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| Henry Roan |
Presumably, the label served to dehumanize him and helped Ramsey think of Roan as a thing instead of as a person with inherent dignity.
Do you think the power of words in cases like this is overrated or underrated?
How much do the names we use for people affect the way we feel about them or the way others feel about them?
How much do the names we use for people affect the way we feel about them or the way others feel about them?
Names play a huge part in our lives. They are one of the most significant identifying marks of a person. Our names make us unique. In calling a person their name, you give them almost a euphoric kind of power. When I began learning magic (insert laugh here), I was told that when you want to distract a person, say their name. It immediately draws their attention because people love hearing their names. So, I believe that calling someone something other than their name can play a major role in how the look at you, how people look at them, and in how they feel.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the power of words, or names, in cases similar to the Roan instance, is underrated. Names play a major role in how a person feels, and calling someone something that makes them feel itemized, such as "The Indian", causes that person to feel less respected. This can cause the individual to feel less unique, and more like simply a part of a whole. This can cause the person to lose respect and ego. This can also cause the person saying the name, Ramsey in this case, to feel superior. Itemizing a person can make the name caller feel as if they are not dealing with a human, and can lead to power abuse.
I couldn't agree with Tyler more here. Referring to someone by name is affirming; referring to them as "the Indian" or a similarly reductive label is dehumanizing.
DeleteThe names we use for one another play a major role in how we feel about people. Think of all of the derogatory terms in our society today. When someone uses a racial slur, it makes them seem like they believe they are better than the other race of which they are speaking about. It effects the person speaking this way more than the person being spoken of simply because they are doing this as a way of mentally reminding themselves to feel hate toward the other person. When someone is constantly reminding themselves to hate, they are obviously very broken inside.
ReplyDeleteI think the power of words in cases like this are very much underrated. People too often think that what they say doesn’t matter or they are just words but really when you say things like this you are perpetuating hate within yourself as well as putting that out into the world. When you call someone “The Indian” instead of their name they become more of a commodity than a person and that shows the person that they mean no more to you than the shoes on your feet or the blanket on your bed.
I believe that the power of words and the names we use are underrated. They are an important part of our understanding of an individual. Utilizing descriptive words like 'The man' or 'The woman,' 'The black' or 'The white' and obviously 'The Indian' are all utilized to take away from the humanization of an individual. In debate or the courtroom utilizing the name is a tactic to not only bring pity to the individual but to also degrade the person.
ReplyDeleteTheologian A. W. Tozer makes the assertion "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." I would argue that this statement not only applies to religion but also our view of others. Our words reflect our thoughts and our thoughts mirror our words. Although seemingly circular we speak the first thing we think about a person, but we also think what we remember about a person, that being usually what we refer to them as.
In cases like these, the power of words is very much underrated. It seems almost unbelievable today that men like John Ramsey truly thought of Henry Roan and other Native Americans like they were objects. Like they were pawns to be moved about in the White man’s game to gain more power. But that’s exactly what happened, and it is at the crux of the issue of the disrespect that was shown to the Osage and others like them.
ReplyDeleteAs the other comments have stated I believe the power of words is underrated. Names show individuality, referring to someone with a title like, "The Indian" puts them into a group taking away from them being their own individual. How you address a person directly shows your feelings toward them. As a sign of respect, we address our elders as "Mr. or Mrs." or we use terms of endearment to a significant other. Names can also reflect the background of a person and allow them to feel connected to their ancestor’s past. As seen through Ramsey, names are also used to hurt others or keep you disconnected from the person. Ramsey referring to Roan as "The Indian" allowed him to keep himself separated from his actions.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely say that in this case, the power of words is underrated. It could be compared to how Hitler dehumanized the Jews during World War II. Other Germans began to not care about what happened to the Jews and believed that they were monsters as well. Many people do not realize how giving other people a certain name or title affects the society even in the world today. While I was in high school, I often heard my fellow students calling other students by different names. Even if they were not meaning any harm to whom they were giving names, the students that were being attacked might have taken it personal and have begun to be discouraged to a point that is unhealthy. Other people would join in the “fun” as well and totally ruin the students’ skills and abilities. This is how Roan was treated when Ramsey kept calling him “the Indian”. Ramsey was treating him as an outcast and an animal. People need to start realizing when something like this happens, and they should stop it at all costs.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the power of words are underrated, and I definitely think referring to the victims murdered as "the Indians" was purposeful and powerful. The language used in dialogue within the book often left me speechless. Particularly on page 220, when Grann makes a point to say, "the jurors were willing to punish the men for killing an American Indian, but they would not hang them for it." This statement holds a lot of weight, because it treats the victims more as animals or savages rather than humans. Without saying whether or not I think capital punishment should have been used, some punishments were left off the table simply because the jurors did not see the murders as loss of human lives, but just “Indian” lives.
DeleteNames hold meaning, even in simple instances of referring to someone as the “kid in the red shirt.” Suddenly, in the situation, it is the red shirt that defines the person, rather than who they are. It strips the individual of their dignity by placing their identity into something as common as a red shirt. This is a much smaller and less dramatic example, but it holds true in both smaller and larger instances. By denying the victims their names, it takes away the seriousness of the killings and throws the violence onto “things” rather than actual human beings. When Ramsey refers to Roan as “the Indian,” Roan becomes merely a component of a group instead of an individual. Putting people into categories and stereotypes, especially different races, makes it easier not to see the person as a human but as the preconceived idea that society labels.
Katie Cowger
I too agree that the power of words and names are largely underrated. A name provides a person’s identity. When someone from a minority is referred to as just their race, “the Indian,” or “the black”, etc., they are immediately dehumanized by the person who referred to them in this manner. Because Ramsey called Roan “the Indian,” rather than his name, it was easier for Ramsey to treat Roan as less than a human being. That was why him being taken advantage could not be perceived as serious by Ramsey and others. He was not even a person them anymore.
ReplyDelete-Natalie Hegwer
The power of words in cases such as these can be significantly underrated. If we look back to the tactic used during World War II by the Nazis where they took away the individual's identity by branding them with a number robbed the individuals of their humanity and identity. When we take away something that we think is as trivial as a name it means nothing more than if we were to label an inanimate object. It robs people of their individuality and their humanity. So, when Ramsay decided to call Roan “The Indian” rather than by his name he made a rather bold statement that he was better than Roan in every way.
ReplyDelete-Lydia Bomboy
The power of words when used to belittle someone is underrated. Ramsey calling Roan “the indian” is disrespectful to Roan and his people. When someone uses names like these they feel as if they are superior to the other and in this case shows that Ramsey doesn't even acknowledge that Roan is a actual person. The names we call people can hurt them very much and even hurt their culture. It shows what we think of them for the better or worse. Agreeing with Tyler, harsh names can cause someone to feel itemized and not human. Words can be very powerful and as a society we should have more respect for one another.
ReplyDelete-Freddy Grotts
In this case words are underrated. Words play a very important part of our lives. We use countless words each day, every one of them can make an impact. For example, in this instance words are used to dehumanize a person in order for Ramsey to kill him without feeling bad about it. As that shows words are powerful and choosing the right words can be tricky. Words can build others up or tear them down. When talking about names for people and how a person would describe someone can change how another may view them. Names have meaning, especially with Native American culture their tribal name is significant. When speaking about a friend the natural thing to do is to tell how they are helpful and kind they are, but if it is a enemy the words used to describe them would not be the same. Depending on how you view someone can change the names and words used for them.
ReplyDeleteWords are underrated in this case. By calling Roan "the Indian" Ramsey was dehumanizing Roan. If successful, Roan could be considered as nothing more than an object or possession. This is a tactic attorneys utilize in a courtroom in an effort to sway the jury. By implying Roan is an object, not a person, a person may not be convicted of murder. The thought of Indians as objects is similar to the concept of slaves as property.
ReplyDelete