool! i love the part where they just go oh!

[JuliaV50]

This video needs to be sent to all daycare providers and to all Head Start programs.

[sane20samsin]

aahh native americans don't like that only on tv you hear natives talk that way.

[abomb1867]

Sure Indians don't talk like that today. But maybe in the cowboy days they did

[hoopersghost]

A few white settlers in the West may have met people from specific tribes who had trouble speaking English...but assuming that all Native Americans talked that way even then, would be as wrong as an Asian traveler assuming that all white Americans had similar accents and cultures.

[Matthiasthesecond]

No they did not they either talked in there own language or talked in English with an accent and its these kind of movies that are distorting history viewing the Indians as barbaric savages

[Muppephile]

@abomb1867 - why would any civilised or tribal person say "ug"? That's caveman talk dude.

[LDSsinger]

@abomb1867 i think you need toeducate yourself more. they are stero types that. assuming that all native or first nations people are all the same...yes we had trouble speaking english...but i dont think thats how we sounded...or spoke for that matter...

[Pocockable]

The boy looks very much like a real-life Aboriginal kid. One of the most obvious signs is that he has on a red shirt. In Saskatchewan, Canada, where I live, red is a popular clothing colour among First Nations society. It is, in fact, a sacred colour. Too bad they don't air this sketch on Sesame Street anymore.

[QueXseraXsera]

I like this cartoon and I agree that it would be good to have more cartoons like this, but I think it ended a little bit quickly. It should have gone to explain things a little bit longer.

[cole8j]

LOL the got PWNED

[9N8X]

We need more Cartoons like this today.

Mostly with Blacks,Jews,and gays because

hey receive the most discrimination.

[hoopersghost]

It'd be hard to do tolerance cartoons about people's sex lives or religions on Sesame Street--because the show rarely mentions ANY religion, and never brings up sexuality in that sense.

[Muppephile]

@hoopersghost - except perhaps in "we all sing the same song", the phrase, "I've got one daddy, I've got two" could nowdays take on a different meaning than just having a broken family.

[sarah20xoxo]

@9N8X okay, people being gay is totally different than people being born a certain race. they don't need to talk about people being gay or sexual orientation in kids shows.

[Muppephile]

@sarah20xoxo - but how does a child explain that he has two daddies and no mommy, then? I think they should talk about it, but just not bring up sex. Something like, "I have 2 daddies, and no momma, but they still love me just as much as any other family".

[SnowbirdFlock]

@Muppephile It's up to parents to instruct their kids in such matters. Cartoon networks need not worry about such things

[th3toiletguy9111111]

@9N8X your forgot hispanics

[werecatgirl]

People ask you if you in a Teepee?! :O

Are they serious? Can people really be that ignorant? (yes.)

How do you respond to things like that?

[DarqueBeauty]

Another reason to love Sesame Street.

[Abena20]

Classic American. Destroy the ignorance.

[shyguy76]

A co-worker of mine was talking over lunch last week about his son being sent to the principal's office for playing cowboys and indians with imaginary guns. I couldn't believe it! Kids can't have plain genuine creative fun anymore. They assume every kid that plays this game will turn into a Mark David Chapman.

This was the boiling point for making the decision of not wanting children in today's society.

[Smartboy8877]

Who is Mark David Chapman?

[ramonski1]

The guy who killed John Lennon (Beatles)

[d72jjpilc]

All who posted here have a point, and I'm joining in. Unfortunately, television stereotypes can be, and often are, influential to a point where it can affect one's 'everyday thinking' about an ethnic or racial group.

[Supportahol]

Cool stuff. Seseme St is and was always great for those kind of messages.

[motus]

this might not be historically accurate.. I can imagine indians with little to no understand of english talking like that....

do indians dress that way ?

[hoopersghost]

Native Americans wear traditional clothes only for ceremonies nowadays, and the exact details depend on the tribe (not all of them wear feather bonnets or deerskin, for instance). As for the "me want-um" and "heap good deal" broken English, that's a caricature...probably based on one tribe's speech patterns in a crude way, but not accurate for all Native Americans.

[Abena20]

It doesn't matter if they wear traditional clothes or not. They don't have to dress or act like the Europeans. They act like everyoen must be like them, and if it's bad if anyone's different. We should celebrate our differences, not try to conform to be Euro-clones

[stevieray702]

so u think were just bunch of savages that dress up traditionally and dont speak english??? lmao. well im full blood native and, we are just like everybody else. the history of indians u here today is mostly not right. and its verry hollywood steoryotypical. and we do where normal clothes exept, when we have religous get-togethers like pow wows or cerimonies... u know stuff like that. and that commercial is 100% rite. we talk perfect english man lol. u got alot to learn

[1qazx0]

this is so cute

[wilek209]

And yet today, Sesame Street took this "being politically correct" thing like in this segment WAY too far

[GodblesstheCutieclub]

This is really nice for kids to hear. Plain simple and to the point. There needs to be more stuff like this. Death to all negative stereotypes. They only brighten the flames of racism. Do they still play stuff like that?

[twistedbabydoll]

They need to bring stuff like this BACK. Our children are missing out.

[hoopersghost]

Amen--remember when teaching about stereotypes could be fun, not preachy or insulting to either side?

[twistedbabydoll]

Yes! Now it's like we done moved backwards.

[DaleTheWarrior]

you know what sucks i am mixed with white asian black little native american and hiwaian and polosh and know one excpects me to do any thing :D

[DaynajustDayna]

is this racist?

[hoopersghost]

Quite the opposite; it's meant to debunk a racist stereotype.

[oclandestin]

Hi, great upload. What's your friend's blog?

[bunnygrl]

ROFLMAO!!!!

funnnnyyyy! not racist but fuuuuunnny!!

that's like me as an asian and people expect me to do weird accents!

[Marbles471]

And as a little kid, this was pretty much all I needed to hear. "They don't really? Oh, okay, then." XD

[efil4own1]

And on a similar note, real Swedes don't talk like the Chef either.

[brightbite]

For obvious reasons, I never forgot this one.