| June 30, 2006 Rank and File by Nova Stubbs, insurgent49 Northern Exposure Syndrome
I first set foot in Anchorage in 1994, at the age of eighteen. My curious young mind had led me to this northern city as I sought adventure, nature, and something beyond my small town mid-western flat-land blues. Before I left, some friends from my Michigan hometown forewarned me that there was “no work in Alaska during the winter,” and they knew this for certain because they had a daughter who had worked in Denali for a summer. I was also told that I could “sled down glaciers” from a fellow who had claimed that he had lived here. These people were full of crap, of course; yet I clung to my romanticized notions as my internal compass pointed North. Once I arrived at the Anchorage Youth Hostel, I was fed further lines of untruths by fellow backpackers. For instance, one girl told me that “the public buses don’t run in the winter.” Do some people from the outside really believe that Alaska only exists in the summer? Others take a more serious stance, as they believe that Alaska is like the television series Northern Exposure: cold, quaint, rustic, and beautiful. And, to be honest, my perceptions before I arrived were similar. I remember searching for my first apartment in the Anchorage Daily News and was convinced that a place called “Mountain View” was sure to be an affluent and nature-oriented neighborhood. Therefore, my traveling companion and I hopped on People Mover route 45 in order to explore. Our notions of “what a great neighborhood” were confirmed when we saw a sign that read something along the lines of “voted best neighborhood in 1988.” In the end, Mountain View was nowhere near our preconceptions, but the rent was cheap so we went for it. I had told a local woman who worked at the transit center that I was new to Anchorage, and that I had just placed a deposit on an apartment in Mountain View; she looked at me with wide eyes and said, “Be very careful or else you’ll get killed.” Well, I am still alive and lived there for over a year, and wasn’t really careful. Yes, my innocent small town ideas of life did get a reality check but, overall, it was a necessary experience. My newfound big city Anchorage life began to open my eyes to many things; but the one thing, still to this day, that I do not understand is the racism. Early on, some people in Anchorage attempted to indoctrinate me into believing that something was wrong with Natives, as living amongst this minority was also new to me. Too many times have I heard “stupid drunk native.” Too many times have I heard slanderous remarks aimed against them. The racist stories I have heard and the scenes I have witnessed anger me. It wasn’t like that on Northern Exposure, after all, where the Natives were respected like sages of the Earth. Out of all my preconceptions, this is the one that I wish were a reality. Today, when people attempt to pass judgements on Natives, it is easy for me to call them out on it, either by clarifying that they are ignorant of the plights of being Native, or sometimes with a resounding “fuck you”. Yet, the truth is that none of us should sit in silence when it comes to racism against Natives. Although we may not be able to sled down glaciers, there are certain societal myths about Alaska that we can change simply with the power of our voices. Nova Stubbs is a freelance writer and activist, and is co-founder of Insurgent49. Nova resides in an undisclosed location in downtown Anchorage and may be contacted at nova@insurgent49.com. |
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Columnists -
- column archive -
June 23, 2006 June 16, 2006 June 9, 2006 June 2, 2006 May 26, 2006 - also by this writer - The Protest Of Petty Power Kings and Pawns Outside My Anchorage Window Prevoland Stop Requested |
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2005
Insurgent Media. All Rights
Reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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