Hi, Sherman, I have a problem. I recently upgraded my subscription to paid, and nothing has happened, no weekly emails, etc., what to do? Thanks, Sandy
Yes, nothing there. BUT since writing about it, your posts are coming through regularly in my email. Thank you! Please do a reading at UW(yoming) again someday!
Hello Sherman! I got it right this time! I have been on a sabbatical from social media. Yours was the first one I read and as always you have made me cry, smile and be grateful. I am grateful for you, your words and wisdom.
I am ever so distraught by the news today from Iowa and the prospect of our country. Heartsick is how I feel. It feels like a steep descent and everything drops away and is rushing forward at the same time. And I cannot believe it is happening while there is not one thing I can do to stop it.
Except vote, it feels toothless, old and ineffective. Tale as old as time.
I LOVED this post! I have to admit I am more disturbed by animals being hurt in films than humans. I think it's bc we are their voice. They are so vulnerable. Not always--they can be vicious--but in scenes when they are the victim I simply can't watch. I was never taught much about American Indians in school but thru film I have learned a lot. Thank you for sharing. Sabrinalabow.substack.com
I first watched Little Big Man in 1992, as a fairly fresh college grad trying to get by in NYC, and it affected me deeply. It made me really wonder for the first time in my life what I didn't know about the indigenous peoples and indigenous histories of this land I call home. I understood the movie as fantasy with respect to Jack Crabb, but I also knew it was full of many deeper and more general truths. It made me aware of huge gaps in my own knowledge, and it kicked off a reading binge that included so many books I still find myself gifting and recommending all the time. Many times during that reading binge, and even more recently whenever I return to these parts of our history (most recently, Covered with Night by Nicole Eustace), I felt/feel gut punched. I'm grateful for those who teach. Thank you for being one of the teachers.
"A few of those students had spent the entire semester loudly disputing the fact that the United States had committed such atrocities. But even when they accepted that such massacres occurred, they were quick to justify them. That’s not surprising, I suppose. History teaches us that people are quick to justify the atrocities committed by their political brethren."
Wow that really resonates with what we're seeing now with the Israeli-Palestinian violence. I've seen so many people I consider friends "like" posts that claim October 7th was a hoax,that it was justified, or similarly cruel attitudes. I'm sure there is similar hard-heartedness from "the other side" but It's not something that I'm exposed to.
I never seem to stop learning from your posts. I encountered “little big man” twice this week, so I take it a sign that I have more to learn. The other place I found it was reading primary source material about Crow involvement with Custer. Thanks, Sherman!
This made me extremely reflective. Random episodes:
My friends earned a living filming horse racing. When the horses went down in a collision, screens were put around the injured animals & the 'Horse Ambulance' was driven to the site at speed. Sodium Pentobarbital administered. Usually a quick death, but once an astounding surge, a backward flip, many metres high and lengthways.
Hasty rearrangement of the screens. Winch into the ambulance.
An Australian film, Journey out of Darkness, 1967. The Malaysian singer/actor Kamahl plays a first nations man. As does white Australian Ed Devereaux, in black-face. Not even in double digits when I saw it, it struck me as unspeakably wrong. Fury.
We expect artifice in films, make certain allowances for drama. Being blatantly lied to is something I struggle with in cinema.
As kids, we could spend a whole day at the Roxy cinema. A flea pit that repeated the same double feature three times. The Westerns were the highlights, especially the battles.
Indians! bareback, no bit or halter, riding like one being.
Sliding around, underneath the ponies or leaning on the withers while shooting a volley of arrows. Exhilarated, sugar hang over kicking in, we'd head home under city starlight.
As a longtime health care worker what comes to my mind Re horses & dealing w brutality in this life was the saying, “they shoot horses don’t they” when faced with absolute horror of inducing needless suffering (“treatment”) vs comfort measures on those whose death was imminent.
If we (ranchers?) can treat the suffering life of a horse with dignity & respect, gratitude for the life why not people, even those needing comfort at deaths door, even when they have juicy insurance policies?
A followup to an earlier lengthy comment of mine...Last night watched the movie MAX. In first five minutes a soldier is killed (in W’s shock and aweful endless ‘war’)...I was fairly unmoved; however, when his K-9 partner (Max) was seriously injured, all tears. There is something deeper for me about animal tragedy over human (be they indigenous, minority, anglo, any sex).
Today I published a video on instagram’s @abqonscene that is in ‘uproarness’. There is no (nightly news) gore...however, there is an emotionally wrenching shot of a victim in pain. We are so immune and blasé to immensely shocking ‘news’, youtubes, etc. But how dare you post an emotion raising video. I have decided to leave it posted for now.
Sherman! So you did write the “animals in film” essay after all. I was waiting to see how you’d tackle the topic, and I did not expect that it would be so personal. I don’t really know what to say, except that I too am usually more shocked by animal deaths than human deaths, and after writing my own essay on animals in the film industry, I can no longer watch a movie and not wonder how the animals that feature in it were treated. But yes, compassion is an untamed beast. It doesn’t always behave like it’s supposed to.
Sherm, we’re friends now, so I feel Sherm is ok? Absolutely I agree that producers last thought was of animals, grips then animals. However I being a smidge cynical have always thought that generally folks who care more for animals than there fellow humans might be doing so out of fear or self preservation. Animals again generally don’t well bite back. We humans can be serious assholes and here I am hoping I’m not proving that point
Oh H E double hockey sticks I do as well. I’m just saying that some people may use their concern for animals as a substitute for caring about people. Really anything can be used as an avoidance, even chatting with a beloved author! 😀Apropos of nothing it turns out I subscribed to your stack twice, a free account this one and a paid account so I m going to say goodbye to this one but fear not old building and loan pal I’ll still be around under my @Morristv
.. i write of horses often.. my first living memory is of a horse snuffling me in ‘53 . These are some of the actual ponies you speak of.. welcome to Canada eh.. where the scenes you studied & write of were rehearsed & filmed. The Movie of course is fiction.. the underlying historical reality not at all.
Writing about horses is a habit of mine.. as I’ve ‘worked’ with so many over the years.. and feel you might confront your concerns or even fear of horses.. or gruntlement.. My suggestion & experience - is that every single horse ‘may form an agreement’ with you.. whether helping it heal, the care & attention.. or the partnership of riding or transporting.. the intensity of foaling, even the sounds of gunfire, whether blanks or live rounds.. horses r complicated.. but so are ‘we’
Your essay is exceptional.. but is it about horses .. or indians ? Both methinks !
We’re all performers to the Uber-rich in most cases. I think your marionette dance metaphor could be anyone up against an entrenched and wealthy minority at this point. I wonder what Custer moves will be made if AI takes over. Like chimpanzees, the human race has many built-in behaviors that are problamatic. Thank you for calling them out so clearly.
a pretty sweeping summary.. conveyed there via 14 words
Have to say though.. & full respect too.. but I aint quite buyin what you’re sellin ..
That it’s your perspective is fair & zero problem at all in my eyes
Maybe it’s that a lot of my writing includes First Nations as well as some Indigenous Americans.. so various tribes, & invariably aspects of shamanism as well.. I also give voice to the creatures - now this is primarily fiction .. my fiction.. and in no way has ‘standing’ whatsoever - in comparison to you.. Your view re horses seems .. well uh.. ain’t .. uh .. it just sit right a’tall with me.. being used along with your views re ‘performance’.. and your indigenous reality, experience & standing..
In fairness too.. I ain’t seen the Film you created .. dying too actually !
Horses have been an ongoing aspect in my life.. and so have the indigenous peoples, albeit primarily within Canada.. but not always.. no not at all. I ‘paint them in realistic but mainly very positive light.. and so value our discourse greatly .. a rare opportunity in fact
Canada & Canadians are quite willing to keep fucking First Nations over & over & all over again Amen.. but that’s a sweeping statement too.. It’s really Big Vested Interests & complicit Political Parties.. seeking their Holy Moly Grail.. ‘CERTAINTY’
& when did an Indigenous Treaty & White Certainty ever live happily ever after eh !
This is one of the most beautiful, and terrible, things I have ever read.
Hi, Sherman, I have a problem. I recently upgraded my subscription to paid, and nothing has happened, no weekly emails, etc., what to do? Thanks, Sandy
Have you checked your junk file to see if my posts have been misdirected.
Yes, nothing there. BUT since writing about it, your posts are coming through regularly in my email. Thank you! Please do a reading at UW(yoming) again someday!
I'm happy it's working!
Hello Sherman! I got it right this time! I have been on a sabbatical from social media. Yours was the first one I read and as always you have made me cry, smile and be grateful. I am grateful for you, your words and wisdom.
I am ever so distraught by the news today from Iowa and the prospect of our country. Heartsick is how I feel. It feels like a steep descent and everything drops away and is rushing forward at the same time. And I cannot believe it is happening while there is not one thing I can do to stop it.
Except vote, it feels toothless, old and ineffective. Tale as old as time.
I LOVED this post! I have to admit I am more disturbed by animals being hurt in films than humans. I think it's bc we are their voice. They are so vulnerable. Not always--they can be vicious--but in scenes when they are the victim I simply can't watch. I was never taught much about American Indians in school but thru film I have learned a lot. Thank you for sharing. Sabrinalabow.substack.com
Sherman, have you seen this?
https://www.biographic.com/welcoming-relatives-home/?utm_campaign=biographic_20240111&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Mailjet
I hadn't read the article but I knew about the effort.
I first watched Little Big Man in 1992, as a fairly fresh college grad trying to get by in NYC, and it affected me deeply. It made me really wonder for the first time in my life what I didn't know about the indigenous peoples and indigenous histories of this land I call home. I understood the movie as fantasy with respect to Jack Crabb, but I also knew it was full of many deeper and more general truths. It made me aware of huge gaps in my own knowledge, and it kicked off a reading binge that included so many books I still find myself gifting and recommending all the time. Many times during that reading binge, and even more recently whenever I return to these parts of our history (most recently, Covered with Night by Nicole Eustace), I felt/feel gut punched. I'm grateful for those who teach. Thank you for being one of the teachers.
"A few of those students had spent the entire semester loudly disputing the fact that the United States had committed such atrocities. But even when they accepted that such massacres occurred, they were quick to justify them. That’s not surprising, I suppose. History teaches us that people are quick to justify the atrocities committed by their political brethren."
Wow that really resonates with what we're seeing now with the Israeli-Palestinian violence. I've seen so many people I consider friends "like" posts that claim October 7th was a hoax,that it was justified, or similarly cruel attitudes. I'm sure there is similar hard-heartedness from "the other side" but It's not something that I'm exposed to.
I never seem to stop learning from your posts. I encountered “little big man” twice this week, so I take it a sign that I have more to learn. The other place I found it was reading primary source material about Crow involvement with Custer. Thanks, Sherman!
Ignore the posts with the WhatsApp link. That's not me.
HA! I got a ‘Dearie’ comment today too and it was my first spam message on this app ….
I didn't think you would call me "dearie"! 😅
Definitely did not sound like your voice!
OK, I just got one of those.
Me too. So strange. I’m not used to spam on substack.
This made me extremely reflective. Random episodes:
My friends earned a living filming horse racing. When the horses went down in a collision, screens were put around the injured animals & the 'Horse Ambulance' was driven to the site at speed. Sodium Pentobarbital administered. Usually a quick death, but once an astounding surge, a backward flip, many metres high and lengthways.
Hasty rearrangement of the screens. Winch into the ambulance.
An Australian film, Journey out of Darkness, 1967. The Malaysian singer/actor Kamahl plays a first nations man. As does white Australian Ed Devereaux, in black-face. Not even in double digits when I saw it, it struck me as unspeakably wrong. Fury.
We expect artifice in films, make certain allowances for drama. Being blatantly lied to is something I struggle with in cinema.
As kids, we could spend a whole day at the Roxy cinema. A flea pit that repeated the same double feature three times. The Westerns were the highlights, especially the battles.
Indians! bareback, no bit or halter, riding like one being.
Sliding around, underneath the ponies or leaning on the withers while shooting a volley of arrows. Exhilarated, sugar hang over kicking in, we'd head home under city starlight.
As a longtime health care worker what comes to my mind Re horses & dealing w brutality in this life was the saying, “they shoot horses don’t they” when faced with absolute horror of inducing needless suffering (“treatment”) vs comfort measures on those whose death was imminent.
If we (ranchers?) can treat the suffering life of a horse with dignity & respect, gratitude for the life why not people, even those needing comfort at deaths door, even when they have juicy insurance policies?
A followup to an earlier lengthy comment of mine...Last night watched the movie MAX. In first five minutes a soldier is killed (in W’s shock and aweful endless ‘war’)...I was fairly unmoved; however, when his K-9 partner (Max) was seriously injured, all tears. There is something deeper for me about animal tragedy over human (be they indigenous, minority, anglo, any sex).
Today I published a video on instagram’s @abqonscene that is in ‘uproarness’. There is no (nightly news) gore...however, there is an emotionally wrenching shot of a victim in pain. We are so immune and blasé to immensely shocking ‘news’, youtubes, etc. But how dare you post an emotion raising video. I have decided to leave it posted for now.
Where can I watch the film The Business of Fancy Dancing? Don’t see it available anywhere.
Sherman! So you did write the “animals in film” essay after all. I was waiting to see how you’d tackle the topic, and I did not expect that it would be so personal. I don’t really know what to say, except that I too am usually more shocked by animal deaths than human deaths, and after writing my own essay on animals in the film industry, I can no longer watch a movie and not wonder how the animals that feature in it were treated. But yes, compassion is an untamed beast. It doesn’t always behave like it’s supposed to.
"Compassion is an untamed beast." Wow, yes.
Sherm, we’re friends now, so I feel Sherm is ok? Absolutely I agree that producers last thought was of animals, grips then animals. However I being a smidge cynical have always thought that generally folks who care more for animals than there fellow humans might be doing so out of fear or self preservation. Animals again generally don’t well bite back. We humans can be serious assholes and here I am hoping I’m not proving that point
I prefer dogs to most humans!
Oh H E double hockey sticks I do as well. I’m just saying that some people may use their concern for animals as a substitute for caring about people. Really anything can be used as an avoidance, even chatting with a beloved author! 😀Apropos of nothing it turns out I subscribed to your stack twice, a free account this one and a paid account so I m going to say goodbye to this one but fear not old building and loan pal I’ll still be around under my @Morristv
.. i write of horses often.. my first living memory is of a horse snuffling me in ‘53 . These are some of the actual ponies you speak of.. welcome to Canada eh.. where the scenes you studied & write of were rehearsed & filmed. The Movie of course is fiction.. the underlying historical reality not at all.
Writing about horses is a habit of mine.. as I’ve ‘worked’ with so many over the years.. and feel you might confront your concerns or even fear of horses.. or gruntlement.. My suggestion & experience - is that every single horse ‘may form an agreement’ with you.. whether helping it heal, the care & attention.. or the partnership of riding or transporting.. the intensity of foaling, even the sounds of gunfire, whether blanks or live rounds.. horses r complicated.. but so are ‘we’
Your essay is exceptional.. but is it about horses .. or indians ? Both methinks !
https://thomasdarcyodonnell.substack.com/p/about-the-photos-and-the-shooter
It's about how horses and Indians, however free, still end up having to perform.
We’re all performers to the Uber-rich in most cases. I think your marionette dance metaphor could be anyone up against an entrenched and wealthy minority at this point. I wonder what Custer moves will be made if AI takes over. Like chimpanzees, the human race has many built-in behaviors that are problamatic. Thank you for calling them out so clearly.
a pretty sweeping summary.. conveyed there via 14 words
Have to say though.. & full respect too.. but I aint quite buyin what you’re sellin ..
That it’s your perspective is fair & zero problem at all in my eyes
Maybe it’s that a lot of my writing includes First Nations as well as some Indigenous Americans.. so various tribes, & invariably aspects of shamanism as well.. I also give voice to the creatures - now this is primarily fiction .. my fiction.. and in no way has ‘standing’ whatsoever - in comparison to you.. Your view re horses seems .. well uh.. ain’t .. uh .. it just sit right a’tall with me.. being used along with your views re ‘performance’.. and your indigenous reality, experience & standing..
In fairness too.. I ain’t seen the Film you created .. dying too actually !
Horses have been an ongoing aspect in my life.. and so have the indigenous peoples, albeit primarily within Canada.. but not always.. no not at all. I ‘paint them in realistic but mainly very positive light.. and so value our discourse greatly .. a rare opportunity in fact
Canada & Canadians are quite willing to keep fucking First Nations over & over & all over again Amen.. but that’s a sweeping statement too.. It’s really Big Vested Interests & complicit Political Parties.. seeking their Holy Moly Grail.. ‘CERTAINTY’
& when did an Indigenous Treaty & White Certainty ever live happily ever after eh !
And I’ve found that people get upset when I don’t adhere to the political and cultural views that an Indian is expected to have.
You sir can write the verse.
Thank you, David.