George Carlin: The Truth on ’Indians’ and Native American Identity

George Carlin: The Truth on ’Indians’ and Native American Identity In this thought-provoking bit, George Carlin dives into the historical and linguistic origins of the term “Indian“ and challenges the modern use of “Native American.“ With his signature sharp wit, Carlin critiques the label, questioning both the “native“ and “American“ aspects of the phrase, while providing a historical perspective that makes us rethink how we categorize people. Watch this iconic comedian tackle history, language, and identity in a way only he can. #GeorgeCarlin #ComedyLegend #SocialCommentary #NativeAmerican #IndigenousPeoples #IndianTerm #ComedicGenius #AmericanHistory #StandUpComedy #Linguistics #CulturalCritique #ComedyInsights #GeorgeCarlinQuotes #DarkHumor #WordOrigins #HistoryAndHumor #ComedicPhilosophy #ObservationalHumor #CulturalCriticism #StandUpInsights #ComedicVoice Transcript: I call them Indians because that’s what they are They’re the Indians There’s nothing wrong with the word first of all it’s important to know that Indian that word probably does not derive from Columbus believing he had reached India in 14 92 India was called Hindustan In his written accounts he called the Indians “una gente indios“ a people in God indios Indians It’s a perfectly noble thing And I simply can’t justify this awkward phrase Native Americans first of all they’re not natives They came here from Asia over the Bering Land Bridge In fact there are no natives anywhere in the world Everyone is from somewhere else All people are refugees immigrants or aliens If there are natives anywhere it would have to be people still living in the Great Rift Valley in Africa So everyone is just visiting So much for native As far as calling them Americans is concerned well we steal their hemisphere destroy five hundred cultures kill 20000000 stick the rest of them on the worst land we can find and then as a special bonus We named them after ourselves