Meet in the Middle

“I call them Indians because it’s what they are. There’s nothing wrong with the word Indian. The word doesn’t derive from Columbus believing he’d reached ‘India.’ India wasn’t even called that in 1492; it was known as Hindustan. The word likely comes from Columbus’s description of the people he found here.  In his written accounts he called the Indians, “Una gente in Dios.” In God. In Dios. Indians. It’s a perfectly noble, respectable word. As far as calling them ‘Americans’ is concerned, do I even have to point out what an insult this is? We steal their land, kill millions of them, destroy their cultures, herd the survivors onto the worst land we can find, and now we want to name them after ourselves? I’m glad Indians have casinos now. It makes me happy to see dimwitted white people losing rent money to Indians. Maybe they’ll get lucky and win their country back.” – George Carlin