JE#1B

I had not watched an episode of The Lone Ranger since my childhood, and I am absolutely flabbergasted by the representation of the Native Americans.  The character of the Lone Ranger represents the mythical rugged man, akin to the Marlboro Man, in the consciousness of Anglo Americans, particular boys and men.  To this day, many Anglo Americans believe the mythology behind the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps."  They want to believe that their forefathers and foremothers (most their forefathers) fought an unforgiving landscape sparsely inhabited by savage heathens.  The character of the Lone Ranger is the precursor to Superman, fighting for freedom, justice, and the American way.  He does not need any government subsidies or welfare.  He can make his own life from his two bare hands.  The show portrays Tonto and the other Native American men as passive, bordering on feminine.  They are not proactive in any way.  The show portrays them as "welfare queens," people who depend on the "White man's" help for basic necessities.  The show portrays the relationship between the Anlgos and the Native Americans as very paternalistic.  It is interesting that the show makes reference to La Malinche in the scene where they coerce the squaw to divulge the location of Tonto and Chief Swift Eagle.  Again, the dark-skinned India betrays her people.  These messages differ from those portrayed in the Speedy Gonzales cartoons in that the Native Americans in The Long Ranger are subdued and passive, while Speedy is crafty and conniving.  Another point that I thought about after first writing this post is the issue of the Lone Ranger's mask.  Who exactly is he?  In the film, V for Vendetta, the protagonist (V) states, "We wear a mask for so long we forget who we are underneath."  What identity is the Lone Ranger trying to forget?  Is he a closet queer?  Are he and Tonto the original Brokeback Mountain?  Many of the television and film screenwriters of that era were closeted gays.  Perhaps, the combination of the mask hiding his true identity and the fact that he and Tonto are always alone in the wilderness tells another story...