Yesterday, during dinner, Julia and Madeleine had trouble seeing eye-to-eye on the subject of the Kratt brothers (from the tv show "Wild Kratts.) An excerpt of their debate was posted on facebook, but here is the full transcript:
JULIA: I think that Chris and Martin are Americans.
MADELEINE: Julia! They're NOT Americans!
JULIA: Yes they are!
MADELEINE: No, Julia, they're NOT Americans!
ME: (intervening) What do you think they are, Madeleine?
MADELEINE: Humans!
ME: Well, honey, they ARE humans. But that doesn't mean they're not Americans. They don't have, like, Australian accents, right?
MADELEINE: Right.
ME: And they speak with American accents?
JULIA: (butting in) Yes! They do!
ME: So then they're probably Americans.
MADELEINE: But MAMA. They didn't live a long, long time ago!
ME: Huh? Wait, do you know what "Americans" means? Are you thinking of "Native Americans?"
MADELEINE: Oh! Yes!
ME: Well, that's true. They're not Native Americans. But "Americans" means people who live in America. You're an American. We're all Americans in this house.
MADELEINE: Oh. I *forgot* that's what it means. I thought it meant "Native Americans."
I have so many questions. First of all, does she not know that there are still Native Americans around today? Granted, there were a lot MORE of them a long, long time ago, but it's not like the race no longer exists. And does she not realize that Native Americans are, indeed, human? It's like she's thinking of them as some prehistoric species that is now extinct, like the dinosaurs (and her grandpas.)
Sigh. Just as Julia used to mix up the word "mannequin" (which she called a "loser") and "African American," leading to some unintentionally culturally insensitive exclamations, Madeleine is now proclaiming that Native Americans are not human.
Open mouth, insert foot.
Good thing they're not old enough to vote. They'd definitely be Trump supporters.
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