To those of you out there who continue to defend the racist slur "Redskin" -- the staff and management of WJFK CBS radio in the Washington, DC area, the ignorant fans of this NFL team and the abject racist owner of the team, for example -- I am going to give you a piece of television history to digest as you continue to slur Native Americans.
I love Gunsmoke! I am now 55 years old and some of my best television memories are of the fantastic lives of the characters on Gunsmoke. Matt Dillon, played by James Arness, was the sheriff of the town -- a respected, fair man who fought racism, cowpokes, rascals, gunslingers, bank robbers and everything else that threw itself at Dodge City, Kansas of around 1870.
He had a set of friends in town who were loyal to the end.
Gunsmoke first ran from 1952 to 1961 as a radio show! Then it ran as a CBS TV show from 1955 to 1975!
Now, let us talk about a bit of context.
On March 1, 1963... eight seasons into the show's twenty year run... CBS aired an episode called "Quint's Indian." Imagine America in 1963. Imagine what it was like to be Black or Native American at that time... in the real world.
I don't have to imagine it because I was ALIVE at that time!
The writer of "Quint's Indian" drew upon the knowledge inside his mind from all times before 1963. And so he wrote this Gunsmoke tale. Below is an accurate online review, warts and all, of the episode. I will wait as you read the review someone else wrote.
And just to let you know... I have not edited this review! When the reviewer refers to racist terms in the episode, he awkwardly uses the terms and words used in the episode.
Quint's Indian
March 1, 1963 CBS
Mark Feeney and Jim Stope find out Quint's half indian. Stope won't pay a lousy redskin the two dollars he owes Quint for shoeing his horse. Quint goes out to the river for a swim. He gets and without his shirt on he throws a lasso over a bay horse. A boy fishing watches. Will Grissom tells Bob Houser he saw his boy Jimmy and the horse down by the river. Jimmy saw a half-naked indian steal the horse. Feeney and Stope tell Matt Quint has the horse. Jimmy identfies Quint. Quint says someone told him to get the horse and shoe and he'd pay him double. Houser takes his horse. Quint says he may start wearing a gun. At Delmonico's Bettis tells Joe if you seerve Qunit all us whites are leaving. At a bar he's told they don't serve horestealing half-breeds. Louie's looking for Matt eight guys are heading for Quint's. Matt finds him and says they hit him with everything they had. Quint says he doesn't belong here. Grissom says he's shy three horses and blames Quint. Matt goes out looking and meets Jake Sooner and three soldiers looking for about six injuns who left the Darlington Agency. Matt sees the seven indians. Buck whinnies, the indians find him. They're peaceful and let him go. Matt finds Grissom's horses Stope has them. Stope says he got Gus Siker to have Quint pick up Houser's horse. Feeney returns and draws on Matt. Matt wings him. Matt tells Siker he feels sorry for him. He ain't gonna get paid by Stope. Bettis is there, Matt says tell everyone Quint is in the clear. Matt goes looking for Quint and runs accross the same indians. They accuse Matt of telling the soldiers they were going to Walnut Creek. Four were killed. They clunk Matt. Quint tells Matt they want to kill you. Quint convinces them Matt didn't tell the cavalry. Matt tells Quint he is in the clear.
In 1963, this episode of Gunsmoke was written to reflect the way white men talked about, and treated, what they called "Indians." This episode, along with plenty of the over 600 episodes of Gunsmoke tackled plenty of racist issues between white men and Native American tribes... and black people!
The fact that people call WJFK radio on a daily basis defending the Washington, DC's racist name, and defending the owner, is an affront to reality. And the fact that WJFK provides a forum for the racist element that resides in the Washington, DC area is sad and perverse!
I just showed you proof that a beloved family oriented television show tackled Native American racism back in 1963... and that was just in season eight of twenty seasons! How in the hell the term "REDSKIN" morph from a pejorative slur to a "Term Of Endearment" is... outer space lunacy!
The word "Redskin" has NOT been synthesized by American culture like the word NIGGER has been! The word "REDSKIN" was always meant to describe Native American tribal members as subhuman things not worth the scalps on their heads!
And the name of the NFL team of the Washington, DC team is named with that bloody, nasty term!
There are twenty box sets of the twenty seasons of Gunsmoke out there. I suggest that ALL of you racist bastards purchase season eight and learn just how low down and dirty your racism is... from a television western program!
And then go out there with your racism and continue to use the term "REDSKIN"... like the racists you are!
RONALD LEE JONES
