No disrespect to Robert G. Spinney, the author of The City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago, but he said a few no-so-cool things to me. I wonder if he really thought about them before he wrote them. On the surface, he sounded like he may have had good intentions, but the reality is, it had the opposite effect for those of us who read to understand. Allow me to elaborate.
Not-So-Cool Thing #1
“Although Native Americans were for the most part removed from the Chicago area after the Black Hawk War, they have not been forgotten. Most Chicagoans cheer lustily when their professional hockey team, the Chicago Blackhawks, takes the ice.” (pg. 29)
Really? Chicagoans “cheer lustily” for a group of people that were “removed” from land that was home, that was pretty much stolen from them. And the only memory to behold these people is a sports team. Not a building in their honor; not even an entire community named after them. The fans care more about the team winning than the history of the people behind the name. Where’s the compliment in this?
Not-So-Cool Thing #2
“Thousands of Chicago youths proudly wear jerseys that bear the likeness of a Native American that their ancestors feared and hated.”
What does this mean exactly?? At first glance, this sounds really stupid if this is supposed to be honorable. Luckily for us, many of these young people do not know their history. And even if they did go searching, would they really know that their “ancestors feared and hated” this group? Probably not. But if they read this highly published book, they would find out.
Not-So-Cool Thing #3
“And the Potawatomi remain in the Chicago area and operate a bingo casino in nearby Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”
So, even though their ancestors owned rich land in Chicago, and their removal were based on greed and hate, they live in a part of Chicago and operate “a” bingo casino in another state. They were pimped and exploited, and are now living off of minimal handouts from their exploiters. I guess they can’t be totally ungrateful. Slave ancestors are still waiting for their 40 acres and a mule.
Those are just the first few not-so-cool things I ran across in this book. That was only chapter 1. I’ll be sure to share other things I feels as I continue to read.
Have you read this book? What were your thoughts when you read the above statements?
Image: goodreads
That stuck out to me as well, but I took it as dark sarcasm. Spinney, in my opinion, is trying to convey to the reader jut how absurd and stupid it is that Chicagoans decided to name a sports team after the native peoples their ancestors chased off, and how incredibly sad it is that those rabid fans have no idea whose name they’re really cheering for, and that those youngsters haven’t the slightest idea whose stylized, exploited likeness graces their shirts.
Especially in the “not forgotten” line, Spinney seems to be mourning the fact that the chicagoans respected the native peoples only to the extent of a sports mascot–that is to say, not at all.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic, Rez. As you can tell, I was not impressed read that in the book. I don’t think I’ve read that book since.