John Wayne’s Teeth
The brilliant writer and film maker Sherman Alexie’s film, Smoke Signals, features a short chant that goes:
John Wayne’s teeth,
Are they false, are they real?
Are they plastic, are they steel?
It is an inquiry into the authenticity of multiple myths, not the least of which addresses the monolithic heroism of the famous film star where, uncannily, “the cowboys always win.”
More and more communities are wisely and thankfully losing faith in the silver bullet solution of the “hero”, whether locally or non-locally originated, who will “save” people from their collective deficiencies. These are the communities where authentic heroes have one message to the people in the community: “When you’re wondering where the leader is on this (name an issue), pick up a mirror.”
In all of the communities I’m working with around the country more and more people get that leader is convener of new conversations. Period.
February 5th, 2010 22:09
Jack…you KNEW i would have to comment on this one….just sang that song the other evening….
you are very correct about the Myth of heros, and the mirror. We need to be our own hero, take action, and get things done.
the other message in the movie is to NOT take ourselves too seriously.
http://bit.ly/CG7Nr (clip on youtube from the movie)
It’s Indian humor, ya know. and even though our “stoic looks” will work most of the time, we also know how to make fun and laugh a lot.
robert and marti.
February 5th, 2010 22:26
let me go one step deeper: in the movie Adam Beach (friend) plays the part of a young man who “blames his father” for his situation (life). He goes on a journey to put his deceased Father to rest, and ends up putting his own blame to rest…by learning that he in fact can be in charge of his life and his relationship to the past and present. in this journey he learns his Dad’s real story (Gary Farmer, a friend), and begins to make his own. It wasn’t until he availed himself of the real story, that he could free his own path…by having conversations with others and with the past. In so doing, he can now engage in his own stories.
Adam’s sidekick, Thomas Builds The Fire is a STORY TELLER of enormous proportions. (constant), and Victor (Adam) learns from that. His tories are part real, part drama, but all about messages.
Stories are at the central point of culture. We need to tell them to connect. We need to live them to survive.
February 6th, 2010 11:01
So well said, thanks. As the recent research on high risk teens points out, if our stories are “complex and smooth” in their narration, they transform and free us to embrace our own freedom. Beautiful.
February 7th, 2010 22:14
Stories that connect us: at the heart of Smoke Signals is the concept of telling stories. Thomas Builds The Fire is the story teller:
http://bit.ly/aKWA1P
February 7th, 2010 22:28
an even better example:
http://bit.ly/avDKjy